"Habits (Stay High)" - Tove Lo - Pop Song Review

“Habits” is one of those songs that took a quite while to get to its current peak on the radio & hot 100 charts. It is another one of those songs that took about a year to develop over seas and crossed over to the United States from Europe.  Tove Lo is a newcomer to the pop game this year, and she is already making a big name of herself here in the States. She has a top 10 hit with “Habits” and an upcoming hit song with Alesso as well.

The first song  I heard from Tove Lo was a collaboration dance single with Seven Lions.  It features the genres of house and dubstep music ,and includes a dubstep break; when dubstep breaks seem like a good idea.  Tove Lo vocals here are light and fluffy and rise above the production. Overall it was a good introduction to the artist, even though it was not a hit song on the pop charts. It was; however, a big song in the clubs, and on DJ mixshows. It allow Tove Lo to gain recognition in the United States in dance market.

“Habits” is an electro pop song that features light harmonies on the chorus. The song production keeps a dark feel to it, but not so strong that you could  dance to it.  I do wish the beats per minute were a bit faster here ,as the beat feels a bit sluggish in some spots. I like the production on the song; however, it is forgettable by the end of the song.  The production does take a backseat from Tove Lo's vocals on the song.

Tove Lo's vocals are a quite strong on the song and are the main highlight of the song. Tove Lo has this distinct raspy voice similar to Miley Cyrus ,though not quite as strong, and without the shock drama of her personality.  I heard some people compare her voice to between a cross between Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus.  I can see where people are getting that comparison from. 

 Her vocals have a few spots that do bother me. During the beginning the song she sounds like a car horn is going off in the background. Don’t believe me? Listen here: http://soundcloud.com/djmortz-2/tove-lo-car-horn

At the chorus the “oo wee oo” sounds like another variation of a car alarm. Tove Lo could be in a television or radio advertisement, selling car horns with her voice.

Depending on what country or radio station ,there are different versions of the song.  Here in the States we were just issued the original cut of the song to pop stations.  

The official dance remix of the song by the Chainsmokers speeds up the song to 128 bpm. It is similar to the remix version last year of “Summertime Sadness” in how it starts, but the edm drop is a bit different.  My only critique of this remix is the edm drop here doesn’t fit the song at all. It sounds out of place.  Overall I like this version for a weekend event compare to the original, so if you need a happy version of this song this one will do it.

The European version of the song is a trap remix done by Hippie Sabotage. The song is sped up to 121 bpm, and chops and cuts some of Tove Lo vocals. Tove Lo vocals are pitch here too, though not to the point of her being on helium. The Tove Lo car horn here is back with more air time compare to the original. This time she sounds more like a mo ped than a car.  It is a decent alternative if you can’t stand the original electro pop production, but I honestly prefer the original or the chainsmokers remix.

Now that I got the various versions of the song out of the way, let’s dive into the lyrics.

Tove Lo made this song after a truly awful breakup with her boyfriend, and she started using drugs as an escape from her problems.

I eat my dinner in my bathtub
Then I go to sex clubs
Watching freaky people getting it on

Tove Lo is in a state of loneliness from the breakup. She needs excitement, a thrill of sorts to get her through the breakup. What better place than a sex club? This is quite a dark opening to this song.

It doesn't make me nervous
If anything I'm restless
Yeah I've been around and I've seen it all

She has seen people have sex so many times in front of her, that it does not bother her.  She is happy for those people who are getting the action, but she is jealous on the inside.  On the other hand, she can’t believe she had to go to this club, and see this stuff to be happy.  

I get home, I got the munchies
Binge on all my Twinkies

Twinkies are good in moderation, Tove Lo.

Throw up in the tub, then I go to sleep.

Didn’t heed the advice then, Tove Lo? Don’t blame me if you get sick on the car ride home.  These two lines I can see as metaphor ,or you can take them at face value.  The face value approach is that she is so hungry that she goes on junk food binge.  The metaphorical answer is Tove Lo can’t accept the sweet things in life ,for instance a Twinkie.

And I drank up all my money
Tasted kind of lonely

Tove Lo's state of mind is anything but dark clouds, and black holes.  I feel with each new line in the verse; we enter her dark depressed mind of thoughts. Here in these lines ,Tove Lo drinks away her pain away, and she still feels lonely.

