A Moment Not Worth the Trouble

When Rebecca Black’s first song came out on YouTube, people went crazy. Some called Rebecca the “new Justin Bieber.” Her song, “Friday” has surpassed 100 million views on YouTube since its release on March 14, 2011, making it one of only 43 videos to have done so.  She was famous. Recently, she has released her second single, titled “My Moment.” But just like many secular pop songs released this year, “My Moment” presents wrong views that can mislead the youth of today.

First, “My Moment” suggests that we decide our own destinies. She sings, “Your life is in your hands / So take it just as far as you can,” (lines 20-21) suggesting that we have power over what happens in our life. This is in direct opposition to what God says.  Daniel 5:23 says, “But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways.” God holds our life in his hand. We do not decide what happens to us, God does. Yet the view that we control our life, expressed in “My Moment,” is pervasive in today’s culture. Everyone believes that if they could only do this, or go to that place, they would be able to make their life so much better. They think that as long as we drive safely and take the right medicine, we will live a normal life and die at a normal age. But that is not the case.  Sometimes, people die young, through no fault of their own. Sometimes, people do not get what they deserve, even when they worked hard to obtain it. They failed to control their lives, because it is impossible to control their lives.  Only God controls whether we are successful or not.

The song also suggests that fame and glory should be our aim in life. Black’s definition of “My moment” is when she gained recognition and praise. People buy her songs on ITunes. She has 100 million views on YouTube. It is her “moment.”  The first part of the chorus goes, “This is my moment, my moment / It’s my time, flying high, lime, mine.” (9-10) Black self-centeredly proclaims that it is all about her, and how successful she is at that moment, her moment. But that is not what life is all about. It is not about how popular or rich or famous you are. It is not about how many friends you have on Facebook or how many views on YouTube. As Christians, we know that we should live our lives for God, not for the approval of others because the word “moment” means exactly how long Rebecca’s fame will last: a moment. A quick, fleeting moment. We may know who she is now, but in a few weeks, some other video will go viral, and Rebecca Black will be no more. Fame is fleeting.

Finally, her song promotes the idea of caring only about oneself, and no one else. Her song seems to suggest that if we help others, we will not have enough time to help ourselves. If you want to be as famous as she, then do as she did: push for yourself and no one else. “But trusting in yourself, forget everyone else.” (22) That is what she says to do. Forget about those who have helped you, or those you should help. Forget about the homeless, and the poor, and orphans, and the widow. Just trust in yourself and ignore other people. This is a message common to many popular songs, and so many of us just do not think about it. But is it right?

As we look at the song, the only real truth in it is at the end, in the last line of her bridge. It goes, “I hope you are happy cause I’m ’bout to blow up.” (29) That is going to happen, but not in the way she expects or means. Her life will blow up. It will be filled with the worship of her fans, the disgust of her haters, the pressure to write more, to release more, to give more. With the thrill of fame comes the nightmare of living up to the person fans imagine you are or what you are pretending to be.  Rebecca Black, like so many other teen singers, will eventually realize, to her regret, that her moment really is not what she wanted. I hope that for her, unlike so many others, it will not be too late.