Whoo, lord! I’ve written two lengthy essays for The Critical Condition this week, not to mention a lengthy freelance article and a story for TDF STAGES(the online theatre magazine that I edit by day.) On top of that, I am getting ready to move next week, so my nights are full of packing, shlepping, and trying to find someone to take my couch off my hands.
In other words, I don’t have the energy for thoughtful analysis this morning. I just want to dance.
My perpetually sassy friend Rachel has this thing called “3 Song Dance Break,” where you stop whatever you’re doing and dance-dance-dance as hard as you can for exactly three songs. Then you collect yourself and go back to the task at hand, refreshed and inspired. Here’s a 3 Song Dance Break that I’ll be taking today. What would be on your playlist?
As you know, I can’t get enough of recommending songs. Today, I’m throwing love to the rock-, pop-, and dance-happy ladies of Europe. Some of these songs came my way when Andrew and I were in Europe. Some of them came from my friend Tray, who actually lives in Europe. And some of them are by Robyn.
Sometimes, a pop song is more than just a delicious sound nugget. Sometimes, its’ a learning tool. I mean, I think anyone who was sentient in 1989 had his or her knowledge of 20th-century history tripled by “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” and if you want to know about Belgian painters or the gases of the sun, then you’d better get some They Might Be Giants in your ears.
And then there are songs that teach us to spell. Here are my five favorite spelling moments in pop music. What are yours?
Welcome to a brand new twist on your Friday iPod Quiz!
At the excellent suggestion of Roommate Joe, who provided last week’s quiz, I am slightly modifying the format of the game. At least for now.
Instead of simply putting my iPod on shuffle and offering you lines from the first 30 songs that pop up, I am selecting 30 songs from my iPod that fit a given theme.
This week’s theme is One-Hit Wonders of the 90s and 00s. And yes, all of these gems are on my portable music player right this very minute.
I realize, of course, that “one-hit wonder” is often a subjective term. My rule is this: If most of the world only remembers you for one song, then you are a one-hit wonder. For example, even though Jesus Jones reached #4 on the Hot 100 with “Real, Real, Real,” I still classify them as a one-hit wonder, since most of the world only remembers them for “Right Here, Right Now.”
Also? If you have hits in a band, then you have one hit as a solo artist, I will count you as a one-hit wonder. For instance, New Kids on the Block are NOT a one-hit wonder, but Jordan “Give It To You” Knight totally is. See what I mean?
If you disagree with my subjective decisions, then you are free to post a comment. You can argue that Deee-Lite was not actually a one-hit wonder because “World Clique” used to play all the time in this Jersey club you went to with your friend Andrea back in 1991. And I will read that comment. And feel happy that you and Andrea used to have so much fun. But I won’t change my mind.
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The Rules:I have selected 30 songs from my iPod that fit this week’s theme. After the jump, I will list 30 lines from those songs. You provide artist and title.
Please don’t look up the lyrics on the web. That’s lame.
And please don’t provide more than three answers per day. That way, more people can play.
The Answers: Will be posted in the comments section of this post next Friday.
As always, dear readers of The Critical Condition, your fantastic responses to my posts have kept me thinking. And because of your comments on my analysis of Lady Gaga’s “Alejandro” video, I am compelled to ask new questions.
Specifically, I’m thinking about what it means when we dismiss an artist for being a copycat, and I’m wondering what it means when we dismiss an artist’s fans as being too young or too naïve to realize that their beloved icon is actually just a tired old hag (or whatever.)
I’m thinking this because of the following comment, which JennyM left yesterday on my original post:
It’s interesting, though — I wonder if, for someone of our age (I think we’re about the same age) who grew up with/experienced Madonna’s evolution as it happened, it was more obvious that the ‘Alejandro’ video is deliberately “doing” Madonna than it would be to someone who didn’t have that contemporary experience of those specific Madonna allusions, even by a few years.
As you may have heard, Lady Gaga took to the internet yesterday and released the music video for “Alejandro,” her delicious piece of Ace-of-Base-flavored earcandy.
Roommate Joe has written a lovely, intelligent response to the clip (and also made an astute comment about the now-now-now pressure of the all-reaction-no-reflection online news cycle). I agree with many of his responses, and there’s one thread he plucks out that I want to unravel a little further.
Meaning: I want to discuss Madonna’s influence on this clip. Because she is everywhere. From the “Express Yourself”-inspired factory scenes n the beginning to the near shot-for-shot remake of “Vogue” at 5:38.
My question: Is this a rip-off or a tribute?
First, let me assert that Gaga’s approach is much more effective than Christina Aguilera’s in the recent video for “Not Myself Tonight,” which I didn’t like. Whereas Christina apes everything in sight without any sense of cohesion or originality, Gaga acknowledges her influences while doing something fresh with them.
