All I Wanted Was a Pepsi

Meaning

What does All I Wanted Was a Pepsi mean?

All I wanted was a Pepsi is a popular line from a Suicidal Tendencies song, titled Institutionalized.

Online, the line became popular through appearing on image macros, related to a hoax campaign, aiming to free Mike, the singer of the song.

via MEME

Origin

What's the origin of All I Wanted Was a Pepsi?

Institutionalized was featured on the debut album of Suicidal Tendencies, which was named after the band itself.

The album was released on July 5th, 1983, and the first video clip would be broadcast on MTV in 1984.

“All I wanted was a Pepsi” appeared in the second verse of the song, as the singer, Mike is describing how he was sent to a mental institution.

It became a popular line among punks across the globe, with numerous references appearing in art and music over the years.

Spread & Usage

How did All I Wanted Was a Pepsi spread?

The video clip was first uploaded to YouTube by BlankTV on February 24th, 2008.

“All I wanted was a Pepsi” wouldn’t be turned into a meme until 2011, when the first of the image macros would appear online.

These, however, wouldn’t gain a large popularity until March 2012, when Tumblr user the-numbers-game posted a photo of Mike Muir, the singer, with a text saying he was wrongfully institutionalized.

“All I wanted was a Pepsi” would quickly spread to Reddit, where it would still surge up, until 2015.

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External resources

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