“My Humps”
Well, the year may be coming to an end, but Randy and I are already planning the 2025 lineup of annoying songs and covers to assault your eardrums and musical sensibilities… or not! We have enjoyed the comments and feedback thus far, so keep them coming.
I feel it is fitting to end the year, this year in particular, with a song that sparked a great deal of controversy when it was first released in September of 2005. The song was originally written by will.i.am for the American girl group, The Pussycat Dolls, but it was ultimately recorded by The Black Eyed Peas for their fourth studio album, Monkey Business. It is, for the most part, a hip-hop and dance song that is structured as a duet between will.i.am and Fergie, with the lyrics centered around (pun intended!) Fergie using her breasts and buttocks to accomplish her goals. Many music critics deemed the song to be a “repetitive and puerile form of sexual titillation.” There are no end of songs from popular music’s past that have sparked controversy over the years. A few that come to mind are “Christine Sixteen” (1977) by Kiss about an older man and a sixteen year old girl, “Jailbait” (1981) by Ted Nugent; the title of the song tells you all you need to know! (The fact that Nugent is one of Trump’s ardent supporters should not come as a surprise given this title). “Pearl Necklace” (1981) by ZZ Top, about…look it up! Perhaps the difference in flap about these songs and The Black Eyed Peas is that these songs predate YouTube and “official videos.”
While the controversy surrounding the song does not necessarily make it annoying, the way it is sung and performed certainly does, at least for me. Perhaps my favorite review of the song comes via the British paper, The Guardian. It was actually written to praise Alanis Morissette’s 2007 cover, which was a brilliant parody of the song. The article, “Alanis’s ‘My Humps’ cover gives the Peas a well-deserved black eye,” written by Laura Barton, has this to say: “In Alanis’s hands, “My Humps” becomes both hilarious and weirdly poignant: A Tori Amos-esque piano ballad, all sincerity and wailing and melancholic pining. And the video is brilliant – Alanis clad á la Fergie and surrounded by lecherous hunks who are all, quite patently, after her ‘lovely lady lumps.’ The filthy-pawed bastards.” While I appreciate a good alliteration as much as the next person: “lovely lady lumps?” Ya gotta love the Brits! In the article Barton has trouble deciding which line/s she hates the most, but finally settles on a verse that she describes as ending in a “bout of cackhanded eroticism:” “I mix your milk wit my cocoa puff/Milk, milky cocoa/Mix you milk with my cocoa puff, milky, milky riiiiiight.” I will save you the trouble of looking up “cackhanded” – Middle English, “to void excrement.” Hmmm.
I could go on, but I feel that I should let the music, and the visuals speak for themselves. First up is the original version followed by a live video performance by The Black eyed Peas. Then comes Alanis Morisette’s parody cover.
Enjoy!
The Black Eyed Peas. “My Humps” 2005.
The Black eyed Peas. “My Humps” live 2011.
Alanis Morisette. My Humps cover 2007.
Los Angeles 2024
I largely avoided this as inescapable as it was. I did think Alanis’ parody was well done and the video is pretty humorous. I have no trouble agreeing with you assessment!
I know what you mean! I went back and forth on this one, but then I found that article and it was game on! Thank you.
Yeah that was s killer review!
The Peas take is simply crass, as titillating as going down to the STD clinic. Dross, gross, banal and childish.
Hey, what more do ya need to make a hit?
Dross, gross, banal and childish pretty much sums it right up!
I hate this song, and in fact, hate nearly every song by the Black-Eyed Peas with the exception of “I Gotta Feeling”. I wasn’t aware that Alanis Morissette did a parody cover, but it’s both witty and funny.