Date: Sept 9, 2006
Weeks: 7
This song starts out promisingly enough. The sound it creates is appealing. The synth chords and percussion line create a nice little dance beat. It sounds like a great start to an intriguing song.
But then the song goes nowhere. The song doesn't evolve or change. It's content to just park on that sound for 4 minutes, and hopes you like that sound enough to endure 4 minutes of it. There's barely even a difference between the verse and the chorus. The synth chords change a bit, but it certainly doesn't create sufficient variety to be entertaining.
The sound is so shallow. That's a fine sound to create at the beginning of a song, when you're building to something. But this song builds to nothing. It needs more layers of sound. I don't even know what it needs. Maybe replace the bass-sting chords with more constant bass? Add an orchestra? I don't even know. Add anything, especially in the chorus, and this would be a better song.
I'm not sure the lyrics even deserve analysis. It's basically an excuse to say the word "sexy" as much as possible, while saying things that sound sexy but aren't. "I think it's special what's behind your back. So turn around and I'll pick up the slack." I don't think it's sexy to say that you'll pick up somebody's slacking butt. "Girl let me make up for the things you lack." That's the worst pick-up line I've ever heard.
My verdict: Don't like it. Dance music is trying to accomplish a very different goal from other music, which is to create one sound that can be stretched for as long as a dance club DJ wants. It may work in that context, but it rarely works as an arranged pop song in any other context.
Well, in a sexual context, a man saying he can make up for the things a woman lacks has a very Freudian tone to it. But I can't give Justin Timberlake credit for knowing that much about Freud.
ReplyDeleteAnd it wasn't really any more complimentary toward women when Freud said it, either. So there's that.