Re: Reflections on "My Humps"

1

I'll go along with this insofar as the Black Eyed Peas are a great pop group--but I just can't get past how gross the imagery is.


Posted by: bitchphd | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 9:15 AM
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2

My only knowledge of the song is from people funnin' on it here. Is it a song about breasts? Sounds like the singer is male -- does "my humps" denote the breasts of his girlfriend?


Posted by: Jeremy Osner | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 9:20 AM
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3

I love a good lo-fo beat.


Posted by: Joe Drymala | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 9:20 AM
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4

Hm. Went and looked at the lyrics, apparently the singer is female.


Posted by: Jeremy Osner | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 9:27 AM
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5

isn't that the group that Fergie sings in? i do believe they have a whole category devoted to her over at Go Fug Yourself.


Posted by: mmf! | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 9:33 AM
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6

And once you get my hump my hump my hump in your head, you're done.

The same could be said of a brain tumor, but that doesn't make it a good thing.


Posted by: Matt Weiner | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 9:36 AM
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7

Nice try, Labs, but it's pretty obvious that this is your own version of a laughter-of-the-squirrels post.

Isn't it? It has to be.

Please say that it is.


Posted by: tom | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 9:37 AM
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8

I think the Black Eyed Peas are overrated. Nonetheless "My Lumps" has been stuck in my head for six months.


Posted by: stroll | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 9:39 AM
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9

And thus ends a long streak of me agreeing with Labs.


Posted by: washerdreyer | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 9:41 AM
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10

And thus ends a long streak of me agreeing with Labs.

Thank goodness. The Mineshaft staff could only put off mopping for so long.


Posted by: Tia | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 9:43 AM
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11

Joe, you mo-fi, I pour my heart and soul into this post, and all you can do is quibble about typos.


Posted by: FL | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 9:46 AM
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12

I was hoping lo-fo was the new lo-fi, actually, and yours was the canonical usage.

You're more street than you realize, FoLo.


Posted by: Joe Drymala | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 9:51 AM
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13

You can keep your bimbos, Dry-Jo, I like my women like flo-jo.


Posted by: FL | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 9:56 AM
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14

I like "My Humps", but "Golddigger" is clearly the superior party song.


Posted by: Joe Drymala | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 10:04 AM
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15

There's a sophisticated eroticism about "Boobs-a-lot" too. Only the legendary Andrea Dworkin would say otherwise.


Posted by: John Emerson | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 10:30 AM
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16

I view "My Humps" as true artistic achievement. For BEP to be able to get lyrics that asinine stuck on a continual loop in my head for months, and have me slowly over time shift from recoiling in horror at their sheer tactlessness to coming to appreciate their subtle understatement... I think that's a profound accomplishment. What more can we ask of art?


Posted by: Urple | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 10:47 AM
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17

The problem with you liberals is that you refuse to recognize evil.

From "Your Band Sucks" at Something Awful:

"Here's a little science experiment: go park your car next to the transmitter tower of your local pop radio station. If "My Humps" isn't already being played, wait about fifteen minutes. When "My Humps" comes on, look at the tower. You'll notice that the transmitter will be emitting comical green "stink lines." I swear to god, it's true."


Posted by: Ted Barlow | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 11:10 AM
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18

Ok labs, you've stirred me to emerge from my undisclosed location. One can defend the Black Eyed Peas' brand of innocuous "where's the love"-style hitmaking. "My humps," by contrast, is an absolute abomination. B+? If B- is being eaten alive by army ants, then sure.


Posted by: baa | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 12:24 PM
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19

I would simply like to point out that the moment Black-Eyed Peas burst onto the scene with their soulful positive hip-hop sound, I immediately thought, and said to anyone who would listen "see that fucking stupid De La Soul tribute act? you may be all misty-eyed about how they are black but yet against violence, but deep down they are really irritating people and some day they are going to make a record that proves me right". I did, I said those exact words.


Posted by: dsquared | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 12:25 PM
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20

baa!!!!


Posted by: SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 12:27 PM
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21

Stage 1 accomplished.

As for Go Fug Yourself's Fergie category, in-depth investigation yields this. (Becks, don't tell me you saw that a year ago, even if you, like, did.)


Posted by: Matt Weiner | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 12:33 PM
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22

baa!! is the new Norm!!


Posted by: Cala | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 12:33 PM
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23

OTOH, baa is a big fan of Freezepop.


Posted by: ben w-lfs-n | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 12:36 PM
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24

My 13 year old son loves the song, which drives me nuts given that it's both catchy and crude. But it's also old news -- my son and daughter have been obsessed with "So Sick" by Ne-Yo, which for a while early in Feb was getting heavy airplay while being unavailable on Itunes.


Posted by: bill | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 12:56 PM
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25

He who said, Il nous faut de l'audace, et encore de l'audace, et toujours de l'audace!—he spoke of Stage 2.


Posted by: Standpipe Bridgeplate | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 12:58 PM
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26

Ne-Yo

Is that Neil Young in a new hip-hop package?


Posted by: Jeremy Osner | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 1:00 PM
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27

He who said, Il nous faut de l'audace, et encore de l'audace, et toujours de l'audace!—he spoke of Stage 2.

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce, third as the Mineshaft.


