Date: Oct 30, 2004
Weeks: 6
As a note, it's not totally wrong to start your music video with a clip from a different song, but they're not usually so long. I'm just saying if this if your first time hearing this song like it was for me, make sure you ignore the first 40 seconds or so of the video, because that's not the song.
I think it's fitting that Usher and Alicia Keys made a song together. They are both ridiculously talented singers whose songs are hampered by bizzare production choices of the moment, the kind of choices that already seem a bit dated, less than a decade later. Their voices are individually great, and they blend together really well. I like all the layers of overlapping voice that are arranged together. They're complex in a way that suggests the complex feelings the singers have for each other. Whatever energy this song manages to have is entirely because they sound so appealing together, and because they have been edited together well.
Where the song goes wrong is in the synthesized voice chord... chipmunk noises that punctuate the verses. They're just so cheap and fake that they draw attention away from the singing. The rest of the music is fine. The bass and drums are appealingly simple, drawing focus to the singing. I even kind of like the more rapid synthesized beats that mark transitions in this song. They successfully increase tension that gets released by the transitions to a new part of the song. Overall, the music is pretty good, especially appropriate for a song that is trying to feature two excellent singers, but a general lack of variety combined with the obnoxious synthesized voice chord noises really hamper the song's overall quality.
Lyrically, well, the elephant in the room is the title. "My Boo" seems like a piece of slang that is unlikely to last another 50 years when someone sits down to review the first 2000 No. 1 hits, and has to derive the meaning from context. I've always wondered where the word came from, so I looked it up. According to Urban Dictionary, the word "boo" as slang for boyfriend or girlfriend derives from the French word "beau," through various Caribbean communities, and finally into American English slang as "boo." So I learned something today.
The rest of the lyrics are about these two people who were each others' first loves, and even though their relationship is over and they don't specifically say they want to rekindle it, they still hold strong affection for each other. I think it's a sweet sentiment.
My verdict: Like it. I still wish the sound had been mixed differently, and that the video hadn't included that fake-out for another song that took me a while to figure out was actually another song. But overall the positives outweigh the negatives.
Showing posts with label 2004. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2004. Show all posts
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Song #900: "The Way You Move" by Outkast featuring Sleepy Brown
Date: Feb 14, 2004
Weeks: 1
This song may be a case study in how to ruin a good song by stretching it and padding it out until it completely wears out its welcome and gets tiresome.
This song has a great sound. Its rap verses are energetic and clear, with a nice bass line running underneath. The music in the chorus is great, with its horns and smooth singing. This would be a great 3 minute song. Unfortunately, it lasts 4 minutes. Most of that additional runtime is filled with unvarying repetition of the chorus until the song finally fades out to a close. And that's where the song wears out its welcome, breaks down, and reveals how few musical ideas it actually has. The horns, in particular, start to work my last nerve because they only have 3 musical ideas that they repeat over and over and over.
The vocals don't fare much better. There's almost no vocal style variation between the first version of the chorus and the last version of the chorus. Heck, there aren't even varying lyrics. It's "I like the way you move" over and over and over again. I mean, even if the lyrics dropped out and they did an instrumental version of the lyrics one time, that would be an improvement. This song may be underproduced, like it needed another pass through the mixing process before it got released.
My verdict: Don't like it. Doesn't live up to its potential. It starts with good ideas, but doesn't build on them, and then repeats until it irritates.
Weeks: 1
This song may be a case study in how to ruin a good song by stretching it and padding it out until it completely wears out its welcome and gets tiresome.
This song has a great sound. Its rap verses are energetic and clear, with a nice bass line running underneath. The music in the chorus is great, with its horns and smooth singing. This would be a great 3 minute song. Unfortunately, it lasts 4 minutes. Most of that additional runtime is filled with unvarying repetition of the chorus until the song finally fades out to a close. And that's where the song wears out its welcome, breaks down, and reveals how few musical ideas it actually has. The horns, in particular, start to work my last nerve because they only have 3 musical ideas that they repeat over and over and over.