Take 6:15, when she appears in a cone bra… which is, like, the most iconic bit of Madonna’s wardrobe history. Clearly, L.G. knows that comparisons will be drawn… which is why the cones on her bra are made of machine guns. Unlike Christina, who borrows iconic imagery in “Not Myself Tonight” without commenting on it or changing it up, Lady Gaga pushes Madonna’s cone bra to an absurd new extreme (which is really saying something, given how absurdly extreme the cone bra was in the first place.) She makes the cone bra an even more aggressive symbol of female sexuality, and she lightly teases Madonna in the process. That puts Lady Gaga in charge of the image she’s appropriating, and it force the audience to reconsider the source material. That’s how you make a sample feel fresh.
But as James Montgomery says in his thoughtful piece for MTV, this video is more than just Madonna references. It has its own life, its own energy.
Of course, there are people who are dismissing “Alejandro” as nothing but copycat garbage, as pure Madonna rip-off. People like this. And like this.
Their negative responses give me pause. Do they not see the irony of bashing Lady Gaga for ripping off Madonna? Have they forgotten that Madonna herself has been accused of ripping people off for almost thirty years? There is even a crazy website that promises to “debunk” and “expose” her as an artistic thief.
So when did Madonna stop becoming the one who steals and instead become the one who is stolen from? Is that just what happens with time? If you stick around long enough, do you just gain authority?
Or could it be that Madonna stole so successfully that she made us forget those who came before her? Could it be that she got to rewrite history because she won?
Or could it be that we get too hysterical with our accusations of stealing? Could it be that we forget how all art, all storytelling inherits, absorbs, is influenced? Could it be that we’re on a fool’s mission when we’re looking for pure originality?
Instead, should we stop complaining and start celebrating those artists who can take the past and push it a few centimeters forward, or a few centimeters to the left or the right? Should we learn the difference between mindless copycatting and inspired borrowing?
I think we should.
So there… those are my late-night thoughts. What do you think?
There are good tears, and there are shameful tears.
You know what I mean. Sometimes, a television show or song or movie makes us cry, and we feel good about it. The artwork flickering before our eyes or humming in our ears has earned our emotion because it’s so well-made, so poignant, so eerily close to our own high school experience that it makes us wonder if maybe we are Angela Chase and our so-called life is going to result in a boiler-room makeout session and a fight with Rayann.
Wait… where was I?
Right. Tears. Because you see, for every good, respectable pop-culture cry, there’s another one that’s shame-shame-shameful. You can be sitting there on the couch, tears streaming down your face, and be angry about it because you know that you’re being cheaply manipulated. And yeah, sure, there’s manipulation in any work of art, but when the approach is shameless? It’s so frustrating! Because there you are, dammit, turning into a big ole’ mess, and you can’t believe this damn dog food commercial got to you this way.
I mean… right? It’s a complicated thing. Because, like, you’re still having feelings, which is good, but at the same time… ew.
With that in mind, I’d like to launch a three-day investigation of Pop Culture Tears. Today, I’d like us all to identify the cheap-ass crap that has nevertheless made us weepy (or at the very least emotional.) Tomorrow, I’ll dig a little deeper, exploring why pop culture makes us cry, and then on Wednesday, I’d like to reflect on the value of crying at a work of art.
Let me kick things off with a few commercials that choke me up. After you see my gallery of shametears, I’d love to hear about yours. What makes you misty in spite of yourself? Do tell!
Happy Friday! It’s time for another iPod quiz! This week’s brain tickler is supplied by Roommate Joe, who will also be posting another iPod Quiz on his own site later today. That’s two-two-two quizzes for the price of one. Amazing!
As for last week’s quiz, let me extend my hearty congratulations. For the first time ever, you correctly identified every song. Are The Critical Condition’s readers the smartest in the world? Um… doy.
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The Rules: Roommate Joe has put his iPod on shuffle. After the jump, he will list 20 lines from the first 20 songs that it plays. You provide artist and title. (Note: He will not necessarily list the first line of the song.)
Please don’t look up the lyrics on the web. That’s lame.
And please don’t provide more than three answers per day. That way, more people can play.
The Answers: Will be posted in the comments section of this post next Friday.
Sometimes, I like being wrong. Case in point? I rushed to judgment on the new single “Billionaire” by Travie McCoy and on the entire career of up-and-coming R&B songstress Shontelle. Now, however, I realize that “Billionaire” is actually a surprising and unusual hip-hop song and that Shontelle has potential.
Won’t you join me as I traverse the fields of my altered opinions? (What? That was poetic.)
Hey y’all! I finally got around to posting the answers to the iPod Quiz from a few weeks ago. They’re in the comments section. Sorry about the delay.
And now, our latest brain tickler!
The Rules: I have put my iPod on shuffle. After the jump, I will list 30 lines from the first 30 songs that it plays. You provide artist and title. (Note: I will not necessarily list the first line of the song.)
Please don’t look up the lyrics on the web. That’s lame.
And please don’t provide more than three answers per day. That way, more people can play.
The Answers: Will be posted in the comments section of this post next Friday.
