Movie star Scarlett Johansson, in case you hadn't heard, is embarking on a new career as a singer. Here's the video for her single "Falling Down" - from her album of Tom Waits covers - which dropped onto the net this week.
The album has caused consternation among critics, who can't seem to decide whether liking it is going to dent their credibility. Then again, NME just named its producer Dave Sitek the most innovative man in music, putting him at the top of their "Future 50". And the single, with backing vocals from David Bowie, ain't half bad (My Bloody Valentine meets Sinead O'Connor, anyone?). The video, on the other hand...
1. ... seems to want us to buy into an idea of the "real" Scarlett, as in: you see me when I'm all dolled up and glamorous, but away from the flashbulbs is the real, authentic me, chewing bubblegum and looking pensive in cars. I'm actually super clever. OK - you're doing Tom Waits covers. We get it.
2. About that bubblegum. Not a good look. The whole blowing pink bubbles thing is cute in a 1988 kind of a way, but by the end of the video the chewing is just incessant in more of a grumpy-teenager-giving-me-death-stares-as-her-boyfriend-mugs-me kind of a way.
3. It has Salman Rushdie in it. Not content simply to impress us with her good taste in music, Scarlett has also roped in the services of a Booker-winning novelist - not to write her next screenplay, or a couple of lyrical stanzas for the follow-up LP (she has Mr Bowie for that), but to be in her fricking video, apparently kissing her on the neck. Which quite apart from being a tad seedy, is Just. So. Annoying.
Sorry, this sucks. Can Scarlett actually sing? Er... nope. She might be easy on the eye but she's really hurting my ears. And the bubblegum thing is just embarrassing.
Posted by: Annemcx | Wednesday, 30 April 2008 at 04:34 PM
Ohmigod I love it.
Posted by: The Gutter Sniper | Wednesday, 30 April 2008 at 05:38 PM
How my ears were bleeding during that trite put together. Scarlett is wooden, lacks any emotional depth, is desperate to sing but I am BEGGING her not to. The video is even worse and Salman Rushdie looks like a creepy old codger all over her. I hate to say this, because I thought one or two of her films were okay - before she turned into yet another blonde bimbo caricature - but Scarlett is embarrassingly bad at any attempt at singing. She also manages to look pasty faced, she seems to lack any other facial expression than a vacuous one, she looks distinctly unintelligent. She lacks personality and intelligence and this shows up on her dull, bored, vacuous face. If only her mum taught her to read books and ...er..improve her mind. I mean she just lacks any kind of spirit or energy and her voice is soul less and drab and monotonous. I am sure her legions of mainly male fans will disagree at once, because of her blond bimbo proportions etc but I am fed up of thick females in Hollywood trying to convince everyone else they can sing - like Paris Hilton. The video was the worst seedy looking grainy video I have ever seen, and her voice was just dull and flat and totally without any range or emotion. Please have mercy and don't sing, Scarlett. My ears are still bleeding.
Posted by: Belinda Green | Wednesday, 30 April 2008 at 06:00 PM
Actually that eyeliner shot is kind of creepy.
Posted by: The Gutter Sniper | Wednesday, 30 April 2008 at 06:02 PM
I have to agree with Belinda Green's comments which are actually raising several valid points. Unfortunately Scarlett has typecast herself as the archetypal blonde and now seeks to show another, equally bland side to her. As for the other points Ms Green raised, the problem is actually Hollywood. Male roles don't require them to expose any flesh or dehumanise themselves as sexual objects. Actresses need to stop acting in films which treat them as dumb blondes. There are too many forgettable faces like Scarlett around already.
Posted by: Mike Hadley | Wednesday, 30 April 2008 at 06:17 PM
These comments are really funny they made me laugh! Okay i personally agree that hollywood has got all these dumb actresses who all want to sing. After all this time, the women still have really sexist roles and manage to make women look pathetic like sex objects and nothing else. In view of all the horrible things going on in the news right now, I am sick of seeing "bimbos" on our screens. Whose to say it doesn't feed sick fantasies on the part of particular men who then commit acts of violence against women? There is a lot of stuff coming out of hollywood which makes women look like a piece of meat and i am afraid that Scarlett Johansson is a part of this industry which uses women and their bodies in a pretty horrendous way. I don't personally respect Scarlett because she really is a "bimbo" and doesn't have anything credible to say in an interview. Women everywhere don't want yet more blondey-bimbo-stereotypes thrown at us, i couldn't care less if she has released an album. She clearly can't sing and it's just another nail in the coffin for struggling musicians everywhere who don't get any help or any free coverage for their work.
