When I first heard Mary Lambert’s single “Secrets” on my radio, I immediately found the song to be catchy and fun. The tune made me think of all the body-positive rants I’ve seen on social media like Tumblr and Twitter, and I loved listening to it. But, like a novel that you love and then the movie doesn’t live up to the expectations, I do not feel that the video does the song justice. I would even go so far as to say that I don’t like the video–and now the song is much lower on my playlist.The lyrics and tune are sure-fire feminist fun, but the video falls flat. It’s overacted and predictable.

The song, personally, is one of my favorites. I love the lyrics, full of declarative statements such as “I’ve got bipolar disorder…,” “My family is dysfunctional…” and “I’m so gay…” The chorus of the song has an anthemic quality to it that makes it one of those songs that you just want to blast on full volume and sing along to. It’s not even that it’s necessarily well-written, but it is catchy and easy to love.  Ironically, every teen girl identifies with Lambert’s feeling that she is the only different one in a world of sameness.

The obvious point of the song is the declaration of the speaker’s ability to rise above the crowd that is passing judgment on her. Lambert says outright, “I don’t care if the world knows what my secrets are…so what?” Lambert highlights many of the qualities about herself that could be construed as “good” or “bad,” like being passive-aggressive or wearing cat earrings.

The song really is all about feeling good about the person that you are. It’s playful and cheeky, and it makes you feel happy. Lambert is full of body-positivity, from the declaration of “I’m overweight…” to the fun, flirty, feminine dress she’s wearing in the video. There is an element of pride and courage associated with it, as well, when you hear this woman stating all these facts about herself, from bipolarity to using an analog clock, with no shame.

The video, on the other hand, I found to be haphazard and filled with disjointed elements. The beginning of the video is ridiculously cliche. The camera pans up from the diary with “SECRETS” written on it to Mary Lambert sitting on the bed with a coy smile on her face.

One of the biggest problems with the video is how the music and the lip-syncing don’t quite, well, sync. It’s glaringly obvious when Mary Lambert (in the video) starts singing the next line before Mary Lambert (in the audio).  This poor editing is surprising for a professional productions, but that’s just one of the problems.

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Mary Lambert’s singing may be great, but I definitely wouldn’t advise an acting career for her. All of her emotions in the video feel overacted, which makes the video look cheesy. The cheesiness is furthered by more visual puns and stereotypical humor, like Lambert walking out of a closet when she sings “I’m so gay…” and being robed in a Viking costume for the operatic vocal break. Both instances made nearly every person on our staff groan with dismay. Sometimes a little stereotypical or symbolic humor is funny, but, in combination with the exaggerated emotions in the video, it is over-the-top silly.

Can there be too much happiness?  I think so.  The deliriously happy background dancers, and the bright pinks, greens and purples turned the important message into a bubble-gum Kidz Bop candidate.

Overall, I found the song to be powerful and positive. I love the catchiness and sassiness of the declarative lyrics. Sadly, the video just doesn’t measure up to the high bar that the song set.