Monster, How Should I Feel? The Enduring Cultural Phenomenon Of A Single Lyric

The question is simple, yet the feeling is universal. The line "Monster, how should I feel?" has transcended its origins as a single lyric from an early 2000s emo-pop song to become a cultural touchstone, a viral meme, and the centerpiece of multiple musical genres. As of the current date in December 2025, this phrase is experiencing a renewed surge in popularity, driven by recent EDM remixes and its enduring life as a viral sound on platforms like TikTok and YouTube.

The phrase captures a profound sense of self-doubt, internal conflict, and the struggle to reconcile a perceived "monstrous" self with expected societal emotions. This article dives into the three distinct lives of this iconic lyric, exploring its original meaning, its EDM revival, and its powerful use in the hip-hop scene, demonstrating its incredible topical authority across music and internet culture.

The Original Entity: Meg & Dia’s "Monster" (2006)

The original, haunting voice behind the iconic line belongs to the American rock band Meg & Dia, specifically the sisters Meg and Dia Frampton. Released in 2006, "Monster" was a standout track on their second studio album, *Something Real*. This era of music, characterized by emotional depth and alternative rock sensibilities, provided the perfect backdrop for the song's complex themes.

• The Facts Of Life Cast Where Are Eastlands Girls Now 2024 Updates 2tx8p

• Artist: Meg & Dia (Meg Frampton and Dia Frampton)
• Song Title: Monster
• Album: *Something Real*
• Release Year: 2006
• Record Label: Doghouse Records (Original Release)
• Genre: Emo Pop, Alternative Rock

Lyrical Analysis and Meg & Dia’s Intent

The core of the song explores themes of fragility, being trapped, and the difficult process of self-identification. The sisters have explained that "Monster" was inspired by a book they had written, giving it a narrative depth beyond a simple love song. The lyrics paint a vivid, almost gothic picture:

"Monster, how should I feel? Turn the sheets down. Murder ears with pillow lace. There's bathtubs full of glow flies. Bathe in kerosene. Their words...".

This imagery suggests a character wrestling with an inner darkness or a painful situation, questioning how to react when they feel like an outcast or a "creature." The repeated question, "Monster, how should I feel?", is the character’s plea for emotional guidance in a world that sees them as something terrifying or broken. This raw vulnerability is what first resonated with a generation and continues to fuel its viral resurgence.

• The Untouchable Privacy 7 Secrets Of Rachel Mcadams And Jamie Lindens Life Beyond The Red Carpet E820e

The EDM and Hip-Hop Revivals: New Life for an Old Lyric

A true testament to the lyric's power is its ability to be seamlessly adapted into entirely new genres, giving it a fresh relevance that extends into 2024 and 2025. Two major reinterpretations have cemented "Monster, how should I feel?" as a timeless entity.

1. The Electronic Dance Music (EDM) Phenomenon: LUM!X and Gabry Ponte

In a major resurgence, the lyric was sampled and featured in the high-energy EDM track "Monster" by LUM!X and Gabry Ponte. This collaboration transformed the original introspective rock ballad into a festival anthem, introducing the phrase to a completely new, global audience.

• Track Title: Monster
• Artists: LUM!X & Gabry Ponte
• Key Update: The track received a Gabry Ponte 2023 Remix, which further propelled its popularity on streaming platforms and social media, ensuring its continued presence in the music charts through the current period.
• Cultural Impact: The EDM version strips away some of the original's narrative complexity, using the line as a powerful, pulsating hook. It became a staple sound for short-form video content, solidifying its status as a viral audio entity.

2. The Hip-Hop Interpretation: Witt Lowry’s "How Should I Feel"

Rapper Witt Lowry provided perhaps the most emotionally direct modern connection to the original song. His 2017 track, "How Should I Feel," not only sampled the iconic chorus but also featured Meg & Dia themselves.

• Shania Twains Bold Statement Why The Star Chose Nude Photoshoots At 57 Qf9cg

• Track Title: How Should I Feel (feat. Meg & Dia)
• Artist: Witt Lowry
• Theme: Lowry used the lyric to anchor a song about mental health, self-doubt, and the pressure of success. His verses delve into the feeling of being an outsider and questioning one’s emotional state under immense scrutiny.
• Topical Authority: This version ties the phrase explicitly to contemporary discussions around anxiety, depression, and the struggle to "feel normal," giving the 2006 lyric a powerful new context for the modern listener.

The Enduring Meme Culture and Social Media Life

Beyond the music charts, the phrase "Monster, how should I feel?" has achieved a rare level of internet immortality by becoming a highly adaptable meme. Its enduring popularity on platforms like TikTok and YouTube is what keeps the lyric *fresh* and *current* even in late 2025.

The Anatomy of a Viral Sound

The sound clip is typically used in short-form videos to convey a specific set of relatable emotions, often with a humorous twist:

1. The Internal Monologue: The most common use involves a character doing something mundane while the sound plays, representing an intense, dramatic internal conflict or overthinking a simple situation.
2. The Transformation: It frequently accompanies videos showing a sudden, dramatic shift in appearance or mood, where the subject embraces an edgy or "monstrous" alter-ego.
3. Relatable Self-Doubt: In its purest form, the meme is a shorthand for expressing profound self-doubt or confusion about one's own reaction to a situation. For example, a video might show someone getting a minor inconvenience with the caption, "Monster, how should I feel?" to humorously imply an overly dramatic emotional response.

The continued creation of new content, from animated parodies to pet videos set to the song, ensures that the phrase remains highly searchable and relevant, constantly introducing the original Meg & Dia track and its various remixes to a new generation of listeners. This continuous cycle of re-discovery and re-contextualization is the ultimate secret to the phrase's longevity and its power as a topical entity in the digital age.

Key Entities and Topical Authority

The journey of "Monster, how should I feel?" touches upon numerous key entities and concepts, establishing its deep topical authority:

• Musical Entities: Meg & Dia, Dia Frampton, Meg Frampton, LUM!X, Gabry Ponte, Witt Lowry, Doghouse Records, Spinnin' Records.
• Song/Album Entities: "Monster," *Something Real*, "How Should I Feel," "Monster (Gabry Ponte 2023 Remix)," "Monster (LUM!X VIP MIX)."
• Thematic Entities: Self-Perception, Internal Conflict, Mental Health, Fragility, Self-Doubt, Emotional Guidance, Emo Culture.
• Cultural Entities: TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Short-Form Video Content, Viral Meme, Internet Immortality, Emo Revival.

In conclusion, the lyric "Monster, how should I feel?" is more than just a catchy line; it is a cultural chameleon. It began as a deeply personal question in an alternative rock song, was transformed into a high-octane EDM banger for the club scene, and became a powerful anthem for mental health advocacy in hip-hop. Its continuous life as a viral meme on social media proves that the question of how to feel when you feel like a "monster" is a timeless, universally relatable human experience.