Friday, Nov. 27, 2009

On listening ... and listening ... to 'Party in the U.S.A.'

Watch the video at the end of the story

She says it three times.

And the Jay-Z song was on.

And the Jay-Z song was on.

And the Jay-Z song was on.

Who else has pondered which Jay-Z song Miley Cyrus is referring to? Which tune by Jigga could cause Miley to sing, "They're playing my song"?

More on that in a moment, but here's another number: 17.

As in the number of consecutive times I listened to "Party in the U.S.A.," arguably the most polarizing song of the year. Cyrus will perform it and others at the Colonial Life Arena Saturday.

Why 17?

That's how old Cyrus turned Monday. (And, yes, I really did listen to the song 17 straight times.)

The song can be summed up in one sentence: A coming of age starlet moves to the West Coast and struggles to adapt to life in a new place.

The song would be a pity party if it weren't for a DJ - and a taxi man, too - who plays her song.

Her song is pop perfection. I'm convinced, though, you might read that as confusion or that I've now been brainwashed.

Let's forget the sound (or the YouTube video where she says she's never heard a Jay-Z song before) and concentrate on the lyrical meaning: music is therapeutic. Who can't relate? Who hasn't been put into a better mood when your song comes on the radio?

And the Jay-Z song was on.

While you might not be nodding or moving your hips "like yeah" when the song is played, you get the point.

But which Jay-Z song could the writers possibly be talking about? At that point in the song, Cyrus has gotten off a plane at LAX and she already feels uncomfortable in the land of fame excess.

Maybe it was "Change Clothes," which is about changing externally and internally. Could it be "Dirt Off Your Shoulder," which is about swatting at problems as if they were dandruff? Or perhaps it was "99 Problems," an anthem about not letting things get to you. (The preceding are popular Jay-Z songs, if you don't know.)

I know that I should be asking the credited songwriters, Jessica Cornish, Lukasz Gottwald and Claude Kelly. They are at fault for the clunky comparison to Britney Spears.

And a Britney song was on.

And the Britney song was on.

And the Britney song was on.

A homesick Cyrus, in her cowboy boots and short shorts - the look in the video - feels like an outcast in a crowd of stilettos. I'm not going to speculate what Britney song it could be, but I'm certain which song it isn't: "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman," Brit's woeful coming-of-age attempt.

Britney was trying too hard.

Miley is just trying to have fun.

"Party in the U.S.A.," which begins with simple guitar strokes, quickly opens into a jam. If you don't know the secret to the infectious beat, it's the warbling synthesizer that's playing hide-and-seek with the bass line. Auto-tune, the voice manipulator popular in hip-hop and R&B, has a similar grasping effect.

Whether or not you like the song, you notice it. You have to confront your feelings about it.

If you've listened to it once, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

At the 14th consecutive time is when the delirium began to settle. Maybe it was the time of night. I began rubbing my eyes. I started this very sentence you're reading three times.

The 15th time I started the song I almost lost count.

The 16th time, I actually nodded my head like yeah. As in yeah, I'm almost done.

On the 17th and final listen, these words got me yet again:

And the Jay-Z song was on.

And the Jay-Z song was on.

And the Jay-Z song was on.

The repetition is clever and her vocal phrasing is spot on.

Guess what I listened to next? Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind." That's my song on the radio right now.

But I didn't get through the whole thing; I hear it too much as it is.

IF YOU GO

WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Colonial Life Arena

TICKETS: $42.25 to $82.25

INFORMATION: www.TWCtix.com or (877) 489-2849

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