Can’t Get ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ Out of Your Head? Lin Manuel Miranda Has a Cure
Is your family talking too much about Bruno? If you have kids, that’s most likely the case. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” the catchy song written by Lin Manuel Miranda, was No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five weeks. The entire “Encanto” soundtrack hit No.1 in the U.S. on January 15 and is currently still there today.
And while the success of the soundtrack and “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is exciting for everyone involved in the movie, there are some people out there who wish they could never hear the song again — namely, parents of young children.
The success of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” has become a bit of a running joke in popular culture, especially on social media platforms like TikTok and Twitter. Yes, people can’t stop talking about how catchy the song is, but they also can’t stop talking about how, well, frankly, annoying it is to hear it played so often.
Recently, Lin Manuel Miranda addressed the ear-worm nature of “Bruno” in a sketch he performed in for “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
In the sketch, Miranda hawks a fictional medication called “Encantix” that promises to “curb your cravings for the ‘Encanto’ soundtrack.”
Dressed in a lab coat, Miranda (who is described in the spoof as the “Head of Research at Bruno Pharmaceuticals”) addresses the audience. “Have the songs of Encanto brought your life to a joy-filled, yet grinding halt?” he asks, before introducing us to the wonders of Encantix.
“Our kids were listening to Bruno two, maybe three-hundred times a day,” a frazzled mother says to the camera. “With Encantix, we’ve gotten it down to a solid 125. Thanks Encantix!”
How does Encantix work? According to the faux-ad, Encantix is “the first of its kind pill that doesn’t go in your mouth.” “Simply insert one [pill] into each ear canal and take a break from the sonic delights of national treasure Lin Manuel Miranda,” instructs Miranda himself.
Miranda concludes the pharmaceutical ad spoof by instructing the viewer to “take dos oruguitas and call me in the morning.”
Before the sketch aired, Lin Manuel Miranda appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” to talk about both the success of the “Encanto” soundtrack as well as the new movie he directed, “Tik Tik Boom.”
Kimmel brought up how popular “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is in his household. “I know you hear this all the time, but all the time, but in my house — and not just my kids — my wife is in the car listening to it. She wakes up in the night thinking about it. And it’s great, but enough already,” Kimmel joked.
Miranda seemed to have a good sense of humor about it, saying that he knew the goodwill towards “Bruno” wouldn’t last forever. “You know, I knew the other shoe was gonna drop,” he said. “And everyone was gonna go ‘I love this!… Enough already.”‘
Well, it appears the public hasn’t had enough quite yet. After all, the Oscars just announced that “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” will be performed at the Academy Awards ceremony on March 27, despite the song not even being nominated for an award. Guess we’ll have to keep the Encantix handy.
