Who says the ‘60s are dead?
Mid ‘60’s pop/soul is the bedrock upon which Cee-Lo Green has constructed his catchy and wryly humorous song “Fuck You”.
Word is that “Fuck You” is poised for world domination. Bet on it.
Songs about heartbreak and lost loves have been around for as long as there have been…songs. They can range from the beers and tears of Buck Owens’s “A-11” to the ridiculously comical posturing of Jilted John. Cee-Lo travels closer to the latter with his defiant “Fuck You” putting everyone on notice that dignified stoicism is not the face he’ll be wearing in response to being dumped.
And, as with many jilted songs (“Mustang Sally”) his high maintenance girlfriend has shucked him for a new boyfriend with more resources. “I guess the change in my pocket wasn’t enough.” And my favorite line “I guess she’s an xbox and I’m more an Atari.” If a girl leaves a guy for being a jerk or a lousy lover, that’s one thing. But when she leaves him because he ain’t rich enough, the loser is a much more sympathetic figure in the equation and the girl just a rapacious “gold digger”.
But for all that he loves her still: You almost want to laugh and wince at the same time as Cee-Lo cries and moans “Uh! Why!” and blurts out “I still love you!”
Singer, rapper, songwriter and producer Cee-Lo (Thomas DeCarlo Callaway) has been around the blues, pop, funk and hip-hop block a few times. I am by no means an expert on his music, but I detected a Gnarls Barkley vibe in “Fuck You” from the very first notes. And like Barkley, the deep-seated influence of 1960’s soul music is all over this track. But for the lyrics, this song could have easily been done by the likes of Arthur Conley, The Foundations, Jay and the Techniques or any number of other vocal acts of the time. All the elements are there; the flawless backup vocals, the calls and responses, the ooo-ooo-ooo’s and Cee-Lo’s perfect soul falsetto. The line “I pity the foooool!” is a thing of beauty.
On the downside, I really wish Cee-Lo could have found another word to rhyme with “digger”. Dr. Laura Schlessinger recently carpet bombed the airwaves with the n-word and her justification was “hey, the rap guys use it”. And so they do. I understand black people use it in a different context than white people, but then you end up with the silly controversy generated when Jennifer Lopez used it in a rap a few years ago. Still, I’ll just grab another handful of sand and throw it against the ocean…
Personally, I don’t cuss very often. I have two grown children in their 30’s and they’ve never heard the f-word fall from my lips. I simply don’t say it. It’s a personal quirk.
But I must say, if the word has been put to better use than this in a song, I’ve yet to hear it. In “Fuck You” Cee-Lo has turned a phrase that transcends mere over use to the point it’s become inaudible, into a jaunty and defiant, yet somehow fragile shield for a heart that’s breaking.
“Fuck You” is a funny, poignant and probably perfect pop single from an alternate 1968. I may even start using the word myself.
Fuck you! Hey…that felt really good!