No sex please, we’re British…

[gingerdaddyG]

[think before following links] https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/sam-smith-im-not-here-to-make-friends-backlash

It would seem that the singer Sam Smith is upsetting the British press with his latest music video. Must be a new generation of journalists as I recall an uproar in the 80’s when Frankie Goes to Hollywood released “Relax”. 
 

Is this causing a stir elsewhere?

[GIVEMESEED1974]

First of all, while Sam Smith will respond to he/him pronouns, they prefer they/them.

Secondly, I haven't seen the full video but I'm 100% sure anyone appearing in the video does not adhere to they typical marketing "look".  I imaging that's the reason behind the faux "stir"

Western culture is fatuous and fickle.  The British press however, is rancid.

[funpozbottom]

I'd never heard of Sam Smith nor had I heard the song in question, so I did a quick search on youtube to see if there was anything controversial in the song or video.  Here is my review following a single listen:

In my opinion, the whole thing is pretty Meh.  The backing track is a basic disco/house beat, and while I think the vocals have some similarity to the sound of  George Michael, it lacks his sexy soulful inflection. Overall, I found the song to be bland, sanitized, and formulaic. It definitely lacks the raw sex drive I can hear in Frankie's "Relax" or the blatant imagery of songs by soft cell and others. 

The video seemed to be an over-produced lip-sync number, staged in a rented castle -- I wonder if they booked it on AirBnB. There wasn't much rhyme or reason to the choreography, however the synchronized butt clenching was, at least, somewhat amusing. Beyond that, there are one or two things that might raise an eyebrow if you are a fan of elevator Musak, however I didn't find anything in the production that I'd consider disgusting or outrageous, and, unfortunately, there wasn't anything that I found particularly erotic.

So., my final opinion is: the song is ok but not good enough to go on a playlist.  As for the video -- it's just that. It's fantasy to go along with the song.  Anyone who finds it offensive probably wouldn't be listening to Sam Smith anyway. But, of course, some people intentionally look for things that they can be outraged about. 

Edited February 3, 2023 by funpozbottom