Tag Archives: trackoftheday

“This Town” by Kygo ft. Sasha Sloan (2017)

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“All of my friends are settling down/ Their only kids but their married now/ Let’s follow the lights, follow the crowd/ Baby we gotta get out/ Let’s get out of this town”

The first time I heard “This Town” was on a scorching hot summer day. It wasn’t like it was a “nice” hot either, it was painful. I was on my way to work and I was already sweating thinking about the huge paint job that was waiting for me once I get there. The first thing I remembered about this song was how the beat, instrumentals, and vocals all fused together to create a “chill” atmosphere in my tiny SUV. It helped to set my mind somewhere else rather than my unconditioned vehicle. With its downtempo and pinches of dance that remain constant throughout the track, it literally made me feel like I was on a much-needed break from reality. However, something I didn’t pay attention to the first time listening to this song were the lyrics.

               Once I replayed the song a few times, I noticed that Kygo created a beat that works extremely well with Sasha’s vocals and the overall lyrical meaning of song. Sasha’s vocals are so soft and so calm that it would make any runner’s heart rate stabilize after the verse is sung. As for the meaning, the song is about slowing things down. Instead of conspiring to the same old routine of eat, work, sleep, repeat, this song suggests that we are all still young and should be experiencing and enjoying the world for what it has to offer. Just like Sasha Sloan sings, “I don’t wanna live my life in circles/ I just wanna find an empty road/ Let’s get away from here, let’s go.” So, let’s all get away and enjoy this beautiful world that gets lost in the everyday routine. The soft acoustics in the background with pinches of dance, the little twinkling that is heard in the background, Sasha’s vocals, and the lyrical nuances all fuse together to create to tell us all— “Hey! take it easy”

-Maria

Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now” (2009)

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By Mina Wiebe

I was only eleven when Lady Antebellum released their Grammy-winning track “Need You Now”, and I was surprised when the song managed to make me relate to the heartache of a breakup that eleven-year-old-me had yet to experience. The lyrics “[i]t’s a quarter after one, I’m a little drunk, and I need you now” blasted from my Mickey Mouse radio, and I couldn’t help but melt and sink into an imaginary sorrow despite the lyrics being far from applicable to my life. But I guess that’s a sign of a good breakup song—when it makes you mourn an imaginary relationship.

In reality, the agony of missing someone you were once inseparable from is a tremendous hurdle to cross—a hurdle that almost everyone will have to cross at some point in their life. And I think that’s partly why people went crazy for this acoustic-country tune upon its 2009 release. It topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart at number one for five weeks straight, and reached an impressive number two position on the Billboard Hot 100. It was played on country and pop music stations alike, receiving international recognition and praise. People may have been taken with the song because of its beautiful melody and delicate piano, but I also think they related to its raw depiction of heartbreak.

One of the things that makes “Need You Now” such an incredibly effective breakup-song is its duet-style. It offers heartache from the perspective of both partners, as their raw vocals ring with passion and sincerity, presenting you with this miserable imagery of two former lovers who are drunk and alone, wishing the other would call. It’s a breakup song that does its job, acting as a poignant reflection of the pain that so many have felt: that feeling of empty loneliness as you ache for someone and wonder if they’re thinking about you too. The line “[i]t’s a quarter after one, I’m all alone and I need you now” resonates with the world’s heartbroken listeners who have felt that exact pain.

Ten years later, I’m listening to “Need You Now” after a breakup, so this time around the sorrow is real. Something that hasn’t changed though, is the song’s ability to force me to grieve. Hearing your thoughts and emotions conveyed through music is validating, and sometimes that’s necessary to move forward. I would qualify it as one of the best songs to listen to post-breakup, specifically when you’re in need of a good cry. And for that reason, I play it on repeat and encourage the broken-hearted to do the same.

“Breathe” feat. Mandy Gonzalez (In the Heights OBC, 2005)

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Musical theatre has a way of letting you see and hear the stories that aren’t always brought to attention. Like the songs about being the socially awkward friend at a party and you start to have a panic attack. The music and acting work in tandem to give the audience authentic moments that they can personally connect with.

This soundtrack— written none other than by Lin-Manuel Miranda—is so incredibly unique because it seamlessly juggles rap and multi-lingual phrases in a 2 hour production, while being targetted towards a younger demographic. Somehow it all just seems to work together beautifully, while still keeping crucial topics about poverty and gentrification in the forefront and integrating Latin sounding instrumentals to compliment such.

