I Confess

It's time you all knew something about me...I like the Pussycat Dolls' song Buttons.

No, it's not that the video is like a Victoria Secret runway special on viagra. No, it's not Snoop Dog's rap. As a matter of fact I would like you to pretend it's not there. No, it's not the digital chairs. I could have done without those.

Maybe it's the Middle Eastern riff. Maybe it's the irresistable melody. Maybe it's her sixties girl group growl of a voice. Maybe it's the breathy vocal accents. Maybe it's that the tempo is just right for a woman to do that walk. Or maybe it's just that the video steals from one of my favorite musical movies.

That's right, we've seen parts of this video before in the movie Sweet Charity directed by Bob Fosse. That movie is best viewed in parts. Three numbers to be exact, the best being Big Spender. The Pussycat Dolls have stolen the handrail and some of their poses in this music video straight from this scene. In Sweet Charity it's a group of dancehall girls (read "prostitutes") beckoning business from the lone patron of the dancehall and singing about "having fun" while appearing to be having absolutely none themselves. Here, it's the Pussycat Dolls; a group of very attractive women fabricated into a "musical group" that's selling music as sex. Admittedly, they have come pretty close here.

The Pussycats also steal the writhing bodies moving as one from Big Spender. It comes as the Dolls enter a large tube at the beginning of the first verse. You might think you've seen that move before, but remember, Fosse came up with that in the sixties. Every other time you've seen it sense then is some form of flattery, I suppose.

I don't know if it's borrowed or not, but the beaded curtains are great. Maybe it's the lighting. Anyway, check out the Pussycat Dolls at the link above.

And also check out Sweet Charity. Don't bother renting it; it's not a good movie. Instead, check out the good parts on YouTube at the following links:

The first is the aforementioned Big Spender.
The second is a number with Sammy Davis Jr. as the leader of an underground hippie religion Rhythm Of Life.
And the third, Rich Man's Frug, is an exercise in melding boxing and dancing. Not sure this one works so much as it captivates you with its weirdness. And yeah, for a while years ago I wanted to marry a tall, leggy, brunette dancer with a long ponytail. Jeeeeesh!