Akon released 'Lonely' in 2004 as a single from his debut album Trouble, built on a sped-up sample of Bobby Vinton's 1964 song 'Mr. Lonely'. The chorus, with its repeated 'I'm so lonely' refrain, became one of the most recognizable sad-pop hooks of the 2000s. As meme culture grew, editors began looping the hook under failed attempts and lonely moments, pairing the melodramatic singing with deadpan captions. It now sits beside the Emotional Damage meme and the sad meow song in the short list of sounds that signal comic despair in seconds.