You're gone and I got to stay high

All the time to keep you off my mind, ooh ooh
High all the time to keep you off my mind, ooh ooh

Tove Lo has stated she needs to be high to keep this guy out of her head, so drugs are the answer to her problems.  You can insert any problem here, and the chorus could still work.

Spend my days locked in a haze
Trying to forget you babe, I fall back down
Gotta stay high all my life to forget I'm missing you

I like the visual imagery here of falling down, and being locked in a haze. Her bad breakup keeps Tove Lo using drugs.  Once the drugs wear off, the breakup feels much worse than it did initially.

Pick up daddies at the playground
How I spend my day time
Loosen up the frown, make them feel alive
I make it fast and greasy
I know my way too easy

Tove Lo is desperate for love in the 2nd verse. She is willing to meet sugar daddies for sex. The location here is  a playground.  Tove Lo's mind has regressed that much from the drug use ,and the breakup.

Staying in my play pretend
Where the fun ain't got no end

Tove Lo wants to stay in the euphoria of what drugs give her.The drugs give her the allusion of, "The party is not over, and I can pretend who I want to be."

Oh, can't go home alone again
Need someone to numb the pain

She does not want to go home alone, but she does not want to experience a break up like this ever again. She wants to find someone, and be in a relationship. This will solve her problems.

The music video is shot in a selfie style. You see Tove Lo daily routine walking around ,and then going to the bar later in the song. You see her physical break down from the pain of the breakup.

This is one of the darkest pop songs I have heard in a few years.  The content, mood, and Tove Lo singing really pulled off this song.  Although I can’t relate to the song content personally, I am sure there are plenty of people who went through a similar situation, or knew someone who did. It is deep song that sounds more for the adult contemporary station than a pop station from its content. I am curious to see if Tove Lo is making a trend in which pop music is deeper in content, or this is a fluke hit song.

I did listen to Tove Lo's album, and it is a bit lighter in tone than, “Habits.” Tove Lo voice on, “Habits” is a onetime deal from what I heard on Queen on the Clouds. She generally sticks with a higher range and really lets those vocals shine. With the number of new acts on the pop scene this year, will Tove Lo be a one hit wonder or a future pop star? Time will tell ,but I can see her staying around for a few years.

I do see Tove Lo making a run for the Grammies next year. "Habits" has a pretty good chance for song of the year (That is the song writing category). 

Final Score: (4/5)

Production: The weakest link in the song. It is forgettable by the end of the song.

Vocals: Either a hit or miss. I think she has talent, but, “Habits” could be a wrong impression to her range as a singer. I recommend checking out her dance tracks first. 

Lyrics: Really good. I didn’t  find anything wrong with them.

This is one of my favorite songs on the album called, "Run on Love."

New Pop Tunes- 2

I am working on a new pop song review that is taking a bit longer to write than I initially thought it would. Here are a few of my favorite new pop songs that I am enjoying.

1.  Jess Glynne - "Right Here"

Jess Glynne of "Rather Be" fame from Clean Bandit has her own single out in the UK that did pretty well.  It is another deep house flavor pop song from the UK that I have been enjoying listening to over the summer. Don't be surprise if this catches on here in States. 

2. Wisin - "Adrenalina" (feat. Ricky Martin & Jennifer Lopez)

Wisin made a fantastic dancepop number with "Adrenalina." The song is entirely sung in Spanish, but I prefer it that way. The English version was a bit of let down due to the harmonies of the Spanish words provide. Anyway if you are interested in a song that can make you dance, and not understand the words then this is the song for you. 

3.  Clean Bandit (feat. Stylo G) - "Come Over"

Been reading on a few pop music sites that is could be the next single for the classical dance group. I feel like that is a mistake given that the Northern Hemisphere is in the Fall season and this song is a summer hit.  They add a rap section that is pretty good for a pop song, and the song included  reggae influences. 

