I really enjoyed the creativity in “Tarat Tarat Tat” by Lella Fadda featuring Abyusif. The song is about a woman who has experienced abuse. Often the song starts indicative sentences that only end in “tarat tarat tat.” I’ll admit, I couldn’t come to a clear conclusion as to what “tarat tarat tat” was meant to mean except my best guess is that it implies sexual activity, perhaps even sexual assault. These are the occurences of this phrase in this song in order with the context of the line before:
“If he hits me, it’s fine, he’s my boyfriend/If he hits me then (Tarat Tarat Tat)”
“I shouldn’t think about anything but getting married/I shouldn’t think about (Tarat Tarat Tat)”
“I should raise children and be like home decor/Now off to the kitchen because — (Tarat Tarat Tat)”
“I’m not suitable if your mom doesn’t like me/Look at me I’m bad (Tarat Tarat Tat)”
First, looking at the vocals and technical aspects, the song is very thick, especially during the beginning, which could have been a problem, turning the song indiscernible. Although, the vocals carry a tune separate from the background beats. Although it is thick during this part, I think it adds to the meaning of the song. Also, it flows at a comfortable pace all throughout and the voice is clear and easy to follow. The song speeds up during the verses that are not part of the chorus. These are the verses where the artist is listing her grievances towards her lover. The slower verses with more of a melody are during the chorus and the last verse of the song. During these parts the singer is telling her lover “What’s it got to do with you?” and “You remind me of him.” It seems to the listener as if she is talking about some abuse or mistreatment.
The author is trying to convey her grievances about her treatment as a woman. She starts the song powerfully with no warning, immediately telling us “I can’t just sit in peace/If he hits me, it’s for my own good/If he hits me, it’s fine, he’s my boyfriend/If he hits me then (Tarat Tarat Tat).” Immediately the listener is hooked. The story the author is telling is clear. It is about abuse and how she can’t ever seem to do the right thing. This next part also feels like she could be speaking to assault: “If I take it and remain silent, then I’m annoying and closed off
If I speak my mind, then I’m bringing you down
If I say no, I must be —” The words are jarring in their intensity and all the more powerful for it. The singer makes no compromises, telling her listeners clearly about her experience.
The song is a very sad one. The music video, which will be further touched on later, only includes women and shows looking both powerful and distraught. There is powerful sisterhood in the story when I look at the music video but there is also collective grief. Perhaps that’s not a “but” statement though. There is powerful sisterhood because of the collective grief.
The cinematography presents a clear storyline. The artist’s presence, emotional expression, and body language all flow well with the music and convey the song’s meaning. None of it feels like a performance. The editing is also very well done. It cuts to a different scene for every repetition of the title “Tarat Tarat Tat” with women in the background doing a small hand gesture of lifting their own chin every time this happens. I find this to be such an intricate detail that adds to the music video and the presentation of the song incredibly well. It’s just fitting. I also really enjoyed that she was moving forward in a seated position looking down at the camera from the beginning, which aligns well with how the song starts—immediately and with no warning. The lighting in the video also made sense for the more aggressive parts; the lighting was darker. Same with the parts where the song was complaining about treatment she received as a woman, all these parts were noticeably darkly lit, which added to the experience.
At the end, and my favorite part of the song, there is a fade out with her vocals that feels like a distraught accusation from the singer which is very powerful. In the music video, the camera zooms out of the scene of all the women looking angrily at the camera and the beats get louder. However, this is not the very end as there is a “Tarat tarat tat” sung by a male singer, which I think is an interesting choice. Perhaps this tells the listener that this man is still there, and although the women are powerful and united, he will get the last word, even in this song.
