About a week or so ago, I made a joke about using Cee Lo’s music video for F*ck You in the classroom as an example of cause and effect in narrative. Laughs were had, comments were made, Like buttons were clicked on Facebook… and then I thought about it a little more. Because seriously… why the hell not?
The music video introduces us to a young Cee Lo Green, his toy garbage truck in hand, smitten with a girl who only has eyes for another young boy, who happens to have a toy Ferrari. As Cee Lo’s character evolves through the music video’s story, we witness him in his adolescence, a high schooler working as a short order cook. And like all standard adolescent teens, he’s awkward, haphazard, clumsy… and alas, this costs him the attention of the girl he adores.
Come college, he again has his heart broken, in a terrible public fashion. This becomes the catalyst for his character’s drive towards something better, the riches he’s always deserved. And eventually, this leads to some wonderful poetic justice.
One of the best things about the video and the story, is that this is clearly a tale being told to an audience by a reliable narrator. He doesn’t leave out the painful details; his early childhood heartbreak, his awkward adolescence, his public embarrassment as a young adult…
Indeed, at the 3:03 mark we witness the narrator trying to dismiss and forget these hurtful memories… but he continues the story. An unreliable narrator (here’s a Wikipedia link for ya’ll) would have utterly vilified the antagonists… the girl, the other boys, etc. Instead, he reveals all the truths, no matter how painful and embarrassing they may be.
I always stress to my students to write about what they know. Composing about heartache, something Cee Lo clearly knows about, makes the short narrative in F*ck You a fantastic study in crafting something creative and genuine. I hope my students are inspired to do the same… but with a little less swearing.
Class dismissed.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
More cursing! More cursing!
Most excellent commentary. Cee-lo can spin a tale. I was an English major in college and LOVED when music / pop culture were brought into the classroom, especially more traditional lit classes. Ever heard “One for the Road” from the album, Cee-Lo Green And His Perfect Imperfections? A 5:36 flow. Ah, one of my favorite rapping wordsmiths.
I dare say you take it even further by explaining how the backup singers in this video are like the chorus in Greek mythology!