Haha, rojak or not? Maybe one day shall try...
Anyway, The Alternative Setup is proud to present a *NEW* segment:
The Setup's Song of the Month
Song for January 2006 : "Ugly" by Sugababes (link), Album: Taller in more ways (2005)
[This is the album cover of their previous cover, which featured "Hole in the Head"]
"Ugly" was first picked up by Yours Truly on MTV Asia; caught certain parts of the lyrics and thought it was a song with anti-racism message. This song probably has been around for some time, but the ignorant Yours Truly only saw it recently. The lyrics go like this:
When I was 7
They said I was strange
I noticed that my eyes and hair weren't the same
I asked my parents if I was OK
They said you're more beautiful
And that's the way they show that they wish
They had your smile
So my confidence was up for a while
I got real comfortable with my own style
I knew that they were only jealous cos
Chorus:
People are all the same
And we only get judged by what we do
Personality reflects name
And if I'm ugly then
So are you
So are you
There was a time when I felt like I cared
That I was shorter than everyone there
People made me feel like life was unfair
And I did things that made me ashamed
Cos I didn't know my body would change
I grew taller than them in more ways
But there will always be the one who will say
Something bad to make them feel great
[Chorus X2]
Everybody talks bad about somebody
And never realises how it affects somebody
And you bet it won't be forgotten
Envy is the only thing it could be
Cos people are all the same (The same, the same)
And we only get judged by what we do (What we do, yeah, yeah)
Personality reflects name
And if I'm ugly then (Yeah, you)
So are you
So are you
People are all the same (Oh, oh, oh)
And we only get judged by what we do (What we do, yeah)
Personality reflects name
And if I'm ugly then (Yeah, so are you)
So are you
So are you
My impressions of the Sugababes prior to seeing the music video was that there's this group of 3 beautiful ladies, slim and all, successful blah blah, singing a song about how other "less perfect" people can take heart that the group endorses a kind of universality among humankind - kinda being insensitive, in my terms. Then I caught the MTV (by accident), and it showed many different unique individuals strutting their stuff, and I myself got to see how Sugarbabes really looked like in person (didnt bother to surf for their images beforehand) - I think (no offence to the three gals) that pre-natal Britney Spears was hotter than them. So my view towards them altered, i Google-d for the lyrics and viola!
Why is "Ugly" the Song of the Month? The Song reflects the movement against the "beautification" of humankind that mainstream commercialism has insidiously instilled in consumers. The chorus transmits a message, an appeal, to humanity, against stereotyping based on looks, that looks aren't what make a person human. Though it can be seen to be over-greneralising to thw whole of humanity, and trivialising other problems faced by other people who are faced with more burning issues rather than negative labelling, the semantics of "ugly" can transcend other domains beyound the physical aesthetics. The message urges people to stop the labelling and look at what others can do, that calling others names only reflect what kind of people oneself is. No one wishes to be labelled ugly.
If you want to hear snippets of the song, just drop by the Sugababes website www.sugababes.com ; the full song and MTV is accessible if you sign up and register with the website. Enjoy!
Comments and suggestions welcomed!
Signing off............ End of the Inaugural Setup's Song of the Month........
RC
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