But … but … where do I sit? There’s friends in the front AND back seat! My friend HAS to be on my left!!!
Oh. Wow. Never mind.
It’s clear from the level of autotuning that she was not singing it very well and they fixed it so much they turned her voice into this flat growly thing. Other than that I’m pretty lukewarm on the whole video. Hating it would require me to care more. Although note the ratio of likes to dislikes on that video. The views are very high but so are the dislikes.
There it is right there. Inner Stickler has my proxy on this thread.
Of course the dislikes are gonna be high, the song is famous and popular because it is so bad. It’s a novelty song, just an unintentional one.
It’s one of those things where it’s not any one thing, it’s a little bit of everything, that tips the video from “just another pop video” into the territory of “pop video that really angers people.” In virtually every respect the video is just 15% lamer than a real video:
- The song is exceptionally bland,
- The video is exceptionally cliche,
- The lyrics are really, really lame,
- Miss Black cannot sing and her voice is Autotuned well past being human, and
- She’s not sexy, not cute in a Disney-kid sort of way, her look is ill-chosen, and she’s not very expressive.
If 4 of the 5 things were wrong but, say, the lyrics were clever, you’d be okay with it. It the lyrics were still lame but the music was super catchy, it’s be okay.
Yeah, what’s with that weird interlude?
For a song all about “fun fun fun fun” and partying, she doesn’t really seem that excited in the video at all…kind of bland. I mean, “waiting at the bus stop” and “partying, partying” have the same level of enthusiasm.
Maybe it’s just one righteous awesome bus stop?
Also, did she ever go to school? It seemed like she went straight from the bus stop to riding with her friends to the party.
Yeah, that huge plot hole was what really ruined it for me! 
Look, I watched Babylon 5 as a kid. Of course this is the kind of thing that will bug the hell out of me 
For an interesting comparison, watch a little Canadian Youtube sensation, “Done With Dolls.”
The band’s made up of girls who are, IIRC, about Rebecca Black’s age. But the video, while it’s not exactly U2, is perfectly watchable. Why? Again, because every little thing is just a bit ABOVE the irritating line:
- The song is simple but it’s a coherent song with a clear structure and hook. It’s not overproduced.
- The video isn’t anything special but it’s not ridiculously rife with cliches,
- The lyrics are age-appropriate and simple but aren’t full of ludicrous stupidity,
- The lead singer is reasonably capable and isn’t Autotuned to Cheresque levels, and
- The girls look like they’re actually having a lot of fun, and LOOK 14, as opposed to being made up in a creepy, 14-but-trying-to-pass-for-20 way.
If you look at the other ARK music videos a couple of them aren’t bad. There’s one called Butterflies that’s way better but they all seem to be autotuned to within an inch of their lives.
The rapper, btw, is one of the two heads of Ark Factory–the guys who wrote the song. I guess he thought he’d improve the video by inserting himself as The World’s Blandest Rapper. I dunno. I think it’s creepy.
One small positive note: she claims she’s going to donate a chunk of her proceeds from the song to Japan relief. She’s using some for her education.
I saw her on Leno the other night–she came across as the typical bubbly airheaded 13-year-old girl, basically a nice person and a little overwhelmed by all the attention. I don’t have anything against her–she’s pretty much living the 13-year-old-girl dream right now.
That song is truly bad, though.
The only one I think I hate worse is that stupid “I Whip My Hair Back And Forth” thing–and even then, only the repeated part. The rest of the song is vapid but not horrible (though I prefer the Jimmy-Fallon-as-Neil-Young and Bruce Springsteen version).
You guys are all wrong, this song is actually a hell of a lot deeper than people are giving it credit for.
I’m not sure why she’s generating so much hatred… She’s a rich girl with no talent who got to make a video. Nobody died. Good for her.
I find the level of hate this video is getting perplexing - especially since, at least among the people I’ve spoken with IRL, it seems to be largely coming from people who otherwise adore auto-tuned, four on the floor dance pop trash. What, Britney’s new single (brought to you by UberProduction MegaCorp 3000) is great, but this kid’s song by a 13-year old girl is the worst offense against music ever committed to tape?
I mentioned the dislikes because someone was astounded at the number of views it was getting and I was trying to point out that people were watching it and then registering their distaste for it.
Like I said, if I was going to hate on this video, I’d have to hate on a bunch of videos and songs that are just as crappy and I don’t have the time to waste on every 2 bit nobody who makes a video. No, the songs not great but the only truly objectionable part of it for me is how autotuned she sounds. It’s not artistic, just depressing. The reason it’s getting so much hate is that’s how the internet works. A few people with a shit ton of subscribers on youtube or followers on twitter register disgust and everyone wants to be cool like their heroes. Meh.
Until yesterday I had never even heard of this (in the “today’s kids suck!” thread)
How long has this been a “thing”?
Matt Mulholland has captured the song’s existential dread.
…and of course I posted that before reading McNally’s link, which provides an even better (albeit much creepier) interpretation of the song than the link I posted.