I ain't no hollaback girl?

[sallycinnamon78]

Originally posted by inmyplace13


Guess no one else is digging the Bananas in Pajamas...

But then again it's tough to top our friend Headache.

Your bananas are very nice, too.

[phanan]

This song has hit #1 on the Billboard charts. I guess quite a few people like it.

[elevatedmole]

The other day, somehow I fell asleep with MTV on (a mystery to me, considering I avoid MTV like the plague) and woke up with Hollaback Girl on. It was the first time and hopefully last time I heard it. I screamed and turned to Adult Swim. I was charitable with her first two singles, but this one just sucks.

[Numb1075]

I guess I'm the only fool who enjoys this song around here. It's no Stairway to Heaven, but it's fun. It is what it is, a pop song to the Nth degree. I find it quite funny. What's even funnier is that Gwen is somewhere in her mid 30s i guess and she's rapping like a 16 year old girl. you could sing about love or heartache or whatever, but Gwen in all of her wisdom feels the need to spell out bananas in her songs.

PS - she looks divine in the cheerleader outfit on the video.

[Moonlit_Angel]

Originally posted by Numb1075
PS - she looks divine in the cheerleader outfit on the video.

I saw the video for the first time the other night, and seriously, I half expected her to break into Toni Basil's "Mickey", LOL.

My sister loves the banana part .

Anywho, so I finally heard this song the whole way through that night. It's okay. It's catchy. If I were at a dance or something and it came on, I'd probably go out and dance around to it and stuff.

*Shrugs*

Angela

[MrsSpringsteen]

I saw a picture of Gwen wearing a banana t-shirt and it said "this shit is bananas"

[Laura M]

This song is getting so much airplay at the moment

I really dislike it. What's worse though is that I always get stuck in the car for 2 hours in the morning with my Dad (we drive all over Belfast) and that song will come on about 3 different times. He's a real "I don't like this new music" merchant so everytime this comes on he gets it in his head and he sings "ain't no hollaback girl" for the rest of the journey. Sometimes it'll carry on for a whole day. My hate for that song is just growing by the day.

I don't like the new Gwen, I got that new album, listened to it twice and haven't put it back on since.

[MissVelvetDress_75]

Originally posted by Lara Mullen
This song is getting so much airplay at the moment

I really dislike it. What's worse though is that I always get stuck in the car for 2 hours in the morning with my Dad (we drive all over Belfast) and that song will come on about 3 different times. He's a real "I don't like this new music" merchant so everytime this comes on he gets it in his head and he sings "ain't no hollaback girl" for the rest of the journey. Sometimes it'll carry on for a whole day. My hate for that song is just growing by the day.

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

This song is playing every single fucking time I walk into my friend's office at work. She jokes it's my theme song.

NOT funny.

[dandy]

still haven't heard it yet.

[sallycinnamon78]

Having heard it a few times now, I've decided I really don't mind it. The B-A-N-A-N-A-S bit will always make me laugh I suspect.

I randomly found a bit of info, I think it was on the wanadoo site, giving some background to the song. The gist of it is that Gwen Stefani got very annoyed when some fool told her she was more like a cheerleader (i.e. a 'hollaback girl') than a serious artiste. Unsurprisingly, she didn't like that very much, and so B-A-N-A-N-A-S was meant to be a cheerleading chant. Dunno if that is a fact or not, but the song made a lot more sense after reading that.

Originally posted by LarryMullen's_POPAngel
I have listened to that CD a total of one time since I bought it.


Bad judgement call on my part. She should stick to her boys and making cute handbags.

I must admit, I didn't like her godawful version of It's My Life. Apart from that, I don't mind her. I'd rather listen to her than Queen of the Trailer Park Britney, or either of the Simpson brats (not Bart and Lisa).

[yimou]

That song is HORRIBLE !!

[sallycinnamon78]

Originally posted by Elessarian
Omigosh, I just heard this song a few days ago and it is terrible! It's like listening to a garbage truck start and stop every few feet.

ROFLMAO
In tribute:


This thread's bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

[Se7en]

Originally posted by MissVelvetDress_75
what the fuck is this song about and what exactly is a hollaback girl?

Sorry Gwen, this song sucks.

[U2girl]

I just saw the video for the first time.
While I like the horns in the chorus, otherwise it's indifference, and I had no clue what the "bananas!" bit is all about

[sallycinnamon78]

Originally posted by U2girl
I just saw the video for the first time.
While I like the horns in the chorus, otherwise it's indifference, and I had no clue what the "bananas!" bit is all about

Okay, I shall try that one again...

Originally posted by sallycinnamon78
Having heard it a few times now, I've decided I really don't mind it. The B-A-N-A-N-A-S bit will always make me laugh I suspect.

I randomly found a bit of info, I think it was on the wanadoo site, giving some background to the song. The gist of it is that Gwen Stefani got very annoyed when some fool told her she was more like a cheerleader (i.e. a 'hollaback girl') than a serious artiste.
However...

