I just saw the Alanis Morissette video parody of "My Humps" by The Black Eyed Peas (BEP). If you haven't heard the original Grammy-winning song (or seen the video), you might want to watch it to gain some context before viewing Alanis's send up.

The video is hilarious because Alanis not only mocks BEP and their silly song, but she also pokes fun at her sometimes overwrought and serious style (remember "Everything"?). From what I can gather, she recorded the song and video as an April Fools' Day joke. It's pure genius.

Update:

I just read the comments on YouTube and Perez Hilton. It seemed most people understood that she did it all in good fun, but as with every joke, there were a few who just didn't get it. They didn't find the video funny. Rather, they saw it as a personal attack on Fergie.

Feeling their music idol had been pwned, the Fergian Brigade charged in to defend her. They threw all sorts of insults at Alanis. Some called her whiny and ugly. Others called her jealous and a has-been.

Some claimed she had no right to skewer the stupidity of a BEP song since she had written "Ironic", a song they consider stupid because it doesn't contain irony like they expected to... (Isn't it iro...? Forget it.)

Anyway, a few members of the brigade claimed Alanis completely missed the point of "My Humps". The song was tongue-in-cheek to begin with, they said. It was originally written as a joke. This argument made me pause.

The more I think about it, the more I wonder if I'm the one who doesn't get it. Obviously, any song that refers to humps, lady lumps, and junk inside your trunk was never meant to be taken seriously. And thinking about the BEP video again, clearly, anybody dressing the way they do isn't trying to be cool. They're obviously aiming for laughs.

Wait, I just had an epiphany. Every BEP song I've ever heard must have been a joke. I thought they had been mere ear candy, but they are actually self-aware songs filled with social commentary encrypted in mindless rap lyrics (Let's get retarded. Ha! / Let's get retarded in here!). Their videos aren't simply eye candy. They're really anti-youth culture statements full of symbolism hidden in hand signs and interpretive bump and grind dance moves.

This point of view sheds a whole new light on other mainstream pop hits. Fergie's "London Bridge", Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend", and Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" (To the left / To the left / Everything you own in the box to the left) suddenly make sense. They're bad and dumb on purpose, and they aren't reflecting the culture, but mocking it.

Wow, this is a mind blowing. I'm going to have to let this all sink in. Forget what I said about Alanis's video being pure genius. It's mean-spirited idiocy. I thought I got it before, but now I really get it and I'm glad I'm not one of those who just don't get it.

Update #2:

Please ignore the previous update. When I miss an episode of American Idol, I become extremely susceptible to stupid arguments. The Alanis video is classic.