There are also Manic Pixie Dream Guys, like Will Ferrell’s character in Elf, Jason Segel in I Love You Man or Brad Pitt’s character in Fight Club. But that’s another topic unto itself.
Although Zooey Deschanel often
portrays this type of character, 500 Days
of Summer is actually a deconstruction of the trope. Likewise, young adult
novelist John Green utilized the trope in Looking
For Alaska, and then deconstructed it in Paper Towns. The deconstruction of the manic pixie has almost
become part of the idea at this point, but from Paper Towns comes the moralistic idea to "imagine people complexly," and a wonderful
quote that sums up the manic pixie dream girl storyline better than this entire
rant, and that is:
“What a treacherous thing to
believe, that a person is more than a person.”
While some people would argue that the "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" trope is anti-feminist, I would argue that it is no more damaging to women than any other cliche (in fact, less damaging than the woman in romantic comedies whose life is going to hell until she meets that guy). Due to the deconstruction part of the trope, manic pixie dream girls are not often one-dimensional either. The lesson, much like in Paper Towns, is often to try to see women as more than just redeemers or golden tickets into a world of happiness. I happen to love the trope, because it can be explored many different ways, and often is, in films, books, and song.
So finally we get to the playlist I have compiled, which includes songs about many different aspects of the manic pixie dream girl.
Ruby Tuesday by The Rolling Stones
Although I've never been much of a Rolling Stones fan, if you asked me to sum the manic pixie dream girl up in a single song, this would have to be the one. You've got the mystique, the "dreamer" quality, the independence,and the narrator's intense desires for the girl in question. You also have the fact that in The Royal Tenenbaums, "Ruby Tuesday" is used at a turning point involving mpdg Margot (played by Gwyneth Paltrow).
She's Got You High by Mumm-Ra
Used in the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack, this track is perfect to describe the part of the story when boy first meets mpdg.
Watching the Detectives by Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Apart from the fact that this song evokes the spirit of a noire detective film complete with the femme fatale (which I believe to be a relative of the mpdg), this song is also kind of the basis for mpdg film Watching the Detectives about a man who is content watching movies about adventures until he meets the adventurous Lucy Liu, who teaches him to go on real adventures. Parts of the basis for this story can be heard directly in the song.She's So Mean by Matchbox Twenty
This is the first of two songs on this playlist which features a clear mpdg in the video. And the lyrics too!
Come On Sister by Belle & Sebastian
Not only does the narrator see the female character as someone that everyone must be after, but features the lyrics "And it's fun thinking of you like a movie star//And it's dumb thinking of you like the way that you were," which is the kind of misimagining of people that mpdg pieces are all about.
Makeup by Everybody Else
This song tells the story of a troubled girl who "[doesn't] believe in love," but is still incredibly interesting to the narrator who doesn't seem to know much about her.
Plans Get Complex by All-Time Quarterback
From Ben Gibbard side-project All-Time Quarterback, this song has always reminded me of Paper Towns.
Vancouver by They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants did a challenging project in which they wrote a song for every venue they played at on tour in 2004. In Vancouver, they wrote and performed this Cars pastiche, about a girl who is "a different kind of girl//the kind you see in pictures." She also wears a monocle, so she's either a mpdg or just a hipster.
She's So High by Tal Bachman
And now for the second mpdg-centric video, and a song that no one who lived through the 90s can forget.
Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac
Stevie Nicks based this song on the novel Triad by Mary Leader. She didn't know that Rhiannon is also a character from Welsh legend until after the completion of the song. The song character is a woman who can be many things and "wouldn't you love to love her?"
Born To Do by Everybody Else
A female character who walks into a grocery store singing, steals something so the narrator can see, then makes it clear she has money. The narrator is besotted with the girl, and loses his job and girlfriend in order to pursue her. Then she disappears...
Wildflowers by Tom Petty
The title track of Tom Petty's 1995 album, this song features a "free" woman who is perceived to be much better than everyone else.
Sunny Girlfriend by The Monkees
A girl who fixes everyone's problems and champions their thoughts with no concerns for herself. Almost a perfect example of a mpdg (spoiler alert, it's probably actually about drugs).
Just Like a Woman by Bob Dylan
Rumored to be about Joan Baez or real-life mpdg Edie Sedgwick, this song still shows both sides of the mpdg, who seems strong and tough on the surface (enough to have power over the narrator), but who is deeply flawed underneath.
