The song, not so much, but the video is kinda creepy. Especially the walking around all the pictures that are hanging down. It came across more stalker-ish than Lolita to me though.
But damn, if I didn't laugh out loud when I read your subject line. xD
There is just something about the infantilization of the women in the song that drives me up the wall. And I know that a woman always being 'daddy's little girl' is firmly rooted in our culture and sometimes it seems realistic, but in this song....
After I rewatched it and looked for it, I get what you're saying. There is something almost creepy in it. But then again, if you put a spin on anything, you can run with the creepy. Which is why half the stuff in our culture/television/music is cool.
And then you have those moments where you have a little voice in the back of your head going, "There is something wrong here!" (For me, it's the voice Robin Williams uses in Live On Broadway when he's talking about Charles Manson--I think, don't quote me on it--and he goes, "He has issues" in this really funny voice.)
After I rewatched it and looked for it, I get what you're saying. There is something almost creepy in it. But then again, if you put a spin on anything, you can run with the creepy. Which is why half the stuff in our culture/television/music is cool.
Fair point. But sometimes, as you mention, the creepy just smacks you in the face.
Ugh, I just hate that country music twang so much. At least, I hate the "Sunday-go-to-meeting", wholesome kind of country music. I think if the singer weren't singing this particular song, I would find him attractive. XD
Creepy in the context I think you're implying, no. But it does enforce the concept of female passivity in narratives, and the viewing of the world through a primarily male lense. There's really nothing wrong with the content (a father loving his daughter and having a little trouble letting go when she's grown up) it's the perspective that has the problem.
The funny thing about country music is that the majority of songs by male artists enforce the concept of women being passive and tools used to further male narratives and encouraging the "good old boy" mindset (there's this one particular song that starts off talking about a woman whose husband/boyfriend left her and she has to work two jobs to support her kids, but she's used to introduce how amazing "real" men are for not running off on their families, because it's more impressive to do what you should do [if you're a man] than to persevere [if you're a woman]...I thinbk the title is "That's a Man") whereas the majority of songs from female artists, outside of the straight romantic songs, are very "up yours good old boys/patriarchal douches/abusers/controllers" so listening to even half an hour of country radio canresult in whiplash as far as messages go.
Case in point, and a really nice counterbalance to this song -- Crystal Shawanda's "You Can Let Go Now" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26A9ThCiTyY). It's from the point of a view of a woman facing various milestones, including marriage, and reassuring her father that she's ready for independence.
I am very fond of that song, though this is the first time I've seen the video for it (ditto the song that's the suibject of the post). Another thing I've noticed is that songs by male artists who have daughters, though often having a paternalistic feel, lean more towards stating that the father will always be there for the daughter, no matter what happens in life. A lot still have an underlying paternalistic vibe where it seems that mistakes wouldn't have been made if she'd listened to her father (but that's frequently true regarding both parentsd in fiction, and, well, kids would get in a lot less trouble if they listened to their parents sometimes) but are generally much healthier and are more likely to portray the daughters as people than as objects to be passed from one man to another, or requiring a caretaker.
I suspect that has more to do with the perception (largely right) that even women who are opposed to abortion because they believe it's murder will respond more positively to a pro-abortion stance than an anti-abortion stance as the people in office making anti-abortion stances and on TV talking about abortion are rarely coming from where most people are than on pro-abortion beliefs of the politicians themselves.
Oh my god you're right! That is so ...odd. I'd really love to hear someone who knows more about country music than me talk about why the genre developed that way. *ponders*
Sadly, while it's what I mostly listen to on the radio, i'm probably not the one to ask. My preferences are oldies/showtunes and the female country/pop blend, but there aren't many oldies stations here, and most male vocalists in the US outside of country music use a kind of harsh and often abrupt delivery/accompaniment that it frequently gives me a headache. So while about 4 out of 5 country songs by men annoy me, I can listen to the station for more than 2-3 songs without developing a headache.
I'd say, though,that it's basically what happens when you have 2 people or groups exposed to the same thing, but one is on the benefitting end, and the other isn't.
I'd say, though,that it's basically what happens when you have 2 people or groups exposed to the same thing, but one is on the benefitting end, and the other isn't.
I hated that song the second I heard what it was about. I loathe, loathe, LOATHE the "asking the father for permission" bullshit. Marriage is propositioned = if the woman gives her consent, THAT IS THE END OF THE FUCKING STORY. I mean, I'd like my parents to like the guy I'd marry, but the idea of him going to my father (who I have a rocky relationship with) to ask to marry me just...*pulls hair out*
I really dislike most country music, mostly for gender!fail, religion!fail, politics!fail or a combination of the three.
That said, I would adore it if my future husband asked my mother for permission/her blessing because she is the one who raised me and I can't imagine I'd marry someone she didn't think would be a good match for me.
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timeasmymeasure
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But damn, if I didn't laugh out loud when I read your subject line. xD
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And then you have those moments where you have a little voice in the back of your head going, "There is something wrong here!" (For me, it's the voice Robin Williams uses in Live On Broadway when he's talking about Charles Manson--I think, don't quote me on it--and he goes, "He has issues" in this really funny voice.)
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Fair point. But sometimes, as you mention, the creepy just smacks you in the face.
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Anyway, after that point I got too distracted to be creeped out, but in the beginning all the videos of her as a kid totally rubbed me the wrong way.
/daddy issues
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And I personally find the singer, with his latin good looks and dark hair and slightly pulled-down tie, incredibly attractive.
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The funny thing about country music is that the majority of songs by male artists enforce the concept of women being passive and tools used to further male narratives and encouraging the "good old boy" mindset (there's this one particular song that starts off talking about a woman whose husband/boyfriend left her and she has to work two jobs to support her kids, but she's used to introduce how amazing "real" men are for not running off on their families, because it's more impressive to do what you should do [if you're a man] than to persevere [if you're a woman]...I thinbk the title is "That's a Man") whereas the majority of songs from female artists, outside of the straight romantic songs, are very "up yours good old boys/patriarchal douches/abusers/controllers" so listening to even half an hour of country radio canresult in whiplash as far as messages go.
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(And she's Ojibwe, woot!)
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I'd say, though,that it's basically what happens when you have 2 people or groups exposed to the same thing, but one is on the benefitting end, and the other isn't.
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That makes sense.
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I really dislike most country music, mostly for gender!fail, religion!fail, politics!fail or a combination of the three.
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That said, I would adore it if my future husband asked my mother for permission/her blessing because she is the one who raised me and I can't imagine I'd marry someone she didn't think would be a good match for me.