OR
“May I Send You a Trite, Mixed Message?”
This is the start of a piece that, again, may or may not ever develop into something further. I started it in the airport in Vienna when we were picking up Miriam’s mother, after listening to the radio all through Croatia, Slovenia, and Austria.
Madonna–American Life
Shania Twain–Ka Ching
abstract: While simultaneously sending the mainstream message that built their careers, stars are jumping on a postmodern “authenticity” bandwagon. They sing of the emptiness of their consumer-centric existences, while showing no signs of actually changing their ways, and worse still, continuing to promote the lifestyle “lies” they sing against.
Lyrics:
Madonna, American Life:<blockquote>Do I have to change my name?
Will it get me far?
Should I lose some weight?
Am I gonna be a star?
I tried to be a boy,
I tried to be a girl
I tried to be a mess,
I tried to be the best
I guess I did it wrong,
That’s why I wrote this song
This type of modern life - Is it for me?
This type of modern life - Is it for free?
So, I went into a bar looking for sympathy
A little company - I tried to find a friend
It’s more easily said it’s always been the same
This type of modern life -Is not for me?
This type of modern life -Is not for free?
American life
I live the american dream
You are the best thing I’ve seen,
You are not just a dream
I tried to stay ahead,
I tried to stay on top
I tried to play the part,
But somehow I forgot
Just what I did it for
And why I wanted more
This type of modern life - Is it for me?
This type of modern life - Is it for free?
Do I have to change my name?
Will it get me far?
Should I lose some weight?
Am I gonna be a star?
American life
I live the american dream
You are the best thing I’ve seen,
You are not just a dream
I tried to be a boy,
I tried to be a girl
I tried to be a mess,
I tried to be the best
I tried to find a friend,
I tried to stay ahead
I tried to stay on top…
Fuck it…
Do I have to change my name?
Will it get me far?
Should I lose some weight?
Am I gonna be a star?
I’m drinking a Soy latte
I get a double shot
It goes right through my body
And you know
I’m satisfied,
I drive my mini cooper
And I’m feeling super-dooper
Yo they tell I’m a trooper
And you know I’m satisfied
I do yoga and pilates
And the room is full of hotties
So I’m checking out the bodies
And you know I’m satisfied
I’m digging on the isotopes
This metaphysic’s shit is dope
And if all this can give me hope
You know I’m satisfied
I got a lawyer and a manager
An agent and a chef
Three nannies, an assistant
And a driver and a jet
A trainer and a butler
And a bodyguard or five
A gardener and a stylist
Do you think I’m satisfied?
I’d like to express my extreme point of view
I’m not Christian and I’m not a Jew
I’m just living out the American dream
And I just realized that nothing Is what it seems
Do I have to change my name
Am I gonna be a star
Do I have to change my name
Am I gonna be a star?
Do I have to change my name</blockquote>The rapped bridge! OH my. This is why I don’t have to write this essay…these songs are so bad they critique themselves.
Shania Twain, Ka Ching:<blockquote>We live in a greedy little world
that teaches every little boy and girl
To earn as much as they can possibly
then turn around and
Spend it foolishly
We’ve created us a credit card mess
We spend the money we don’t possess
Our religion is to go and blow it all
So it’s shoppin’ every Sunday at the mall
All we ever want is more
A lot more than we had before
So take me to the nearest store
Chorus:
Can you hear it ring
It makes you wanna sing
It’s such a beautiful thing Ka-ching!
Lots of diamond rings
The happiness it brings
You’ll live like a king
With lots of money and things
When you’re broke go and get a loan
Take out another mortgage on your home
Consolidate so you can afford
To go and spend some more when
you get bored
All we ever want is more
A lot more than we had before
So take me to the nearest store
Repeat Chorus
Let’s swing
Dig deeper in your pocket
Oh, yeah, ha
Come on I know you’ve got it
Dig deeper in your wallet
Oh
All we ever want is more
A lot more than we had before
So take me to the nearest store
Repeat Chorus
Can you hear it ring
It makes you wanna sing
You’ll live like a king
With lots of money and things
Ka-ching!</blockquote>Again, these lyrics mock themselves (unintentially). Funnier still is the plastic-surgery-maxed-out Shania with a HUGE diamond on her hand in the video as the “simple, non-consumer” Shania. That and the 70’s rock revival Shania they threw in there just for good measure. People actually go for this?
It’s ok for them to feel that way, if they really do, but the trite lyrics combined with no lifestyle or image change is what bothers me. When we saw Madonna on MTF she was wearing a corset under her shirt that was so tight she could hardly breathe–which was unfortunate when she tried to pull off Like a Prayer and was singing flat and out of breath the whole time! Are we being authentic here or do you still really need to look like an impossibly rich Barbie doll? Obviously the latter.