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It wasn't one, after all - it was just the thousands of young, adoring fans of teen idol Justin Bieber, who was about to sing on "The Today Show."
That one girl's scream made me decide to watch at least a little of Bieber's performance.
It's kind of like when you're flipping channels and you find something The Kids Are Into These Days, like "Hannah Montana" (wait, is that still cool?) or something from your childhood, like "Sesame Street" (this column is brought to you by the number 3 and the letter J). You can't help but stop and watch for a minute.
Bieber, 16, was singing his hit song, "Baby."
Every time I hear the title, I wish he was somehow covering Smokey Robinson amp& the Miracles' "Ohh Baby Baby," but I know, in my heart of hearts, it just ain't so. That's probably for the best, anyway.
I've heard "Baby" only in passing, and I have no idea if he sings anything other than that one word.
I guess it doesn't really matter, anyway.
The verses probably mention something about "as long as you love me," or "please don't go girl." Maybe he sings, "I think I love you," or "I wanna hold your hand," or "I just want to be your teddy bear." Does it matter, really?
The older you are, the more it seems like you must poke fun at kids like Bieber. I don't mind him. He's not doing anything new, and he's certainly not destroying Pop Music As We Know It. He's just following in the footsteps of those who came before him: the Backstreet Boys, New Kids on the Block, Hanson, Ricky Nelson, Elvis.
Maybe he just makes me a little nostalgic. I've been that screaming little teenybopper myself - still am, especially when you tell me Mark-Paul Gosselaar is back on the market.
I remember my mom offering to take me to see New Kids on the Block in Memphis when I was 5, but I told her no. My reason? I was afraid I'd get too excited, faint, and miss the show. Seriously.
I know things are wrong with the world today, but you know, things weren't shiny and happy when Elvis or David Cassidy ruled the charts, either.
Americans are no longer just Americans, they're either left or right, united only against the other camp. The Gulf Coast is quickly becoming more oil than water. And, three words: Van der Sloot (I have no idea if the guy is guilty or not, I just feel the urge to punch him).
But, with everything going on, we live in a world where a 16-year-old can sing the word "baby" and make a thousand girls swoon.
Just like 10 years ago, just like 20 years ago ... just like Elvis did here in Tupelo in 1956.
Say what you want about the world at large. Maybe we're doomed. Maybe we're not.
All I know is, the kids are all right.
Contact Daily Journal writer Sheena Barnett at 678-1580 or sheena.barnett@djournal.com. Also read her entertainment blog, Scene Now, at NEMS360.com/pages/scene_now.