One of the places where you can witness the new sexual revolution is the Austin Powers movie trilogy, about the groovy and naughty spy who supposedly embodies the spirit of the sixties. Austin was frozen at the end of that decade, and when he is defrosted in 1997 (in the first movie of the series), he wakes up into a world where sexuality is a lot more inhibited, and finds it hard to cope. This is of course a gross distortion of reality: the sixties were infinitely more inhibited than the nineties, and the myth about them circles around a small group of youngsters who rebelled and went to the other extreme, going completely wild with the sex and drugs. They paid a heavy price for it, but also opened the doors for the rest of us, and by the nineties their influence spread to such an extent that society became a lot more open to sex and drugs, but also more aware of the dangers and therefore more tame and responsible. But the myth remained, and the Austin Powers series used it to blast the remaining inhibitions, to make the world even more shagadelic. While in the first movie the heroine reacts with prudish aversion to Austin's behavior, the second movie (from 1999) already has a leading lady that is as liberated as him, and the third movie from 2002 serves as a platform for the pop princesses to display their minxifulness: Beyonce plays the leading role, and Britney tries to steal the show from her in a charming cameo. But she has no chance, because Beyonce simply shines in her movie debut, and shows real comic talent. That year, I was sure that this girl is going to be one of the greatest ever, in line with Dietrich, Garbo and Monroe. Now I'm not so sure, but the potential is there.
Both Beyonce and Britney used the movie to present their new sexy image, to a crowd that mostly still thought of them as virginal teens. Each also put out a record to match, produced by, who else, the Neptunes. Britney made the horny 'Boys', one of her best records. But Beyonce trumped her once again, with this funky-to-the-bone bomb. In the movie, Austin uses a time machine to go back to the seventies and meets her in the role of Foxy Cleopatra, a combination of Pam Grier, Tamara Dobson and all the sex symbols of seventies blacksploitation movies, mixed together with Patti Labelle, Tina Turner, Chaka Khan, Gloria Gaynor and all the singing divas of that decade. With the shagadelic afro and the downright funkiness, she proves to be a worthy heir to all of the above, and in this record she purifies their essence to a tune so funky it would make even Frau Farbissina shake her ass.
Showing posts with label beyonce. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beyonce. Show all posts
Friday, January 29, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
17. Beyonce - Naughty Girl (2003)
It was never easy being a black woman in a culture whose standards were determined by white men. In the US, the blacks were traditionally designated as a model for everything that is "uncivilized", belonging to the primitive who came from the jungle and hasn't evolved much since. Among the blacks, on the other hand, there were always those who aspired to accept the values of the "civilized" world and show that they too could be civilized, but also those who regarded this attitude to be a capitulation of black identity, and aspired instead to emphasize the traits that were considered as characteristic to the black man. The former scolded the latter, accusing them that they were justifying the stereotypes that whites ascribe to them, while the latter saw the former as "Uncle Toms". This inner-split in the soul of the black man made it harder for African-Americans to be comfortable with their identity and advance in society, and for black women, of course, it was even worse.
But the situation became gradually better over the years, thanks mainly to pop music, which caused those elements that were considered "primitive" to be incorporated by the dominant culture and start to be regarded as civilized, thus projecting more favorably on the black identity. This process allowed African-Americans to build an identity and culture of their own, but there was always a new generation who came and dug deeper into "primitivism" to create a new split, until this split was healed as well, and some more elements would become socially acceptable. Thus, step by step, the inequality between the races diminished.
By the eighties, the (originally) black styles of blues, jazz, gospel and soul, which in the past were all regarded as "jungle music", have been accepted by the dominant culture and gained much respect. But not funk. Funk means stench, usually associated with body odor, and the funk did indeed emphasize those elements that were connected to the body, and which so terrified the puritan culture: multiple rhythms, physical pleasures, wild dancing and explicit sexuality. The funk was still considered uncivilized by conservative Reaganist America, as were its offshoots, disco and hip-hop. Hip-hop took the funk as far as possible, and also attached it to elements of black ghetto culture, which white America didn't really want to see. And so, a new split was formed: on the one side was the culturally accepted R'n'B, whose values were derived from blues and soul; on the other side the "primitive" hip-hop, based on funk. The female R'n'B singers aspired to represent the fineness, sophistication and versatility of the new black woman, while female hip-hoppers affected a dirty slutty demeanor, and aspired to represent the funkiness of the black woman. Both of them had something missing, showing the difficulties in creating a wholesome black female identity. And then came Beyonce.
In Beyonce, the split was overcome. On the one hand she was the world's number one good girl, with a lovely smile, delicate behavior and elegant look, writing and performing songs that were rooted deep in blues and soul. On the other hand she was the world's number one bad girl, with moves like an exotic dancer, a vocal dripping with eroticism, and funky-to-the-bone music. She serves as a model to a healthier femininity, and actually to a better humanity, a humanity that combines African sensuality with European sublimation. In this record she resurrects the most notorious record of female sexuality, Donna Summer's 'Love to Love You, Baby', famous for its orgasmic moans. Summer's record, of course, got almost no airplay - dominant culture doesn't like to hear women enjoying themselves. Beyonce bypasses the problem by giving up on the moans, but any regular pop fan hears them in their head once she launches into "Ahh, love to love you, baby", and her seductive voice does the rest. To a man that would be good to her, Beyonce promises the perfect male fantasy: a lady in the living-room, a whore in bed.
