You may have noticed from my other 100 posts that I am not into mainstream music very much. Into mainstream pop a lot less. Because of this I have heard of the pop 'sensation' that is Justin Bieber, but I have not ever heard any of his songs. I have smiled and even raised a chuckle at the pranks that have been played on him and his followers, getting every clip taken off of You Tube because it was labelled as porn is creative and funny.
It does seem though that his followers hold this little guy up on a higher level than some gods. This seems mainly to be the female population from the ages of about 9 to 14-maybe 15. What is it with the age group and their obsessions? I do not pretend to ever be able to understand this, but I do realise that it is an all encompassing love. One that involves a huge amount of screaming and staring at pictures and posters and dreaming of doing god only knows what to the object of their affection.
I have seen this first hand a few times. The most memorable was in the early mid 80s. A family friend who I had grown up with, was at our house. We were watching video clips. (Somethings never change) The band Bros came on with what I imagine must have been When Will I Be Famous,and this girl, who up until that moment I had considered to be intelligent and not a little bit attractive, just lost it. She became transfixed to the TV. I made some joke, and she screamed, screamed at me to shut up. Burst into tears and turned the volume up so loud that it was painful (well it was Bros so it was pretty damn painful anyway). As you can imagine I was a little taken aback by this turn of events. When the video finished she went into a 25 minute, 25 minute!, monologue about how cool and beautiful etc etc they were.
This is the same thing as happens with our little Canadian friend Justin Beiber.The fans have mobbed places, broken things in their desire to get to him. When I say broken things, I don't mean the odd barrier. I mean Shopping centres. So what I thought I would do is a little experiment. I thought I would look up the you tube clip with the most hits post and listen to it and write what i actually think of it. I know you know where this is going, I do to, but I will do my best to be as fair as I can.
This clip has had 615 million hits... damn that is a lot of hits
Well . . .right . . ah . I can see that the video clip is aimed very much at the teen and pre-teen female market. Lots of pointing at the camera and singing about being together forever. It seems that he is having a great time bowling and that seems to be important in getting the girl. Who apparently isn't actually that impressed because she can also get a strike.
Seriously 615 million hits on that song? That is not a good song. It just isn't . It is well written and is showing him off well, but the voice is put through the machines to give that warble. and the beats are just the same sort of rubbish that is rolled out on every Ludacris track. In fact almost every single modern R&B track. It is just terrible terrible and I simply don't get it. is it because he is non threatening and so is an acceptable face of little girls' obsessions? It just isn't music. God I want to punch him in the face.
OK sorry, I guess that last part isn't impartial really. If you are a fan of Bieber I would appreciate if you wrote in and told me why, why you would waste your time on this? I will be happy to let you know about real pop music and actual attitude and maybe we can both learn something . . .
OK mainly you . . .
Hi Howard!
ReplyDeleteI am not a fan of Justin Bieber but I get it. Please don't punch him in the face.
Justin Bieber is like you said, harmless. He is the perfect example of some little girl's first untouchable crush. A little boy singing sweet nothings to the pre-teen and teenage girl that is just starting to learn about herself and her taste in music. This is a performance! The dancers, the clothes, the phenomena itself! If not Justin Bieber who? I would love to hear some suggestions from you for this age demographic that is sensitive but smart and need good role models for this delicate age.
I hear his girlfriend Selena Gomez is a great model for these girls btw...so check out her music! ;-)
I grew up listening to Spanish music (Menudo!!! OmG!!!!) so I am not expert in English talent. I play Spanish for my boys and The Beatles, Michael Jackson, etc., you know what I think is safe. Please suggest some things for us. I would really appreciate it!
xoxo baby baby baby oh!
Betty
Another reason he is so popular is because he is so damn cute :)
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, the music is shallow and repetitive, but I agree with Betty about Bieber being a harmless image, better that than girls having the bad-boy syndrome. Bad boys are such a waste of time in so many girls' lives!
But now we aren't talking music anymore are we?
I don't really know what to write here.
ReplyDeleteI didn't watch the clip because I've seen it in the early-mid '80s. They don't really change do they? Just the styles are a little different. Back then it was sanitised psuedo-new wave stand up hairstyle and sometimes lots of zippers where they're not usually needed.
Now it seems to be an updated? mop-top hair style and sneakers.
I never won a girl by going bowling. Maybe if I bowled overhand to a batsman near a wicket.
I'm going to eat an apple now because I understand that they're good for you.
You have to consider that the people who are into Justin Bieber are young and know very little about music. I think most teenagers like terrible music. I was into all kinds of stuff when I was a kid that I think is absolutely horrible now, although there's still some nostalgia for it, I don't respect it as music. I'm sure many of the Bieber fans will grow out of it and look back him with a strange mix of nostalgia and disdain.
ReplyDeleteHi Marvin,
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you, i just think that it is a bit sad that there is a huge amount of great music out there that should be listened to and isn't. It is more a diatribe at the terrible music we are being fed than anything else. In response I have so far put out two of a five or six part series on what i think is good pop music.