"Yet another early morning and you walk in like it's nothing
Hold up, hold up, hold tight
Ain't no donuts, ain't no coffee..."

~ It's a Wrap, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, 2009


Friday, June 20, 2014

A Moveable Feast


Mariah Carey, "Heartbreaker (Remix)," 1999

As I'm sure anyone with a background in dance, skating, or gymnastics can tell you, there are certain songs that just cry out to be moved to. The flowing movements that are possible with skates on are the perfect companion for a (preferably '70s-inspired) fun, laidback beat. Happily, Mims' oeuvre is full of such movable music. One song that has caught my ear from MIAMTEC lately is "You Don't Know What to Do" ft. Wale, a disco-y soul extravaganza that is a confection for the ears and has me longing to tie on some roller skates even though I can only awkwardly clunk around. But I feel so free!



The vibe of this song feels similar to that of "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" from 2007's E=MC2, a party favor of an album that seemed like a congratulatory gift to herself after the massive success of Emancipation. Easy, breezy, sunny, drunk summer roller skating. Yes.



Funnily enough, there is actually a Mims video that features roller skating, although the song doesn't make me want to clunk it up like the the above two do: the "Heartbreaker (Remix)" ft. Da Brat and Missy Elliot. Watching the video again today, I (of course) appreciated it on fresh levels. First, Mims is so beautiful, and 1999 was really when she was coming into her own. Out from under the thumb of Tommy Mottola, the late '90s saw our girl frequenting clubs and sucking on lollipops. Innocent, carefree days! Second, the remix video offers its own spin on the video for the original song, featuring Mims and her evil double wrestling in goo (?). Thirdly there is an obligatory car wash scene (makes Jessica Simpson look like an amateur) that features Snoop Dogg casually surveying this spectacle from the driver's seat, a nice touch as he's not featured on the track but his song "Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None)" is liberally sampled. Happy Friday everyone.

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