Have you all stumbled upon this YouTube sensation? The interview footage from a newscast on a local convenience store robbery was transformed using Auto-Tune into a pop song. Now, we can argue forever about Auto-tune and the value of turning ordinary spoken word into song but, frankly, I'm bored by that whole angle.
What's amazing about this video is the mining of so much from so little. I mean, if you were to watch the raw footage of the interview with Diana, the featured survivor of the robbery, I'm sure it would hardly warrant even a second thought. There's not much there there.
And yet in the hands of The Gregory Brothers, something is made from almost nothing. That is one of the hardest things for young songwriters to absorb into their creative DNA, that so much more can be said (and so much more powerfully) when a song narrows focus. And the use of repetition along with an ever-evolving interplay of the various musical motifs is clever and dramatic.
Now, I don't want to get your hopes up too high, kids. This is a just simple ditty. It ain't Sondheim. If you're looking for complex character detail and a self-contained dramatic arc, you'll be disappointed. But, for just plain danceability, the Backin'-up Song is just fine.
Here's the video. Enjoy!
