If you have the notes to sling, you can buy 'most anything
March 1, 2019 3:42 AM Subscribe
Has any American ever done an English accent convincingly?
I'm pretty sure she's doing it for effect?
posted by kuanes at 4:29 AM on March 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
I'm pretty sure she's doing it for effect?
posted by kuanes at 4:29 AM on March 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
The mash-up does make sense though. In the original, Maria sings about all of her favorite things and how, when she focuses on them, she knows everything will be alright after all.
And for Ari, this sentiment seems to ring true. After surviving the Manchester bombing, losing her ex and friend Mac Miller to suicide and then breaking off her engagement (all while experiencing anxiety), Ari is starting off 2019 by looking for the silver lining.
Is this what it’s all about?
posted by unliteral at 4:44 AM on March 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
And for Ari, this sentiment seems to ring true. After surviving the Manchester bombing, losing her ex and friend Mac Miller to suicide and then breaking off her engagement (all while experiencing anxiety), Ari is starting off 2019 by looking for the silver lining.
Is this what it’s all about?
posted by unliteral at 4:44 AM on March 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
What an intersectional orgy of problematic tropes!
posted by grumpybear69 at 5:37 AM on March 1, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by grumpybear69 at 5:37 AM on March 1, 2019 [6 favorites]
> Is this what it’s all about?
Nah, it's just satirising how Ari can address some of her sad by spending bazillions on rings from Tiffi's and looking good. Nice if you can.
posted by humuhumu at 6:04 AM on March 1, 2019
Nah, it's just satirising how Ari can address some of her sad by spending bazillions on rings from Tiffi's and looking good. Nice if you can.
posted by humuhumu at 6:04 AM on March 1, 2019
Seriously, songs by child stars about conspicuous consumption only get grosser when you slow them down and focus on the lyrics.
posted by es_de_bah at 6:06 AM on March 1, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by es_de_bah at 6:06 AM on March 1, 2019 [5 favorites]
How do you solve a problem like Ariana?
posted by pracowity at 6:36 AM on March 1, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by pracowity at 6:36 AM on March 1, 2019 [5 favorites]
I unapologetically like sass. This was fun.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:14 AM on March 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:14 AM on March 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
I feel like this parody seems more mean spirited than I was expecting, and the focus on materialism makes it especially bad.
posted by corb at 7:24 AM on March 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by corb at 7:24 AM on March 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
Seriously:
1. 7 Rings has all sorts of issues BUT
2. This video has the "WASP does hip-hop TEE HEE" vibe AND
3. You cannot escape the colonialist KNOW YOUR PLACE, PoC vibe AND
4. TWERKING??!?!?!?! AND
5. generally the world could use a permanent moratorium on white send-ups of hip-hop culture AND
6. They didn't even get the lyrics right, the hair was BOUGHT not CUT AND
7. FFS
posted by grumpybear69 at 7:42 AM on March 1, 2019 [5 favorites]
1. 7 Rings has all sorts of issues BUT
2. This video has the "WASP does hip-hop TEE HEE" vibe AND
3. You cannot escape the colonialist KNOW YOUR PLACE, PoC vibe AND
4. TWERKING??!?!?!?! AND
5. generally the world could use a permanent moratorium on white send-ups of hip-hop culture AND
6. They didn't even get the lyrics right, the hair was BOUGHT not CUT AND
7. FFS
posted by grumpybear69 at 7:42 AM on March 1, 2019 [5 favorites]
6. They didn't even get the lyrics right, the hair was BOUGHT not CUT AND
I mostly agree with you, but Maria von Trapp is not wearing Ari-style extensions, so they kinda had to change that line.
posted by Rock Steady at 7:55 AM on March 1, 2019 [3 favorites]
I mostly agree with you, but Maria von Trapp is not wearing Ari-style extensions, so they kinda had to change that line.
posted by Rock Steady at 7:55 AM on March 1, 2019 [3 favorites]
Not gonna comment on any other aspect of the video because I found it too cringey to watch, but -
You cannot escape the colonialist KNOW YOUR PLACE, PoC
Ariana Grande is white. She's naturally very pale, but uses fake tanner to darken her skin. She has been criticized for brown face and/or cultural appropriation for a while now.
