It can be sincere, but there’s desperation in its tone the self-worth doth posture too much. “I’m worth it” goes hand-in-hand with the self-help conception of self-worth, and can be found said emphatically in any number of texts that speak to people in dire straits, physically, emotionally or financially. You see the same thread in that most-dreaded section of the bookstore, self-help. Naturally, the struggle of female worth is one that marketing has seized on-L’Oreal’s most famous slogan is “Because I’m worth it,” which was amended to “Because you’re worth it” and then, later, “Because we’re worth it.” It’s a sticky wicket-one that sounds like empowerment, but hinges on the purchase of cosmetics to deliver that power. The implication from both Kels and The Weeknd, though, is that worth is something bestowed from a man to a woman.īeing “worth it,” especially for women, is a constant source of struggle-whenever a subsection of the population is historically defined for their utility to their oppressors, some internal angst is expected.
Semiotically, its “worth it” is not “I’m worth it,” but rather, “girl, you’re worth it” the singer points out that the subject of the song is specifically worth it because she’s “earned it.” Beyoncé, on Famous Kels’ track “I’m Worth It,” sings the titular hook: “He said / He said / I’m worth it / I’m worth it.” To which Kels responds: “Damn right you’re worth it / Fuck me good on purpose.” Kels’ love song-for it is a love song, despite my selective characterization-has the rapper articulating why he thinks his girl is worth marrying. The single is a crooning R&B serenade, albeit updated to hit hipster sensibilities, mostly with lots and lots of synth. “Worth It” is the doppelgänger to The Weeknd’s “Earned It,” an inescapable pop hit from last year that was featured on the “Fifty Shades of Grey” soundtrack. The women are backed by a wall of stock tickers, and for their solos, they’re wearing deconstructed business suits-while voguing on desks, playing mini golf in corner offices, and lounging in the backseat of chauffeured convertibles. Seriously: The lyrics work almost as well for salary negotiation as they do for sexual empowerment, and in the music video, Fifth Harmony doubles down on that. But it’s really the “I’m worth it” of “Worth It” that makes the song into an instant pop anthem the song’s unapologetic refrain claims power both in the bedroom and the boardroom. Kaplan’s horns, naturally, carry a lot of the weight, and the Harmonizers, of course, deserve a lot of the credit as well. “Worth It” is a very manufactured pop song, but that it snuck into the incredibly managed world of top-40 pop music is fascinating indeed. That catchy horn hook is Middle Eastern-inflected saxophone, of all things-the addition of the track’s Israeli-American producer, Ori Kaplan. Still, despite the rabid fan base, “Worth It’s" success surprised Fifth Harmony the now-platinum single followed “BO$$” and “Sledgehammer” off of their debut album, “Reflection.” After all, in addition to being performed by relative unknowns, “Worth It” features rapper Kid Ink, himself a relative unknown. These fans are called Harmonizers, and most of them are teenagers-although for $19.99, you too can become an official Harmonizer, if you want. They’re known for having very enthusiastic fans, many of whom have followed the group since the television show.
They formed three years ago on the second season of “The X Factor,” the Simon Cowell-helmed reality-television show on Fox that was canceled after just four seasons. The youngest, Dinah, is 18 the oldest, Ally, is just 22. These four pop acts-chart-topping veterans, at this point-were joined this summer by a serviceable, slim track from a girl group called Fifth Harmony, whose unbelievably catchy “Worth It” became a surprise Billboard top 20 hit.įifth Harmony is a five-member girl band, à la One Direction. Pharrell’s “Happy” and Ariana Grande’s “Problem” each kick off with catchy brass hooks smash hits “Uptown Funk” from Mark Ronson and “Shake It Off” from Taylor Swift depend on horns to bring their choruses home. We live in a moment of totally sick horn intros.