"Baby, How You Feelin'"
After watching the movie I Feel Pretty, I was whelmed (not underwhelmed or overwhelmed, simply whelmed). Amy Schumer was funny and charming, as I think she usually is (the exception of course is when she veers too much into her trademark lascivity). But, the movie’s message could’ve used some work (Women have to have literal brain damage to learn to love themselves? Come on.). And, I felt like the casting was a little off. Why cast Busy Philipps or Aidy Bryant, if they don’t get to be adorable or ridiculous, respectively?
But, as the movie was coming to a close and I was discussing with my parents how I did not like or dislike the movie I just spent almost two hours watching, I began to notice music chiming in the background. And, as I started to get off of the couch to go do something more productive, I had a certain spring to my step that was in-time to the sassy song that was playing full-blast in my living room. Then, I began to dance. The song was Good As Hell by Lizzo.
Lizzo’s feel-good self-love anthem Good As Hell became my song for the rest of the summer. I listened to it while I exercised and when I biked to work (Yes, I exercise and save the planet. Greta Thurnberg who?). I listened to it to hype myself up for the stressful parties my parents have over the summer. I danced to this song in my room on hot summer nights.
Her simple message that you shouldn’t stay in a loveless relationship speaks volumes and is the reason why it has been so popular with a broad range of people (this is of course anecdotal, because I have no statistics for my claims as to the demography of Lizzo’s listeners, but, when my father, a landscaper and Cat Stevens Stan, begins to hum a new song I love, I am clued into that song’s diverse audience).
Lizzo’s voice is strong. She definitely has an incredible range and can belt like the wind, but I wouldn’t say her voice is necessarily beautiful. When I am listening to her, I feel like she’s talking to me. I don’t think she’s necessarily singing to me. This works to her advantage in this song. She’s giving rhythmic advice with a soulful, jazzy piano tune in the background.
Though I love this song with all my heart, I have one problem with it: the lyrics don’t align with the music being performed. Lizzo is all by herself singing about friendship and supporting others when they’re in bad relationships, but we don’t get to see Lizzo practice what she preaches and interact with her gal pals. Enter: Ariana Grande.
It came to my attention very recently that Ariana and Lizzo recorded a remix to Good As Hell that has made me feel warmer than I thought possible. The depth of voice in this duet creates an inviting female friendship ballad that made me question my reality. It took me a couple seconds after listening to the remix to realize that I, in fact, was not best friends with Ariana Grande and Lizzo (a great disappointment).
The addition of Ariana Grande’s powerhouse voice harmonizing makes me feel the same way I feel when I watch Anna and Elsa in Frozen or when I look at pictures of Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Even the outro of this song, a two-second clip of these two women laughing, tells you so much: these women had fun with each other.
If you are looking for a positive outlook on life, don’t watch I Feel Pretty, instead, I wholeheartedly recommend this new edition of Good As Hell.