I'm Looking Through You by The Beatles
The narrator comes to realize the mpdg is not who he'd thought. To me, it's reminiscent of the scene in Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World when Scott finds out Ramona has dyed her hair without consulting or informing him,
She's Not There by The Zombies
This song is a little tough to interpret, but I think it could be taken to mean the woman turned out to be so different from what he thought that the woman he knew disappeared. The narrator seems to know all of her physical attributes and the fact that she lies, but not much else.
Windy by The Association
Much like the girl in "She's So High," "Windy" is put on a crazy pedestal. Just a reminder, putting anyone on a pedestal is unhealthy. Unless of course you're Steve Martin.
Grey Sky Eyes by Carbon Leaf
The narrator of this song seems attracted to the mystery of the woman in this song and her "grey sky eyes," but she fights back, warning him not to romanticize her.
Complex Person by The Pretenders
I'm not sure if anyone ever thought Chrissie Hynde was a mpdg, but she is still fighting back against being imagined one-dimensionally. She does the same in "Every Mother's Son," but spells it out better here.
Mouthwash by Kate Nash
Undun by The Guess Who
Like Alaska in Looking for Alaska and Penny Lane in Almost Famous, this song outlines the mpdg who tries too hard and feels like she fails.
That Girl Has Love by Rooney
Once again, this song features a girl who is very confident and in control when it comes to relationships, but deeply troubled and ends up committing suicide.
Any More? I'd love to hear them.
And if you live in the area of Marion, Ohio, be sure to catch most of this playlist Thursday night at 7 on One-Mind Tracks on 97.5 WDIF.
Vancouver by They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants did a challenging project in which they wrote a song for every venue they played at on tour in 2004. In Vancouver, they wrote and performed this Cars pastiche, about a girl who is "a different kind of girl//the kind you see in pictures." She also wears a monocle, so she's either a mpdg or just a hipster.
She's So High by Tal Bachman
And now for the second mpdg-centric video, and a song that no one who lived through the 90s can forget.
Stevie Nicks based this song on the novel Triad by Mary Leader. She didn't know that Rhiannon is also a character from Welsh legend until after the completion of the song. The song character is a woman who can be many things and "wouldn't you love to love her?"
Born To Do by Everybody Else
A female character who walks into a grocery store singing, steals something so the narrator can see, then makes it clear she has money. The narrator is besotted with the girl, and loses his job and girlfriend in order to pursue her. Then she disappears...
Wildflowers by Tom Petty
The title track of Tom Petty's 1995 album, this song features a "free" woman who is perceived to be much better than everyone else.
Sunny Girlfriend by The Monkees
A girl who fixes everyone's problems and champions their thoughts with no concerns for herself. Almost a perfect example of a mpdg (spoiler alert, it's probably actually about drugs).
Rumored to be about Joan Baez or real-life mpdg Edie Sedgwick, this song still shows both sides of the mpdg, who seems strong and tough on the surface (enough to have power over the narrator), but who is deeply flawed underneath.
I'm Looking Through You by The Beatles
The narrator comes to realize the mpdg is not who he'd thought. To me, it's reminiscent of the scene in Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World when Scott finds out Ramona has dyed her hair without consulting or informing him,
She's Not There by The Zombies
This song is a little tough to interpret, but I think it could be taken to mean the woman turned out to be so different from what he thought that the woman he knew disappeared. The narrator seems to know all of her physical attributes and the fact that she lies, but not much else.
Much like the girl in "She's So High," "Windy" is put on a crazy pedestal. Just a reminder, putting anyone on a pedestal is unhealthy. Unless of course you're Steve Martin.
Grey Sky Eyes by Carbon Leaf
The narrator of this song seems attracted to the mystery of the woman in this song and her "grey sky eyes," but she fights back, warning him not to romanticize her.
Complex Person by The Pretenders
I'm not sure if anyone ever thought Chrissie Hynde was a mpdg, but she is still fighting back against being imagined one-dimensionally. She does the same in "Every Mother's Son," but spells it out better here.
Kate Nash asks people to imagine her
complexly and realize there are many elements to her life.
Like Alaska in Looking for Alaska and Penny Lane in Almost Famous, this song outlines the mpdg who tries too hard and feels like she fails.
That Girl Has Love by Rooney
Once again, this song features a girl who is very confident and in control when it comes to relationships, but deeply troubled and ends up committing suicide.
Any More? I'd love to hear them.
And if you live in the area of Marion, Ohio, be sure to catch most of this playlist Thursday night at 7 on One-Mind Tracks on 97.5 WDIF.
No comments:
Post a Comment