Marking 20 years
of bold journalism,
reader supported.
Arts and Culture
Music

It's the Feelgood Hit of the Summer

And it's not what you think it is.

Adrian Mack 2 Sep 2010TheTyee.ca

Adrian Mack contributes a regular music column to The Tyee and frequently sits behind Rich Hope.

image atom
Does this man look like an Atari to you?

How long will it be before you start hating Cee-Lo Green's "Fuck You!"? One month? Two months? Never?

It was probably half a year or so before I finally hoped that "Hey Ya!" by Outkast would never pass before my exhausted ears ever again, back in 2003. I was as goofy as everybody else about it before that. In 2007, it was "Young Folks" by Peter, Bjorn and John. I heard it, I loved it, and then I heard it too much.

Which is the experience for most of us, I expect. When a song is front-loaded with as much excitement as "Fuck You!", it's at the expense of longevity. For now, though, Cee-Lo has given us a grand slam -- an impossibly sunny slice of throwback soul from deep within that very special pocket where late summer ass-shakers and viral YouTube hits are made (by little elves who look, sound, and dance like The Temptations).

And "Fuck You!" is full of swears, which we love. It'd take feet of lead and an even heavier heart to resist such a stealthy pincer movement on both your pleasure centres and your inner 10-year-old. Within five days of posting it on Aug. 19, Cee-Lo was looking at two-million views.

Speaking of "Fuck You!" -- how about Dr. Laura Schlessinger? Who among us hasn't waited with quivering excitement for this bullying psychopath to finally hit the bricks? If you hadn't heard, Dr. Laura has a viral YouTube hit of her own. This midget-brained rant from Aug. 10 cost her enough major sponsors that she finally ditched her show, moaning to Larry King shortly afterwards that she'd been silenced by those big, nasty "special interest groups" that are so busy ruining America. It's odd that she would be so coy about naming them all of a sudden.

"Fuck You!" and Dr. Laura are only nominally related due to a variation on a single word. Cee-Lo knows when and how to use it, Dr. Laura clearly doesn't, and let's leave it at that. If you want the real money shot, skip to the 4:00 mark when Dr. Laura spends two whole minutes trying to rationalize her own stupidity into a vast and silent abyss of dead air. You almost feel bad for her, but not really. It's the other feelgood hit of the summer.  [Tyee]

Read more: Music

  • Share:

Facts matter. Get The Tyee's in-depth journalism delivered to your inbox for free

Tyee Commenting Guidelines

Comments that violate guidelines risk being deleted, and violations may result in a temporary or permanent user ban. Maintain the spirit of good conversation to stay in the discussion.
*Please note The Tyee is not a forum for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, denying its existence or minimizing its risk to public health.

Do:

  • Be thoughtful about how your words may affect the communities you are addressing. Language matters
  • Challenge arguments, not commenters
  • Flag trolls and guideline violations
  • Treat all with respect and curiosity, learn from differences of opinion
  • Verify facts, debunk rumours, point out logical fallacies
  • Add context and background
  • Note typos and reporting blind spots
  • Stay on topic

Do not:

  • Use sexist, classist, racist, homophobic or transphobic language
  • Ridicule, misgender, bully, threaten, name call, troll or wish harm on others
  • Personally attack authors or contributors
  • Spread misinformation or perpetuate conspiracies
  • Libel, defame or publish falsehoods
  • Attempt to guess other commenters’ real-life identities
  • Post links without providing context

LATEST STORIES

The Barometer

Do You Think Naheed Nenshi Will Win the Alberta NDP Leadership Race?

Take this week's poll