Not completely sure about the song, but the clip is interesting if only for its eclecticism. Thankfully an extension of Single Ladies rather than the cheerfully gender-binary enforcing If I was a boy, they've put her in stark, strong contexts (although the abandoned warehouse is a bit of a no-brainer), and then got all William Baker on us with mannequins spilling out of cars and, confusingly, an opening sequence that echoes Kylie’s Red Blooded Woman (itslef a Crazy in Love rip-off). Inside it gets all Lady GaGa with comedy 80s shoulder pads and brutally futuristic shades. And is there some Fergie as well (in the trashy bit)? Interesting that Beyonce’s now borrowing from so many people who originally borrowed so heavily from her. But I suspect her heart's in the ballads. Actually, have I misread this -- is it supposed to be parody? Or maybe just the end-point of stylistic evolution, when it starts to veer into farce.
Katy Perry Thinking of You
I dislike Katy Perry, partly because I’ve decided for some reason that she’s homophobic. I hoped she would vanish after her novely faux-lesbian single, but alas, no, she’s hanging around, and seems to be gaining in strength in the manner of (in my head at least) some Alien-style devouring monster. Anyway, now she’s very, very straight, and in this clip, loving soldiers (more than one!). This is a big budget visual makeover for a very banal ballad which she vocally brutalises (as if Gina Riley was impersonating with marbles in her mouth). But interesting to see how much record company support she's got behind her – the third or fourth single is always the judge of record company momentum. If some stinky ballad gets an epic clip you know she’s in favour (unlike poor Kylie who got her epic The One wasted with yet another chaeap n’ cheerful vid). Although I have a sneaking suspicion that the WWII themes are just a setup to get her into 40s bikinis – more posing that’s slightly knowing, slightly ironic, yet also slightly cheap. I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something so conventional about Katy Perry beneath her strategic smuttiness.
3 comments:
Homophobic or just naive?
Reading the lyrics of UR So Gay and I Kissed a Girl, she seems to have a loose grip on the handlebars of gender politics.
...but my homophobic shock this week was actually Julia Gillard! I found it really upsetting:
Gillard disappoints.
"UR so gay and you don't even like boys"
I promise if we all just ignore her she will go away...
Ordinarily I am huge supporter of Christopher Pyne bashing, but that is just nasty and weird...
It kind of reminds me of being at school and "gay" being thrown about as an insult but somehow not registering with the teachers as actually an insult about identity. It's as if Australia's regressed back to that Fast Forward skit with the two Qantas flight attendants... I thought we'd moved beyond "mincing".
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