A call to solidarity between men and women. A statement that the average man has more in common with the average woman than he ever will with the billionaires that are too often idolized. A commentary on the men that uplift toxic influencers and inadvertently cut themselves off from community and love, and fall for the lie that suppressing women will bring them freedom, power, and happiness.
This is Paris Paloma’s new single “Good Boy.”
The song starts with the commanding yet compassionate voice of Emma Thompson reading a viral op-ed headline: “I knew one day I’d have to watch powerful men burn the / world / down — I just didn’t expect them to be such losers.” Paloma then dives into a critique of the patriarchy, and the men that jump to defend it at their own expense.
The portion that has the most impact for me is the bridge. It feels the most clear and cutting in its message. The instruments pause, putting emphasis on Paloma’s words as she sarcastically states in the second half:
“Good boy, has any of the money trickled down yet? / You say one day you’ll be rich? Well, tell me how then / Unpaid marketing department for the power / Good boy, good boy.”
It’s as if she’s shaking the shoulders of the men she is addressing and asking: Why do you defend what will not benefit you? When will the reward for your prejudice come?
As the song draws to its final repetition of the chorus, Paloma is joined by a chorus of men, and actual barking dogs; like a chase with evergrowing urgency.
The music video features a satirical depiction of patriarchal and misogynistic structures in the workplace. It was released alongside the song and features Tom Blyth as “Good Boy,” and Paloma as “Patriarchy” and “The Everywoman.” The story follows Good Boy as he attempts to fit in and move upwards in his workplace. He has more in common with The Everywoman, but he dismisses her and falls into the will of the elites and the world of misogyny. Patriarchy watches as he falls deeper, egging him on. In the end, he is pursued by actual dogs, and it becomes clear that his ignorance and bigotry have brought his downfall.
The music video is uncomfortable, but effectively so. As the Patriarchy, Paloma painted her face white, in a behind the scenes video she says she found inspiration for the look in The Seventh Seal (1957) and from Kathryn Hunter in The Tragedy of MacBeth (2021). Patriarchy uses sudden jerky and altogether unsettling movements reminiscent of a puppeteer.
Good Boy starts out unsure of himself, evidently insecure, and as he falls into the traps of patriarchy, he gains nothing and loses his humanity, acting as a dog, yelling on all fours, before he is chased by the other men and actual dogs. The confusion as to why he did not gain the power that those he was following had is written all over his face before he is made to kneel in front of Patriarchy. The transition from a human taking notes to a dog barking on the table said to me, that in the persistent pursuit of power, one’s humanity is often a casualty, and it is not easily recovered.
This song is cathartic and refreshing. It refuses to play into the villain-victim narrative, and works to balance addressing how misogyny hurts men while still holding them accountable for being part of the problem. A credit to the performances, I felt a strange mix of anger and pity toward Good Boy which combined into a slight nausea as the video reached its end.
Both for the music and the message, this indie-folk song will be on my repeat list. It’s a recognition that attempting to bring others down for one’s personal benefit will not grant one true happiness or community. It calls out those who put billionaires on a pedestal and asks them to see that they have more in common with those they look down on than those they idolize.
