Did She Ever Have a Soul to Lose, Man?

Fergie is to start hocking shoes in her songs. The Guardian is disappointed. Obviously, the writer has never heard of Wild Orchid:

I have a lot of time for Fergie. She gives the Black Eyed Peas sass, she hasn't been media-trained into idiocy and her solo album, The Dutchess, is as winning a slice of urban-influenced pop as Gwen Stefani's Love Angel Music Baby (and should have been just as successful). But she's just done something that will sorely test my love. Apparently, she's signed a deal with the American shoe brand Candie's that's being talked up as a groundbreaking example of "product placement". She gets £2million, and in return, Candie's gets her soul. Sorry - in return, she has to mention the brand in her songs...

But why would Fergie Ferg do something so tacky and soulless? She's not some pop tart who exists to lend her name to anything for a million bucks - and this songwriting business goes beyond plain old endorsement. She's not simply agreeing to be photographed wearing a pair of Candie's - she's got to come up with a song(s) about the brand, which will then turn up on an album or single. This, I suppose, is adjudged more subtle than plugging the shoes in an ad (or inventing a band for the express purpose of "covertly marketing" a brand.

But why would she forsake her credibility for a paycheck that's not even especially huge in the great pop scheme of things? (Some will claim that, after singing My Humps, there's no credibility at stake, but I maintain that the song was delivered tongue in cheek by a woman adept at playing male expectations to her advantage.)

Fergie, what in the name of Britney has got into you?

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