Things have been a bit stressful lately. From hurriquakes, wildfires, and war to inflation and political positioning ahead of the 2024 election, there’s been a lot to take in. It all kind of just makes you want to… sit.
Maybe that’s part of the reason why the song “Sitting” has become so popular online. If you haven’t heard it yet, you can watch the video here.
“Sitting, sitting is the opposite of standing,” sings actor and comedian Brian Jordan Alvarez, as his character TJ Mack, at the top of the song. He concludes the tune with “you deserve to sit.”
The message has resonated with many. Alvarez’s Sept. 10 video on TikTok had more than 114,000 views as of Saturday. Since he released it, others have also made covers of the song.
There’s a folksy version from Nashville musician purser, a remix from producer Josh Mac, a heavy metal cover, a piano cover by Matthew Jordan, a Broadway-style cover from Nic Rouleau and more. These also have thousands of likes across social media.
Tyler Coates of The Hollywood Reporter posted on X (formerly Twitter) Sept. 17 that “i’m hearing reports that sitting is the opposite of standing,” and NBC’s Ben Collins weighed in on the issue Sept. 20.
“Sitting is the opposite of standing hits different if you’ve ever had a fast food or retail job,” noted writer David Grossman.
“Sitting” has also made it to the radio.
This isn’t the first song from TJ Mack that has garnered love online. In addition to sitting, the exceedingly relatable and upbeat character (portrayed with the help of a face filter) loves trips to Ross and TJ Maxx as well as chicken wings, his wife, son and lots of stuff. When Mack belted out an ode to “Splashing” earlier this year it also inspired covers, and last year’s “Laser Tag” even prompted a duet with one of the Jonas Brothers.
Mack is just one of a cast of characters Alvarez – who has starred on “Will & Grace” and in the film “M3GAN” – regularly posts videos of on social media. Other popular characters include source energy expert Marnie T. and an unnamed young man vlogging about his new career and attempts at Hinge dating.
“I’ll just say I’m having a blast and I’m so happy the song is resonating with people,” Alvarez told KNX Radio of the internet’s warm reception of Mack’s latest song. “Sitting really is the opposite of standing. Let’s get this to the top of the charts!”
As Mack sings, “I think that sitting is something that people say – ‘It is bad.’ But you know, sitting is actually good. Because you deserve to relax.”