Before diving into memes, I think it’d be helpful to clarify what a lick is. The Grove Music Online definition states that it is “a term used in jazz, blues and pop music to describe a short recognizable melodic motif, formula or phrase.” Now that we know what a lick is, we can learn about “The Lick”!
“The Lick”, also known as the licc (as shown above), is a short motif that’s become viral because of a YouTube video compilation made by Alex Heitlinger. Ever since the video was first published in 2011, musicians have taken it upon themselves to continue to search for more samples as well as to make their own versions (and memes).
Origin Story
From what I’ve found, The Lick has always been in existence within the jazz community, as students studying jazz in conservatories all over the world have been keeping it in use in their own improvisational jam sessions.
The lick remains a bit of a mystery because its origins have not yet been traced. One of the oldest examples of music where it can be found is in Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite (1910) which can be heard at around 1:21 of the video compilation.
On social media sites such as Reddit, people have discussed the origin story of the lick.
Social Media
There are multiple pages/groups on Facebook that are solely dedicated to finding more examples of The Lick such as The Licc, is this the licc, and of course the one that started it all back in 2010, The Lick. The Lick page, which mainly features posts with YouTube links to music in which the lick can be found, has more than 8,000 followers!
Other groups such as The Shitposting of Jazz to Come is another source where it’s fairly common to stumble upon licc memes.
Example from Shitposting group. Credit to David Eisenstat for this masterpiece
Meme
Ever since the first Facebook page began posting examples, musicians (mainly in the jazz community) have made memes about it. One of the most current popular examples is Adam Neely playing the licc for 5 hours straight.
Some of my personal favorites are the fugue version and the New York Jazz Academy video of the lick in all 12 keys.
A composer named Steve Brown even went as far as to writing a piece based off the lick.
Theory
If you’re wondering how the lick functions in music, the New York Jazz Academy made this informational video that explains the music theory behind it.
Lastly, if you haven’t already gotten sick of it, I made a YouTube playlist with just a FRACTION of all the licc memes out there for general amusement.
Mememusicology 