But there are certain times when a song emerges and we shake our heads in astonishment at its ability to even be allowed to fall into the category of "music."
"Friday" is a quintessential example of those instances.
As the debut single from the 13-year-old Rebecca Black, "Friday" is a failed attempt at creating a tween hit by mashing up the most popular and "hip" phrases in just 3 minutes and 48 seconds.
Examples: "getting down," "you know how I do," "gotta be fresh," "kickin' in the front seat," "cruising down the highway," "I got this, you got this," "you know what it is"...need I say more?
Perhaps the writers thought they would find success in combining excerpts from popular rap songs and making a 13-year-old girl chant them to a happy tune.
With 64 million views (65 million by the time I finish writing this sentence, at the rate its going), "Friday" has become everyone's unavoidable nightmare. We can't escape the "fun, fun, fun, fun," nor can we escape the hype that one girl has brought to the entire internet world.
Beginning with cheap graphics and horrible ad libs of oo's and yeah's, the nothing but laughable "Friday" music video could easily be mistaken for a Saturday Night Live parody of a Selena Gomez tune. But even a Saturday Night Live parody would live up to higher standards than this video.
As Black goes about her oh-so-joyous day, she expresses her love for Friday with rhyme schemes that, at best, sound like "kickin' in the front seat/ sittin' in the back seat." You know there's a problem when the most clever rhyme combination throughout the entire song is "seat" and..."seat."
The video and lyrics also leave us with many unanswered questions.
What happened to the bus? Does your mom know that you ditched the bus to get into a "friend's" car? Is he even old enough to drive?
Why are you contemplating between the front seat and the back seat when the front seat is obviously taken? She has a "friend to [her] right," but what about the one on her left?
Who is this random rapper who is obviously too old to be "partyin'" with these little girls, and was he really a necessary addition to the song?
Is it safe to be sitting on top of the car while you're "cruisin' down the highway"?
Is there parental supervision at this middle school party?
Does being a teenager excuse you from the grammar rules that prohibit you from saying "we so excited?"
And the ultimate question- Is she old enough to be "partyin' partyin' yeah!"?!
The song has as much depth as a kiddy pool. But then again, I'm assuming that their intended target audience wasn't grown men and women who have nothing better to do than watch a video explaining the days of the week.
One of the many parodies of Rebecca Black's "Friday"
Source: YouTube
The combination of poorly written lyrics, unprofessional filming and an empty performance has brought upon a wave of online attackers who aren't afraid to voice their opinions.
According to an article on CNN, Billboard called the song "straight out of Auto-Tuned hell" and Rolling Stone called it an "unintentional parody of modern pop."
Due to an overwhelming amount of less-than-welcoming comments from her YouTube viewers, guardian.co.uk mentions Black's feelings of being "cyber bullied."
"I hope you cut yourself and I hope you get an eating disorder so you'll look pretty, and I hope you go cut and die," reads a comment on Black's video, according to guardian.co.uk.
"I hope you cut yourself and I hope you get an eating disorder so you'll look pretty, and I hope you go cut and die," reads a comment on Black's video, according to guardian.co.uk.
But don't be fooled by the nasty comments and 1.2 million "dislikes" on YouTube. In an appearance on "The Today Show," Black tells Jay Leno that many stars such as Ryan Seacrest, Nicole Richie, Joel Madden, and Willow Smith have come to her defense and shown support for "Friday."
Rebecca Black and Jay Leno on "The Today Show"
Source: bsckids.com
And while most of the world cringes in horror, Lady GaGa and Simon Cowell both praise Black for her widespread effect of gaining instant fame.
According to an article on msnbc.com, Lady GaGa calls the song "fantastic" and says that "Rebecca Black is a genius and anyone that's telling her she's cheesy is full of [expletive deleted]."
Simon Cowell seems to agree.
"'The "X Factor" judge recently spoke out in defense of the teen, calling her song "brilliant" and labeling it "hysterical" that anyone could be so upset about the harmless tune,'" reads the msnbc.com article.
According to a guardian.co.uk article, Cowell also said, "Anyone who can create this much controversy within a week, I want to meet."
If anything, Rebecca Black shows us a way to stand out in an overcrowded, competitive music industry- make an unbelievably horrible music video and hope that it becomes a viral sensation...even if it's for all the wrong reasons.
You must watch for yourself to believe:
Rebecca Black's "Friday" music video
Source: YouTube
It's so surprising to hear that other music celebs are praising Rebecca! After reading this, I do have to agree... Someone who can cause this much talk in a week deserves some credit.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I still don't like the song. Hahaha, but I appreciate all the videos and articles you included to keep me reading!
"Is there parental supervision at this middle school party?" haha seriously thats all that ran threw my mind while watching the video. Glad you feel the same.
ReplyDeleteHey Jessica, hahah I couldn't have explained her music video any better! I like how you ask questions surrounding the video because you point out just how ridiculous this elementary song is. You used good sources such as CNN and Rolling Stones. I do have to give props to her for becoming basically an overnight success, and maybe she has found a way to break through in the industry by creating distasteful music. I just hope there aren't too many more of these kind of artists emerging.
ReplyDelete