CanTunes Tuesday: "Pop 101" - Marianas Trench ft. Anami Vice

I'm all for a good parody. You all know I'm a huge Weird Al fan. But here's the thing: if you're going to parody pop music, you shouldn't be known for making the same type of pop music.

Make no mistake about it: Marianas Trench is a pop band. They're barely rock, mostly pop. Got that? Okay. So, let's see what they make fun of in their satirical song, "Pop 101".

At least, that's what I'd like to do, but all the lyrics websites have different lyrics because nobody can agree on what the hell this guy is singing. And that might be a good thing, because from what I can gather, this is a pretty piss-poor satire.

Pop Music 101
Some simple instructions
For a good first impression
Now let's start with verse one

Haha, those crazy pop songs! What with their verses and all...

Heartfelt pop anthems
From Mumford and his sons
Gang vocals here we come
Thinkin' "I will always wait"

Those... aren't even the right lyrics. It's in the title of the song, you knob.

I think I'd like this more if it was a little more self-aware and not quite so holier-than-thou, which is actually a problem I'm starting to have with "Am I Wrong". I'm not saying that pop stars should always check their ego at the door. That'd be damn boring. But if you're going to project a gigantic ego, then you need to have a reason to back it up. Marianas Trench are a Canadian band that have had little to no success in the States, and Nico & Vinz is a duo I just don't see having another hit. Neither deserves the ego they project, which is why neither song works for me now. 

I mean, yeah, you can make fun of Robin Thicke and The Black Eyed Peas all you want, Josh Ramsay. But they're more successful than you will ever be, so I'm certain they don't care. Of course, then there's me, making fun of someone infinitely more popular than I am, so... let's choose to ignore that and get back to the thesis statement: "Pop 101" fails.

And I don't even hate Marianas Trench, I really don't. But this snarky, wink-wink nudge-nudge attitude doesn't suit them at all, and this is them at their snarkiest and winky-winky nudge-nudgiest. This is pop music from someone who thinks they're better than pop music, without actually being better than pop music. I don't get it, boys. Why don't you just stick to what you're good at and leave the commentary to 17-year-olds from New Zealand? When they can do it better than you, you need to step down.