It was too good to last. Beyonce was unable to keep this inner-tension going, and in the middle of the decade she split herself, creating an alter-ego called Sasha, to represent her funky side. Since then, she's not as good. Sasha is too wild, lacking the softness and sweetness that would make her truly sexy, and Beyonce, without the funk to drive her from within, lost much of the magic and mystery, and started to develop annoying diva habits. But the records of 2001-2003 lost nothing. Love to love you, baby.
But the situation became gradually better over the years, thanks mainly to pop music, which caused those elements that were considered "primitive" to be incorporated by the dominant culture and start to be regarded as civilized, thus projecting more favorably on the black identity. This process allowed African-Americans to build an identity and culture of their own, but there was always a new generation who came and dug deeper into "primitivism" to create a new split, until this split was healed as well, and some more elements would become socially acceptable. Thus, step by step, the inequality between the races diminished.
By the eighties, the (originally) black styles of blues, jazz, gospel and soul, which in the past were all regarded as "jungle music", have been accepted by the dominant culture and gained much respect. But not funk. Funk means stench, usually associated with body odor, and the funk did indeed emphasize those elements that were connected to the body, and which so terrified the puritan culture: multiple rhythms, physical pleasures, wild dancing and explicit sexuality. The funk was still considered uncivilized by conservative Reaganist America, as were its offshoots, disco and hip-hop. Hip-hop took the funk as far as possible, and also attached it to elements of black ghetto culture, which white America didn't really want to see. And so, a new split was formed: on the one side was the culturally accepted R'n'B, whose values were derived from blues and soul; on the other side the "primitive" hip-hop, based on funk. The female R'n'B singers aspired to represent the fineness, sophistication and versatility of the new black woman, while female hip-hoppers affected a dirty slutty demeanor, and aspired to represent the funkiness of the black woman. Both of them had something missing, showing the difficulties in creating a wholesome black female identity. And then came Beyonce.
In Beyonce, the split was overcome. On the one hand she was the world's number one good girl, with a lovely smile, delicate behavior and elegant look, writing and performing songs that were rooted deep in blues and soul. On the other hand she was the world's number one bad girl, with moves like an exotic dancer, a vocal dripping with eroticism, and funky-to-the-bone music. She serves as a model to a healthier femininity, and actually to a better humanity, a humanity that combines African sensuality with European sublimation. In this record she resurrects the most notorious record of female sexuality, Donna Summer's 'Love to Love You, Baby', famous for its orgasmic moans. Summer's record, of course, got almost no airplay - dominant culture doesn't like to hear women enjoying themselves. Beyonce bypasses the problem by giving up on the moans, but any regular pop fan hears them in their head once she launches into "Ahh, love to love you, baby", and her seductive voice does the rest. To a man that would be good to her, Beyonce promises the perfect male fantasy: a lady in the living-room, a whore in bed.
It was too good to last. Beyonce was unable to keep this inner-tension going, and in the middle of the decade she split herself, creating an alter-ego called Sasha, to represent her funky side. Since then, she's not as good. Sasha is too wild, lacking the softness and sweetness that would make her truly sexy, and Beyonce, without the funk to drive her from within, lost much of the magic and mystery, and started to develop annoying diva habits. But the records of 2001-2003 lost nothing. Love to love you, baby.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
8. Beyonce feat. Jay-Z - Crazy in Love (2003)
The most recurring word in the decade's record titles is "featuring", or "feat." for short. The custom of featuring another artist in your records was already quite routine in nineties hip-hop, but mostly it was just one rapper hosting another. In this decade, with the bonding of hip-hop and R'n'B and the moving of white artists into black music, the path was opened for more various collaborations, and a more productive dialogue. In the nineties, the attitude that dominated rap was set by the gangstas, who treated women as bitches to fuck and nothing more. At best it was tongue-in-cheek dirty talk, at worst it was raving misogyny. But once female singers began to take pride in their own sexuality, they found a better role for the horny rappers, and featured them in their records to tell the whole world who's number one in bed. This process sublimated hip-hop, and made it less chauvinistic and more cheeky.
And so, in the record that launched her solo career, Beyonce invited Jay-Z to add some spice. Not that it was needed. Not for the record, and certainly not for the girl. With the sweet face, the killer smile, the limber bombshell body, the ass that moves like jello on springs, the relentless talent and the enchanting voice, the world didn't stand a chance. Many stars shone brightly in 2003, but none of them was as hot as Beyonce.
And so, in the record that launched her solo career, Beyonce invited Jay-Z to add some spice. Not that it was needed. Not for the record, and certainly not for the girl. With the sweet face, the killer smile, the limber bombshell body, the ass that moves like jello on springs, the relentless talent and the enchanting voice, the world didn't stand a chance. Many stars shone brightly in 2003, but none of them was as hot as Beyonce.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)