"Richman" by 3OH3! from the album Want. 2009.
There's a double standard here. "Randor!" you indignantly huff, "With lyrics like 'Ima do it like I always have: whiskey in a 40 bag, pissing in the alleyway out back of where the party's at,' how is this song any better than that Ke$ha ...hit you so vehemently and consistently despise?" Or maybe you'll take it a 6-inch heel's step further with "Oh, so a male living a disrespectful drunkard's life can be glorified but when a woman throws up her hands, a party anthem, and most her stomach contents, a judgmental inundation of mockery and disgust must swell upon her quicker than diluted beer from an unguarded keg to the distended bellies of a Spring Break U frat party?!?" ::gasp, breathe:: Well, not to discredit the imaginary outrage of our imaginary fanbase, nor the 'academic' achievement of the fictional Spring Break University, I'll declare right out that the party life of booze and glitz should not receive idolization nor respect regardless of the indulging gender. Clearly by picking this tune, I think there's some wealth in "Richman," ya-buh-dibba-dibba-dum. I'm going to explore the slight difference between 3OH3!'s featured song and Ke-dollarsign-ha's number one to determine exactly why. If I can jigsaw my thoughts to an articulate coherence, this could get interesting.
Ke¢ha and ThreeOhThreeExclamationpoint have too much in common. Besides the unnecessary symbols in their names ( $! ), the two shoot for the same kind of electro-party pop on their albums with a sort of talk-singing blend. Their initial spark of mainstream fame could owe interest to an already big-time performer (Keshup on Flo-Rida's "Right Round" fries and 3.03$ borrowing Katy Perry's spare change for "Starstukk"). Perhaps most disappointingly, neither of 'em like inspirational lyrics. What do you do then when you find an artist so shockingly similar to you? What? Sue for plagiarism? Ha, no... You do a track swap! E0E? parachutes into "Blah Blah Blah" while Kecha-cha-cha interrupts "My First Kiss" ::shudders::
While all this may prove a tad interesting, a problem starts arising. The evidence thus given only suggests I should hate "Richman" as much as the likes of "TiK ToK." They're basically the same thing, yeah? It's all about perspective though. I've mentioned Keshanana's interview where she describes the motivations for her songs: to gloat about the life she lives. Specifically mentioned in the Q&A there, she revels in sneaking booze, being broke, and wearing clothes found off the street. I see no glory or pride in these bottom-of-the-barrel activities, and get real disheartened that out there lurk impressionable preteens just eating up this attitude and seriously worshiping a false role model. You'll no doubt at this point blather, "Yeahyeahyeah, we get it. You don't like Koo$hball. Now where's 4P4@'s interview?" Okay, ya got me. Here it is. Heeey... ...waaaait a minute... When it comes to song inspirations, it's.. not sleezy lifestyle promotion? No celebration of ditzy hangovers and drunken esteems? No, not so much. TrickOHTreat! generally claim their songs as mainly tongue-in-cheek low-ball fun. Emphasis on tongue-in-cheek. They go so far as to call their own song "Don't Trust Me" 'stupid'! Nathaniel Motte (half of the duo), in an act uncharacteristic of Ke$h-22, also demonstrated his aptitude and ambition by graduating from university summa cum laude. ...And by his acceptance to Med school (though he currently keeps deferring it, likely for the profitable music career draped pretty round his neck). I mean... geez, the whole premise of the band appears to be a great masquerade of satirical entertainment. . So basically.... in the end... the factorial of three-hundred and three is making fun of Quiche-a and the behavior she promotes.
You still might not be sold though. I mean, some of those lyrics. even said 'just for fun,' still can glamorize the careless lifestyle one strives to avoid. Sort of along the lines, "Ima spend it on a new whip, new hat, new kicks, bitches with the huge tits, new gat, new slips." At this point, I have to ask... did you watch those music videos? I mean, look at the two guys! Seeing these thick raps emerge from those skinny white visages deservedly gets the unexpected stamp. Good for them, though, breaking that stereotype of white rappers, I suppose, but c'mon. Their chances of actually splashing into the world of either possible lyrical interpretation is comical. Gangsters? Pimps? Even chick magnets? Nah, these guys look like normal college grads. Hipsters at worst. The intentional parody couldn't get more obvious if you painted "obvious" on the broadside of a barn. "Richman" has some luck then for not getting an official music video. That hardcore sound would get thrown out the airplane window once the vocal chords that produce it bounce in front of the camera lens.
One final bit of trivia I want to note. Off the top of my head, I can only think of two songs that reference the actual song length within the lyrics. And I mean spot-on precise. "4 Minutes" by Madonna (joined by a Timber by the lake and a Timber by the land) overshoots by four seconds (clocking in a 4:04), so I assume Timberland couldn't save the world in time. He only had four minutes after all. Anyway, I bring this up since "Richman" captures one of those spots with the line "I got 200 seconds and I'm ready to go!" Some rudimentary math reveals an equivalent of three minutes and 20 seconds. Goes without saying what the length of the tune is then, huh? Oddly enough, the second title-holder goes to Alan Jackson's "Three Minute Positive Not Too Country Up-Tempo Love Song," which ends up being very country and more of a comedy song than a love song. The final sting jokingly extends the song four extra seconds, ending just at the three-minute mark. Clever and fun, but more of a novelty than the use of the concept in "Richman."
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