(no subject)
Sweet Lakshmi! so that's what the "post" button does on this livejournal thing.
Moving swiftly along, I was recently unlucky enough to be forced to man a stand at the Citiwest "Wedding Journal Show Live!" event. Unfortunate because I hate doing stands like that, mind - the fair itself was quite nice.
Throughout the event there was a stage upon which models strutted their stuff in a variety of wedding attire. They were all lovely so that kept me amused for the day. However, in the spirit of psysquid I was irked by certain elements of the spectacle.
I suppose I was primed for the psysquid mentality when the voice of a lovely woman filled the hall with the lilting melody of "She moved through the fair".
If you don't know what's strange/unusual about that then you clearly have never:
a) listened to the actual lyrics
or
b) met psysquid
I've moved on from being bothered by it but it did keep the concept of apt music choice in mind. This came in to play when the models in their white "fu fu sheesherie" started strutting out.
Only Girl (In the World) - Rihanna
Firework - Katy Perry
Shine a light - McFly
Your Song - Ellie Goulding
All of these are good solid pop songs. Rousing, catchy and with a nice motivating energy to them. They all also have predictably good chorus lines and crescendos that fit the theme.
"Want you to make me feel like I’m the only girl in the world"
"Boom, boom, boom. Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon"
"Shine a light on her"
...Your Song doesn't really have a big line to it but it's famous enough that people get the idea.
So that seems sensible...right?
Well no. Call me old fashioned, call me conservative, call me just plain wrong but I think of weddings as family occasions where two people swear dedication and fealty to one another.
Song 1 is about sex. That's it. Just sex.
It's not "Make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world by proclaiming your lifelong love for me in front of both of our families and swearing to do evertything in your power to support and protect us as a couple."
It is "me and you tonight" "take me like a thief in the night" "be my prisoner for the night" "Take me for a ride" "Oh make it last all night"
I hate to be a stickler* here Ms. Fenty (that's her name, Robyn Fenty) but that's not generally considered to be a good basis for marriage. I have no problem with open mindedness and liberal sexuality, and all that newly fangled malarkey, but it is a Wedding Fair. Not a Sex Fair.
Song 2 is essentially saying "hang in there kiddo, someone will love you someday".
I'll admit that at first I thought the song was essentially nonsensical. Turns out, listening to the lyrics, it's actually a colourful version of the pep talks my mother used to give me when I was a mopey nobody-loves-me teenager. It asks if "you" ever feel lonely or miserable and then kindly tells you to buck up, in an upbeat manner, assuring this imaginary "you" that they are, in fact, lovely. A "firework" in fact, which she goes on to describe graphically (in a Sesame street-ish way) as a good thing.
Now there's nothing wrong with that sort of song, I'm in favour of being upbeat and telling people they are lovely. I do it quite often myself...even if nobody believes me. But again, the theme here is "weddings". Is this the sort of song that suggests wedding bells? That suggests loving, honouring and obeying**? No Mrs. Brand, it does not.
Song 3 is an I-fell-in-love-with-her-and-then-she-left-me-song.
It's not as depressing as she moved through the fair, granted, but it follows a similar progression. It features the lines:
She took the light and left me in the dark, She left me with a broken heart, Now I’m on my own.
I'll save you from the suspense. She doesn't come back. Not unless McFly have a "Shine a Light (Reprise)" song I am unaware of that ends with
"Now she's come back, you can turn the light off"
At which point I would feel we're right back into Rihanna...by which I mean a Rihanna song...of course...***
So anyway, loved and left - how on earth did McFly end up at a wedding fair?****
Song 4 was written by a man about a man.*****
I actaully love this song and particularly Ellie Goulding's version. It was a good choice despite my including it here.
These were all chosen as songs from the IRMA charts I'll wager, so they were limited in their choice and honestly I do believe they did well. I just also think that it serves as a little more proof that people don't associate songs with their actual lyrics and that one catchy line repeated loudly is all people will remember even if the whole rest of the song completely undermines it.
* This is untrue - I love being a stickler. Also a curmudgeon.
** Anyone else ever find the "obey" thing a bit creepy?
*** Not that I would put McFly beyond the capabilities of Ms. Fenty.
**** Figuratively.
***** I have no problem with that but I wouldn't really expect the men to wear wedding
dresses...do they? Also as an aside, a shocking lack of same sex couples at the wedding
fair.
