So Alanis Morrisette has come out with a "remake" of the Black Eyed Peas, My Humps. I have to admit I am a big fan of hers and see Jagged Little Pill as necessary to complete a true ecletic CD collection. I think her music is extremely expressive, empowering, and truly feminine -- the good, the bad, & the ugly. Aside from all that, she makes an interesting statement with this video. As according to the Chicago Tribune:
The Black Eyed Peas' "My Humps," though a huge smash, was widely mocked for its vapid, suggestive lyrics. (Sample: "The boys they wanna sex me, they always standing next to me, always dancing next to me, tryin' a feel my hump, hump.") The video, featuring Fergie, the group's lead singer, was, if possible, even tawdrier. Full of non-stop teasing and thrusting, it's the kind of hip-hop booty porn that would make great torture material for Muslim prisoners at our Guantanamo Bay prison camp. Dressing herself Fergie-style, with baubles and bling, surrounded by black-clad male dancers, Morissette retained the original's visual sluttiness but replaced the Peas' thumping rhythm track with a pensive solo piano. By removing the intoxicating bass line and clearly enunciating the crass lyrics, she gave the song's sexpot swagger a new tone of sadness and desperation while simultaneously parodying her own artistic tendencies toward self-absorbed angst.
Here are the links to both videos. Curious as to what you think.
Black Eyed Peas version, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vj9swNR5-lY
Alanis Morisette's version, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W91sqAs-_-g
6 comments:
i hav ea lot of self absorbed angst.
its fun you should try it.
l.
Dude, you're just self-absorbed.
;) t.
Greg sent me the link to this about a month ago and i have been singing it ever since. Hasn't he complained to you yet? he HATES it now. =) It is the funniest crap.
I had to look up the original because I did not believe that someone actually wrote that song, produced it with any kind of sincerity, and then released it to the world hoping it would make them famouser. For real.
What's worse, it worked!!! Hilarious! Like a mockery of the American public. And Fergie.
Some girls are better off just standing around looking hot than opening their dumb misguided mouths and ruining the view.
Hey Lora - you remembered your password! Glad to have you back :)
The whole thing is intringuing to me in light of all the First Amendment stuff that's been happening w/ Imus and the recent move by Russell Simmons to ask rappers to omit using words like the n-word, b-tch, hos... When you take away the bass line & the groove and are left with only the lyrics, you can hear the harsh reality of how devalued and objectified women still are in frickin 2007.
ok, off my box now.
As I watched her move and sway...I thought something similar. How feminity itself is somehow "less than". The beauty of our "mystery" as women is over exploited and stripped away to leave only our sexuality. I know pretty deep...but nonetheless...a powerful commentary on our culture. Thanks for the food for thought.
So which ae the humps and which are the lumps? - when I figure it out I'll send some cellulite cream...
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