What is it about awesomely danceable pop songs that creates gender trouble?
It seems that both boys and girls like to get down to Beyoncé, but it’s not as comfortable for boys to do it. (I reference but do not embed the Justin Timberlake/SNL and gawky Joe Jonas versions.) Boys do get to make nerdy jokes about the song, though.
You want to hear it one more time, don’t you?
That second video is hilarious.
I will say that every time I’m at a bar and this song comes on, some stuffy looking straight guy starts mock-dancing to it and gets just a little bit too into it for it to be a joke. Myself included. I have seen the same thing happen when the song “I Feel Like a Woman” by Shania Twain comes on.
Perhaps it’s that these songs are so overtly about women that men find some comfort in dancing to them publicly, thinking that “I’m so obviously not a woman, clearly this dance is ironic!” Or maybe Single Ladies is just a really good song.
I saw this the same day as the little boy distraught over not being a single lady:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTCm8tdHkfI
Another instance of pop music making people cry, or that is my pretext for posting it. I don’t tend to find kids cute or amusing or, well, tolerable, but this melted my stony heart. Granted, I only watched about a minute of it.
A.) I can’t wait for the return of Glee.
B.) The dad in video #2 is a dick.
C.) That is one infectious song. A student of mine had it on her cell phone ringer, and it went off a couple times in class. I couldn’t help but stop what I was saying and start singing along, even as I frowned disapprovingly about the interruption.
D.) Yes to Andrew and furthermore, I think that a song like this allows straight males to let out their inner gay in public and do a twirl on the dance floor, all in a “safe” context. “Look at me! I couldn’t possibly be gay! I’m dancing and singing ironically to this song meant for women!” Meanwhile, their inner gay is having a ball.
Wow, that “I love Justin Bieber” video is kind of amazing. Just as I thought, “This poor kid is being tortured!” the phone rang, and that moment was the funniest of all.
This follow-up is simultaneously cute and kind of horrifying. Like Justin Bieber’s hair.
The dad is cute – he knows he was an ass!
And it’s totally worth watching cody all the way through!!
2: Watch it to the end! The end of that one is the best part.
Dave, did you follow the whole phenomenon of dudes doing lip-synch/dance videos to “My Humps”? Like “Single Ladies,” “My Humps” began as a song I detested, and then grew on me with the joy it seemed to bring to others.
I didn’t know about the “My Humps” thing, and I’m not sure I’m going to look it up because I don’t really like that song. I think I’m probably ignorant of at least 90% of YouTube memes.