A-U-T-I-S-M

""You know, because a brain condition totally makes you want to get up and Par-tay on down.""

- RobotwarsKing, YouTube

"A-U-T-I-S-M" is the third track from Christian and the Hedgehog Boys. It is sung over a live version of "Larger Than Life" by Backstreet Boys.

The song is most notable as a view into Chris's personal definition of autism: a condition that makes him quiet and has rendered him so especially intelligent and different that he can't make friends. It is strange that he refers to fellow autistics as "us", given the fact that he always tries to disassociate with "slow-in-the-minds".

It is possible that Chris got the live versions of "Larger than Life" and "I Want It That Way" he used as the bases for "A-U-T-I-S-M" and "So Need a Cute Girl" from the  CDs which were released as freebies with Burger King meals in 2000.

Interpretations
Students of the English language have been especially puzzled by the phrase "I look at you all, and I see a rainbow". Various explanations of this include:


 * Chris looks at us all and sees a motley crew of homosexuals.
 * It's a mangling of the concept of the.
 * His fans are comprised of many different races.

But since Chris can't use figurative language (let alone plain English), a simpler and more plausible explanation is that Chris is drawing from the rainbow puzzle or rainbow infinity logo used by some autism charities, and the line is being said by someone looking at Chris, with an abrupt, sudden change in point of view. Another examples of his tenuous grasp of symbolism and syntactic constructs comes from the line "friends unseen", which to Chris apparently means nobody ever sees him with friends (because he has none), but to anybody else implies that his friends are invisible or hallucinatory.

Cadence
In one of the last repeats of the chorus, Chris begins singing the second line with an especially upbeat tone (Silence and friends UN-SEEEEN!!), from then on Chris finishes the song with an unusually cheery cadence. This could be explained by the pop-y nature of the original song being infectious and making Chris forget that the subject matter is autobiographical as well as tragic. While not unexpected, this shows Chris has little understanding of tone, or that he holds little legitimate emotional stock in the song.

Lyrics
[sung over The Backstreet Boys's ""]

Are you ready to pa-a-a-rty?

I've been high and feelin' like an outcast, alright? But let me tell you: I need some friends now, alright? (’Cause) all of this time I’m livin’ alo-awo-awo-awo-o-one!

A-U-T-I-S-M, what does it mean? Silence and friends unseen! A few brains as well: that is autism! And that makes us seem special to you!

I'm lookin' at you all, and I see a rainbow, come on! You think I'm different in every way, come on! All of the times that I've earned honor ro-awo-awo-oh-o-o-oll!

A-U-T-I-S-M, what does it mean? Silence and friends unseen! A few brains as well: that is autism! (And) that makes us seem special to you!

Oooh, oooh! Oooh, oooh!

All of the time that I've been alooo-oooo-ooooo-oooooone.

A-U-T-I-S-M: what does it mean? Silence and friends unseen! A few brains as well: that is autism! And that makes us seem special to you!

A-U-T-I-S-M: what does it mean? Silence and friends unseen! A few brains as well: that is autism! (And) that makes us seem special! That makes us seem special! That makes us seem special to you!