What it doesn't mean
The acronym was in use years earlier: on a ranch name before 1996, on a clothing line and in Urban Dictionary in 2004. Drake made it famous; he did not coin it.
The sentiment is ancient, and close to the Latin 'carpe diem'. What was new in 2011 was the four-letter hashtag.
What it really means
Every generation has a phrase for "life is short, do the thing". For a stretch of 2012 it was four capital letters: YOLO, you only live once.
The acronym is older than its fame. Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and his wife Caryl Orbach had used it to name their ranch before 1996. In April 2004 it got its first Urban Dictionary definition, the same spring a reality-TV contestant sold "You Only Live Once" clothing. But it stayed small until 29 November 2011, when Drake released "The Motto", with YOLO in the hook.
What followed was a textbook spike. YOLO turned up as a hashtag, on T-shirts, in graffiti and in tattoos. In November 2012, Oxford's American dictionaries put it on their Word of the Year shortlist. Cambridge still defines it as meaning you should do enjoyable or exciting things, even if they are silly or slightly dangerous.
The backlash was nearly as fast. Critics called it an excuse for recklessness, and it became a target for jokes almost as soon as it peaked. In January 2013 The Lonely Island, with Adam Levine and Kendrick Lamar, released a parody, "YOLO", whose sarcastic lyrics turn the motto inside out: since you only live once, take no chances at all. It reached number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100.
That parody is a good marker of where the word now sits. People still know YOLO and still say it, but mostly in quotation marks: a self-aware shrug before a second dessert or a spontaneous trip. The idea, of course, never fades. It was here long before 2011, and Latin had a phrase for it: carpe diem.
Where it comes from
- Before 1996
Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and his wife Caryl Orbach name their ranch with the acronym.
- April 2004
The first Urban Dictionary definition of YOLO is submitted; the same spring a reality-TV contestant launches a 'You Only Live Once' clothing line.
- 29 November 2011
Drake releases 'The Motto', with YOLO in its hook; usage surges into 2012.
- November 2012
Oxford's American dictionaries put YOLO on their Word of the Year shortlist.
- 2013
The Lonely Island release a parody song, 'YOLO', reaching number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In real life
- 'Should I order the second dessert?' 'YOLO.' — permission, 2012 style.
- 'Booked a last-minute flight to Lisbon, YOLO' — today usually said with a self-aware wink.
- By 2013 a comedy song was using YOLO as a reason to take no chances at all, and the word had become its own punchline.
Questions
Q01What does YOLO mean?
'You only live once.' It is used to justify doing something fun, bold or slightly reckless. Cambridge Dictionary describes it as meaning you should do enjoyable or exciting things even if they are silly or slightly dangerous.
Q02Who made YOLO popular?
Drake, with 'The Motto', released on 29 November 2011. The acronym had existed since at least the 1990s and appeared on Urban Dictionary in 2004.
Q03Do people still say YOLO?
Less and less, and usually with irony. The backlash began almost as soon as it peaked, and by 2013 it was the subject of parody songs.
Q04Is YOLO the same as carpe diem?
Close in spirit: both say life is short, so act now. Carpe diem is usually about making the most of time; YOLO is more often about taking a risk.
Sources
- YOLO (aphorism) — Wikipedia (Hart/Orbach ranch; 'The Motto' 29 November 2011; backlash; The Lonely Island parody, Hot 100 #60).
- YOLO — Know Your Meme (Urban Dictionary April 2004; Oxford American Dictionaries shortlist November 2012).
- YOLO — Cambridge Dictionary.
- YOLO (The Lonely Island song) — Wikipedia (January 2013; sarcastic reversal of the motto).