July 30, 2005

• That song irritates me. I used to like her music.
• Me too. Tragic Kingdom was the first album I bought that I really liked. But "Hollaback Girl" is beyond bad; it hurts me to hear it.
• Reminds me of the days when a couple friends of mine and I participated in what we called the Second Annual Pop Music Hermeneutic Extravaganza, in which one of us posited that "I Want it That Way" by the Backstreet Boys was a bold philosophical statement against solipsism. But then, "I Want it That Way" is a far, far deeper and more profound song to start with than any of the drivel Gwen Stefani has been drooling into a microphone since she left the only context in which she was actually creative.
• Tragic Kingdom was the first album I bought that I really liked. But "Hollaback Girl" is beyond bad; it hurts me to hear it. Rock and roll will come around again eventually. Right now everybody wants to be a hip-hop god or pop diva. But they'll get bored with it after awhile and crave the days of old school rock. You know, like the early nineties! /despair
• I still think a hollaback girl is a slut and Gwen is saying she isn't a slut.
• I don't know why I was surprised that the pink haired chick turned bubble gum pop. That really shouldn't have blind-sided me like it did.
• I don't know why I was surprised that the pink haired chick turned bubble gum pop. That really shouldn't have blind-sided me like it did.
• Bah, stupid robot told me that no contact was established.
• The whole no-radio thing means I have not yet heard this song. Weirdly, I'm a bit older than Gwen and am on the sidelines of a situation that could be the one described in it, which makes me think it's not just my social circle that has some juvenile delinquents in it. The analysis reminds me a little of Steve Allen reading the lyrics of Donna Summer's Hot Stuff. Cute.
• immlass, you understand the lyrics to hollaback girl? You obviously haven't heard enough theories about it yet.
• You know, like the early nineties! I've been listening to much early 90s stuff lately. Songs that rock out yet are really well written songs, ones that could be transformed into many other styles are aren't just driven by Marshalls on 11 angst. But I question whether we'll have a rock revival again. Currently there are too many bands with too much hype playing now to claim complete absence of the genre. Like the White Stripes. How much more rootsy-rocky could that get? Coming out of the 80s the radio was dominated by synth-pop new wavey stuff and the grunge of the early 90s was an antidote for that overly caressed electronic sound. Right now there's just too many Nu Metal, pseudo punk and other angsty bands with the loud geetars. For the rock revival we'll just have to wait for the current situation to get far more removed from the and suffer through far more third rate hip-hop crap. Eventually some brilliant kids with loud amps and strings will take back the youth's ear and it'll get on the radio/mtv again, but for now I'll just avoid the highly polished mish-mash being touted as music. Of course though, once the pendulum swings again there'll be 80% utter rubbish being pumped through those overdriven amps... We can probably get a preview of that soon though. I hear the Rolling Stones are about to make another bunch-o-money, er, album.
• Yeah, I thought this song was a girl turning down a booty call? I just like to say "booty call."
• But I question whether we'll have a rock revival again. Dude, where have you been? The hipster revolution has been in full swing for years now. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a blazer-sportin' hipster concertgoer these days. But maybe that's my indie-centric Torontoness speaking. Me, I'm gonna buy me some HOUSE MUSIC BIATCH.
• song lyrics != poetry "awabopalubopawapbamboom" sounds stupid too if you read it out loud without music.
• Dude, where have you been? The hipster revolution has been in full swing for years now. Rock & Roll != Hipsterism. Much of what goes under the guise of R&R these days is narcissistic angst played over distorted guitars.
• Rock & Roll != Hipsterism. Yeah. Last year's most highly praised album in indie rock circles was the Arcade Fire's Funeral. Not that it sucks, but it ain't rock & roll.
• So what's the difference?
• Rock and Roll chugs Natty Light, whilst hipsterism sips on PBR. Plus, Rock and Roll has tighter pants.
• Mr. K, I was just going on the analysis in the article. I don't think I've ever heard the song, and it's hard to analyze without hearing it!
• imlass: Think of this song as a (bad) homage to "Mickey," as in "Oh, Mickey you're so fine." It's performed in much the same style.
• Hipsterism is a religion / To which you gotta be devout / You must be seen as in between / unpopular and hated or else get excommunicated MC Frontalot
• I thought it was reflective of the fact that rather than "holla-ing back," using words to settle a dispute that evidently began with words (namely, "talking shit"), Stefani will instead use physical violence and force to conclude the argument. Why is this a good thing? Because physical violence is a quick route to establishing a pecking order, particularly among human females. If you've ever seen two high school girls screaming at each other at the top of their lungs without actually throwing a punch, this would, I presume, be what "hollaback girls" are. This type of verbal dispute does not resolve the conflict or decide who is alpha female; instead, it will only escalate and become worse. The females will continue their competition for dominance in this fashion for years, if it's allowed. A physical fight squarely establishes dominance and territory, thereby making Gwen Stefani -- who ain't no hollaback girl -- the uncontested alpha female.
• immlass, I know. It's even harder to analyze when you do hear it. I only heard because a friend thought I could figure it out for them, and played it for me.