UPDATE, 3/18/11: Rebecca Black gave her first interview. Her mother paid $2,000 for the production of the video. Like most popular music, the song was pre-written, chosen by her out of an available selection of compositions. As of this morning, the song is #40 on iTunes Top 50.

“Those hurtful comments really shocked me,” Black said yesterday in her first interview since the song came to dominate a certain quadrant of popular culture and crack the iTunes Top 100 singles chart this week, besting the likes of Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber. “At times, it feels like I’m being cyberbullied.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-03-17/rebecca-black-friday-and-cyberbullying/

Fast Tube by Casper

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Fast Tube by Casper

Rebecca Black. Is she the product of a Christian music label? Was it a high school assignment? Is it an SNL Digital Short? A Conan skit? If its a joke, is she in on it? There’s apparent confusion over whether the video is a parody, a joke, or frighteningly serious.

But no, its real. Ark Music Factory sent out casting calls looking for young teenage girls to star in music videos (and parents willing to pay for production costs), and this is, I’m guessing, their first big hit. Like the record labels and slick Swedish producers that spawned Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys, and NSync more than a decade ago, all of Ark’s songs share the same lyrical themes, song structure, and instrumentation.

Ark may have tapped into a category of junk-pop aimed squarely at the industry’s last paying audience: early teens and preteens.

From her record label profile:

“Rebecca Black is a fun, loving, 13 year old. She loves to sing, dance and act, and she is always looking to try something new. Now in 8th grade, she landed the lead role in her school musical, Oklahoma!… She started vocal lessons at 10 years old, and she’s continued with it ever since. Singing is her passion, and it’s what she loves to do. In the summers of 2008 and 2009 she participated in a musical theatre summer camp. When she started going to her local public school, she immediately auditioned for musical theatre, and now succeeds with flying colors.”

The Chrysler Sebring Convertible makes a prominent appearance, as it did on NBC’s “The Office.” During the first minute of the video, Rebecca is standing at a bus stop where her four friends pick her up, and despite there being only one available seat in the back row, she seems confused over which seat to choose.

At night, she and her brace-faced too-young-to-drive friends throw on the cheapest prom dresses they can find at TJ Maxx and go for a cruise. Awkward dancing ensues, and the girls look visibly uncomfortable. I would be as well if I was sitting on the trunk lid of a car while in motion.

Out of nowhere, an unknown rapper looking twice her age appears, piloting the green Chrysler that he appears to have borrowed from the boys and girls. Maybe he’s the valet driver going for a spin? Or, maybe everyone in Rebecca’s heart-shaped magic unicorn universe drives a Sebring.

The song focuses heavily on the Gregorian calendar, reminding young teens about the order in which the days of the week are arranged:

Yesterday was Thursday (Thursday)

Today it is Friday (Friday)

We, we, we so excited

We so excited

We gonna have a ball today

Tomorrow is Saturday

and Sunday comes afterwards

I don’t want this weekend to end.

Remember folks, its Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and then Sunday. Don’t screw it up or you’ll end up waiting for the school bus on a Sunday morning when you could have slept in.

Her [fake] Facebook page gained 3000 fans in just a few hours. Over the course of the weekend, the video achieved more than TWO MILLION views. [Update: Now more than 25 million as of 3/22/10.]

For the brutal scorn she will likely receive from the public, I hope she enjoys a decent payday from her 15 minutes of fame and finds a way to turn it into a lasting career.

The internet is quick to respond:

Finally, here’s the Groundhog Day parody:

Fast Tube by Casper

I doubt she wrote the song [confirmed, she didn’t] so it seems unfair to criticize her for Friday’s banal lyrics and shallow content. And its a refreshing alternative to teen pop stars who sing about sex and heartbreak with words written by creepy 40 year-old producers. So, well done Rebecca.

Like any effective pop song, “Friday” spreads like a cold virus and causes chills, fevers, and fatigue before you finally start feeling better.

http://arkmusicfactory.com/