According to the urban dictionary, http://www.urbandictionary.com/defin...&defid=1222155'hollaback girl' = 'a dumbass who has a comment for everything and excepts no one else's opinions' ... Unsurprisingly, she didn't like that very much, and so 'This shit's bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S', as in 'this shit's crazy', was meant to be a cheerleading chant, Dunno if that is a fact or not, but the song made a lot more sense after reading that.

That said, I just found this article:

Music Review: Gwen Stefani "Hollaback Girl"

Gwen Stefani Hollaback Girl
Album: Love, Angel, Music, Baby.
Year: 2005

In the pep squad beats of "Hollaback Girl," Gwen Stefani cockily declares she's not any guy's sloppy seconds.

Drums, mimicking marching band, tapped assertively in the background while Gwen chants that is her music. Except she cusses like she discovered it and thinks it's so hot. She tells the girls to step to the beat (" Uh huh, this is my s***/All the girls stomp your feet like this"). Be prepared to hear it a lot. It will be said at least 34 times within the span of 3 minutes, 19 seconds.

She's been picked over many times before. But this time, she's not going to tolerate it. She's not going to be girl a guy settles for after being rejected by someone else. ("A few times I've been around that track/So it's not just gonna to happen like that/Because I ain't no hollaback girl/I ain't no hollaback girl"). After the second time the section is sung, synths flare and pop.

In the excessive-swearing-filler section, she says it's her new music four times. Here, the keyboard is made to sound like a tuba. ("Ooooh ooh, this my s***, this my s***...."). It's such a waste of excellent keyboard effects.

She confronts the girl who's been gossiping about her. The girl saying she's going to nab the guy because she's hotter and cooler than Stefani. Stefani's like, "I so heard what you said about me in gym today, bee-yotch." Stefani says the whole popular clique is on her side.. Stefani says she's going to kick the girl's ass. Then, she tells the girl to stop hiding behind her pom-poms. ("I heard that you were talking s***/And you didn't think that I would hear it/People hear you talking like that, getting everybody fired up/So I'm ready to attack, gonna lead the pack/
Gonna get a touchdown, gonna take you out/That's right, put your pom-poms downs, getting everybody fired up").

Stefani challenges her to a schoolyard fight after school where they wouldn't be any authority figures around to see it. She tells the girl she doesn't have a chance against her. She's going to give 110 percent and make her eat sweaty, leftover snacks-from-last-night's-football-game dirt. She's going to win! Cue Rocky theme. ("So that's right dude, meet me at the bleachers/No principals, no student-teachers/Both of us want to be the winner, but there can only be one/So I'm gonna fight, gonna give it my all/Gonna make you fall, gonna sock it to you/That's right I'm the last one standing, another one bites the dust").

After the chorus and swearing section, she breaks into a vulgar, self-promoting cheer twice. Drum and handclaps accompany as Stefani. She calls for the crowd to say that the single is banananas, slang for meaning cool. She then spells the word. Then, she shouts it back louder. ("Let me hear you say this s*** is bananas/B-A-N-A-N-A-S/(This s*** is bananas)/(B-A-N-A-N-A-S/Again/This s*** is bananas/B-A-N-A-N-A-S/(This s*** is bananas)/(B-A-N-A-N-A-S").

After the chorus and swearing section, the single ends with a campy fake tuba.

Stefani works really hard to appeal to teen girls. She has a detached, conceited tone in her vocals which come across as pitiful. Gwen Stefani wants to be cool so badly. She's dressing in the latest styles and saying the up-to-the-minute slang. But she forgets the best dance pop singers don't worry about being accepted. They naturally exude confidence in their music. A quality Stefani doesn't have. The synth pop elements are the reason to the listen to the single. It's a mix of 1980s dance mixed with modern R&B.


So, you may well be right. Or not. Oh well.

[sallycinnamon78]

Just to make matters worse:
http://www.ocweekly.com/printme.php?&eid=63738

‘This Shit Is Bananas’

A probing analysis of Gwen Stefani’s ‘Hollaback Girl’

by GREG STACY

Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” is one of the most baffling pieces of music of the modern age. It’s got something to do with cheerleaders—that much is clear, judging from the chanting and the marching band that’s honking and tooting in the background. Beyond that, good luck deciphering the song’s ambiguities. We were so vexed by the mystery that is “Hollaback Girl” that we have devoted countless hours to its study. Our conclusions are below. The first thing you should know, though, is that Gwen is not singing “I ain’t no Harlem fat girl”—at least, we don’t think she is.

Uh huh, this my shit
Gwen is introducing us to her shit.

All the girls stomp your feet like this
This talk of shit and stomping has nothing to do with actually stepping on feces. But what does it mean? From a reading of the later text, we can conclude that the song takes place in the world of high school athletics, and that Gwen is apparently leading the girls in a calisthenics exercise. The “shit,” we surmise, is what she calls the exercises she’s teaching the other girls.

