"I've got some news for you. Fembots have feelings too." - "Fembot"
Question: "How can Robyn become popular in the United States?"
Scandinavian Electropop heroine Robyn seems to have all the ingredients to become a force in the American pop music scene: she has a knack for writing catchy and tuneful hooks over pulsating house beats and for infusing her dancefloor anthems with genuine emotional pathos and strong vocals. Robyn makes music designed for the dancefloor and for the radio, and she does it extremely well, yet she remains obscure in America outside of the blog community. Given the increased prominence of electronics and house in popular music and the international success of electropop peers Lady Gaga and La Roux, Robyn would fit in easily on the Billboard charts. The question is: how can Robyn overcome her niche audience in America and gain mass appeal?
The answer: an all-Robyn episode of Glee. Though an episode exclusively featuring songs by an unknown Swedish songstress might drive away casual viewers, Glee's rabidly devoted fanbase will tune in every week, regardless of what the cast will perform. Furthermore, Robyn's music is dramatic and emotional enough to carry an episode of television and her tendency to make grand statements about the experience of being young and in love and express them through stadium-sized hooks fit nicely with the soap-operatic emotions and angsty stories, which are Glee's bread and butter. The exposure granted by Glee would give Robyn some traction on the Billboard charts (hey it worked for Cee-Lo).
Here's a potential tracklist:
"Dancing on My Own" - The best track off Body Talk chronicles Robyn's defiant response to a romantic rejection. Robyn heads to a club, hoping to win a man's heart, only to realize that her man has feelings for another woman. "I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the girl you're taking home," she belts, "I'll keep dancing on my own." As the song progresses, Robyn's sadness morphs into a triumphant defiance ("I just came to say goodbye"), and the titular phrase becomes less of an expression of loneliness and more an action of independence, as a woman as strong as Robyn does not need to define herself by her successes and failures in love. This song would be performed by whichever lead female character is currently pining for the lead male character.
"Hang With Me" - "Hang With Me" is one of the few pop songs dedicated to the familiar phenomena of the "Friend Zone." In "Hang With Me," Robyn is not looking for someone to love, but someone to confide in and comfort her without the trappings of a serious relationship. A moving and powerful ballad, "Hang With Me" is the perfect song for the popular girl to sing to the kid in the wheelchair.
"Fembot" - See the quote above the article. The song would be used as yet another way for Jane Lynch's Sue Sylvester to once again prove that she is an actual human being, not just a well-oiled insult machine.
"Time Machine" - An upbeat anthem about feeling the need to go back in time and erase one's mistakes. "Time Machine" is very versatile for the show's format, as characters on Glee make mistakes frequently and "Time Machine" lends itself for fancy sets and choreography. This song would be perfect for Mr. Schu, the choir leader, when singing about marrying his horrible shrewish wife.
"Cry When You Get Older" - Though "Cry When You Get Older" did not appear on the official version of Body Talk, it was unquestionably one of the best songs Robyn released all year. The main theme of "Cry When You Get Older," that "love hurts when you do it right/you can cry when you get older," somewhat undermines the central melodramatic conceit of Glee--that the problems and relationships of high school kids are real and worth exploring. However, the song's assertions that life goes on even after love dies could provide a emotionally satisfying climax, underlying the central theme of the episode: though high school love can be heartbreaking and destructive, it's important not to define yourself by your romantic failures, but by a strong conviction that everything is going to be alright. This song would be performed by Robyn in a guest appearance, assuring the cast that while their problems seem big, they should not beat themselves up.
This episode would be bolstered by album re-releases and television appearances, providing a place for Robyn in the American popular conscience.
Scandinavian Electropop heroine Robyn seems to have all the ingredients to become a force in the American pop music scene: she has a knack for writing catchy and tuneful hooks over pulsating house beats and for infusing her dancefloor anthems with genuine emotional pathos and strong vocals. Robyn makes music designed for the dancefloor and for the radio, and she does it extremely well, yet she remains obscure in America outside of the blog community. Given the increased prominence of electronics and house in popular music and the international success of electropop peers Lady Gaga and La Roux, Robyn would fit in easily on the Billboard charts. The question is: how can Robyn overcome her niche audience in America and gain mass appeal?
The answer: an all-Robyn episode of Glee. Though an episode exclusively featuring songs by an unknown Swedish songstress might drive away casual viewers, Glee's rabidly devoted fanbase will tune in every week, regardless of what the cast will perform. Furthermore, Robyn's music is dramatic and emotional enough to carry an episode of television and her tendency to make grand statements about the experience of being young and in love and express them through stadium-sized hooks fit nicely with the soap-operatic emotions and angsty stories, which are Glee's bread and butter. The exposure granted by Glee would give Robyn some traction on the Billboard charts (hey it worked for Cee-Lo).
Here's a potential tracklist:
"Dancing on My Own" - The best track off Body Talk chronicles Robyn's defiant response to a romantic rejection. Robyn heads to a club, hoping to win a man's heart, only to realize that her man has feelings for another woman. "I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the girl you're taking home," she belts, "I'll keep dancing on my own." As the song progresses, Robyn's sadness morphs into a triumphant defiance ("I just came to say goodbye"), and the titular phrase becomes less of an expression of loneliness and more an action of independence, as a woman as strong as Robyn does not need to define herself by her successes and failures in love. This song would be performed by whichever lead female character is currently pining for the lead male character.
"Hang With Me" - "Hang With Me" is one of the few pop songs dedicated to the familiar phenomena of the "Friend Zone." In "Hang With Me," Robyn is not looking for someone to love, but someone to confide in and comfort her without the trappings of a serious relationship. A moving and powerful ballad, "Hang With Me" is the perfect song for the popular girl to sing to the kid in the wheelchair.
"Fembot" - See the quote above the article. The song would be used as yet another way for Jane Lynch's Sue Sylvester to once again prove that she is an actual human being, not just a well-oiled insult machine.
"Time Machine" - An upbeat anthem about feeling the need to go back in time and erase one's mistakes. "Time Machine" is very versatile for the show's format, as characters on Glee make mistakes frequently and "Time Machine" lends itself for fancy sets and choreography. This song would be perfect for Mr. Schu, the choir leader, when singing about marrying his horrible shrewish wife.
"Cry When You Get Older" - Though "Cry When You Get Older" did not appear on the official version of Body Talk, it was unquestionably one of the best songs Robyn released all year. The main theme of "Cry When You Get Older," that "love hurts when you do it right/you can cry when you get older," somewhat undermines the central melodramatic conceit of Glee--that the problems and relationships of high school kids are real and worth exploring. However, the song's assertions that life goes on even after love dies could provide a emotionally satisfying climax, underlying the central theme of the episode: though high school love can be heartbreaking and destructive, it's important not to define yourself by your romantic failures, but by a strong conviction that everything is going to be alright. This song would be performed by Robyn in a guest appearance, assuring the cast that while their problems seem big, they should not beat themselves up.
This episode would be bolstered by album re-releases and television appearances, providing a place for Robyn in the American popular conscience.
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