"15 Minutes of Shame" (CD single) - Kristy Lee Cook

Idol finalist sings about love gone bad.

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Music details

Artist(s): Kristy Lee Cook
Genre: Country
Label: Arista
Parental Advisory: No
Edited Version: No
Release Date: 08/11/2008

Parents need to know

Parents need to know that this song from former American Idol finalist is about a relationship gone bad -- and one woman's attempt to warn other women about her wrong-doing man. The song does tend to veer to the negative side, with Cook calling her ex a "fool" and embarrassing him with lyrics like "I hope you enjoy your 15 minutes of shame!"

Families can talk about the phenomenon of American Idol and the opportunities it affords both winners and losers. Families can also talk about why Cook seems so mad in her song. Has there been a time when you wanted everyone to know about someone's bad behavior? Do you think people change after they have been publicly shamed for their actions? Can you think of three celebrities that didn't change following bad press?

Message
Violence
Sex
Language

Message

Social Behavior:

The message of the song is simple: it's all about telling on a former boyfriend for what he did during a relationship. The romantic tattletale scenario is given as a warning to other women and as a mark of shame to this former beau. The song uses mild lyrics, but the idea of "outing" a former lover for his bad behavior isn't so cool ("Look who's lookin' like a fool!").

Consumerism:

Cook is a former American Idol contestant from the 2008 season. She is part of the American Idol LIVE! concert tour.

Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:

Violence

Sex

Language

Common Sense says

What's the story?

Reviewed by Jacqueline Rupp

Kristy Lee Cook was one of those few American Idol contestants that didn't sing the obligatory pop and R&B music that has become the staple of the TV show's sound. Instead, her country roots excited audiences and put her in the top seven of Season 7. Cook's sophomore album, Why Wait is scheduled to be released in September, with "15 MINUTES OF SHAME" -- about a relationship gone sour -- as the initial single.

Is it any good?

The pop enthusiasm that's a trademark of American Idol performers must have rubbed off on this country singer. Cook's newest single is a blend of mainstream pop with a country twang, and works surprising well in both musical styles. Pop fans can also enjoy Cook's fun take on the subject accompanied by thumping drum beats, and Cook's harmonic verses and down-home sensibility (with lines like "I'm spilling the beans...every promise that you broke/I'm rattin' you out") should satisfy her country fans as well. The lyrics -- full of sass and spunk -- benefit from Cook's vocals and keep the single lighter and more fun despite the injections of bitterness and mean-spiritedness. And, her "shame, shame, shame on you" chorus provides an instant sing-along moment.