Friday, November 14, 2008

10) The first of many song reviews?

(The top part of this review disappeared somewhere. Grr.)

I'm certified on the internet read about it" and "Put it in your search engine" the artist remains ambiguous as to whether the protagonist actually is aware of the fact that she is only famous in the context of the Internet.

In the pseudo-call-and-response lyrics of the hook "(You ain't nobody) Google me baby!/You better ask somebody" and the repetition tinged with desperation of the words "Google me baby", the artist demonstrates that the protagonist has created a bubble where she is a sought-after individual and will seek to perpetuate that bubble as long as she can, promoting herself at every opportunity, seeking to make it reality or at least driving away all those who would demonstrate otherwise. The lyrics "You ain't even gotta ask nobody bout me." seem to also suggest that the protagonist fears that if she were to honestly seek the opinions of others, they will force her to face the fact that her fame is fleeting and small. The previously alluded-to pseudo-call-and-response in the hook is of considerable interest because the protagonist seems to pursue her ersatz fame with an almost religious fervor. Also, one notices that the artist has a male telling the protagonist she is a nobody and saying nothing else. This may seem to be simply a case of the artist following the form of the genre but in fact the use of a male to symbolize the collective opinion of everyone outside of her bubble is a brilliant use of the framework of the pop song since in the context of such a song, one does not have much time to establish a dichotomy between the singer and the rest fo the world.

The true bit of genius in this song comes during the bridge. Ordinarily in songs where peppy lyrics belie the reality of the situation, the artist will plainly state that everything sung before was false the song "Coin Operated Boy" by the Dresden Dolls to use an example. The author here is much subtler. She plays up the minor key, mournfully singing about being in magazines and limousines. We are meant to infer that these things are not actually happening but she strongly wants to believe that they are. She even says "So you can go 'head & give me my shine," implying that she is waiting for someone to take notice of her. She finishes by saying "You ain't gotta believe me/ Google me baby," and again repeatedly tells people to Google her, because she is beginning to not believe herself and she needs to have reassurance that her fame has not ended yet.

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