Originally something of a joke back in the early 2010’s, this song is still being commented on today, and has exploded to allow Rebecca Black to find a full fledged career as a Youtuber. With that being the case, can people really call Friday a horrible song? Or is it a youtube video of genius.
You might want to compare other (possible terrible) hit songs like Gangam Style, just so we can see that something catchy, but especially unique and terrible in other ways, is sometimes the perfect recipe. – Nate Océan7 years ago
Interesting that you've mentioned that it's still being commented on today since I haven't heard of it since it came out in 2010. What are you basing that claim upon? To justify writing an article about this today, it's important to make sure this topic is still relevant. – caitlinrose7 years ago
Agree with caitlinrose, I've not a thing about that song in forever, asides from that she's apparently taking her career into her own hands and trying to make something of herself properly these days. I feel like this topic's a few years too late. – TomWadsworth7 years ago
Slavoj Zizek has an interesting (and funny, imo) take on these kinds of songs. His main example is Gangnam Style, but any song that has a similarly overwhelming optimism to the point of annoyance is applicable, and the idea is applicable to pop culture more generally. He says the lyrics and the music are ironic: they mock the same system that they exist in and perpetuate, and this is the sign of a strong ideology. In essence, you can make fun of it, you can not believe in it, 'but belief still functions.' To hear it in his (better) words, do a quick search for 'zizek gangnam style' (5 mins long) or 'the desert of post-ideology' (a longer video, but he covers it at the very beginning. – Bod Jaman7 years ago
This is an interesting topic (and an interesting discussion taking place above me.) I would caution you to try as hard as possible to avoid trigger words such as "horrible" or "awful" when describing music - this insinuates that music is objective which is definitely not the case. Though most can agree that Rebecca Black's "Friday" is painfully bad, it might be wise to define "horrible" before beginning to write. – AndyJanz7 years ago
I also wonder, had that song been released today, would it garner the same reaction? Would Rebecca Black be subject to the same amount of hate today, when it seems that the internet has developed an increased awareness for people's sensitivities? – Jumana7 years ago