The Symphony Dolphin meme, aka the Rainbow Dolphin meme, is a reference to a meme format using vibrant images of dolphins jumping out of the water combined with simple demotivational text overlays. When posted to TikTok, these memes are often paired with the song “Symphony” by Swedish singer and songwriter Zara Larsson.
The Symphony Dolphin meme is a twist on common popular motivational graphics. In these memes, the poster pairs a Lisa Frank-esque photo of a dolphin leaping from the ocean, sometimes surrounded by random schools of fish.
@random_contentgacha I WANNA BE PART OF YOUR SYMPONY#fypシ #dolphinmeme #iwannabepartofyoursymphony ♬ original sound - ★ITS DOVEE_STARY★
The text overlay is in simple black-and-white font sharing a demotivational comment that is at odds with the fun, cutesy artwork of the dolphins. The meme format went viral on TikTok in August 2024.
The Rainbow Dolphin is regularly posted on TikTok alongside Zara Larsson's song “Symphony,” specifically the line, “I just wanna be part of your symphony.” The song is very catchy, with lyrics talking about love songs on the radio and not wanting to let go of their love.
What looks to be the first of the symphony dolphin memes was posted by TikToker @heiratet on August 18th, 2024. In the TikTok video, there is the classic image of the dolphin jumping out of the water, Larsson's song, and the text overlay that reads, “I’m depressed.”
The video has been viewed over 1.1 million times, and they have since posted a dozen TikToks utilizing the same image and format. Some of the demotivational messages included in their posts are, “i self sabotage everything,” “you’re depressed? don’t forget to smile! :)” and “i’m scared of people.”
Their most-viewed symphony dolphin meme TikTok, where they wrote, “i love alcohol,” has over 6.4 million views.
One of the most commonly used artworks in this meme format appears to be a painting by Christian Riese Lassen titled "Enjoy Sunshine" of many dolphins and other sea life, using his signature style, which according to his website, “is a blend of the real and the imaginary, with magnificent underwater scenes with dolphins and other sea animals, as well as seascapes and landscapes of unparalleled beauty and harmony.”
As the Symphony Dolphin meme has spread on TikTok, folks have shared both silly and brutally honest statements using the demotivational meme format.
@random_contentgacha I WANNA BE PART OF YOUR SYMPONY#fypシ #dolphinmeme #iwannabepartofyoursymphony ♬ original sound - ★ITS DOVEE_STARY★
@_a__r_t_ #alcohol #symphony #viral #solution #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #goviral #goviraltiktok #perte ♬ Symphony - Clean Bandit,Zara Larsson
@_c.h.e.r.r.i.e.s Whoever made this song must be happy rn???? #CapCut #fyp #dolpins #symphony #blowup #silly #balls #ocean #spirtuality #fypシ゚viral #FYP ♬ Symphony - Clean Bandit,Zara Larsson
@zamuzalver “I JUST WANNA BE PART OF YOUR SYMPHONYYYYY” ahh???? #foryou #fyp #dolphins ♬ Symphony - Zara Larsson
@_c.h.e.r.r.i.e.s Whoever made this song must be happy rn???? #CapCut #fyp #dolpins #symphony #blowup #silly #balls #ocean #spirtuality #fypシ゚viral #FYP ♬ Symphony - Clean Bandit,Zara Larsson
Zara Larsson, the singer whose song was used in the viral TikToks, posted her own version of the meme on her TikTok account on August 21st, 2024 with the text overlay, “what the f*ck is happening,” where it got over 53.2 million views.
People got a kick out of Larsson's reaction to the new trend.
On August 23rd, 2024, Larsson replied to a comment on her viral meme post reacting to the fact that her most viral moment on social media was a meme that used one of her songs.
@zaralarsson Replying to @???? ♬ Symphony - Zara Larsson
And then on August 25th, 2024, she shared a video from one of her concerts, where LED screens behind her on stage flashed with animations of jumping dolphins and rainbows as she performed the “Symphony” song. The text overlay reads, “It had to happen,” followed by a string of dolphin, rainbow, and unicorn emojis.
@zaralarsson Replying to @Alberto Guti ♬ Symphony - Zara Larsson
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