It’s a melodic monolgue from Nina who is struggling to find the words to tell her parents, and friends that she dropped out of Stanford. She worries they’ll hate her and will be dissappointed because she was the only person to actually “make it out” of the barrio.

The lines in this song are so authentic and really affect anyone who has ever felt an impeeding weight resting on their shoulders placed there by their own parents, because they set the bar so high (myself included). She starts off by singing, “Hey guys it’s me/ the biggest dissappointment you know…” she can’t keep standing on their pedestal and feels guilty about it. The barrio isn’t worried because they know their “star” will get out of this low place eventually. “Ay te adoro, te quiero/ the neighbourhood waved and said Nina, ‘be brave/ and you’re gonna be fine!'”

As hurtful as it is to listen to initially, it’s also comforting and hopeful to hear all of the voices wishing her encouragement and telling her to keep going. Nina realizes that she can always get back up and try again with pacienca y fe (patience and faith). At times when I feel overwhelmed, this is my mantra to help me push through.

So to anyone who needed to hear it today: Pacienca y fe… just breathe, and try again.

-Genna Dara

NSYNC, “Bye Bye Bye” (No Strings Attached, 2000)

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by Chelsea Ives

With each year that passed bringing me closer to finishing my university degree, I began to feel older and more decrepit than I ever ought to feel. Every year it seemed each generation became less infatuated with the suave, seductive boy bands of my youth, and I became accustomed to the fact that millennial’s would never feel the same kind of love for the music and boy bands as I did when I was a pre-teen girl, freakishly hoarding burned CD’s scrawled on with black sharpie.

Such was true for my copy of NSYNC’s  2000 album No String’s Attached. I was particularly fond of “Bye Bye Bye,” the lead single from the album. Everyone knew the scandal of NSYNC’s legal battle with their manager Lou Pearlman and former record label, so as much as I was hoping the song meant JT and his then-girlfriend (Brittany Spears) had split, the song was speculated to be about the bands split from their former label.

The song features heavy kick and bass, and catchy lyrics which are impossible to get out of your head. Not to mention NSYNC stomping in unison to a dance that would become iconic with the ability to get your entire high school in a flash mob. NSYC’s lyrics spoke to the hearts of many: like puppets being played with, “(Bye bye) Don’t wanna be a fool for you / Just another player in your game for two”. “Bye Bye Bye” boasts a theme and beat that will never get tired.

I used to lament the fact that millennial’s would miss out on the best generations of music: with every year, and every new boy band hair flipping their way onto the music scene with less classy swagger and more haughty grins, I was increasingly aware of the distance between new age music and 90’s classic’s like NSYNC.

But that changed in 2018. Backstreet’s back, baby! With their single “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” it was only time before the other popular 90’s boy bands would reunite and follow suit.

And follow they did!

Just March 1st of 2019, New Kids on the Block released their first song in 11 years – even paying homage to “Bye Bye Bye,” in their music video by dangling by strings like marionettes.

NSYNC by today’s standards may not be the most attractive boy band there ever was, but in the 90’s they were every teenage girl’s daydream. And maybe we’ll be seeing more of them soon.

Hozier’s “To Noise Making (Sing)”, (2019)

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By Mina Wiebe

I’m pretty much convinced that Hozier’s voice has the power to make anything sound angelic. The man has pipes—gorgeous, soulful, baritone pipes that send shivers up your spine, and goosebumps to your arms. The Irish singer’s new 2019 album Wasteland, Baby! is no exception; yet again, he’s managed to produce an impressive track list, stunning vocals, and lyrical masterpieces. A song I particularly enjoyed, was To Noise Making (Sing), this bouncy, soul/gospel tune that pulls you in with its catchiness and reminds you of simpler times. It’s a song centered around the nostalgia of singing, and in the first line, Hozier asks you to “[r]emember when you’d sing, just for the fuck of it”.

The fact that it’s such an incredibly upbeat, bubbly song makes you want to sing along, and it’s like Hozier is mischievously luring you in. He makes it clear that it doesn’t matter if you have a good voice or not—regardless of your vocal abilities, Hozier wants you to sing along. The lyrics feature the word “sing” a whopping seventy-three times, so if that doesn’t show how determined he is to convince you, I don’t know what else would.

