Commentary by Jeff Commings
PHOENIX, Arizona, December 6. COUNT me as one of the millions who can't get enough of watching Missy Franklin, Natalie Coughlin, Brendan Hansen and others lip synch and dance through a parody video of “Call Me Maybe.”
How many of those viewers are part of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which just gave Carly Rae Jepsen's bubblegum summer song two Grammy Award nominations? Usually the people who vote on major awards are old, white and male — not exactly the demographic that would line up to see Jepsen in concert.
But even if they saw this amazing tribute video, they couldn't help but stop thinking about how fun the song is, and the effect it had on the world:
The tune was nominated for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance. While not the top categories of Record of the Year and Album of the Year, it has to be cause for celebration for Jepsen's team, especially when you realize that her male counterpart, Justin Bieber, came up empty in nominations.
I hate the song, but I love the video. That tracking shot of Franklin, Kathleen Hersey, Lauren Perdue and Coughlin dancing down the aisle on the airplane never gets old, and of all the songs I could choose when voting for any of those Grammy categories, I have to admit the tune gets in your head more than most.
I'm sure Jepsen will be asked to perform the song at the Grammys. If so, she should have Brendan Hansen on stage to relive his underwater break dance or Eric Shanteau doing the sprinkler down a water slide. And, at the very least, invite the video's creators (Hersey, Caitlin Leverenz and Alyssa Anderson) to the show. The USA Swimming video is the most-watched parody of her song, with more than 10 million views on YouTube. Certainly some gratitude has to go out to the swimming community for keeping her song in the public consciousness a little longer than expected.
If they're all busy on February 10, I'm sure I could find some room in my schedule to sit next to Jepsen all night at the Staples Center. That's the day before my birthday, so it would make a great birthday present. So, Carly Rae Jepsen … call me maybe?