Posted by: Natasha | Wednesday, 30 April 2008 at 06:51 PM
Oh dear. It looks like Scarlett has an image problem because people can't seem to drop the dumb-blond tag with her. Unfortunately her appearance means that people are just not taking her music (???) seriously. Actually it goes way beyond an image problem as people have pointed out, she can't actually sing. Maybe people are generally not impressed with the quality of young wannabees anymore. I am not surprised if women resent these actresses who don't do anything to help empower women in any conceivable way. On the contrary we are seeing a glut of self obsessed fame hungry, brainless actors and actresses these days who seem to think the world should worship every meaningless offering they come up with. Let them live their meaningless lives in their bubble, surrounded by people who worship their egos. Who cares? No one needs to tell them just how vain and egotistical their lives are, I'm sure they'll realise oneday. Men who worship sex are going to mindlessly worship Scarlett anyway and this particular piece of rubbish. Tim Walker maybe you need to hear some real music?
Posted by: Gary S. | Wednesday, 30 April 2008 at 07:12 PM
Scarlett can actually sing, she has a cover of Summertime which is magnificent. She simply doesn't feel the need to show off her vocal abilities. Who needs them when singing Tom Waits? Really, people, have you ever actually listened to music pre-Whitney Houston?
Posted by: steph | Wednesday, 30 April 2008 at 07:50 PM
Im not sure what she expects by releasing a cover album but for me music is about talent and/or orginalality. This has neither. While I wouldn't place this on par with truly bad efforts like Victoria Beckham, Chanelle, and Paris Hilton, it is still mediocre at best. If your going to do a cover you got to take it to another level, along the lines of 'Along the watchtower' by Jimi, to gain any respect at all. She may be a fine actress, but if your not going to be able to sing like Jeff Buckley or write like Dylan(or Waits) or play guitar like Slash (perhaps setting the bars a little high I know) then your not going to earn rave reviews.......and while im sure the truly honest and un-sycophantic record Exec's have told her this in advance im not sure what she hopes to achieve by releasing an album on which there are no orginal, octave strecthing, rift-worthy tracks.
Posted by: Kale | Wednesday, 30 April 2008 at 07:51 PM
What a pack of wankers we have here. She is no worse at singing than any of the countless indie darlings that you probably drool all over.
Posted by: Rodriguez | Wednesday, 30 April 2008 at 08:41 PM
Awww, c'mon....she's a pretty girl. Certainly Woody, Bowie, Dylan and now Salman Rushdie are circling and salivating. They must have heard her quip that she was 'into older men'. As for her voice - she's got that Nico/Faithful drone thing going on....Why worry? Who wouldn't be a 'singer' if they had the chance? At least she hasn't gone down that whole trashy-techno-slapper route.
Posted by: Rob Heath | Wednesday, 30 April 2008 at 09:27 PM
It's utter crap. Terrible song for a start, really poor. The vocal is passable, but the production is pathetic on every level. No passion, no weight, an absolute mess, and the mix engineer should be ashamed. "producer Dave Sitek the most innovative man in music"? Don't make me laugh, I could do better than this with a head-cold and blocked ears.
Posted by: Alastair | Wednesday, 30 April 2008 at 10:40 PM
In brief:
She can't, repeat, cannot sing. She sucks. The video sucks.
Vanity/camera ho.
Posted by: Alex | Wednesday, 30 April 2008 at 11:06 PM
she don't care if she can sing or can't sing..coz she's just rolling all those dollars into the bank - the thing is that she is a product of the movies and celebrity culture and the fantasies of men so even if she blew out her arse and called it a song it would make a million. Suckers.
