Saturday, February 21, 2009
I am generally irritated by Natalie Bassingthwaite. She seems fame-whorey and careerist, careerism being endearing only if a spectacular career is actually obtained (e.g. Madonna). Accordingly her new single Someday Soon makes me scoff with particular enthusiasm whenever it's played on MIX FM or Musicxmax. Because this terrible song firmly fits the mold of what I like to call the "self-fulfilling statement of success" second (or third) single, a nauseating pop maneuver that normally follows this familiar pattern:
  • Act releases moderately successful first single.
  • Act releases second (or third) single which is generally a ballad. Single muses about the long path travelled to fame, the cost of success etc. Song adopts a reflective "looking back" tone, generally with shots of act "keeping it real" despite their success. Examples of "keeping it real" can include drinking herbal tea on white couches, or walking along actual, like, streets. 
While, for example, the Spice Girls' Mama represents a "statement of success" third single, it's slightly different because they had actually achieved phenomenal success (although Mama is memorable for its own reasons, e.g. its revisionist version of Spice Girls history, with the Girls inexplicably cast as childhood friends rather than careerist fame-whores meeting at their first audition). But when Nat Bass reassures others that they will, one day, find their showbiz dream (in an odd reprise of her Kate Bush Don't Give Up role) it seems a little premature -- her success seems so tentative, and she seems to crave it so much. 

2 comments:

Jessica said...

Firstly, you are VERY RIGHT about The Bass. Bleh. And OMG what is up with that video clip?! Is the point of the story that the director is really depressed because he had a childhood dream of making amazing art and now he's wasted his life and ends up making some shit with Natalie Bassingthwaighte in it?! That's what I got... if that was *her* self-depreciating point, then I'd have to give her more respect but somehow I think it's the subtext inserted by a bitter video clip director who dreamt of big things but now finds himself paying the rent with a clip for The Bass about dreams or some crap...!

Guy said...

The only things I gleaned were: 1) she's made it because she drives (herself) to the audition in a BMW 1-series, 2) she's keeping it real cause she's all BFF with the crew (NOT apparently what she's like in real life, as an aside)... but then I get confused by the kid and the director. Is she saying "someday soon" you'll do *better* stuff than my video clips?