Slavophilism Only Goes So Fa-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ar

I am a self-proclaimed part-time Slavophile.  I can't help it.  If you offered me an American Cheeseburger or Russian Borscht, I'd take the Borscht--not because I like borscht (I've never actually tasted good borscht), but because its Russian.  I would rather say "dos vidanya" than "goodbye".  I didn't live through the Cold War and don't really care about Gorbachev (except that he was Russian).  But I think I've reached my limit here.

Last Saturday I went with my wife to see Russian immigrant, Regina Spektor, in concert.  Before then I was only passively in disdain of her songwriting style.  I think, over the past few days, as I have heard the concert replayed on our iTunes account over 15 times, that disdain has grown into an active hatred.  Let's check out her most popular song, one that has gotten over 12 million views on YouTube:



Really.

Let's follow the lyrics and ask logical questions of them.  "I never loved nobody fully..." Hmmm...  My ability to analyze lyrical writing just decreased dramatically by way of deficient brain function.  What poetic ploy was she trying to pull by inserting the double negative?  I am not very well versed in my Russian, but I think even an immigrant would resist the urge to bludgeon the listener with the first line.

"And by protecting my heart truly,/I got lost in the sounds."  I am going to start protecting my heart falsely from now on, how about you?  I also think if I were to write a song that garnered 12 million hits on YouTube I would avoid blinding cliches like getting lost in the music (or is it merely the random beating of your psychotic heart that you get lost in?).

We are intentionally skipping over the whole part about schizophrenia (by the way, one time Alex and I (and Liz) were trying to figure out which one of us was the true person and the others just parts of their personality, this after watching Identity).  Although, I think she may just be coming out about her Idiot-Savant tendencies...

Then we come to the greatest lyrical moment of the song: "And it breaks my hea-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-art/When it breaks my heart."  I think one of her personalities is a broken record.  Or maybe she is just giving them each a chance to vent.  Whatever the case, I think she is very correct in saying that this "it" (by which I am going to assume she means either the music (very fitting) or the lack of love?), breaks her heart when it breaks her heart.  I think.  The last time something broke my heart, it didn't break my heart.  Maybe I didn't experience the right "it".

So, did anybody else think of the line in The Mummy Returns, where the guy says, "This is cursed, that is cursed!  What is it with you and curses?"  Suppose this, suppose that, what is it with Regina and suppositions?  Well, I suppose I should never ever try to analyze a Regina Spektor song.

"All my friends say that of course/It's gonna get better" betta betta betta!  Ah yes, those voices in her head give very good advice, don't they!  If the voices in my head were all a bunch of yes-men, I would get some new imaginary friends to play with, but that's just me.

Well, after that we get to hear more of the beautiful ar-ar-ar-ar-ar-arting (coincidentally, I sing along to this part in a harmonic "and I break my fa-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-art".  I am such a hypocrite!).  There is a theme in Regina's songs where she likes to echo herself in random-m-m-m-m locations.

So maybe we are supposed to ignore the lyrics and just go for the nursery-style bouncing rhythm and childish tune.  I dunno.  Honestly, my Slavophilic tendencies led me to expect more out of an internationally trained daughter of Russian musicians.  I am convinced she was a genius before they forced her to move to New York.

While I love Russia, I have a secret (and not uncommon) vendetta against Canada.  Yet recently I've been replaying the history of Spain's expatriate king, who apparently has chosen to reside in the unfortunate Great White North.  Maybe the stick-in-your-head kind of tune (reminiscent of my dad's 80s A Capella records) helps keep Regina's bleating out.



Maybe I like it just because I have always wanted to joke around with the OPEC leaders, or drive a Zamboni.

On a side note, Regina's music seems to be somewhat "anti-folk" indie-pop, a style that almost recalls Keane, yet she cannot legally be clad in indie armor, as she has signed with both WB and Disney (she had a song in the Prince Caspian disaster last year).  Definitely defines "sold out".