Look Forward To Friday, Fun, and the Weekend? Not Rebecca Black

It’s this season’s biggest VIRAL video with more than 100 million views on You Tube. Although Viral in this case means it makes me ill. Yes, it’s Rebecca Black’s video of “Friday.”

It’s not that the concept is bad. As anyone who knows me is certain of – I am a gal who revels in her weekends, and so Friday is a most joyous day.

And it’s not that the actual tune “Friday”  isn’t fun and catchy. What bothers me most isn’t even the nasal quality of the singer’s voice or even the annoying auto-tune they have her voice on.

I can even deal with the silly to the point of being STUPID lyrics.

Here’s what I hate most – it is the lack of affect and the insipid way that Rebecca Black sings the lyrics. I call her Rebecca Blank because aside from her perma- smile in the video, she sings “fun fun fun fun” in a bored monotone. Not once does she emphasize the word party, fun, or the phrase looking forward to the weekend. Not ONE TIME is there even a hint of an exclamation in her voice.

Girlfriend, do you not get excited by the weekend? By PARTY? By Fun? Because I sure as heck do.

Did Cyndy Lauper not teach her anything about emoting on a potential pop anthem? You have to be part actor to pull off an infectious pop tune, as Cyndy knew well.

Where you can really see the difference in emotion and affect is by watching this video, taken from a Jimmy Fallon show.

Even noted deadpan Steven Colbert sings the same song with WAY more emotion in this incredible version. Throw in an animated Fallon and Taylor Hicks, and now you are talking PARTY!

Obviously the fact that fun, fun, fun sounds boring, tedious and monotone hasn’t hurt Rebecca Blank’s views on You Tube.

It’s not that I can say I don’t like the song, I just prefer the parodies and other singers’ versions way more than the original. I am a big fan of infectious pop tunes, so take this tip from me- if you want to celebrate Friday and the coming of the weekend, do it with the Colbert version.