BOBBY O
“I Cry for You”
This is in part an excuse to talk about the wonderful post on Mr. O and “German Girl” made by Ally over at the already coolest-thing-in-2005-English-language music criticism, ILMiXor. So go read that first.
Anyway, chatting with Ally last night on AIM about her post and the song, she mentioned that his “I Cry for You” was of equal worth. So needless to say I asked to hear it and some minutes later had an mp3 that I fired up. The opening is like an Andrew Lloyd Webber ballad (but, you know, without subtlety), the main beats and bass are indeed pure Bobby O — but NOTHING prepares you for when The Man Himself suddenly busted out with a verse or two.
Chuck Eddy once brilliantly identified the sort-of AOR wail voice in much mainstream American rock — perhaps most typified by Steve Perry of Journey — as ‘mall blues.’ This is that crossed with the kind of crazed parody of that which the South Park guys do with their original songs as DVDA (“Now You’re a Man,” the Team America theme, etc.). It’s deeply deeply wrong — and therefore utterly brilliant. As soon as you hear him wail “WE ARE BORN! IN THE GHETTO!” sanity departs, and the world is that much more of a lovely weird wonder.