That adds a whole 'nother layer to this whole thing.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 8:00 AM on March 1, 2019 [12 favorites]
You cannot escape the colonialist KNOW YOUR PLACE, PoC
Ariana Grande is white. She's naturally very pale, but uses fake tanner to darken her skin. She has been criticized for brown face and/or cultural appropriation for a while now.
That adds a whole 'nother layer to this whole thing.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 8:00 AM on March 1, 2019 [12 favorites]
i literally haven't seen the original mv, all i knew from her 7 rings brouhaha is her self-ownage about having barbeque grills thanks to tht classic westerner cliche of getting a badly spelt japanese tattoo. waiting for her inevitable miley-esque reinvention/pivot a western country album next tbh. so the parody is working for me on that level too.
posted by cendawanita at 8:30 AM on March 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by cendawanita at 8:30 AM on March 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
This is all sorts of yucky. I hadn't seen the original until just now, and I'm pretty sure that's the first Ariana Grande song I've ever heard. When the shooting happened I said "concert? I thought she owned a news web site." So in other words, this is coming from someone who is not a fan, but who also doesn't have anything against her because I don't know anything about her, except this one song and the shooting.
But this line in particular, seems in terrible taste:
Whoever said money can't solve your problems
Must not've had enough money to solve'em.
I mean given that one her problems is that a bunch of people were killed at her concert (and yes, that's obviously not her fault), how does it feel to the loved ones of those kids to learn that she thinks money solves it.
Yuck.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 8:45 AM on March 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
But this line in particular, seems in terrible taste:
Whoever said money can't solve your problems
Must not've had enough money to solve'em.
I mean given that one her problems is that a bunch of people were killed at her concert (and yes, that's obviously not her fault), how does it feel to the loved ones of those kids to learn that she thinks money solves it.
Yuck.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 8:45 AM on March 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
Yeah, Ariana Grande is of Italian background. She's not PoC. So, that critique feels off.
posted by MythMaker at 8:55 AM on March 1, 2019
posted by MythMaker at 8:55 AM on March 1, 2019
I had never thought to interrogate her ethnic background and had no idea she was actually darkening her skin and explicitly propagating the PoC narrative herself. Wow. Just, wow. So, yes, my critique is off on that point.
posted by grumpybear69 at 9:11 AM on March 1, 2019
posted by grumpybear69 at 9:11 AM on March 1, 2019
I mean given that one her problems is that a bunch of people were killed at her concert (and yes, that's obviously not her fault), how does it feel to the loved ones of those kids to learn that she thinks money solves it.
It seems a bit much to suggest that all of her songs must now be directly speaking to the victims of a tragedy that she was involved in. She's done a lot for Manchester and the victims, and has addressed the tragedy in several ways, big and small.
I would also say that there is a big difference between tanning and "darkening her skin", but I appreciate that it is a complicated issue. So I will bow out on that.
This ends the portion of my day where I defend Ariana Grande on the Internet.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:39 AM on March 1, 2019 [9 favorites]
It seems a bit much to suggest that all of her songs must now be directly speaking to the victims of a tragedy that she was involved in. She's done a lot for Manchester and the victims, and has addressed the tragedy in several ways, big and small.
I would also say that there is a big difference between tanning and "darkening her skin", but I appreciate that it is a complicated issue. So I will bow out on that.
This ends the portion of my day where I defend Ariana Grande on the Internet.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:39 AM on March 1, 2019 [9 favorites]
Tanning is literally darkening the skin, but let's say that we mean specifically darkening one's skin to appear more like a POC - not just getting some summer sun, or whatever. Then yes, there is a difference, but do I think that there is a difference for Ariana Grande? Nah. I don't know her mind, so I don't really know her intent, but that's a... uh, pretty deep tan ... and it's not just the tan.