"Shake It Off " - Taylor Swift - Pop Song Review

Hot 100: 1

Pop Radio play: 2
Taylor Swift Factor: Strong

I never bought into the Taylor Swift hype as a pop listener. I think her over exposure in the media tabloids kept me away from her, and  listening to her music. The stories about her boyfriends really kept me away from listening to her more. I really could care less about it. I know I don’t have a shot dating her ,so why should give a rat ass about who is dating who in Hollywood.  She is an important part of the pop music landscape, and always keeps people attention. Her attention is always noticed when she releases a new song especially if it about a new relationship.

Her last album, Red had only one single I didn’t mind on the radio, “I Knew You Were Trouble.” I mainly like it ,because of the catchiness and dubstep production.  Taylor Swift is a success story in that she was able to keep her main audience entertain, but also was able bring a new pop audience with her last album.  I don’t believe  that this is her first pop album.  Red to me was first full on pop album from Taylor Swift, with the three big singles coming from the pop producer, Max Martin. It is hard to believe that Taylor Swift hasn’t release a new album in two years, but we are now gearing for a new one to come out in November.

According to Taylor Swift, “Shake it Off” is her first full on pop single coming from the album 1989.  She goes back to producer Max Martin for another hit single with “Shake It Off.” The song uses an horn riff throughout the song as part of the instrumentation. It is not as sexy and sleazy as the Mr. Saxobeat saxophone riff, but keeps it playful, and sweet.  I feel like this song was made for high school and college marching bands as a song to be played during games.  I do like the instrumentation to the song. It is catchy, danceable, and easy to play if you want to learn it. 

Taylor Swift sounds pretty good except for the bridge. Who decided we needed Taylor Swift to rap in a bratty teenager voice?  It wasn’t needed in this song, and sounds like Taylor Swift deserves some of the haters she gets.  I hate when she resorts to the bratty teenage voice like here on this song.    No more valley girls in pop music, please.

There is not much to, “Shake It Off” lyrically,  but it keeps it simple compare to the last song review I did.

We start with an 8 bar intro from song production with the drums before the first line of lyrics.

I stay up too late, got nothing in my brain

That is an easy fix. Having a set time to go to sleep  makes that problem go away.  This was on the brain though, for me. 

That's what people say mmm, that's what people say mm

It is one of these songs. The haters are the worst, but that comes from a being famous celebrity. Also who the first person to use the word, "haters?" I have no idea.

I go on too many dates, but I can't make 'em stay

Is this another thought about your personal life? Who give a {clean version (banana bread)} if you date too much? At least you give multiple people a shot in Hollywood. I heard Justin Bieber is around.

At least that's what people say mmm, that's what people say mmm

You are still acknowledging them on the fourth line of the song.  I guess the haters really do bother you. Secretly you know this is true. 

 But I keep cruising, can't stop, won't stop moving
It's like I got this music in my body and it's gonna be all right.

Taylor Swift does not have time for the haters.  The music is her salvation away from her haters? Wait a minute, something doesn’t make sense.

Acknowledging the haters sounds like you do care about them to a certain degree. Who gives a flying <green eggs and ham> if you think they have anything important to say? I wonder how bad the chorus is going to be. 

Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate

Players do play, and haters are going to hate. I bet this a  new concept for Taylor. The haters line seems to be meme around the internet since this song came out especially on YouTube. This song link below I believe is where some of the inspiration comes from the Taylor Swift song.

Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

That’s right you shake off the haters, Taylor Swift. Are we going to shake it like a salt shaker, or a sprinkler? I’ll get my dancing moves ready then.

Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake

I’m just gonna repeat something multiple times so it sticks in the brain. Fakers are going to fake? This chorus was written by a four year old. I could have written this chorus easily.   How about a rewrite of the lyrics using popular social media websites?

Tweeters gonna tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet

Facebookers gonna like, like, like, like, and hate being on there.

Redditors gonna reddit, reddit, reddit, reddit

Viners gonna vine, vine, vine

I’m just going to click my precious time away, click it away, and click it away.

I'll never a beat, I'm lightning on my feet.

And that's what they don't see mmm, that's what they don't see mmm

So much for dance lessons from Taylor Swift. I think you miss a few  beats on the last song.  I guess we are on the same level of skill of dancing from the VMAs earlier this year. 