Posted by: My Alter Ego | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 1:31 PM
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28

So I was sitting here saying to myself, "What is stage 2? Is it some embarrassing boy-band that I can stipulate SB to like?" and then I realized that it was a reference to my own comment. Mental autopwnation, as U.K. would have said if they'd thought of it.


Posted by: Matt Weiner | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 1:33 PM
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The phenomenon of mental auto-pwnation was first described by Descartes, in a letter to Arnauld in which he attempts to defend against the charge that his argument contains a vicious circle but which concludes sadly, "je suis autòpwnéd. merde."


Posted by: Cala | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 1:43 PM
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30

Mental autopwnation

I prefer physical autopwnation, but with increasing age I am no longer limber enough to engage in it.


Posted by: My Alter Ego | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 1:54 PM
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31

The synthy drone, and the rhythm, are taken from the 80's electro song "I Need a Freak" by Sexual Harassment.

You can hear it by downloading Mix of the Week #250.


Posted by: Cryptic Ned | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 2:05 PM
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32

[Regarding Labs's update: I actually kinda do like "Milkshake". "My Humps" is still an abomination.]


Posted by: Becks | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 2:32 PM
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33

32 gets it exactly wrong.


Posted by: Joe Drymala | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 3:03 PM
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34

No, Milkshake is actually kinda fun.


Posted by: bitchphd | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 3:19 PM
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35

Cowbell!


Posted by: Urple | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 3:23 PM
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36

Another vote for Milksake.


Posted by: Tia | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 3:25 PM
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37

lala la la laaaa

the boys are waiting.


Posted by: Cala | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 3:26 PM
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38

When so many women endorse "Milkshake", I'd really be a fool to argue.


Posted by: Joe Drymala | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 3:28 PM
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39

None of these songs are nearly as good as K7's "Come Baby Come" and "Zunga Zeng".


Posted by: Cryptic Ned | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 3:29 PM
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40

However, it must be said that "Milkshake" comes nowhere close to "Milkshake and Honey".


Posted by: Becks | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 3:38 PM
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41

38 gets it exactly right.


Posted by: Becks | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 3:42 PM
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42

My first introduction to "Milkshake" was with the video, which I was pretty damned appalled by, but when I heard the song on its own I had to admit it was kinda awesome.


Posted by: Jackmormon | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 3:52 PM
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43

I donno. I think Milkshake gets by because it has underground cred, whereas the BEP do not (call it the Peaches principle). But they're both pretty terrible songs.


Posted by: tom | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 4:16 PM
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44

Wait, is "Milkshake" the song from the car wash scene in Dodgeball? --Yep. I think I like that song.


Posted by: Matt Weiner | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 4:23 PM
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45

I'm happy to report I have never heard "My Humps" and, indeed, hadn't even heard of it before it got mentioned here. The only reason I am familiar with the milkshake song is the end of Dodgeball.


Posted by: apostropher | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 4:24 PM
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46

Bless you Labs, for the review. Bang-up job. I might put it on a card to keep in my wallet, for all those times I need to justify myself.

Fergie's a bit wacked for sure... But she's definitely hypnotic.


Posted by: girl27 | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 4:55 PM
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47

Does this sort of thing ever get old?

Sexual Immorality (S)

# vulgar prosthetic to exaggerate male anatomy, which was inflated once

# adults in underwear

# sadomasochistic outfits, several

# statue nudity

# vulgar dance with self-fondling during credits


Posted by: Matt Weiner | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 5:04 PM
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48

You can blame Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes for "My Hump," "Milkshake," and even Gwen Stefani's "Bananas." He was the producer for the latter two. I'm not sure if he produced "My Hump" but it's definitely derivative of his style: the Casio beat, the repetitive catch-phrase, &c. They're all the same song, really.

As to The Black Eyed Peas themselves, they were a lot cooler when they weren't played on Top 40 radio. But even then, they only had one or two actual good songs. Check out "Falling Up."


Posted by: Jon McGee | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 5:14 PM
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49

Does this sort of thing ever get old?

Vulgar prosthetics never get old. But they do age over time.


Posted by: | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 5:15 PM
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50

I blame Pharrell for all my pop favourites from the last four years. Britbrit, Busta, Jay-Z, Justin Timbalaaake. Great songs. Plus, he wears those wifebeaters. And I loves those.


Posted by: girl27 | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 5:23 PM
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51

The sad thing is, after "My Humps", I didn't think BEP could sink any lower. Then I heard "Pump It"; all I can say is that I hope Dick Dale got a shitload of money out of the deal.


Posted by: Josh | Link to this comment | 02-27-06 11:05 PM
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47: That review is just priceless. I can't believe you left out these:

# camera angle to force viewer on private parts or vulgar pose, repeatedly

# thong nudity, repeatedly

# still photo of full male nudity (genitals unseen)

# dog nuzzling the crotch of a man and him liking it

# vulgar cheer - boy's head is forced between the legs of a fat girl dropping on him from above with sounds of wetness as they are pulled apart

That last sounds like an explanation of a slang term for a sex act. "I heard he paid a hooker to give him a 'vulgar cheer,' if you know what I mean."


Posted by: Matthew Harvey | Link to this comment | 02-28-06 6:13 AM
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