A few times I’ve been around that track
So it’s not just gonna happen like that
Here, Gwen exhorts the girls to try harder as they jog around the track, reminding them that physical fitness is “not just gonna happen,” but must be worked at.

Cause I ain’t no hollaback girl
I ain’t no hollaback girl
These lines are the most confusing, but their meaning will become clearer later.

Oooh, this my shit, this my shit
Gwen repeats this four more times. She wants to make sure that we are well acquainted with her shit.

I heard that you were talking shit
And you didn’t think that I would hear it
Gwen has been the victim of some slanderous high school gossip, and she doesn’t appreciate it. Gwen is 35 years old sliding into MILF status at this point, but we’ll grant her some poetic license.

People hear you talking like that, getting everybody fired up
So I’m ready to attack, gonna lead the pack
Gwen is going to round up a “posse” of her girlfriends and retaliate against the person who’s been talking “smack” about her.

Gonna get a touchdown, gonna take you out
Gwen is going to beat up the person who wronged her, after she completes the cheerleading routine that will inspire the football team to score a touchdown. Gwen has interesting priorities.

That’s right, put your pom-poms down, getting everybody fired up
It seems the entire cheerleading squad is going to beat up the person who spoke ill of Gwen; they have put down their pom-poms, and they are now “fired up” to exact swift and terrible vengeance on Gwen’s behalf.

A few times I’ve been around that track
So it’s not just gonna happen like that
Cause I ain’t no hollaback girl
I ain’t no hollaback girl
Gwen is apparently the captain of the cheerleader squad; she is the girl who “hollas” the chants, not one of the girls who simply “hollas” them back. Given that the squad is preparing to beat somebody up on Gwen’s behalf, she’s picked a strange time to remind them that she is their leader and they are her sheep-like followers. Gwen obviously rules her squad with an iron fist.

Oooh, this my shit, this my shit [repeated four times]
Again with the shit.

So that’s right dude, meet me at the bleachers
No principals, no student-teachers
Both of us want to be the winner, but there can only be one
So I’m gonna fight, gonna give it my all
We learn that it was a “dude” who gossiped about Gwen. She challenges him to a fight at the bleachers. If he imagines it will be a fair, one-on-one fight, he is sadly mistaken. Gwen and her aforementioned “pack” will pounce on him like rabid wolves.

Gonna make you fall, gonna sock it to you
That’s right, I’m the last one standing, another one bites the dust
Gwen’s pack of furious cheerleaders leaves the boy a quivering, bloody heap behind the bleachers for the groundskeeper to discover the next day.

A few times I’ve been around that track
So it’s not just gonna happen like that
Cause I ain’t no hollaback girl
I ain’t no hollaback girl
Having completed their ghastly work, Gwen’s squad members return to the field and resume their cheerleading activities, as Gwen reminds them once more that she is the boss and they are all her bitches.

Oooh, this my shit, this my shit [repeated four times]
By calling her exercise routines “shit,” Gwen is showing us that for all her bravado, the character in this song secretly suffers from profound self-esteem issues. She is a complex antiheroine for an age of changing gender attitudes and expectations.

Let me hear you say, this shit is bananas
B-A-N-A-N-A-S
Here, Gwen steps away from this bloody spectacle for a moment to comment on the madness and ugliness of what we’ve just witnessed, and, by extension, the petty rivalries of high school in general. This shit is bananas, Gwen tells us, and we can only agree. And lest we miss the point, she spells it out. And repeats it another three times.

A few times I’ve been around that track
So it’s not just gonna happen like that
Cause I ain’t no hollaback girl
I ain’t no hollaback girl
Back on the field, Gwen is still bullying the squad to carry out her routines. But now we see her in a new light, as the sad, lost creature she truly is.

Oooh, this my shit, this my shit [repeated four times]
As the song fades out, Gwen is left only with her “shit,” the mindless exercises that bring her no comfort from the raging emptiness within. As much as she “hollas,” no one hears her cries for help.

I love music but this chap obvioualy has waaaaaaay too much time on his hands. Okay, I know I just found it, but I didn't spend hours writing about it. Thank God. I'm off to reclaim my life now.

[Diemen]

Originally posted by Diane L
The dancing banana is my favorite smilie ever!

As for Gwen solo, I prefer the "Rock Steady" album. I'm constantly recommending it to library patrons, and they've loved it too.

Rock Steady is a No Doubt album, though - not Gwen solo.

So I finally heard Hollaback Girl yesterday, and saw the video. My God. I try to keep an open mind about music, but that song is utter crap.

[U2girl]

Thanks for that sallycinnamon. I only knew the expression "going bananas" so I was confused by her saying it was bananas.

I noticed the cursing too.

[u2popmofo]

I woke up this morning at 5am in my hotel in Manila (after going to bed at about 2:30am) to this song BLASTING (I use all caps to show how loud it was really playing) through my wall. My neighbor is apparently a fan. My neighbor is also apparently a horses azz, because they kept their music on that loud for 2 hours.....

That being said, now I have that song in my head.