In the past I've played a couple of songs off Robyn's recently self titled record. Robyn is a Swedish pop star of Show Me Love fame in the late 90's (you know the one... "show me love, show me life, baby show me what it's all about, you're the one that I ever needed"... utter tripe from the teen-pop era). She's now seen as this years Annie, another blonde Scandanavian pop princess with cool electro beats and *gasp* intelligent, insightful lyrics- full of strut and swagger, but with an undercurrent of uncertainty and regret.
Who's That Girl? (as played in Podcast #9) is a song about not being able to live up to an archetypal guy's fantasy of who she could be. "Good girls are pretty, like all the time, I'm just pretty some of the time." "Who's that girl, that you dream of? Who's that girl, that you think you love? Who's that girl, what if I'm not like like her? I know there's no such girl."
She's trying to subvert the situation and make him appreciate her for what she is rather than what his imagination has created. She also lets you know that some things are definately on her rules. "Good girls don't say no, or ask you why, I won't let you love me until you really try." "Good girls are sexy, like every day, I'm only sexy when I say it's OK."
Finally she asks the guy to flip the roles, at look at the situation from her perspective. "Lets play a game that you never tried, you be the girl and I'll be the guy, lets pretend everything has changed and then would you love me any different?"
I've been watching a lot of r&b and pop on music TV recently, and it's all "let me be your fantasy" and "don't cha wish your girlfriend was
[something unrealistic to expect someone to be all the time] like me?". That's why I find it so very refreshing to hear a voice that wants to "let me tell you how it be" rather than sell a fabrication of potential sexual & emotional fufillment.
Here I've chosen Be Mine! Which has strings, regret, disappointment and a wonderful fuck-you attitude. Awesome.
(00:00)
1. Saint Etienne - Only Love Can Break Your Heart
(04:17)
2. Robyn - Be Mine!
(07:39)
3. White Rose Movement - Love is a Number
(11:04)
4. Ellen Allien - Down
(15:34)
5. Franz Ferdinand - Walk Away
(18:57)
6. Spoon - Car Radio
(20:25)
7. Russian Futurists - Our Pen's Out of Ink
(23:33)
8. Elbow - I've Got Your Number
(28:18)
9. Dolly Parton - Jolene
(30:40)
10. The Replacements - Bastards of Young
This show is now offline. Only the 5 latest shows are available at any time.
Subscribe to RSS Feed