I'm dancing on my own (dancing on my own), I'll make the moves up as I go (moves up as I go)

That is how most of us dance, Taylor Swift. Just don’t clear the dance floor with those moves. I wonder if Taylor Swift knows how to twerk.

Hey, hey, hey, just think while you've been getting down and out about the liars and dirty, dirty cheats in the world you could have been getting down to this sick beat

I’m sure they got down to this beat unless you are one of Taylor Swift’s exes. 

My ex-man brought his new girlfriend
She's like "oh my God", but I'm just gonna shake it
And to the fella over there with the hella good hair

OMG! , must be a case of Taylor Swift making an appearance shock. It is like winning one of those massive bigger than life checks. 

The music video for “Shake It Off” is pretty good. It shows off a care free Taylor Swift dancing around as the song suggests that nothing brings her down. The video did generate some controversy when it first came out as stereotyping black people. I disagree highly. Mainly it shows Taylor Swift dancing around in different outfits, and I didn’t see any controversy coming from it.

This is easily Taylor Swift best lead single even though as I stated before I am not a big fan of hers. While it is simple, and a bit repetitive in the chorus; it doesn’t bother me as much as Red lead single. If she took out the rap bridge I would like it the single more.  The lyrics are about why people think she is annoying and how she shakes off critics. The lyrics don’t add up in spots; however,  I think Taylor Swift did a good job with this song. It is a fun, catchy, and pretty memorable track for 2014 unlike when rap artists try to address “haters” in their songs. Taylor Swift new single comes out in five days as of writing this review, and I’m sure Max Martin will hand his hand on writing it again. 

Final score: (3.5/5)

Production: It is another horn induced flavored pop song.

Vocals: Pretty good, except for the rap bridge. Stop using that voice Taylor Swift.

Lyrics:  A bit repetitive from Taylor Swift, but overall not awful.

Since I am in a good mood, and appreciating good art of pop music what else is on the radio?

Oh, <Frogs> me.

"Amnesia" - 5 Seconds of Summer (5Sos) - Pop Song Review

Hot 100: 16

Pop Radio play: 17

One of trends I have noticed in pop music this year seems to be boy bands that play “real rock instruments.” The two breakthrough acts of this genre seem to be Rixton, and 5 Seconds of Summer (5Sos).

Who thought of the name 5 Seconds of Summer? If summer lasted 5 seconds the winter coat industry would be thrilled. 

I can't stop dancing. I'm so cold.

Rixton sounds like a poor man version of Maroon 5 during the sell out years. I’ll deal with Rixton in another review, but this time I’ll take a look at 5Sos and see why they are huge.

5Sos seem to get popular from being on tour with this generation boy band One Direction. In a similar way that One Direction got huge they release a single, “She Looks So Perfect” to moderate pop success, and release an EP with it. “She Looks So Perfect” isn’t bad song, but the underwear line always makes me chuckle. What girl want to know what brand underwear you wear?  The underwear is telling itself that this job, stinks.  

The EP was a best seller, and the band began releasing singles from it. The band  has been on tour with One Direction here in the United States. I can only imagine the screaming fans being able to break glass.

 

5Sos includes the necessary good looks to be a huge boy band, and dumb Twitter tag from their fan army. I’m waiting for a band to call themselves the #weiners or #MoneyPatrol. Just stop it, already.  

This brings me to their second hit single, “Amnesia”. If it is up tempo like the last song of theirs, I’ll be a little more forgiving. My expectations are a little low given their boy band stigma. Please, don't misuse the word, "Amnesia" as an easy boy band breakup title. 

Well this was a ballad, a really bad ballad.

5Sos seem to change their sound from a pop punk band to a white guy with an acoustic guitar. 

Want to hear some pop song chords? Yes!

Production wise it sticks with an acoustic guitar playing throughout the song with keyboards coming in at the chorus.  I find this incredibly boring to listen too. It makes Sam Smith sound like the 2 Chainz of the pop world compare to this song. 

5Sos lead vocalist, Luke Hemmings ( I had to Wikipedia that information) is pretty boring here. He takes the song with serious vocal intentions, but some of the lyrics he sings are a bit silly. Vocally he seems to be struggling at the chorus and at the bridge to me ,as he seems to be running out of breath upon repeated listens.  The bridge you can hear his voice cracking at that very end. 

