Ah, the Creative Arts Emmys. The little brother of the more-glitzy Primetime Emmy Awards; that time of the year when we can all gather to honor the best behind-the-scenes artists in the business: the best choreographers, the best hairstylists, the best production designers... and the writers of "Girl, You Don't Need Makeup"? That's right, the irreverent song from Inside Amy Schumer just won an Emmy, which is awesome news — and not just because we here at Bustle are generally obsessed with all things Amy Schumer.
To be technical about it, Schumer herself didn't even win this particular Emmy. The music and lyrics for "Girl" were written by Kyle Dunnigan and Jim Roach, who took home the award for the Comedy Central show. (Hopefully Schumer will have her own trophy to display on her mantle after the Primetime Emmys next weekend, where she's up for both Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Variety Sketch Series.) The real reason this victory is so amazing is because it's actually just a really good song.
Not only does it effortlessly lampoon modern boy bands, casting a quartet of One Direction lookalikes to croon at Schumer, but it also skillfully juggles a body positive message with a scathing cultural critique. Like the best of Schumer's humor, it's simultaneously hilarious and cringeworthy, highlighting the hypocrisy of the "no makeup" movement while making you chuckle at lines like, "Think of a clown and then work your way back." And it's just really, really catchy. I dare you to watch the video and NOT have the song stuck in your head for the rest of the day:
It's a relief that this terrific song won, considering its competition wasn't all that stiff. Its biggest threats were "Come Join The Murder," the final song of the Sons Of Anarchy series finale; "Moving Pictures," the opening song of the 2015 Oscars, sung by host Neil Patrick Harris along with Anna Kendrick and Jack Black; and "This Time," the final epic solo sung by Lea Michele on Glee, and written by her cast mate Darren Criss.
The rest of the category was rounded out by "Kiss An Old Man" from FX's short-lived sitcom The Comedians, and "You Gotta Believe" from NBC's animated holiday special How Murray Saved Christmas — and can anyone in the world hum either of those tunes off the top of their head? Didn't think so.
2015 signals the end of the Tonys' winning streak in this category, having taken home the trophy for Original Music & Lyrics the past three years in a row. Maybe that awards ceremony can get back in on the song-and-dance game next year... as long as they don't beat Siouxsie Sioux's haunting "Love Crime" from the Hannibal Season 3 finale.
Images: Comedy Central
