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Music Without Any Checks and Balances

What do you think of the MADONNA song “Four Minutes” featuring Justin Timblerlake and Timbaland?

As you watch/listen to this song, do you feel like you are just experiencing some forced spectacle?

I usually enjoy pop songs by pop superstars on a level that’s even more sincere than a post-ironic enjoyment, but I feel like this song is kind of like an experiment to see what happens when you force together the cliched sounds of all three of the artists involved. Sort of like a kid making a pizza with toppings of ice cream, candy, Nerf products, and Happy Meals. In theory, it mixes all of the things that they like, but mixed together, it would probably give you diarrhea.

Some of these elements include:

  • Madonna tick tock
  • Timbaland chord progression that is hard to take seriously because it is so obvious, but because of this formula, it eventually becomes one of the most recognizable songs of the year
  • a healthy dose of Justin Timberlake passionate ‘hey’s, ‘uh’s, and ‘woo’s
  • Crappy Timbaland vocals that no one could tell him sucked because he pretty much made the song, so it would hurt his feelings if you told him that he doesn’t have a good voice, and that his lyrical stylings were forced.
  • A chorus that sounds like something they talked themselves into after not really knowing what to write for 2 hours.

An interesting thing about songs or albums made by mega-pop-stars is that there isn’t any one to say that they aren’t that good at any stage of the process. Every one is usually ’so excited’ about the new single that they talk themselves into the song being good. I feel like Madonna is one of the best at making stuff that ’sounds different than anything she has ever made before’, so if you say that you don’t like it, it’s like you ‘don’t want to embrace a new, relevant, artistic sound.’

I think I’m just bitter because the pop-songs-that-you-can’t-avoid-hearing in commercials, sporting intermissions, or by hollow human beings driving by you on their way home from work, are usually well-crafted songs. You know, like that one by Outkast about shaking polaroids, or that Lenny Kravitz one about wanting to fly away. Or even that Third Eye Blind one about having a semi-charmed life.

I just want overexposed mainstream anthems to have at least 1.5 reasons that you can talk yourself into liking them.


Most underwhelming ‘cover art’ of all time? Was it made by the creator of the cover of the NOW! That’s what I call Music series?

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24 Comments

  1. Anonymous
    Posted May 5, 2008 at 5:16 am | Permalink

    Had JT whipped her tits out (it looked like he was about to) there would have been at least 2 reasons to like this, but alas…

    Reply

  2. soupz&jellyz
    Posted May 5, 2008 at 5:21 am | Permalink

    Madonna is too old for this type of shit. Age-ism is in right now.

    Reply

  3. Anonymous
    Posted May 5, 2008 at 5:23 am | Permalink

    it wld be revolutionary if mddna rapped about having 2 wear old women diaperz

    Reply

  4. Anonymous
    Posted May 5, 2008 at 5:49 am | Permalink

    this is such a good song, but justice is better

    Reply

  5. Anonymous
    Posted May 5, 2008 at 9:57 am | Permalink

    could someone clarify this for me..

    Is the length of this song actually 4 minutes??
    i have a feeling that it isnt but i haven’t been bothered to listen until the end..

    if my theory is correct… thats baaaaaaad marketing…

    don’t you think?

    Reply

  6. Anonymous
    Posted May 5, 2008 at 11:46 am | Permalink

    this is a good blog post… so true

    they should put this blog on good morning america to expose this…

    even more…

    maybe matt lauer, whatever his name is, should interview artists like this during the recording process and ask the “tough questions” .. he wouldn’t be afraid to get yelled at by them.. after all he took Tom Cruise out

    THIS SONG IS SHIT

    Reply

  7. Anonymous
    Posted May 5, 2008 at 11:57 am | Permalink

    What do you think the average age is of HRO commenters? Couldn’t be more than 15.

    Reply

  8. Anonymous
    Posted May 5, 2008 at 12:03 pm | Permalink

    I’m a mainstreamer and can confirm your hypothesis.

    Reply

  9. baileyshoo
    Posted May 5, 2008 at 12:31 pm | Permalink

    None of the reviews I’ve read for this are shit. It made me feel lonely.
    I find it very very bad. The video hurts my eyes.

    Reply

  10. Beverly
    Posted May 5, 2008 at 2:33 pm | Permalink

    why is this 4:06 minutes?!?
    tick tock tick tock

    FOUR MINUTES
    (and six seconds)

    Reply

  11. Marey
    Posted May 5, 2008 at 4:51 pm | Permalink

    I totally agree with you on this one. I think the fact that everyone was so excited about them doing a ‘hit’ together made them too sure of themselves. It really isn’t THAT good.
    great post anyway. keep it up

    Reply

  12. Anonymous
    Posted May 5, 2008 at 5:01 pm | Permalink

    Why was everyone so excited? Madonna is 50 and timbaland songs sound pretty much the same.

    Reply

  13. Henrietta Hussy
    Posted May 5, 2008 at 6:37 pm | Permalink

    madonna is a hot slut that can do whatever the fuck she wants…
    and JT can do whatever he wants to my hot bod.

    seriously, the song is catchy and i will dance to it, but its not amazing

    Reply

  14. somehipster
    Posted May 5, 2008 at 9:08 pm | Permalink

    mstrkrft should fix it.

    Reply

  15. Anonymous
    Posted May 5, 2008 at 9:39 pm | Permalink

    song disappointed me :<

    Reply

  16. Mia
    Posted May 5, 2008 at 10:45 pm | Permalink

    Commenting HRO about a song that doesn’t matter and will not make an impact on anyone’s world (unless you work at Jamba Juice and have to listen to its remix for the next four years.) BIG IN 2k7?

    Reply

  17. Anonymous
    Posted May 5, 2008 at 10:46 pm | Permalink

    agreed, mstrkrft should fix it

    Reply

  18. Anonymous
    Posted May 5, 2008 at 11:36 pm | Permalink

    mdnna is drty

    Reply

  19. Anonymous
    Posted May 5, 2008 at 11:43 pm | Permalink

    blog about Britney Spears Blackout. best pop album of the century man!

    Reply

  20. Anonymous
    Posted May 6, 2008 at 12:22 am | Permalink

    mstrkrft fix it please!

    Reply

  21. Anonymous
    Posted May 6, 2008 at 12:48 am | Permalink

    agreed on mstrkrft fix

    hay maybe justice should do a video for STRESS???

    Reply

  22. Anonymous
    Posted May 6, 2008 at 1:36 am | Permalink

    no way stress doesn’t even have lyrics they should make one for the party i loev uffie ^_^

    Reply

  23. Anonymous
    Posted May 6, 2008 at 6:55 am | Permalink

    carle is so alt he can even blog about non-alt

    Reply

  24. Jan L.
    Posted May 6, 2008 at 9:04 am | Permalink

    Hate it.

    Reply

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