The summer hits of Kylie Minogue and Billie Eilish are still relevant in the fall - OiCanadian
The summer's most scorching season has come and gone, but two standout pop songs still leave me feeling agitated: Billie Eilish's "What was I made for?" and Kylie Minogue's "Padam Padam". The former is a melancholic ballad about questioning one's purpose in life, sung from the perspective of a conscious Barbie doll. The latter suggests that the human heartbeat is simply a result of programmed arousal. While the depressing tune has a strange uplifting effect, the sultry jam is utterly captivating. As the weather cools off, my thoughts are consumed by these songs, leaving me feeling overwhelmed.
What similarities do these two superbly produced pop songs share apart from being exceptional? Maybe none, since neither has any significant relevance or social motive. However, after listening to them repeatedly for several weeks, I linked them to two possible dangers that are etched in my mind - the emergence of artificial intelligence and the decline of our environment. Sounds like a fun summer topic!
Looking for some spice, wit, and thoughtfulness in your inbox? Look no further than the Style Memo newsletter! Sign up today to receive all the latest fashion and lifestyle news delivered straight to your inbox. Don't miss out on our spicy hot takes, witty commentary, and thoughtful insights. Subscribe now!
Starting with Kylie, she's known as one of the most powerful and dominant forces in the world of pop music. Her latest album, Tension, was recently released in the fall season, exactly 127 days after the lead single "Padam Padam" was dropped. This dance track is a true mechanical masterpiece, with Kylie's vocals resembling the sound of an echocardiogram, as she sings about being able to hear someone's heart beat. Just like her previous hit, "Can't Get You Out of My Head," Kylie manages to attach a catchy melody to one of the essential organs in our body, making it as memorable as a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of a table.
Between May and June, the song "Padam Padam" gained popularity on TikTok and became an anthem for Pride Month. However, during this time, there was also a discussion about music created by artificial intelligence. A song that sounded like a collaboration between Drake and The Weeknd had been generated using AI, causing concern about the future of music-making without humans. The mechanical sound of "Padam Padam" gave me some comfort to sort through my emotions during this worrying debate.
The writer argues that music made by machines imitating humans will never be as captivating as humans trying to sound like machines. This is because music is all about the effort put in- we desire to hear the sweat, tears, and blood that an artist puts into their work, even if they may pretend to be a robot like Kylie or Kraftwerk. However, the purpose of AI is to remove effort altogether, which could explain why we may have reservations about AI-produced music- not because it lacks soul, but because it is too easy. This dilemma will likely intensify as AI replaces various human professions, but for now, the writer believes that "If it doesn't require effort, then it's not music."
Billie Eilish understands the importance of hard work. When given the assignment to create a song for Greta Gerwig’s popular Barbie soundtrack, she used it as an opportunity to express her unease about existing in a world that lacks clarity. It's important to note that even celebrated pop stars have the ability to infuse meaning into mass-produced summer movies made for kids - Prince had predicted this in his role in the 1989 Batman film, a dozen years before Billie Eilish was born.
Eilish shared that the entire activity aided her in overcoming her struggles with songwriting. Singing from the standpoint of a multifaceted doll provided her with a better comprehension of her own complexity. The piece titled "What was I created for?" features a minimal arrangement of piano and strings, inducing a feeling of either being immersed in amniotic fluid or emptiness. Eilish barely whispers as she delicately hints at the core question in the verses, ultimately resolving in the chorus with the words, "I'm uncertain about my sentiments, but I'm willing to explore."
A pop song is similar to a Barbie doll. They both can be something you imagine yourself as. They are made to help your imagination become real. This summer has been extremely hot – the hottest ever – and the world is facing a crisis. Eilish is aware of this and has worn a T-shirt that says “THERE IS NO MUSIC ON A DEAD PLANET”. Her song Barbie doesn’t directly talk about climate change but it reflects the difficulty of trying to get things done in a world that is going in the wrong direction.
Give this another listen. The upcoming summer may have higher temperatures.
Additional tales regarding fashion in the realm of music.
