Under the Scalpel 10.30.08: Britney Spears, One Day as a Lion, Lil Wayne
Posted by Mark Ingoldsby on 10.30.2008
Britney hits #1 with a forgettable anthem for gum-chomping airheads, One Day as a Lion provides a powerful message, and Lil Wayne has a ridiculous fantasy.
"Under the Scalpel: Dissecting Pop Culture One Song at a Time" is a weekly column written by Mark Ingoldsby, songwriter and guitarist for the hard rock band A Simple Complex. For 3 free tracks that will rock your panties off, check out www.asimplecomplex.com
Britney Spears – "Womanizer"
Hit Today, Gone Tomorrow – A Forgettable Anthem for Gum-Chomping Airheads
Ten years ago, millions of men aged 14 to 40 drooled over the new teenaged girl dressed in a revealing school uniform on MTV begging her man to "hit me baby one more time." Britney Spears' debut single then rocketed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Apparently what the American Family Association described as a "disturbing mix of childhood innocence and adult sexuality" was a very successful way to launch a music career.
A decade later, after spending more time on the cover of tabloid magazines than at the top of the charts, this twice-divorced, rehab-visiting, head-shaving, custody-losing lip-syncher has finally scored her second #1 single by combining a stolen beat, cheesy music, silly stuttering and mindless repetition.
The song starts off with synthesizer noises that sound like music from ancient Nintendo video games. Eight bit spaceships come to mind as the song emulates old sci-fi television shows like Battlestar Galactica or Star Trek when crew members are "beamed up" or fire their laser guns.
Britney's eco-friendly fans will be pleased because aside from adding the sound of a faux hi-hat cymbal alongside the cheesy clap snare, music producers The Outsyders have basically recycled and repackaged the beat from Soft Cell's Top 40 new wave hit "Tainted Love." Once you've heard the first few seconds, you've basically heard what the entire song has to offer.
As for the soul-searching poetry known as song lyrics, Britney offers the following revelation, "Womanizer, woman-womanizer, you're a womanizer, oh womanizer, oh you're a womanizer, baby. You, you, you are, you, you, you are, womanizer, womanizer, womanizer, womanizer."
Watch out Maya Angelou. Here comes Britney Spears!
Britney goes on to stammer, "Boy don't try to front, I, I know just, just what you are-are-are." This line appears in the song 14 times. Since hearing it, this has unfortunately been playing in my head ad nauseam. Sure it's catchy, but being catchy doesn't make it good. In fact, it's downright annoying.
The occasional occurrence of verse lyrics offers little additional value. They are comprised of dull dialogue explaining how she knows a man who is looking to have sex with as many women as possible without the others finding out, and therefore will not be having sex with her. Nothing clever or even remotely interesting makes its way into this uninspired and predictable story. To make it worse, Britney presents her tale with a rote delivery that rivals Taco's 1982 remake of "Puttin' On The Ritz."
Britney told New York Radio Station Z100, "It's basically saying, 'We know what you're up to.' It's about guys cheating on girls… It's a girl anthem." Mission accomplished. Yawwwn! You go, girl.
So there you have it. Getting jerked around by an unfaithful, gold-digging husband has paid off in the form of Brit's second chart-topping single. However, this vapid club hit is just one more in a series of forgettable #1's. Remember "Laffy Taffy"? How about "Bump Bump Bump"?
Britney's latest hit simply gives gum-chomping airheads a new ringtone to which they can bounce their heads from shoulder to shoulder until the next brainless piece of pop trash takes its place. If that description doesn't fit you, don't waste a minute of your time on this rubbish.
Go on Chris Crocker, cry me a river.
One Day as a Lion - "Wild International"
The militant poet is in once again! Check it.
This year marks the triumphant return of a man who has finally come back in full force to rip the mic, rip the stage and rip the system once again as lyricist and vocalist in his new band One Day as a Lion.
The lead single from ODAAL's debut, "Wild International", wastes no time in delivering the band's pointed message. "They say that in war that truth be the first casualty" is the opening line that lets loose an unforgiving monologue. Zach brazenly attacks the American government's methods of instilling fear within the general population as a smokescreen, distracting them from noticing that the rich are capitalizing on the struggling, oppressed masses.
