Does Rebecca Black's "Friday" video send the wrong message to teens about Car Culture?

Folks,

I've just spent the evening learning the song "Friday" by 13-year-old Internet sensation Rebecca Black: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0

I'll be performing "Friday" this Friday, 4/1, at 7:30 pm at a benefit for Darwin Elementary School at Quencher's Saloon, 2401 N. Western, with fellow Chainlinker Aaron Busse joining me on vocals.

While I applaud the themes of friendship, inclusiveness and positivity expressed in Ms. Black's lyrics and video, I'm troubled by strong pro-car, anti-safety images in the video:

- At the beginning of the video Black is waiting for the school bus. When a convertible, dangerously overcrowded with teens, pulls up, she eschews public transit for the private automobile. The tacit message is the car is a "cooler" way to get to school.

- In the second verse Black is now standing on the back seat of another moving convertible, flanked by two female friends. We now see the driver, a teenage girl who is obviously not old enough to drive legally.

- During the rap interlude, the rapper, who pilots yet another convertible while he raps (at least he seems to be much older than 16), expresses road rage about being passed by a school bus.

- Finally, in the climactic party scene the notion that we are at a swinging party is indicated by a row of four convertibles parked in front of the mansion with headlights blazing. Certainly not my idea of "fun, fun, fun, fun."

In this song, Ms. Black's musical dilemma is not whether to get into a car but how: "Kickin' in the front seat / Sittin' in the back seat / Gotta make my mind up/ Which seat can I take?" The seat she should have taken is a bicycle seat.

What are your thoughts on this? No cyber-bullying, please.

- John Greenfield

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Permalink Reply by John Greenfield on March 29, 2011 at 11:34am

The thing is, I actually have great respect for Rebecca Black. Lady GaGa has called her a "genius," which might be going a bit too far. But her song (the music and lyrics were actually written by the guy who's rapping, co-owner of the vanity recording studio where she made the video) has really grown on me.

After watching her perform and interview on Leno and Good Morning America (where she sings a an a acoustic version of "Friday" as well as a beautiful rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner") I'm convinced that she actually is a fairly talented kid whose voice was heavily distorted by Autotune. I like that she chose to sing lyrics that young teenagers can actually relate to, rather than an adult love song. On the interviews she comes across as extremely modest, friendly and grateful for her unlikely success. And to top it off she's donating the proceeds from her song to Japanese earthquake relief and her school's arts program.

Bottom line: if we could harness all that positive energy towards getting kids excited about bikes rather than cars we'd really have something.

- John Greenfield

Permalink Reply by Liz on March 29, 2011 at 11:44am

I think the worst part of listening to that was to listen to the over modified vocals, nothing makes me cringe more as a singer than hearing beautiful voices distorted to sound like chipmunks.

I think your idea of making a fun, bike focused version of this song is great! I don't personally have anything I could contribute this week, due to prior obligations, but I'm really glad you're interested in taking the fun, kidcentric music and refocusing it towards a positive bike friendly image.

John Greenfield said:

After watching her perform and interview on Leno and Good Morning America (where she sings a an a acoustic version of "Friday" as well as a beautiful rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner") I'm convinced that she actually is a fairly talented kid whose voice was heavily distorted by Autotune. I like that she chose to sing lyrics that young teenagers can actually relate to, rather than an adult love song. On the interviews she comes across as extremely modest, friendly and grateful for her unlikely success. And to top it off she's donating the proceeds from her song to Japanese earthquake relief and her school's arts program.

Bottom line: if we could harness all that positive energy towards getting kids excited about bikes rather than cars we'd really have something.

- John Greenfield

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on March 29, 2011 at 11:46am

The thing about the song and video is that it isn't "bad" even though it highlights everything that is wrong with modern music and the industry in general. It hits some magic resonant frequency that synergizes with the whole artificiality of the industry and how just about anyone who can carry a tune in a bucket (or not as autotune has saved even them) can make a fairly polished tweenie-bopperBeiber manufactured product with a little bit of professional studio help. The music and video isn't "bad" but can be both an extreme abomination against the music art, while being an earworm that is catchy and hooks you on some level even against your will. One can point to it and say "this is so WRONG!" But it doesn't exist as wrongness in a vacuum, only when juxtaposed to the heresy that is the modern recording industry.

The whole phenomenon around this video is the perfect storm that the /b/ folks like to turn into a meme and spread around the internet. This poor girl just got caught up in it and it must be hard for her to face the public eye for what was just a fun birthday present from her parents to make a silly little video for remembrance of her childhood and personally a fun outing for her and her friends. This isn't at all what she expected.

Might as well ride the wave of the internetz drama though. :-D

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on March 29, 2011 at 11:49am

QED

John Greenfield said:

Lady GaGa has called her a "genius,"

Permalink Reply by John Greenfield on March 29, 2011 at 12:04pm

Actually, I think Rebecca is going to turn her new-found fame into a full-on music career. Like I said, she can actually sing, and I think the world is ready for a positive, down-to-earth, non-sleazy teen pop star. On Good Morning America she made an official request to Justin Bieber to record a duet, and I predict it's going to happen.

Man, if only we could turn Bieber into a biker...

- John Greenfield

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on March 29, 2011 at 12:11pm

I'd be happy if they could somehow make Bieber into a human. That plastic product they sell to his tweenhearts is nothing like one.

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on March 29, 2011 at 12:28pm

John-- great choice with Aaron. If anyone can bring out an emotional response in your audience, it's him.

Is it true you are planning to perform the whole Web-Sensation-Nostalgia Suite, including the Bed Intruder song, Leave Brittany Alone, and the tribute to smoking Indonesian toddler?

Permalink Reply by Davo on March 29, 2011 at 1:01pm

If you have $2000 you could go to ARK and do a music vid and hope it catches on.

As for her turining into a non-sleazy pop star, I hope (if she becomes a pop star) that it is like that.

Unfortunatley you don't have to look too far back to see what happens to sqweaky clean pop starlets once they see where the real money is.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on March 29, 2011 at 1:08pm

That Brittney Spears girl was such a nice squeeky-clean kid star at one time...

Permalink Reply by April on March 29, 2011 at 2:28pm

Encourage all rap lovers and bike lovers to watch this video instead about kids and their bikes in Nairobi, Kenya:

Permalink Reply by April on March 29, 2011 at 2:29pm

I can't embed. Here's the link: http://youtu.be/UTlCIrflE4o

April said:

Encourage all rap lovers and bike lovers to watch this video instead about kids and their bikes in Nairobi, Kenya:

Permalink Reply by in it to win it 8.0 mi on March 29, 2011 at 3:19pm

Does Rebecca Black's "Friday" video send the wrong message to teens about Car Culture?

Nope. When teens get the chance to ride around in hot convertibles and kick it up, they should.

Does Rebecca Black's "Friday" video send the wrong message to teens about Car Culture?

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