The vocals don't fare much better. There's almost no vocal style variation between the first version of the chorus and the last version of the chorus. Heck, there aren't even varying lyrics. It's "I like the way you move" over and over and over again. I mean, even if the lyrics dropped out and they did an instrumental version of the lyrics one time, that would be an improvement. This song may be underproduced, like it needed another pass through the mixing process before it got released.
My verdict: Don't like it. Doesn't live up to its potential. It starts with good ideas, but doesn't build on them, and then repeats until it irritates.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Song #903: "Burn" by Usher
Date: May 22, 2004
Weeks: 8
It's kind of remarkable that Usher's "Yeah" (#902) was on top of the charts for 12 weeks, and it took another Usher song to replace it. I'm not entirely surprised. "Yeah" was a great song. This song... maybe not so much.
The problem with this song is that there's not a lot of sound to it. The music is very thin, and perfunctory. It's like they were trying to avoid obscuring Usher's voice, but couldn't commit to a soft sound that would complement the vocals. The result is some hard bass and light guitar, with a bunch of extra random noises interspersed throughout. It's also really out of place for its era. I would expect to hear a song like this in the early 90s, not in 2004. They were trying to let the vocals stand out, and I feel like they missed the mark a bit.
And the vocals aren't very good, either. Don't get me wrong, Usher has a great voice. But he makes some choices in this song that don't work for me. He starts doing one of those low-register speaking parts, then he sings a very pleasing half verse in his usual range, then he jumps up to a falsetto range, I guess because he's trying to sound more emotional. But it lasts too long, and it gets unpleasant to listen to. He hits falsetto again in the chorus, and that works better because it's shorter. And then in the bridge he sings "woo-hoo" in this falsetto while the music does almost nothing, and the result is a really uninteresting bridge where nothing happens. I also want to make a comment that I think there's too much backup singing. I don't mind the thing where Usher sings the song straight while also singing a more elaborately spontaneous track on top of it. But occasionally throughout there are these stings of backup singing added that just feel overproduced. And that overproduction really harms the raw feeling the song is aiming for.
The lyrics fare a bit better. I'm not sure I've heard another song with quite this sentiment. It's about breaking up with someone, and then maybe wondering whether you've made the right choice. I think I've reviewed a couple songs where somebody breaks up with somebody else and tries to get back together, including perspectives from both the dumper and the dumpee. But what makes this song stand out is that Usher remains ambivalent about the breakup. "One side of me is telling me that I need to move on, on the other side I want to break down and cry." It's an exploration of the regret of a breakup, but it's not necessarily a "let's get back together" song. That's not something I've really heard before. "Gotta let it burn" kind of cleverly refers to the fact that this hurts, but he has to let it hurt to get better. Unfortunately, the lyrics are kind of undermined by the inclusion of some unnecessary slang that really comes off silly. "Get my shorty back" is awkward, and the especially bad is the attention given to the line "without my boo." I'm not opposed to slang in songs, but slang undermines sincerity in a heartfelt, soft, relationship song.
My verdict: Don't like it. It's not bad, but it's not well put together. I think maybe if there had been some different musical choices, this song could have been saved. But the music doesn't work, and the song's other flaws drag it down.
Weeks: 8
It's kind of remarkable that Usher's "Yeah" (#902) was on top of the charts for 12 weeks, and it took another Usher song to replace it. I'm not entirely surprised. "Yeah" was a great song. This song... maybe not so much.
The problem with this song is that there's not a lot of sound to it. The music is very thin, and perfunctory. It's like they were trying to avoid obscuring Usher's voice, but couldn't commit to a soft sound that would complement the vocals. The result is some hard bass and light guitar, with a bunch of extra random noises interspersed throughout. It's also really out of place for its era. I would expect to hear a song like this in the early 90s, not in 2004. They were trying to let the vocals stand out, and I feel like they missed the mark a bit.