The song's hook declares, "Both Muhammad and Christ word life would lay your body down to a tune so wild international in the desert full of bullets, let your body rot." On the surface the song may seem anti-religious, however Zach explains to veteran music interviewer Ann Powers, "I see it as the West has been using Christianity as a way to justify its actions when in reality, those figures, Christ and Muhammad, were rebels. These two religious figures have been co-opted to justify power, although they fought against the abuses of power and the expansion of empire."
The other half of this band is former Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore. He gives ODAAL distinct and audacious percussion tracks. Instead of having the song's drum work serve as a simple placeholder for the other instruments to outshine, Jon's beats set an appropriately furious tone that pushes the song into overdrive from the get-go.
If you wore the groove off of your Check Your Head and Ill Communication records, you will be enraptured when you experience what Mario Caldato Jr., Brazilian producer and engineer known for his work with the Beastie Boys, has done to deliver the raw energy of Zach and Jon to your stereo.
The recording of the song's percussion tracks is comparable to Beastie Boys songs driven by pounding beats like "So What Cha Want" and "B-Boys Makin' With The Freak Freak". Effectively taking a great thing and making it better, Mario also selectively adds flavor to the vocal tracks, borrowing from his private satchel of effects heard in such Beastie songs as "Sure Shot" and "Pass the Mic."
One thing to which Rage Against the Machine fans will need to adapt is the replacement of rock guitars with a synthesizer sound reminiscent of a horn announcing an oncoming air raid. This gives a unique sound to the music that works well for those willing to embrace a new approach to making cutting-edge rock. However, lack of the familiar will undoubtedly cost the band some fans that can only appreciate guitar-driven music.
"Wild International" is an incredible song that is worth listening to again and again. Those who have reveled in the music of Rage Against the Machine, Downset, older Stuck Mojo and the Beastie Boys' more rock-oriented records should start cranking this song at maximum volume immediately.
One Day as a Lion's music has attitude, groove, passion and a powerful message. All of which are American dreams.
Lil Wayne – "Mrs. Officer"
Prince + Eminem + NERD + Peppers = $
The recipe for Lil Wayne's latest hit is quite simple: Begin with percussion sounds from Eminem's "Cleaning Out My Closet," add lyrics from the second verse of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Sir Psycho Sexy," sprinkle in the vocal style of Prince in "Darling Nikki" and top it off with the 70s-style guitar work and velvety vocals featured in NERD's "Things Are Getting Better." Mix in a million dollar studio. Serve hot.
The song starts with a mellow rhythm intended to inspire soft hip grinding and light spanking. Sultry guitar licks and soul harmonies invite the listener to sway like a new father carrying a tired infant. Once the basic groove is established, nothing unpredictable happens musically for the duration of the song.
Having his tour bus stopped by Border Patrol last January perhaps served as Wayne's inspiration for the song's lyrics, which tell the story of being seduced by a female cop, and satisfying her so well that she moans like a police cruiser siren.
Seriously.
"She put me in her car. She cut off her lights. She said I had the right to remain silent. Now I got her hollering, sounding like a siren," he boasts.
Please note for future reference that traveling on a tour bus loaded with 105 grams of marijuana, 41 grams of ecstasy and almost 29 grams of cocaine may lead to some very bizarre fantasies.
BET's 2008 Lyricist of the Year really works to earn his title when he delivers the line, "I make her wear nothing but handcuffs and heels and I beat it like a cop. Rodney King, baby. Yeah I beat it like a cop."
Okay, then.
R&B singer Bobby Valentino joins Wayne on this track and delivers a combination of Motown and 2 Live Crew. To understand this odd mix, try to envision the Isley Brothers crooning "Do me in the back of the car. Put me in handcuffs. Start ripping my pants off." This old heart of mine didn't see that one coming.
Bobby's vocals also provide a peculiar rendition of a police car siren. This tacky re-creation of the sound a swooning female police officer supposedly makes when witness to a substantive penal offense serves as the song's hook.
If you happen to be interested in a little role-playing and vertical dry humping tonight, this jam will set the appropriate mood and give you and your dance partner a night to remember. If not, be sure to steer clear of this folly.
Lil Wayne is an award-winning artist with the best-selling album of the year. He is currently featured in five other songs seated in the Top 40. Let's hope one of those hits is better than this one.