The chorus is especially catchy, with a simple drum beat, a rattling tambourine, and Hozier’s clear, crisp vocals guiding you through. Like any good sing-along song, it’s not too intimidating; Hozier makes sure to keep the vocals fairly simple, with minimal runs and clear pronunciation. Of course it still sounds stunning, because he has one of those distinct voices that can’t be replicated, but the slight simplification of his usually more extensive display of vocal range is charming and warm, as he invites you to sing along. The accompaniment of a gospel choir backing his vocals further adds to the warmth, urging you to let go of your worries and simply get lost in the music. And maybe I’m biased due to my obsession with the richness of Hozier’s vocals, but I had no problem listening to the singer’s advice—it’s  a song you want to sing along to, regardless of the lyrics.

“Love Me” by Felix Cartal & Lights

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By Danielle Bulhoes

“Love Me” is Lights’ first new release of 2019. With some help from Felix Cartal supplying EDM sounds to the track, “Love Me” is a song that grabs you by the hand and drags you onto the dance floor. Twisting you around until you don’t know which way is up or down, “Love Me” leaves you dizzy.

Starting with the lines “you know I give”, Lights immediately sets the tone for the song: frustration and longing. The straight dance sound of the track acts as a front that the singer puts on for the listener, much like she does for her love interest.

“You’re leaving me hanging

So I’ma play cool when you think I wouldn’t

Liquor by the pool and I know you’re looking

While I dissect conversations

Maybe there’s something there for once?

I’m trying not to let these mind games play me

I’m down to be your casual lady

As long as I got you loving on me”

Lights shoots the lyrics at the audience in rapid-fire succession, taking a slower pace during the chorus to allow herself and the listener a chance to breathe. She’s breathless with obsession, chasing after a love interest that doesn’t seem to have the share her feelings.  

The sound of the track and story the lyrics are perfectly paired. The singer is giddy and playful with the listener while her words express her dissatisfaction with her romantic situation, expressing a carefree attitude while dealing with a one-sided crush that she can’t get off her mind.

The singer never does bridge that distance between her and her love interest, the tension between them going unresolved. The song ends in a similar fashion, suddenly ending while you’re hoping for more.

“Love Me” is a fantastic dance track from Lights and Felix Cartal that’ll keep you dancing until daybreak.

Carly Rae Jepsen, “Now That I Found You” (2019)

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by Chelsea Ives

Carly Rae Jepsen is a name which has recently resurfaced, and it immediately triggers flashbacks of sweaty, sticky high school dances and nervous smiles shared across a dance floor. With her previous album released in 2015, the “Call Me Maybe” singer recently released her newest single, “Now That I Found You” for her forthcoming album due in 2019.

The Canadian singer/songwriter has created a lovely story in her song, “Now that I Found you”. If you watch the music video released with the song, the lyrics, “now that I’ve found you” take on a whole new level of meaning. A sweet story of an adopted kitten and the love between a pet-mom and pet – it’s the love story we never knew we wanted, but that we definitely needed. The song tells a story that anyone can relate to – about finding a new love yes, but also if you’ve adopted a pet before, you surely know the feeling. Jepsen said in an interview with Pitchfork:

“‘Now That I Found You’ is about the high you get when a new love starts to change your life. It’s like the rush, rush, rush is better than any drug.’”

 The theme is clear from the lyrics of the song, “Thought it was impossible / It’s just like a miracle,” a universal emotion, a thought everyone has had once in their life – that you would never find love again, but lo and behold! The next love suddenly appears, and with the cutest marmalade kitten in his arms, no less. The lyrics and instrumentation of the song make it a pure radio-pop hit. Jepsen’s sound is a mix of Taylor Swift (Reputation era) and Katy Perry (“Last Friday Night”). The song holds themes of love, but in an up-beat pop ballad begging to get your head boppin’.

Carly Rae Jepsen’s newest single, “Now That I Found You,” part of her 2019 album which is set to be released in 2019.

