Open Gundam Stye

L. Spiro · 2012-12-29T19:56:12

I heard the “song” (if you can call it such) for the first time yesterday, prompted by something I saw online. I know it has been a meme for a while but I don’t jump onto every bandwagon that passes by. Then I had a house party during which someone requested it, so I heard it twice on the first day I ever heard it. I want my 6 minutes back. I don’t usually complain about new fads. What was cool when I was a child caused older folk to whine, thinking their glory days were the real cool. I was only 5 years old when I said, “I’m not going to be like them.” So here I am, trying to keep a mind open as much as possible. Sometimes new fads annoy me but I can somewhat understand from where they are coming. I am really doing my best here, but I just can’t understand this Gangnum Style fad. It’s a viral video, so mechanically speaking that means someone watched it at the start, thought it was hot beans, and started passing it off to all of his or her friends. With those basic mechanics in place, I try to imagine I was that first person. I watch the video. I then say to myself, “Never going to watch this crap again,” and move on with my life. Did I miss something? Why in hell would that first person think this was worth sharing with any other human being? I keep trying to reenact this in my mind, seeking that one end result in which I share this with any other human being, and I just can’t find it. This song is annoying as hell, but I can at least understand its catchiness and can see the path where I, the first one to hear it, pass it on to friends. What the hell does Gangnam Style offer? The song is not catchy. I heard it only hours ago, twice, and I just remember some bendy notes and a voice trying to say “Gangnam Style” but actually saying, “Open Gundam Stye”. There was a beach and a fat guy in a blue suit. A guy in a yellow suit danced around him. At which point do these things become cool? If I am the first person to hear this song, what reason is there for me not to just move on with my life and ignore this entirely? We all ignore 99% of everything we hear. We can’t pay attention to it all. We filter out what we think is worthless and aim to hear just the important parts. Why would I ever not filter this out? I posed this quandary to the person who requested this song and his response was more than disappointing: “Just…I like it. I don’t know….” If it was not already famous I would never have heard it nor paid any special attention to it. So why is it famous? It’s a fat guy. He’s not cute (is he??). His dance is not original nor cool. The song is not catchy (I can barely remember the melody, thank God). Are we just that desperate for entertainment?? Do we just pick trends from a bag of random these days? Please, someone, explain this to me. I have been trying to imagine being that first person, and the only way I can see this getting spread around is if I were Hitler and I sent this to all of my enemies. Did Hitler spread this around? Are we all just innocent victims of a hate crime? L. Spiro

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Started by L. Spiro October 27, 2012 07:58 PM

39 comments, last by fastcall22 11 years, 3 months ago

kseh

3,998

December 28, 2012 10:44 PM

For me it is more important to be able to recognize why you like certain songs

Thanks for the Ronald Jenkees links. Reminds me of music you'd here watching demos back in the days of the 486. I certainly found it enjoyable but I can't really imagine keeping it on a playlist of mine because, in my mind, it's attached to that one general experience which doesn't occur for me anymore. It doesn't work for me as something to listen to in the car, while walking, to have in the background, or while trying to code. That's not to say that I won't ever find something else to connect the music to, it's just that I only have the one way to relate to it right now.

It may very well be that you have enough in common with that 70 year old guy that you are able to relate to music that he does as well. Kind of a broad sweeping statement though that might not really hold water. But I absolutly agree that it is important to recognize why you like certain songs. It's like I told my niece, "Though it's not music I care for, it's ok to like music like Justin Beiber. But I want you to ask yourself whether you like it because of something that the music is to you or if it is just because it's what all your friends like."

Though you didn't ask me and my musical talents and ability to provide informed input are limited, I generally liked "The Cat". The instruments and general melody seem to be appropriate for a cat and the chords in the background convey a sense of walking. Overall it sounds like it's something that you'd find as part of a game and I know the tune going to be stuck in my head for the next few hours. The main criticism I have is that I think you need a bridge of some kind. It's kinda like the cat never stops walking, never stops to look around, never stops to check its direction. You break up the primary melody into a couple variations that keeps things fairly fresh yet I keep expecting a moment or two where the constant progression of the main chords switches to something else. That being said, I'm not sure what sort of bridge would be appropriate or where exactly it should go.