And the vocals aren't very good, either. Don't get me wrong, Usher has a great voice. But he makes some choices in this song that don't work for me. He starts doing one of those low-register speaking parts, then he sings a very pleasing half verse in his usual range, then he jumps up to a falsetto range, I guess because he's trying to sound more emotional. But it lasts too long, and it gets unpleasant to listen to. He hits falsetto again in the chorus, and that works better because it's shorter. And then in the bridge he sings "woo-hoo" in this falsetto while the music does almost nothing, and the result is a really uninteresting bridge where nothing happens. I also want to make a comment that I think there's too much backup singing. I don't mind the thing where Usher sings the song straight while also singing a more elaborately spontaneous track on top of it. But occasionally throughout there are these stings of backup singing added that just feel overproduced. And that overproduction really harms the raw feeling the song is aiming for.
The lyrics fare a bit better. I'm not sure I've heard another song with quite this sentiment. It's about breaking up with someone, and then maybe wondering whether you've made the right choice. I think I've reviewed a couple songs where somebody breaks up with somebody else and tries to get back together, including perspectives from both the dumper and the dumpee. But what makes this song stand out is that Usher remains ambivalent about the breakup. "One side of me is telling me that I need to move on, on the other side I want to break down and cry." It's an exploration of the regret of a breakup, but it's not necessarily a "let's get back together" song. That's not something I've really heard before. "Gotta let it burn" kind of cleverly refers to the fact that this hurts, but he has to let it hurt to get better. Unfortunately, the lyrics are kind of undermined by the inclusion of some unnecessary slang that really comes off silly. "Get my shorty back" is awkward, and the especially bad is the attention given to the line "without my boo." I'm not opposed to slang in songs, but slang undermines sincerity in a heartfelt, soft, relationship song.
My verdict: Don't like it. It's not bad, but it's not well put together. I think maybe if there had been some different musical choices, this song could have been saved. But the music doesn't work, and the song's other flaws drag it down.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Song #902: "Yeah!" by Usher featuring Lil John and Ludacris
Date: Feb 28, 2004
Weeks: 12
This song's overall sound is great. While the synthesizer was horribly abused in the 70s and 80s, somewhere in the 90s someone figured out how to properly use it as part of the musical palette. And this song shows how the synthesizer can be used to wonderful effect. The synthesizer sting that dominates this song is pure gold. As long as the rest of the song can stay out of its way, that sting will carry the song. And the rest of the song generally does that. Other than some minimal percussion and bass, there's not a lot of other music here to interfere.
As for the vocals, I think I've said before that Usher has a good voice. I enjoy listening to him sing. The relatively stark soundscape shows off his voice, and it's great. Ludacris raps for a verse here, too. And I was right before, Ludacris raps well and doesn't need his voice to be manipulated weirdly to be entertaining. Ludacris's rap verse sounds really good. Ludacris and Usher have made two decent songs here and successfully fused them together in a way that works. Lil John has a really obnoxious voice and he's pretty terrible, but the song uses him in the best way possible: minimally. If Lil John had even a whole verse I'd probably be pointing to it as the point where the song broke down, but that doesn't happen.
Now, the lyrics are where the song starts to come apart. It seems Usher has a favorite theme for his songs: seeing an attractive woman at a dance club. I seem to be moving backwards through Usher's career, so maybe he's just copying the formula that worked for him here, but I kind of want to hear him sing about something else. Anyway, like the other songs I've reviewed, this one reduces the woman he's singing about to her attractiveness, and Usher implies he has no willpower to resist her, even though he has a girlfriend and totally should. Ludacris's lyrics are possibly even worse, including the line "if you hold the head steady, I'ma milk the cow." I'm not sure I've fully deciphered the metaphor, but I'm pretty sure he's just compared women to cows, or at least to milk. This song at least avoids using pre-teen words like "Boobies," and isn't about having sex in public, so I suppose of all the Usher songs I've done, it's the least offensive lyrically.
My verdict: Like it. I don't care about the lyrics. That synthesizer hook is a winner, and the quality of the vocals are a good thing. I can mostly overlook the lyrics.