I drove by all the places we used to hang out getting wasted

This line tells me Luke isn’t over the relationship at all. Why puking at a place where you drank too much gives you good memories is beyond me?

I thought about our last kiss, how it felt the way you tasted

Did it taste like booze and desperation? That is what I am seeing so far, 5sos.

And even though your friends tell me you're doing fine.

She has clearly moved on. Her friends are trying to keep your crazy antics away from her. Not even an acoustic song, and even a crappy one can save you now.

Are you somewhere feeling lonely even though he's right beside you?

When he says those words that hurt you, do you read the ones I wrote you?

She is over you. I highly doubt she is reading your letters, moron.

Sometimes I start to wonder, was it just a lie?
If what we had was real, how could you be fine?

'Cause I'm not fine at all

Get over it! She isn’t interested in you anymore, and the guy could be a jerk. Honestly it is not important to you anymore since you are out of the relationship. 

I remember the day you told me you were leaving
I remember the make-up running down your face

He remembers the breakup clearly even down to mundane details. I actually like this line. It provides a nice amount of visual imagery to a pop song.

And the dreams you left behind you didn't need them
Like every single wish we ever made

The dreams of this couple had are gone; however, I am taking the optimistic approach. Dreams and goals can change  in the short term and long term. She had her own dreams that didn’t involve you, so in her mind it is not a complete lost. The same advice could be said of the narrator. There is no reason to loathe on the relationship.

I wish that I could wake up with amnesia
And forget about the stupid little things

Time heals all wounds. Don't do something crazy.

Don't do it, Luke!

“Hey, put down the hammer, Luke!” Causing memory loss isn’t going to fix anything and in fact will make your life worse.  “Stop hitting your head off the wall!” Besides depending on the concussion you’ll still remember the relationship even if you don’t remember hitting your head.  

Don’t mention “Little things” You make want to have amnesia for that One Direction song. That song is truly awful.

Like the way it felt to fall asleep next to you
And the memories I never can escape

See the brain works great when you don’t cause head injuries, 5Sos. Take  it as a lesson. 

The pictures that you sent me they're still living in my phone

Who sends pictures through multimedia messages anymore? The self deleting messages are the popular thing now with teens. I found your pictures from the iCloud hack too, so in case you need a copy let me know.

 I'll admit I feel alone
And all my friends keep asking why I'm not around

 Good to hear you have a good support system of friends, but I tell them you need to be protected from hardware tools after hearing that chorus. It is for your own good.

If today I woke up with you right beside me
Like all of this was just some twisted dream
I'd hold you closer than I ever did before

It sounds like you were a bit too close from verse 1 interpretation. A little distance isn’t the worst thing you know. 

Cause I'm not fine at all
No, I'm really not fine at all
Tell me this is just a dream
'Cause I'm really not fine at all

Simple answer is this is not a dream. The long answer is this was a test created by pop song writers’ monkeys ,who wanted an answer to what amnesia is. They suffer amnesia themselves after attempting to pole vault the Empire State Building. In their research on amnesia somehow heart break and hardware tools got mixed in there.  

Overall it is not the best song by them; however, it is a little more detail than say the average boy band song about a breakup. The song concept is just plain silly to me. The song musically is boring to me, and honestly I can’t wait for it to be finished. The grand conclusion I get out of this song is the guy is messed up in the head from other concussions he suffered. His only response to make himself feel better is by  having another concussion. I’ll see where they go from here, but I expect to hear more from them.

Production: Just bland. Not as boring as “Say Something” from earlier this year, but this makes a close second for least interesting produced song.

Vocals: Not desirable.

Lyrics: A little bit deeper than the average pop song about a breakup, but the chorus is a mess. 

I'm going to have, "Amnesia" and never listen to this song ever again. It is going to be forgotten hit song in 6 months.

Final score: (2/5)

This song was "pitifully" awful, guys. Let's release more of this stuff.

Here is a remix of the song by Mike Rizzo.

http://soundcloud.com/mikerizzonyc/5-seconds-of-summer-amnesia-mike-rizzo-radio-mix-112-bpm