Anthony's Analyses of Alizée's songs

[Deepwaters]

Originally Posted by Zack -Alizee Lover-

Yeh and Rock stands for Rocket.

No. But Rocket rocks.

[kdn]

Yeah, pop songs can be about anything. But JEAM is one song, not pop music itself.

@DW: If it's false and many find it annoying, then it should be taken down.

[Deepwaters]

Originally Posted by kdn

Yeah, pop songs can be about anything. But JEAM is one song, not pop music itself.

OK, but that JEAM has a sexual subtext of some kind is pretty obvious from the choreography. And the specific subtext is obvious from the lyrics.

@DW: If it's false and many find it annoying, then it should be taken down.

It's not false, and regarding the "annoying" part, I completely disagree. Art -- and also art criticism and interpretation -- should not be confined to the comfort zone.

[fsquared]

Originally Posted by Zack -Alizee Lover-

Yeh and Rock stands for Rocket.

Actually, rock is short for "rock 'n roll", which was, in the 50's a Black English slang term for....*drum roll*..."sex".
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_roll)
So....what are we to take from this? One driving force of artistic expression has always been transgression of norms and boundaries, especially the subversive kind of transgression that can can be deliciously and surreptitiously enjoyed by those "in the know", while at the same time not blatantly offending those who are ignorant (willfully or not) of the hidden undercurrents.

One way to appeal to "everybody" is to appeal to the least common denominator, which tends to generate truly insipid cookie-cutter commercial junk (and is pervasive in American popular media unfortunately). Another way is to embed multiple meanings, which a lot of the modern kid's films (e.g. Shrek) do by making lots of allusions to other movies for the amusement of the parents.

One way of "defusing" the double entendre is to literalize it. For instance, Chuck Berry's infamous "My Ding a Ling" (http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/page...ov_myding.html)
explicitly says that his "ding a ling" is some silver bells on a string in the first verse, thus making a literal interpretation of all the lyrics "plausible", even if it is obviously not the point. In my mind, the "poisson rouge" stuck on the JEAM costume serves the analogous purpose (and, possibly, the "bouge" instead of "rouge" as a further layer of indirection).

[Deepwaters]

Originally Posted by kdn

I'll click on the close button then.

(Shrug.) That's your privilege.

[fsquared]

Originally Posted by Deepwaters

OK, but that JEAM has a sexual subtext of some kind is pretty obvious from the choreography. And the specific subtext is obvious from the lyrics.



It's not false, and regarding the "annoying" part, I completely disagree. Art -- and also art criticism and interpretation -- should not be confined to the comfort zone.

Agreed. kdn is also of course free to click on the close button if so desired.

The funny part is I didn't expect any controversy; it seemed as if all this discussion had taken place long ago, and it's just that we are having the same conversation over again. It suddenly (and with an odd delicious irony) dawned on me that it was a bit as if we were characters in an absurdist play, which would be named.....


"Waiting for Lili".


(With great apologies to Samuel Beckett: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waiting_for_Godot).

[dan]

Originally Posted by Deepwaters

How about if the target audience is BOTH 13-14 year olds, AND older, adult people? One meaning for the kids, another for the adults. In which case, neither interpretation is false, both are true.

@deepwaters: I'm pretty certain she's said precisely this in an interview.

Originally Posted by fsquared

Agreed. kdn is also of course free to click on the close button if so desired.

The funny part is I didn't expect any controversy; it seemed as if all this discussion had taken place long ago, and it's just that we are having the same conversation over again. It suddenly (and with an odd delicious irony) dawned on me that it was a bit as if we were characters in an absurdist play, which would be named.....


"Waiting for Lili".


(With great apologies to Samuel Beckett: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waiting_for_Godot).

@fsquared: I'm beginning to think you're right Hopefully Lili won't pull a Godot and no show.

[lissa15]

WOW i totally agree with jesse78 you are so off how corrupt is your mind man and were did you get all that

[lissa15]

and also wen she is in the tub thats a way for her to relax from stress

[Bigdan]

Originally Posted by Deepwaters

How about if the target audience is BOTH 13-14 year olds, AND older, adult people? One meaning for the kids, another for the adults. In which case, neither interpretation is false, both are true.

I'm quite certain that's the case. (I'm also certain that plenty of 13-14 year olds can appreciate the adult version, too. Perhaps not 9-10 year olds.)

You"re in the hearth of what, in my view, start the disagreement between Mylène et Alizée. There IS a double meaning in JEAM and some other song of Alizée. Mylène wrote it. And that the way she does in her own lyrics.( everybody know that in France).
Shes 's famous to have a very sexy and sexual content in her own songs.

In appears that Alizée was , maybe, not so happy with that in the end...

On the TV show you can see her moving and acting in a very provocative ( but classy) way...
In the Live Tour, you can see that she's seems more moderate, cause her audience is full of 10 to 13 ye boys and girls!!

So, double meaning is fun. But that's make a marketing problem.
Too hot for child.
Too childish for adult.

She was not comfortable with that. I thing that's why she stopped every thing.