Weeks: 12
This song's overall sound is great. While the synthesizer was horribly abused in the 70s and 80s, somewhere in the 90s someone figured out how to properly use it as part of the musical palette. And this song shows how the synthesizer can be used to wonderful effect. The synthesizer sting that dominates this song is pure gold. As long as the rest of the song can stay out of its way, that sting will carry the song. And the rest of the song generally does that. Other than some minimal percussion and bass, there's not a lot of other music here to interfere.
As for the vocals, I think I've said before that Usher has a good voice. I enjoy listening to him sing. The relatively stark soundscape shows off his voice, and it's great. Ludacris raps for a verse here, too. And I was right before, Ludacris raps well and doesn't need his voice to be manipulated weirdly to be entertaining. Ludacris's rap verse sounds really good. Ludacris and Usher have made two decent songs here and successfully fused them together in a way that works. Lil John has a really obnoxious voice and he's pretty terrible, but the song uses him in the best way possible: minimally. If Lil John had even a whole verse I'd probably be pointing to it as the point where the song broke down, but that doesn't happen.
Now, the lyrics are where the song starts to come apart. It seems Usher has a favorite theme for his songs: seeing an attractive woman at a dance club. I seem to be moving backwards through Usher's career, so maybe he's just copying the formula that worked for him here, but I kind of want to hear him sing about something else. Anyway, like the other songs I've reviewed, this one reduces the woman he's singing about to her attractiveness, and Usher implies he has no willpower to resist her, even though he has a girlfriend and totally should. Ludacris's lyrics are possibly even worse, including the line "if you hold the head steady, I'ma milk the cow." I'm not sure I've fully deciphered the metaphor, but I'm pretty sure he's just compared women to cows, or at least to milk. This song at least avoids using pre-teen words like "Boobies," and isn't about having sex in public, so I suppose of all the Usher songs I've done, it's the least offensive lyrically.
My verdict: Like it. I don't care about the lyrics. That synthesizer hook is a winner, and the quality of the vocals are a good thing. I can mostly overlook the lyrics.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Song #910: "Drop It Like It's Hot" by Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell
Date: Dec 11, 2004
Weeks: 3
This is awful. It's not even music. It's just noise. And I don't just mean that in a "wow, the crap kids listen to these days, it just sounds like noise" kind of way. I mean this is literally a series of random noises loosely strung together by some rap lyrics.
Here's a list of sounds in this song that irritate me:
- The tongue-clicking. It's like listening to somebody chew.
- The opening "Snooooooooop" vocal. It's so high-pitched and shrill.
- Everytime Snoop Dogg says "hot", there's a second "Hot?" layered on top of it. Why is it a question, why is it there constantly?
- The bass line. It's not a terrible bass line, but it's begging for some other music.
So what does that leave? The little snare drum beat that happens from time to time? That doesn't bother me very much. Oh, and I suppose that's not a bad keyboard sting that happens from time to time. In a better song, I might not hate it.
And I think that's a list of literally every sound in the song, other than Snoop Dogg and Pharrell's rapping. And neither of their rap styles appeals to me. Pharrell sounds like he's one step above being completely asleep. Snoop Dogg sounds like he barely understands the difference between rapping and just talking.
Do I even need to get into the lyrics? It's the usual terrible gansta rap stuff: I'm rich, I'm a gang member, I'm a badass, I get lots of women. Drug references, violence references, offensive to women, product placement for opulent clothing and alcohol.
And yet I could look past a lot of that if the overall sound weren't so hollow and empty. Add more music! Thankfully, Youtube mashups exist to provide an example of what I'm talking about.
My verdict: Don't like it. Terrible. The worst song I've reviewed so far.
Weeks: 3
This is awful. It's not even music. It's just noise. And I don't just mean that in a "wow, the crap kids listen to these days, it just sounds like noise" kind of way. I mean this is literally a series of random noises loosely strung together by some rap lyrics.
Here's a list of sounds in this song that irritate me:
- The tongue-clicking. It's like listening to somebody chew.
- The opening "Snooooooooop" vocal. It's so high-pitched and shrill.
