Try to recall the last time there was as much mass derision directed at one song as there is currently aimed at “Boston.” Would it have been back during quarantine, when Gal Gadot made everyone quesy with a highly mockable all-star cover of “Imagine”? Was it when Oliver Anthony became a quick cultural blip for his ingenious idea to fat-shame welfare recipients? Or would it have been when Jason Aldean was looking to make lynching cool again with “Try This in a Small Town”?
But no, not even these examples approach the level of sheer enmity being laid upon what, on the surface, feels like as light-hearted and innocuous a single as anything any pop or country artist ever put down. Lefty is as close as we get to a true overnight sensation… and also a near-overnight scapegoat. She is going to be punished for all of America’s sins, and also get a bunch of platinum certifications and possibly a couple of Grammy nominations, before this ride is all over.
If she still has her head on her shoulders at the end of it all, then it might mark one of the most striking psychological survival stories since Monica Lewinsky came out OK after all. Because the feeding frenzy is staggering. Of course, the pile-on feels even more justified to those inclined because everyone imagines Lefty crying — or being shamed — all the way to the bank.
Because “Boston” is still looking like a Teflon hit, despite it seeming to make the entirety of the internet feel scorny. This week, it holds on yet again at No. 2 on the Hot 100, held back from the top spot only by Ella Langley’s indomitable, record-breaking “Choosin’ Texas,” which some would say paved the way, with the cement still wet, for “Boston.” There is a big part of the nation — maybe even a silent majority? — that’s just indifferent to or unaware of the fact that fellow citizens are being driven to paroxyms of deep sarcasm or rage by the song’s existence, and by the privilege they see in Lefty’s meteoric rise. Those not chronically online may at this point be asking: Why they gotta be so mean?
Even prior to the release of “Boston,” when she was having a minor viral breakout with the song “Thinking ’bout You,” the 24-year-old singer began drawing some negative attention for the fact that she is the daughter of a billionaire. A six-times-over billionaire, to be exact, Groupon co-founder and Tempus AI CEO Eric Lefkofsky. Given that Lefty was plying her talent in a country or at least country-adjacent space, it was inevitable that a wealthy Illinoisan would face some thoughts along the lines of “I don’t think Hank done it that way.” Among people who don’t know country well enough to quote Waylon Jennings, the operative phrase was two of the most annoying words in the English language: “industry plant.” There was just one problem with the whisper campaign to bring Lefty’s career to an early halt: People loved “Boston”!
Or a big portion of the mass public did, and they didn’t care that Lefty hadn’t had to work two waitress jobs to afford guitar lessons when her new signature song was this catchy and brought them that much joy. But then came an obvious big reason it was catchy and brought joy: a key part of the chorus bore an unmistakable resemblance to Noah Kahan‘s “Stick Season.” And not in the way where Sam Smith’s hit sounded a little like Tom Petty’s, or that Olivia Rodrigo was made to credit Taylor Swift because of a shared shoutiness. More in the kind of way where, once you became aware of the Lefty/Kahan similiarity, it was impossible to unhear it.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
