Amanda Palmer is facing “fierce opposition” to her new single, “Oasis,” by British media outlets, including NME TV, Kerrang! and MTV.
The bubblegummy ditty (and its quite literal video representation) is about a girl who gets drunk at a party, is raped and procures an abortion; after it’s all over, her best friend tells the whole school about the predicament. Thing is, the girl is so excited about correspondence from her favorite band, Oasis, that she remains blithe about her tragedies. That’s the superficial explanation; Palmer explains that “it’s a reflection, a character sketch…the song isn’t even so much ABOUT those topics, it’s about denial, it’s about a girl who can’t find it in herself to take her situation seriously.”
Nevertheless, as Palmer’s label Roadrunner puts it, “TV outlets have refused to play the video due to it ‘making light of rape, religion and abortion…’ Many of the stations like the track, and even the video but are bound by strict broadcasting rules.” BBC 6, however, aired the song on February 2.
Palmer makes no bones about her surprise to the reaction of the networks – “wasn’t this the UK, land of black humor blacker than blackest black itself?” – and makes an astute point: Imagine if the music were somber and played in a minor key. “Think about it. If they heard the same lyrics against the backdrop of a very sad and liliting [sic] piano, maybe with some tear-jerking strings thrown in for good measure, would they take issue?”
To read Palmer’s full blog entry and view the video deemed offensive, click here.