...and that's how I leaned the true meaning of Christmas.
Moving swiftly along, I was recently unlucky enough to be forced to man a stand at the Citiwest "Wedding Journal Show Live!" event. Unfortunate because I hate doing stands like that, mind - the fair itself was quite nice.
Throughout the event there was a stage upon which models strutted their stuff in a variety of wedding attire. They were all lovely so that kept me amused for the day. However, in the spirit of psysquid I was irked by certain elements of the spectacle.
I suppose I was primed for the psysquid mentality when the voice of a lovely woman filled the hall with the lilting melody of "She moved through the fair".
If you don't know what's strange/unusual about that then you clearly have never:
a) listened to the actual lyrics
or
b) met psysquid
I've moved on from being bothered by it but it did keep the concept of apt music choice in mind. This came in to play when the models in their white "fu fu sheesherie" started strutting out.
Only Girl (In the World) - Rihanna
Firework - Katy Perry
Shine a light - McFly
Your Song - Ellie Goulding
All of these are good solid pop songs. Rousing, catchy and with a nice motivating energy to them. They all also have predictably good chorus lines and crescendos that fit the theme.
"Want you to make me feel like I’m the only girl in the world"
"Boom, boom, boom. Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon"
"Shine a light on her"
...Your Song doesn't really have a big line to it but it's famous enough that people get the idea.
So that seems sensible...right?
Well no. Call me old fashioned, call me conservative, call me just plain wrong but I think of weddings as family occasions where two people swear dedication and fealty to one another.
Song 1 is about sex. That's it. Just sex.
It's not "Make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world by proclaiming your lifelong love for me in front of both of our families and swearing to do evertything in your power to support and protect us as a couple."
It is "me and you tonight" "take me like a thief in the night" "be my prisoner for the night" "Take me for a ride" "Oh make it last all night"
I hate to be a stickler* here Ms. Fenty (that's her name, Robyn Fenty) but that's not generally considered to be a good basis for marriage. I have no problem with open mindedness and liberal sexuality, and all that newly fangled malarkey, but it is a Wedding Fair. Not a Sex Fair.
Song 2 is essentially saying "hang in there kiddo, someone will love you someday".
I'll admit that at first I thought the song was essentially nonsensical. Turns out, listening to the lyrics, it's actually a colourful version of the pep talks my mother used to give me when I was a mopey nobody-loves-me teenager. It asks if "you" ever feel lonely or miserable and then kindly tells you to buck up, in an upbeat manner, assuring this imaginary "you" that they are, in fact, lovely. A "firework" in fact, which she goes on to describe graphically (in a Sesame street-ish way) as a good thing.
Now there's nothing wrong with that sort of song, I'm in favour of being upbeat and telling people they are lovely. I do it quite often myself...even if nobody believes me. But again, the theme here is "weddings". Is this the sort of song that suggests wedding bells? That suggests loving, honouring and obeying**? No Mrs. Brand, it does not.
Song 3 is an I-fell-in-love-with-her-and-then-she-left-me-song.
It's not as depressing as she moved through the fair, granted, but it follows a similar progression. It features the lines:
She took the light and left me in the dark, She left me with a broken heart, Now I’m on my own.
I'll save you from the suspense. She doesn't come back. Not unless McFly have a "Shine a Light (Reprise)" song I am unaware of that ends with
"Now she's come back, you can turn the light off"
At which point I would feel we're right back into Rihanna...by which I mean a Rihanna song...of course...***
So anyway, loved and left - how on earth did McFly end up at a wedding fair?****
Song 4 was written by a man about a man.*****
I actaully love this song and particularly Ellie Goulding's version. It was a good choice despite my including it here.
These were all chosen as songs from the IRMA charts I'll wager, so they were limited in their choice and honestly I do believe they did well. I just also think that it serves as a little more proof that people don't associate songs with their actual lyrics and that one catchy line repeated loudly is all people will remember even if the whole rest of the song completely undermines it.
* This is untrue - I love being a stickler. Also a curmudgeon.
** Anyone else ever find the "obey" thing a bit creepy?
*** Not that I would put McFly beyond the capabilities of Ms. Fenty.
**** Figuratively.
***** I have no problem with that but I wouldn't really expect the men to wear wedding
dresses...do they? Also as an aside, a shocking lack of same sex couples at the wedding
fair.
...and that's how I leaned the true meaning of Christmas.