Wednesday 16 March 2011

Today's Review: Friday by Rebecca Black

So there's this video that has become a YouTube sensation over the last few weeks, it's not hard to see why:


Yes, it's terrible. I first saw it last week, and after a minute I turned it off, foolishly thinking this was just a more awful than ordinary song. But today I went back, and finally absorbed all that this track and its accompanying video has to offer. Then I watched it again to take screenshots. This has drained me, dear readers, so I hope you appreciate the effort.

Friday is a song about Friday. That's basically all it is. The lyrics are the most obvious you could think of when writing a song about Friday, but you don't just make a song that is a stream of consciousness about what happens when it's Friday. Oh wait, someone did though, and it's this song.


So, the video starts with our hero waking up at 7am. You know she's waking up at 7am, 'cause there's a shot of the clock saying 7am, her hair is messed up as if she just woke up, and she's singing that she's waking up at 7am. In a way this video is amazing, but only in the way that if you need something explained you only need to look to the three or four audiovisual cues that are happening at that one time. It's foolproof. Anyway, Rebecca heads downstairs, spouts some lyrical mastery about eating cereal (from a bowl, just to make that clear), and out the door she goes, ready to catch her bus to school.


Oh wait, her friends pull up, evidenced by her friends pulling up and the lyric "I see my friends". Wait a minute. These people look way too young to drive, even by American standards, and especially too young to own a brand new convertible. Damn rich kids. Plus Rebecca is 13, what's she doing hanging round with of age driving friends? Never mind, this set piece leads us beautifully onto the pre-chorus of the song: "Kickin' in the front seat, chillin' in the back seat, gotta make my mind up, which seat can I take?" Note that she doesn't ask which seat she should take, or which seat she will take. No, this is clearly a logic problem that requires solving. So let's get to it. This car seats five people. I assume Rebecca cannot drive, as she was just going to catch a school bus. So that cuts half of the front portion of the car out completely. Now we look to where her friends are currently positioned. The passenger seat is also taken, and there is a significant gap between the homies in the back. So one can safely assume that the back seat in the middle is the one that she will take. Let's see if we're right.


Bingo. Rebecca applauds you. At this point I could highlight the educational value of the video, until I notice that these guys are driving down a road at high speed with no fucking seatbelts on. They're having to splice seatbelts into episodes of Peppa Pig now, so how did this get past everyone? I guess they're just too cool for school, and basic safety regulations.

So now we have moved onto the chorus. It basically states that it is currently Friday, and everyone is looking forward to the weekend, which will consist of both partying and fun. I sure hope nothing goes wrong.


Okay, cool, now she's cruising down the highway not only with no seatbelt, but standing up in the back of a car. But this time they're on their way to a party, so they're even more entitled to perform dangerous driving activities. Also, her friends are different this time, there's not a boy in sight. I can only assume that this is because her previous compadres were horribly injured in a seatbelt-less car crash and couldn't quite make it to the Friday fun party. But Rebecca's fine, and she's keeping us up to date with the time, apparently it's 7:45. And there's a full moon almost at its apex in the sky. Clearly the Earth has spun off its axis, but no one cares at the moment, 'cause guess what, it's Friday. 

Anyhoo, in the second verse, more lyrical mastery is employed, such as the gem "Fun, fun, think about fun, you know what it is". Yes, I do know what fun is, especially because currently, I am experiencing none of the symptoms associated with it. She also says her friend is by her right, but nothing about the other people in the car. I guess these hurried replacement friends just aren't that fun, and I thought about it, I know what it is. So after another chorus we're treated to a rousing bridge, which says that yesterday was Thursday, today is Friday, Saturday is tomorrow and Sunday is after that. This is revolutionary stuff man, there's so much information in this song that hasn't sunk in yet. Teach me more Rebecca!


Oh wait, we're gonna watch a dude rapping instead. Clearly this man is a lot older than the other kids in this video, and he is either on his way to the aforementioned party, or he's just some random guy in a car also expressing his love of Fridays. Either way, it's kinda creepy. He celebrates the fact that there's a car next to him, as if that's never happened any time he's ever driven, and also that he overtakes a school bus. Why a school bus is driving down a highway on Friday night, I don't know, but this guy doesn't care, so why should I? Let's get to the party!


Alriiiiight, here we ar- wait, this is just that girl from before standing in front of a tree, with some lights behind her. This isn't a party, no one's got any drinks or anything, they're just watching this girl sing a song about how good Fridays are. I guess they are pretty good if people gather round to watch you in the evening. So to close we have the chorus twice, just to hit it home about how awesome this day is. The crowd raise their arms between lines to accent the lyrics, but they're all unclear about whether they're saying "Yeah" or "Hey", so it just comes out as a garbled "Hyeeahey!"

So, the song draws to a close, everyone applauds, and it's surely agreed that a good Friday was had by all. 


Better get out of there soon though, this guy is clearly coming to pick up some young teens.

My rating: FRIDAY!








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