“I say Rebecca Black is a genius and anyone that’s telling her she’s cheesy is full of sh**.”
For those of you who just spit your drink out of your mouth while reading this because you think Black is the joke of a generation, just stop.
I’ll admit it, I’m definitely not one who usually pays much attention to pop culture, and I certainly don’t get very riled up about it.
People have tabbed it “The Worst Song Ever,” and there was even an editorial in The Spectator last week mocking everything about it.
So who did that ridiculous quote above come from then? A six-year-old? Some no-name idiot? Try Lady Gaga.
Once the hatred of Black started to spin out of control, several celebrities come out with public responses defending Black. Who else has jumped out to defend her? How about the notoriously hard-to-please Simon Cowell.
If nothing else, they respect the attention she has gotten around the song, regardless of what the attention stems from. After all, success in the ‘industry’ is based on how many people know you and your song, not necessarily how much they love you.
So, if arguably one of the hardest to impress TV personalities of all time is giving her props, what’s with all the public hatred? I honestly think a lot of people are jealous of here supposedly undeserved credit.
Here are a few other things to keep in mind when poking fun at Black:
She’s 13.
OK, this is one of the more important things to remember. People have really gotten on her about the topic of her song. Some ask ‘what kind of 13 year-olds even party?’ While others wonder why didn’t she just pick a different topic all together.
To answer the first part, when I was in middle school I can definitely remember getting to the weekend and going over to a friends house where there would be about 10-15 of us hanging out. We would usually just watch a movie and talk, but I distinctly remember calling them “parties.” When you are 13, you definitely still party; you just have a different understanding of the word.
What did you want the song to be about, relationships? Well, that would have been like every other song, ever. And, she would be dealing with a whole other level of criticism, with people just asking what kind of relationships she’s been in at that age.
Keep in mind it’s a song by a 13-year-old, for other 13-year-olds, not us.
OK, OK, so the topics were limited, but why did she make the lyrics so cheesy?
Excellent question, which brings me to my next point:
She didn’t write the song.
The girl didn’t even write the fricken song! That’s right, get off her back about the lyrics.
She just showed up at a casting call for a company called Ark Music and got the part. Think about how many people dream of becoming the next big pop star. Now, think about how many 13-year-old girls think about it. Can you really blame the girl for trying?
If a ‘reputable’ recording company choose you to sing their next single, produce it, promote and make a video for you, would you turn it down? For most people, the answer is absolutely no.
She’s rolling in dough.
The joke is really on all of us.
To date, 85.5 million people have seen her video online, which has resulted in a serious amount iTunes downloads as well.
Reports from Billboard.com claim Black has been pulling in about $27,000 a week thus far. For a song that has been out almost eight full weeks, that’s some serious cash for a girl that age (about $216,000 for you non-math majors).
So next time you are eating Ramen for dinner and wishing you had enough money to spring for take-out, remember Black could probably buy your parent’s house.
Ironically, all the negative attention around the song has actually made it even more popular. The people who tried to tear her to shreds actually built her into a sensation.
Hopefully, Black can sleep easy at night now, and her tears of sorrow have turned into tears of joy. If not, I guess she can always wipe them away with one of those bills.
