Dissecting 'Genie in a Bottle'

I decided to put my English degree to use and dissect a great piece of literature.

Then I looked at The Good Earth and said--Yeahhhh, I don't think so.

So instead, I've chosen Christina Aguilera's modern classic "Genie in a Bottle."

Let's begin:

-- I feel like I've been locked up tight
For a century of lonely nights --

Okay, right away, we have a master of allusion
A referral to the Arabian Nights
One amazing piece of literature
Doing a throwback to another

But we're getting the perspective of the Genie
Locked up in a bottle
For a hundred years

Waiting to get out

But who, oh who, could get her out of that bottle?

-- Waiting for someone to release me --

Perhaps...a pimp?

-- You're licking your lips and blowing kisses my way
But that dont mean I'm gonna give it away --

The genie has been released
And she's met her first John
A low-down cheapo
Looking for a freebie
In the hot sun
Of the Arabian marketplace

-- Baby, baby, baby
(Baby, baby, baby) --

She gets knocked up a six times
With three real babies
And three parenthetical babies

-- My body's saying let's go --

Oooh, she's a willing little harlot
That bottle was awfully stuffy
And Momma needs to work
To keep her sultan happy

She's out for a night
In the desert
Looking for a few extra humps

-- But my heart is saying no (no) --

The shredded remains of her soul
Aren't feeling so good
About the career choices she's making
Both vocally and, you guessed it

Parenthetically

-- If you wanna be with me
Baby, there's a price you pay --

I think we've established that at this point

-- I'm a genie in a bottle
You gotta rub me the right way --

So we have the play on words
And the direct meaning
Namely, touch my lady bits, Scheherazade

-- If you wanna be with me
I can make your wish come true --

Play on being a genie
And the assumption
That most men wish
To sleep with Barbara Eden

-- You gotta make a big impression
I gotta like what you do --

This genie is a size queen

-- The music's playing and the lights' down low
One more dance and then we're good to go --

Every night our protagonist
Is dancing the night away with Ali Baba
And, most likely, all forty of his thieves
And her feet are getting tiiiiiiiired

She wants to get down to business

-- Waiting for someone
Who needs me --

Hmm, who is she waiting for?

Does her pimp know she has her eye on a better future?

-- Hormones racing at the speed of light
But that don't mean it's gonna be tonight --

Suddenly, this Charity's a lot sweeter
Maybe she's hoping for a life away from all this
A nice little hut in the Sahara

Or maybe she's just sore
Anything's possible

-- Baby, baby, baby
(Baby, baby, baby) --

But what's she going to do
With those three (three) babies?

-- If you wanna be with me
Baby, there's a price you pay
I'm a genie in a bottle
You gotta rub me the right way
If you wanna be with me
I can make your wish come true
Come and set me free, baby
And i'll be with you --

Our tale ends with the genie begging
Begging to go back in the bottle
Or perhaps ride a magic carpet

But more than likely
She's going to wind up like Princess Leia
Chained to Jabba the Hutt
With no Skywalker in sight

There you have it:

"Genie in a Bottle" - a tragic tale of the Middle East, and one of its lost souls