"It's just a tan" is always the response. Even Emma Halberg said it was just a tan.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 11:15 AM on March 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
"It's just a tan" is always the response. Even Emma Halberg said it was just a tan.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 11:15 AM on March 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
Julia Acks (the Julie Andrews in this song) is a massive Ariana Grande fan. Ariana shared this on her Instagram so she's cool with it. The video is pretty much a shot by shot replication of the original, just with bonus Von Trapp. Changes to the lyrics have been deliberately made to suit her character (did you miss "high on the hills with a goat / yodelly yodelly yoot"?) - in fact the lyricist (and video producer) is a Black woman. And yeah, Ariana Grande is white, so if anything the colonialist reading could also be applied to her original song.
posted by divabat at 12:20 PM on March 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by divabat at 12:20 PM on March 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
and the focus on materialism makes it especially bad.
That's literally the vibe of the original song and video.
posted by divabat at 12:22 PM on March 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
That's literally the vibe of the original song and video.
posted by divabat at 12:22 PM on March 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
Was there this much pearl clutching over Bodak Yellow? That was a woman singing about her success.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 12:41 PM on March 1, 2019
posted by fluttering hellfire at 12:41 PM on March 1, 2019
Yes, not every song of Ariana's is meant to be speaking to victims of the Manchester bombing.
But this one starts with "been through some bad shit." which is hard to read as not speaking to that.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 2:19 PM on March 1, 2019
But this one starts with "been through some bad shit." which is hard to read as not speaking to that.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 2:19 PM on March 1, 2019
She's speaking of herself
posted by fluttering hellfire at 2:52 PM on March 1, 2019
posted by fluttering hellfire at 2:52 PM on March 1, 2019
But this line in particular, seems in terrible taste:
Whoever said money can't solve your problems
Must not've had enough money to solve'em.
Welcome to popular music of the last 40+ years!
posted by sideshow at 3:15 PM on March 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
Whoever said money can't solve your problems
Must not've had enough money to solve'em.
Welcome to popular music of the last 40+ years!
posted by sideshow at 3:15 PM on March 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
The claim about this being "white woman making fun of hip hop" feels like a stretch to me, given that the inspiration was more to do with the fact that 7 Rings samples My Favourite Things from The Sound of Music so she's just resampling it.
And I say this as someone who does look askance as the "twee hip-hop" genre and has a reputation for being particularly grumpy about "being white is boring" (go find a way to be interesting that doesn't involve pretending to be a race you're not). This isn't really it.
posted by divabat at 6:27 PM on March 1, 2019
And I say this as someone who does look askance as the "twee hip-hop" genre and has a reputation for being particularly grumpy about "being white is boring" (go find a way to be interesting that doesn't involve pretending to be a race you're not). This isn't really it.
posted by divabat at 6:27 PM on March 1, 2019
She's speaking of herself
Yes, I understood that. And presumably one of the terrible things that has happened to her is having a bunch of people killed at her concert. I have to imagine that's likely the worst thing that has ever happened to her. It must be beyond traumatic.
So to then say that this problem/trauma/terrible thing that happened to her is solved by having lots of money (like apparently all problems are), sounds pretty yucky to me.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:57 PM on March 1, 2019
Yes, I understood that. And presumably one of the terrible things that has happened to her is having a bunch of people killed at her concert. I have to imagine that's likely the worst thing that has ever happened to her. It must be beyond traumatic.
So to then say that this problem/trauma/terrible thing that happened to her is solved by having lots of money (like apparently all problems are), sounds pretty yucky to me.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:57 PM on March 1, 2019
After this song Ariana got a Japanese tattoo (and tried to fix such tattoo) that translates to something like Japanese BBQ finger 🖤. So the issues with this whole song begin with the song not the parody.
posted by Crystalinne at 1:23 AM on March 2, 2019
posted by Crystalinne at 1:23 AM on March 2, 2019
Has any American ever done an English accent convincingly?
Has any Brit ever done an American accent convincingly? Certainly not on Radio 4...
posted by Hal Mumkin at 2:55 PM on March 2, 2019
Has any Brit ever done an American accent convincingly? Certainly not on Radio 4...
posted by Hal Mumkin at 2:55 PM on March 2, 2019
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posted by cincinnatus c at 3:47 AM on March 1, 2019