Barbara Streisand, American singer/actress, played Fannie Brice in 1968's "Funny Girl", a musical romance set in 1930s New York, matching the stylistics of the orchestral arrangement for the song; Streisand was set to direct a movie about Catherine the Great ("Cathy") potentially starring Keira Knightley in 2016, but I think those plans fell through, unfortunately.
Obviously the song shouldn't be taken as being literally about Streisand, but the parallels are interesting. The title of FJM's next album, "ChloΓ« and the Next 20th Century", will likely be rife with allusions to 20th century history and culture; drawing-out these implicit parallels will likely help in interpreting it. Whether it's a relishing in nostalgia, or a deeper critique of the 20th century and our relation to it, remains to be seen, but either way FJM rarely disappoints β what a great f*cking song.
Josh seems to be moving away from the singer-songwriter constructing a naive (that is, self-involved) mytho-poetic painting of his own image, towards an ironic (in the technical sense, that is, self-effacing) high-mimetic (whether itβs tragic or comic remains to be heard) engagement with the World proper (the other two tracks from the album we've heard him demo in live settings seem to suggest this also). Notice for instance that this song has no traditional chorus (which although not exactly unique, is a rarity within FJMβs catalogue), and that little is disclosed about its narrator (notice that the only qualifier used to describe himself is βoutsiderβ; he finds expression only through his relationship to the Funny Girl β there is a clear lack of a defined self, and a longing for her, and most strikingly to her memory) just as the 21st century discloses little of itself, as it unfolds and rewarps the trends β both cultural and historical β, of the 20th. I therefore doubt ChloΓ« and the Next 20th Century will continue the trend of naive self-narration (portrait of the young artist in psychedelic turmoil on βFear Funβ, romantic encounter and alienation from the world on βI Love You, Honeybearβ and Zizekian mytho-philosophical rumination on βPure Comedyβ) weβve heard from him thus far, but will mark the beginning of a new era in his use of structure and style. This guy is always surpassing himself, with every album.
Also kudos to Jonathan Wilson, the recording, mixing & arrangement are ear-meltingly awesome, and account for much of this songβs strength. Itβs quite clear that this so
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I had really strange short dream where they were doing a podcast and started calling her a bitch and then sang a song. I was thinking maybe I'm remembering something.
