Let me lay out the timeline of events that leads to this very opinionated rant:
- Viral Video by ARK Music Factory "Friday" showcases the 13-year-old Rebecca Black singing a very simple and down right horrible song written and produced by Clarence Jey and Patrice Wilson produced as a vanity release paid by her parents for $4000.
- Video garnishes mass criticism and spreads like wildfire.
- Everyone is tortured by the video at least once and I assume I am done dealing with such a poorly written and executed song.
- A student posts a link to the Glee (the TV Show) video of "Friday" in the Oregon State Glee Facebook Page (Ugh)
- I finally watch the Glee episode that includes "Friday" performed during Prom.
- I see a post from a very musically talented undergraduate at St. Olaf who says he loves the song "Friday" and that it's "relevant to his life."
- I Listen to MPR's midmorning and hear a story entitled "Songs about me: Narcissism in Popular Music" where she plays less than 10 seconds of "Friday" and says she can't listen to anymore. (Thank you Kerri Miller)
First of all, when does a 13-year-old singing about cereal and the days of the week in complete auto-tune ever become anything more than something to laugh and marval at? Have our musical expectations of Pop Culture dropped so low that a computer fabricated song garners more attention than musicians who spend their life perfecting their craft?
How about an 8-year old with talent - why hasn't this kid hit viral...even if you don't like banjo music you gotta appreciate these boys (fiddler is 12 and guitarist is 13)! Talk about someone working hard to make music.
The Midmorning discussion resonated with me because it's true. What we are force-fed through the Music Industry and Viral Videos tends to be narcissistic junk that although catchy really has little substance. I admit, the majority of the songs that I enjoy from pop culture are about relationship loss, longing or desire and are almost always in the "I" perspective. We seem to value this music that does nothing but get our toes tapping and feed our ego centric desire to hear about someone else feeling the same way we do all day long.
Of course the segment of the population that drives the popular culture are Teens and College students who are just coming into the ability of abstract thought. They follow the group mentality as if their life choices should be made by the masses and not through deliberate decisions.
There is nothing redeeming in the song "Friday" and I challenge anyone to prove me wrong. The world is full of junk like Friday but Glee has to go and jump on the band wagon insuring this piece of junk will stick in the repertoire and get covered by everyone and their mom. I want to believe there are musicians out there still writing popular music with good life lessons like my friend Nick and his Brave Chandeliers. (Shameless promotion)
I realize the Big Three (Universal, Sony and Warner) and viral videos will always choose that which is either controversial or straight up catchy but oh how I wish we could buck the trend. What if the Music that became popular and spread like wildfire through the internet had real substance? What if talent defined who won on American Idol? What if Glee did more live performances and focused on the rehearsal aspect and less on the performance?
It's all wishful thinking, I know. Heaven forbid that we get musically educated and realize the value of live music and it's power in the world. How about the positive life lessons that evolve from participation in a musical group? If you think uniting over a cause through facebook has worldly implications, what would happen in the middle east if you started choirs in every town?
We underestimate the power of music and when money comes short it's the first thing to go from personal budgets, churches and schools. We hunker down and hope and pray things get better. Then when things get really bad we turn to it for hope, for encouragement and something maybe a little bit deeper. You always hear the stories about the Alzheimer's patient who can't seem to remember anything but can sing an old him if prompted. The stroke victim who can't speak but can remember words to favorite songs.
On our death bed I doubt we will be singing a song about Friday and Partying. The people facing flood waters and devastation of their homes probably aren't sitting around singing Poker Face. We turn to songs with substance, with meaning. Something we clearly need more of in our culture of instant media streaming and viral videos. With so much popular music though coursing through the wires what happened to the old standards that everyone used to know?
Maybe we need more of the cheezy well crafted oldies...
Off to buy me a set of bagpipes and start arranging.
~Jim
3 comments:
My comment to Michael when that Friday song came on during Glee was: "is that a Justin Bieber song?". If it's viral, I had never heard of it. I must be too old to be cool. And speaking of songs to be sung by my death-bed...I am officially requesting an ironic rendition of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" or perhaps a medley from Cher or "We are Family!". I need to flame on into the great sunset...not wilt and moan with the sound of bagpipes. :-)
My comment to Michael when that Friday song came on during Glee was: "is that a Justin Bieber song?". If it's viral, I had never heard of it. I must be too old to be cool. And speaking of songs to be sung by my death-bed...I am officially requesting an ironic rendition of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" or perhaps a medley from Cher or "We are Family!". I need to flame on into the great sunset...not wilt and moan with the sound of bagpipes. :-)
Yet another reason why I need a banjo. Hooray for real talent. Tis why you won't catch idol on my tv either...and if I never here Rebecca Black again it will be too soon.
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