Boogie – Rainy Days ft. Eminem (2019)

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By Mina Wiebe

On first listen, there’s not really anything revolutionary about Boogie’s new track “Rainy Days”, but its catchiness pulls you in. The first time I heard it I was in the back of my friend’s car after a night of drinking, and I don’t know if it was the booze or the song itself, but my initial impression of the track was that of indifference. The words “bitches” and “hoes” filled my ears, and almost instinctively, I ignored the lyrics and focused on the beat. I don’t know about you, but when I hear lyrics like “I cheat on my queen for a hoe” and “[b]itch, I’m thirsty and blessed”, I sort of assume that the lyrics aren’t going to be anything worth paying attention to. But when you look past the sexist undertones, there’s actually some unexpected substance.

The melancholic chorus tell you exactly what the song is about: “I’ve been thuggin’ through my rainy days for days”. Boogie proceeds to rap about about his past rainy days, how he came from “a place where the shit can get shady” and how his chances were slim. Although it’s not uncommon for rappers to write lyrics about their past struggles, there’s a reason they continue to do so: everyone loves an underdog who comes out on top, and that’s exactly what Boogie does with this song.

Then Eminem comes in, rapping about his own past struggles that he’s had to overcome. “I left my legacy hurt? Fuckin’ absurd” he raps, with his usual anger-filled tone. Like Boogie, Eminem has had his fair share of past struggles, particularly with facing vast amounts of criticism for his often controversial lyrics. Both artists use the lyrics as a way to vent and show people that despite the hardships they’ve faced, they’ve still managed to come out on top. Again, there’s nothing revolutionary about this, but there’s something satisfying about the success of an underdog. Some may say the song is a boastful display of arrogance, but I’d say it’s two people who have worked their asses off and are rightfully proud of overcoming their rainy days.

“So Am I” by Ava Max

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by Danielle Bulhoes

Ava Max’s song “So Am I” is a fun, poppy hit that’s pretty formulaic in its sound. Max tries to distinguish herself with her lyrics though, selling the listener on how it’s okay to be unique and different when the music to her song does none of that. It’s a very odd mixture of lyrics and melody.

I’ve heard songs that mix happy lyrics with sombre or haunting melodies, or sad lyrics with upbeat tunes. Those times, these songs I had listened to had a duality to them. I could appreciate both sides of what the artist was trying to do and how the blend of expressions allowed for a more nuanced listening of the track.

Max’s track doesn’t really do that for me. To me, it sounds like she’s trying to fit in with the ‘hipster/outcast’ crowd in order to sell her music. It comes off as a little inauthentic and contrived. It’s filled with cliched lines of how it’s fine to not fit in while the buoyant music very much tries to fit into the popular music scene.  

I think my favourite lines from the lyrics are, “Do you ever feel like an outcast? /You don’t have to fit into the format/ Oh, but it’s ok to be different/ ‘Cause baby, so am I”.

Really?

And that message of being different and not having to “fit into the format”, is the most effective when paired with a high energy pop beat that’s probably being blasted through a neon-lit club right now?

“So Am I” by Ava Max is an okay track that’s perky and fun, but the lyrics are seriously out of place here, creating a disconnection between the form and the message. It is ok to be different, but I don’t think the best way to be different is to conform to popular music just to sell your single.

Billie Eilish “wish you were gay” (2019)

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           Even though Billie Eilish’s new released track, “wish you were gay” sounds like a simple ballad, there are so many hidden elements in it that are heard each time you press the play button. What makes this track unique is that it is written by Billie and her brother, and it gears away from her “possessive act” in her other latest released track “Bury A Friend.” It is gentle and warm with pinches of twisted characteristics that follow throughout.

           “Wish you were gay” begins with nothing but Billie’s tenderly soft vocals and a raw acoustic guitar to follow; however, this changes quickly after the first verse is sung because it drops a reverb and a sub-bass that causes a rippling effect throughout the rest of the track. The tempo is easy to follow because it is a slowed down “boom boom clap” that is heard in Queen’s admired song “We Will Rock You.” The tempo also works as a metaphor for the hidden audience that can be heard engaging and cheering on Billie through her breakup story. My favorite lines in the track are “I just kind of wish you were gay/ To spare my pride/ To give your lack of interest an explanation” because that way Billie, me, you, and everyone on the face of this earth as a legitimate excuse for their breakup. The track ends like the beginning, soft vocals and acoustics, but fades out with the sound of an audience’s warped clapping. It leaves you wondering what the next song on the album is going to be.

 Billie’s upcoming album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? is set to release this March 29th. With two really well thought out songs already released from this album, I am curious to hear what other hidden elements are included in it.

-Maria