Between the nonstop comment ticker at the bottom of the screen, the Web-cam drop-ins of TRLers at home and the constant reminders in the upper-left-hand corner that Fill-In-The-Blank reality show is on at 10 PM, we pretty much assumed MTV had their screens filled. Think again! MTV, VH1 and CMT are all integrating lyrics into their videos starting this November, with the whole scheme reaching full bloom by the middle of 2008. Additionally, MTV’s “Spankin’ New Music Week” will be renamed “Spankin’ New Lyrics Week.” The move is an effort for the three channels to “tap into the emotional rush and sense of discovery that music fans feel when they learn the true lyrics to their favorite songs.” We remember the emotional rush and sense of discovery we used to get when MTV actually played videos. 120 Minutes, anyone? Even Justin Timberlake used the station’s Video Music Awards as a podium to demand more videos. Isn’t deciphering lyrics what “listening” to music is for? There are already 4,730,000 sites that offer song lyrics, plus iTunes widgets, karaoke bars and Joey Fatone’s Singing Bee.
Well, one thing’s for sure: Based on the kind of videos MTV plays the most, kids are gonna learn about “humps” and how to misspell “tasty” more than they’ll be exposed to the nuances of metaphor and meter. For example, today’s TRL would have featured the following from Chris Brown’s “Kiss Kiss” (”She want that lovey dovey (lovey dovey) / That kiss kiss (kiss kiss) / In her mind she fantasize ’bout gettin wit me”) and this from Paramore’s “Misery Business”: “Whoa, well I never meant to brag / But I got him where I want him now / Whoa, it was never my intention to brag / To steal it all away from you now.” Bottom line: We’re not convinced that putting what used to be known as album sleeves on a TV screen makes up for 20,000 hours of The Hills.
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- Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC.
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