- Everytime Snoop Dogg says "hot", there's a second "Hot?" layered on top of it. Why is it a question, why is it there constantly?
- The bass line. It's not a terrible bass line, but it's begging for some other music.
So what does that leave? The little snare drum beat that happens from time to time? That doesn't bother me very much. Oh, and I suppose that's not a bad keyboard sting that happens from time to time. In a better song, I might not hate it.
And I think that's a list of literally every sound in the song, other than Snoop Dogg and Pharrell's rapping. And neither of their rap styles appeals to me. Pharrell sounds like he's one step above being completely asleep. Snoop Dogg sounds like he barely understands the difference between rapping and just talking.
Do I even need to get into the lyrics? It's the usual terrible gansta rap stuff: I'm rich, I'm a gang member, I'm a badass, I get lots of women. Drug references, violence references, offensive to women, product placement for opulent clothing and alcohol.
And yet I could look past a lot of that if the overall sound weren't so hollow and empty. Add more music! Thankfully, Youtube mashups exist to provide an example of what I'm talking about.
My verdict: Don't like it. Terrible. The worst song I've reviewed so far.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Song #906: "Slow Motion" by Juvenile featuring Soulja Slim
Date: Aug 7, 2004
Weeks: 2
So you may remember yesterday I reviewed "Cherish" by The Association. I said that because the lyrics revolved around a delicate word, "cherish," the whole song came off as very delicate, and I criticized it for that. Well, here comes a song that shows that going too far the other way isn't a good thing, either.
This song isn't breaking any stereotypes about how awful and disrespectful rap music is in its attitudes toward women. I don't think I even need to quote any lyrics. Even if you only pick up every fifth word, you'll still get the point. The rapper likes the way a woman looks, and describes how she looks and what he wants to do with her in fairly explicit terms. The song is shameless about its treatment of women and doesn't even include a clever turn of phrase to help redeem it.
I know I said "Cherish" was too delicate, but this song is too indelicate. You could have made the same point without being quite so rude, disrespectful, or foul-mouthed, guys.
I'm no great judge of rap talent, but these guys seem to have pleasant enough voices. I've certainly heard worse. If they just had different lyrics, I might appreciate them. Although that grunt they use to introduce the chorus every time ("Uh! I like it like that...") is pretty whiny and obnoxious.
I actually like the backing track they've used. That's a pretty nice guitar sound. It starts to wear thin after four minutes, making me wish there was a bit more variety to the music, but before it got old I kind of liked it.
My verdict: Don't like it. Nothing in this song is good enough to redeem the awful lyrics.
Weeks: 2
(Explicit lyric warning. I won't do that a lot, but I felt this song needed it.)
So you may remember yesterday I reviewed "Cherish" by The Association. I said that because the lyrics revolved around a delicate word, "cherish," the whole song came off as very delicate, and I criticized it for that. Well, here comes a song that shows that going too far the other way isn't a good thing, either.
This song isn't breaking any stereotypes about how awful and disrespectful rap music is in its attitudes toward women. I don't think I even need to quote any lyrics. Even if you only pick up every fifth word, you'll still get the point. The rapper likes the way a woman looks, and describes how she looks and what he wants to do with her in fairly explicit terms. The song is shameless about its treatment of women and doesn't even include a clever turn of phrase to help redeem it.
I know I said "Cherish" was too delicate, but this song is too indelicate. You could have made the same point without being quite so rude, disrespectful, or foul-mouthed, guys.
I'm no great judge of rap talent, but these guys seem to have pleasant enough voices. I've certainly heard worse. If they just had different lyrics, I might appreciate them. Although that grunt they use to introduce the chorus every time ("Uh! I like it like that...") is pretty whiny and obnoxious.
I actually like the backing track they've used. That's a pretty nice guitar sound. It starts to wear thin after four minutes, making me wish there was a bit more variety to the music, but before it got old I kind of liked it.
My verdict: Don't like it. Nothing in this song is good enough to redeem the awful lyrics.
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