It Isn't Just Me Then

August 16, 2017 11:59 AM

Brilliant writings on the latent queer aesthetic of Carly Rae Jepsen. Respect between gay fans and the pop music artist is mutual. What is the delineating factor between the headcanon and the truthful reading? Gay publications take notice. What's not to love? Carly puts her money where her mouth is. "Carly Rae Jepsen invented gay people," says a very earnest concert-goer.
posted by lilies.lilies (17 comments total)

"Carly Rae Jepsen invented gay people," says a very earnest concert-goer.

No. That would be Kylie.
posted by Talez at 12:11 PM on August 16, 2017 [10 favorites]

I honestly don't know about the gay fan connection, but I do know that Carly Rae's Emotion and Emotion Side B, and the Cut To The Feeling single, are absolutely killer, gorgeous produced pop. It is a crime that she isn't a bigger star than she is.
posted by schoolgirl report at 12:27 PM on August 16, 2017 [13 favorites]

I know I'm just straight-up out of touch, but I'd have assumed that the era of crypto-queer artists was over. Like, back in the 80s, it'd have made sense to take a queer reading of a pop song and make something of it, because obviously the artist can't be forthcoming about being gay if they want radio play.

But today? Artists are overt; they're out there. If Carly Rae Jepsen isn't being overt, what's the appeal of overlaying a queer subtext when queer *text* is available now?
posted by explosion at 1:02 PM on August 16, 2017 [2 favorites]

So she's the Babadook of pop?
posted by Etrigan at 1:11 PM on August 16, 2017 [4 favorites]

Essentially, why bother with queer fanfiction when there is queer fiction?

I think taking a song and relating it to your own life is pretty natural. Also, I don't think we can say that trans girl songs are super available now, really.
posted by ODiV at 1:13 PM on August 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

“It’s the best and the worst all at once!” Jepsen said, before launching into the title track from her first album, “Tug of War,” released nine years ago.

Wait, she did "Tug of War"? Oh man, so jealous.

I have to confess that even as a straight man I've always assumed "Boy Problems" was sung by a gay man not by a woman to a woman who is secretly in love with her. Interesting. I'll have to listen to it on the way home and see what I think.

It is a crime that she isn't a bigger star than she is.
https://twitter.com/SPENCERcNIEMETZ/status/897164537920499712
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 1:24 PM on August 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

Maybe, is Phranc a pop singer?
posted by idiopath at 2:58 PM on August 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

came here to say cut to the feeling is 💯💯💯fabulous gay perfect pop
posted by Annika Cicada at 3:44 PM on August 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

Carly Rae Jepson scratches a specific itch for me, as it's the modern equivalent of Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation or the first two Paula Abdul albums. Beautiful melodic pop with great lyrics that makes me want to dance and sing along. Emphasis on the melodic, as I'm old and cranky and the cloud I'm shouting at here is that too many pop songs have jump rope rhyme melodies that are boring and repetitive.

Cut The The Feeiing is totally my Song Of The Summer for this year. I've been listening to it daily since it came out, it's just sooooo good.

As a gay male fan, I'm glad that people are finding her music relatable in a variety of ways. I'm not sure it's necessarily a subtext that she's built into her songs, but if it is, then bravo for her. If it's not, then bravo for her for writing lyrics that are more universal than she intended.

I wish she were bigger, but I'm also glad she simply survived the maelstrom wrought by Call Me Maybe because there are a lot of artists who achieve that kind of success and then aren't really heard from again. She's got it going on, she's keeping it going on. I hope she keeps going on for a long while because I *heart* her and her music.
posted by hippybear at 6:47 PM on August 16, 2017 [3 favorites]

I have tried to like EMOTION as much as I liked Kiss, but it hasn't caught on with me yet. I guess I need to keep trying. But as much as I love Call Me Maybe, just now was the first time I've seen the video. Hilarious, especially the gay twist at the end.
posted by lhauser at 7:17 PM on August 16, 2017

All this discussion has thus brought me to the zenith of Emotion: Side B ephemera that I never knew I needed: Vines of random people going to the store to the tune of "Store."
posted by FarOutFreak at 8:32 PM on August 16, 2017 [3 favorites]

This post is well timed, as I've had E.mo.tion on repeat for the past two weeks solid. It chases the demons away.
posted by Gordafarin at 4:16 AM on August 17, 2017

Vines of random people going to the store to the tune of "Store."

I love those!

A good friend (with whom I have seen CRJ in person) asked me what my favorites off Side B were and when I mentioned "Store," she laughed and said "really?" But we're still friends. I'm a forgiving person. That song is so good.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 5:34 AM on August 17, 2017

Sometimes songs don't need subtext. Sometimes you're really just going to the store, and want to sing about it.
posted by schmod at 6:13 AM on August 17, 2017

AT THE CARLY RAE JEPSEN CONCERT?
posted by wreckingball at 9:22 PM on August 17, 2017

I keep trying to listen to other artists and then scroll past the Carly Rae Jepsen section of my music and bam, I'm listening to EMOTION/B-Sides/Cut to the Feeling again.
posted by urbanlenny at 8:32 AM on August 18, 2017

I get all the mainstream dance-pop points of reference people have for Carly Rae, but a few of the songs on E-MO-TION remind me strongly of Anna Domino. Exhibit A; Exhibit B.
posted by pxe2000 at 11:05 AM on August 18, 2017 [1 favorite]