What’s the origin of this phrase, which has been popping up here and there lately? Sometimes in the form “Go <name>, it’s your birthday, not for real-real, just for play-play”.
A line from a song, perhaps?
That’d be Foxy Love, from Drawn Together.
Unless it appears there as a reference to something else that I’m too out-of-touch to get. These kids with their hip’n and their hop’n and their pudding pops and all.
I saw that episode. I love “Drawn together”.
Is Foxxy really the source of the quote, though? I had the impression she was quoting from somewhere.
No cite, but it’s definitely older than that. I remember it from middle or elementary school (1990-ish).
What I always heard was:
go 'head
go 'head
it’s your birthday
not for real though
just for play play
I believe the phrase originated before it was picked up by any media source. The development, I’m guessing, goes something like this.
– Go, <name> – a standard shout of encouragement, perhaps at a school athletic event
– It’s your birthday – I don’t know quite how this became part of the shout, but it just adds to the sense of encouragement – “It’s your day!”
– Not for real-real; just for play-play – added on for rhyme and meter – reflects the reality that the person being encouraged is not really celebrating a birthday.
I don’t know about “real real”, but “play-play” is long-standing slang meaning for “pretend” or “not for real”.
As in, “That girl over there is my play-play cousin.”