I often see people online asking where particular songs by Bo are or why there is no Make Happy CD on Spotify.
Rather than answer these frequent questions again and again, I decided that I'd create a primer of Bo's albums that people can easily access on my website.
If you are looking for Bo's roles in movies and TV instead, please check out this comprehensive primer.
Hope y'all find this helpful, and remember—to press it onto vinyl is a whole other thing.
It's gonna outlive him!
Bo's albums:
Bo Fo Sho—available digitally
Bo's first album, published in 2008
Features six of Bo's YouTube songs, including My Whole Family..., Sunday School, and H.O.A.R.
Bo Burnham—available digitally and on CD
Bo's first full-length album, published in 2009
Includes multiple extra tracks: I'm Bo Yo (studio), Rehab Center for Fictional Characters, Welcome to YouTube, Bonus Track (Little Adolf)
Has a DVD featuring his Comedy Central Presents as well as a tour of Bo's house and the music video for High School Party
Includes two songs that are no longer digitally streaming: The Perfect Woman (a love song about Helen Keller that Bo wrote when he was 16) and Klan Kookout (a hilariously risque song from the POV of a Klan member)
That's a familiar pose to Inside fans lol
That last one looks like an earlier version of The Dump, right?
Words Words Words—available digitally and on CD
Bo's first album that coincides with his hourlong special on Comedy Central, published in 2010
Two studio tracks: Words Words Words and Oh Bo (both have music videos!)
"don't let that rot go"...did no one proofread this?
what.—available digitally and on CD
Bo's second album that coincides with his hourlong special on YouTube/Netflix and his last collaboration with Comedy Central Records, published in 2013
Includes five studio tracks: Repeat Stuff; Eff; Nerds; Channel 5 News: The Musical!; Hell of a Ride
Features one music video for Repeat Stuff
Might be returning to shelves with new physical reprinting (fingers crossed!)
Make Happy—does NOT exist digitally OR physically
The reason for this is Netflix, per Bo in his AMA:
Bo, oh my god. Where is the Make Happy album?
Not coming for a while (or maybe at all). There's a bunch of weird legal stuff in the way of making it, which I don't totally mind because I think the show should be watched and heard together. But there's a bunch of audio rips out there that you can download if you want to. Sorry!
In lieu of there not being a legitimate version, you can thankfully listen to all of Bo's songs from his third comedy special on YouTube in this playlist.
Netflix does have a handful of songs online: Lower Your Expectations, Pandering, Straight White Male, Kill Yourself
And Bo has one song on his channel: Can't Handle This (Kanye Rant)
Inside (the Songs)—available digitally and on CD, cassette, and vinyl; published in 2021
First album with Imperial Records
Features the Grammy-winning All Eyes On Me and Welcome to the Internet (Bo's most popular song to date with 100 million+ views)
Multiple vinyl variations: Translucent Yellow (Target), Black (Amazon and Bo's website), Coke Bottle Green (Indie stores), and Eggshell White (Urban Outfitters...should have included a dreamcatcher with each purchase lol)
Not pictured: Pink (Spotify exclusive)
Music videos on Bo's channel: Welcome to the Internet, White Woman's Instagram, All Eyes on Me, That Funny Feeling
Netflix also has the following items posted on YouTube: FaceTime with My Mom (Tonight), How the World Works, Unpaid Intern
The Inside Outtakes—available digitally; published in 2022
This album features two brand-new songs that only appear briefly in the First Month section of the Outtakes: 1985 and Microwave Popcorn (or if you only know them from TikTok—"white guy 1985" and "put the packet on the glass" haha)
There are two videos on Bo's channel for this release: Five Years and The Chicken
Netflix Is a Joke also uploaded a number of shorts from the Outtakes: Disco ball, Bo's teeth, The Dump, Five Years, Bo's advice, Welcome to the Internet, Spider in the house
Inside Deluxe—available digitally and in a stunning vinyl box set; published in 2022
Most recent album available from Bo
Includes all of Inside (The Songs), The Inside Outtakes, and the Inside Scores from both specials
Five variations available: RGB, Clear (Urban Outfitters), Opaque White (Target), Black (Amazon), and Splatter (Spotify)
There are hidden tracks as well as some fun surprises!
Bonus tracks on other albums:
T.J. Miller collaboration
Bo appears in two tracks on Miller's rap album The Extended Play: Ying Yang Friends and Battle of the Century, Part III
Just For Laughs 2010, 2011, 2013
Bo performed in Montreal at Just For Laughs a few times, and his tracks were featured on the best-of compilations in 2010 (What's Funny, Oh Bo), 2011 (God's Song), and 2013 (Beauty Poetry, Sad Song)
Bonus tracks that were never recorded/released:
Oh My God
Fetus
One of the first songs Bo wrote (he said he was 14 when he came up with it), this ode to the abortion clinic is funny but pretty simplistic (feed us=fetus)
Bo performed this while on tour in 2009
Here's a version from a show in Portland
Stinky Feet
This is a song Bo tried out in 2012 while touring what. that didn't make the final cut, rhymes "street" with "eat" and "feet"
Mocks the shortcut musical comedians have at their disposal—just add MUSIC to your story to make it funny!
Untitled rap track (Over It)
Bo uploaded this short clip in 2011 of him rapping about his childhood—he was working on a serious rap album that he eventually discarded entirely except for a couple tracks that made it to what.
Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous Ringtones
In the second episode of Bo's MTV show, he starts a band called Straight to Voicemail. Aside from the humourous songs in the show itself, Bo wrote and recorded a few extra ringtones that viewers could download.
The songs include Friday Night, Halfsies, Hipster, Jesus Calling (very Chipp McCapp), Pay Me Back (similar to Repeat Stuff thematically), Relationship, Sex Club, and Teenage Demographic (new millennial anthem!)
Bo's Darfur Rap
A very young Bo—only 16 at the time—did a slam poetry-style rap about Darfur at a Jamnesty event in 2007, and someone recorded it (this was the same show where he premiered My Better Half and explained in the YouTube comments that he had just finished writing the ending haha).
Bonus video of Bo singing that he's an inspiration to little girls...I guess he had that "Fuck yeah, I am!" mentality about being a comedian for 13-year-old girls even back then!
An unreleased Modern Dating Song
This was recorded at the Largo (known for its very strict policies on filming, so I have NO idea how someone got the footage). I think the lyrics are about a guy and his date taking an Uber (it's hard to make out the words), and it definitely feels like a Make Happy era Bo song.