Posted by: Brigitta | Thursday, 01 May 2008 at 12:01 AM
Being a Tom Waits fan more than a Scarlett Johansson fan (though unfamiliar with this particular tune), I was all set to hate this. However, I have to say it's actually pretty good. Waits is an expert lyricist and songwriter, and even with his distinct gruff voice, he can break your heart with three chords. So actually, you don't need or even want a "great singer" taking too many liberties with the melodies. That said, I DO think a good producer can feel free to take liberties with the arrangements, which was done very nicely here. The over-production on the vocals is done for effect, I believe, rather than for compensation. It reminds me of the Pale Saints' cover of Waits' "Jersey Girl" (from "Step Right Up," a Tom Waits tribute album; also includes a great version of 10,000 Maniacs doing "I Hope that I Don't Fall in Love with You"). I look forward to see what else she has recorded.
Posted by: Chad | Thursday, 01 May 2008 at 03:14 AM
I like it to be honest, also a Waits fan so was expecting to hate it, I actully like here voice it's different, i mean there are millions of people out there with nice voices that wish they had unique ones.
I must admit i don't really like the video but i appreciate that she's not trying to tell Waits' story, or her own, you go into some very, very dangerous territory if you start trying to others thoughts & lyrics into something visual.
I'm intrigues to hear the rest.
Posted by: Dan | Thursday, 01 May 2008 at 04:18 AM
the song is vile , the voice is awful and my ears are suffering - c'mon guys...if you heard your mother singing like this would you still like it?
Posted by: lorrie | Thursday, 01 May 2008 at 08:09 AM
Just thought I'd say I liked it. I agree with ya Chad, she has a unique voice... something people beg for.
Posted by: I liked it | Thursday, 01 May 2008 at 01:30 PM
This is crap. Check The Ida Express on May 19 for a full review. http://www.theidaexpress.com
Posted by: Ida | Thursday, 01 May 2008 at 08:43 PM
This is crap. Check The Ida Express on May 19 for a full review. http://www.theidaexpress.com
Posted by: Ida | Thursday, 01 May 2008 at 08:46 PM
the song isn't bad...but the video makes me hate her. the rushdie bit, where they are both wearing glasses and he kisses her neck...WTF? sToOPit.
Posted by: jasmin | Thursday, 01 May 2008 at 10:14 PM
I haven't seen the video, and I choose not to watch. I feel for the most part that videos are a pretty weak medium (sure, there are some great exceptions).
As for the song itself, I don't think her voice is bad. She's not a singer, but her voice isn't bad at all. The production is pretty lacking though. I know exactly zero about recording music, but I could have made that track with Pro-Tools.
What was I expecting? Not much really, so that could be part of the reason I don't hate the song. Unless a person did something really stupid, working with just about anything written by Waits is probably going to sound decent (at least the lyrics will be good).
So, while I think her strong point is in movies, I don't think her song is some kind of abomination.
Posted by: HMG211 | Saturday, 03 May 2008 at 03:59 AM
Scarlett, someone is making really bad career decisions for you this CD is terrible and way past any range you have, and this video is pretentious and boring. Fire your career advisor, though your publicist should get a big raise. She's earned it with all the publicity you've received over this fiasco, and she'll deserve it if she can save you from this train wreck.
Posted by: Mitch | Saturday, 03 May 2008 at 08:54 PM
The girl is gorge...and she can act somewhat, but this is really, really BAD!!! This is something she will be talking about in interviews 10 years from now. She'll be like...OMG, I don't know what I was thinking...giggle, giggle (flashes the pearly whites) giggle, giggle...so anyway, my new movie is called Veronica's Dust, and I play a drug addict prostitute who's about to save the world from the Illuminati.
End of story!
Posted by: enGAYge | Thursday, 08 May 2008 at 07:54 AM
And here is why those of us who actually produce music despair. I have been next to the woman in a studio and she sings, unlike many one could mention. I won't even grace the others here who present their wise opinions on the mix as if they had ever actually recorded anything themselves. Just go and listen to something for your own age group.
Posted by: Michael | Monday, 26 October 2009 at 08:24 AM