There is a reason why Taylor Swift was once a pop icon for tweens all over the States, not to mention Scotland, and that is because, well, she wrote great songs but great songs that caught an inbetweener sensibility. A self-professed wallflower as a teen, shy and quiet except for that dang guitar she carried with her everywhere, "You Belong With Me" was as much a daydream as the more direct "Love Story" and "Speak Now".
But a younger daydream. It is like she played in her dream not about actually having a boyfriend but even just telling a boy that you want him to be your boyfriend. The geekiness is its charm and the positioning of the singer as both aggressor and defender is very charming: it is an updated fairytale.
And it is enormous fun to sing. In this video two Scottish pre-teens are jumping for joy, getting all of a hook I've heard 18,000 children grab at MSG with Taylor: can't you seeeeeee, you belong with meeeeee", the easiest of iterations has the power of a demand and a little prayer. And the melody is one of Swift's bests, it is all easy and acoustic guitar. By Red standards it is under produced, it is like it wants to be rock but Swift is still too country for that.
When sometime rock nyc scribe, 11 year old Miriam ElDjaizrey and her best friend Rosie Green decided to make a video of themselves performing Karaoke to "You Belong With Me", they made two great decisions.
1. They used the app Video Star. Itunes describe the app as: "Packed with tons of fun real-time effects, Video Star makes you and your friends the stars of awesome music videos. There's no other app like it "
2. The song is a perfect choice for the high spirited duo.
Video Star allows for a seamless segueing and syncing, as well as multi split screen, different color hues and a goof at home aestheticism which has the charm of a real deal music video.
The girls are energetic performers and the goofing around doesn't get in the way of the video telling. Because of both Video Star and the nature of the song, it comes across as a message for eleven year olds to eleven years. I just wish they were singing, Miriam for one has a lovely voice! In both "annie" and her award winning performance of "On The Banks Of Loch Lomond" we have the pleasure of hearing that still light with the slightest undertow of brogue and it is a shame she didn't include it here, the song would have been the better for it.
Yes, the song. Imagine if Miriam and Rosie had tried "State Of Grace"… it would have been precocious not charming. But the song is so perfect for the young girls, it suits their tweeness and allows them to be the cusp teens they are. The energy and playfulness and awwwwwww factor is just about perfect for the sweet kids, yes, even poker hustling Miriam!
Miriam is my Great Niece and when she was 8 years old taught me how to do-ce-do, so she has a very real feel for musical dance and interpretation. And Rosie is a very good foil, a different shading, different body type, they look like natural friends and natural competitors.
Video Star is a sign of a future arriving where technology is dirt cheap and everybody is a star if (a big if) they have the ability and creativity of Miriam and Rosie. The future is here.
Grade: B+