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I've had a theory for a while-- when grunge seemed to kill the vapid, narcissistic beast that was hair metal (see also: butt rock), the whole personality of that scene reemerged in R&B almost immediately. So when the rock stations turned dour and serious, the pop stations started to feature songs by guys who sang about how much money they 
have, how awesome their cars are, how wild and excessive their parties are, and how many sleazy women are in their bed nightly.
I think I've discovered another parallel between those two genres: eventually, any party rockin' hairspray consumer would pick up an acoustic guitar or plop down behind a piano and write a sad, sensitive song about the girl who is now peeling the spandex off another (probably inferior) rocker.
So my first entry is a type of song I haven't heard in many, many years: the power ballad. From the guitar opening, it easily could have been the intro to a lost love song by Warrant or Extreme circa 1989... and honestly, the programmed beats and electronic flourish that fill out the body of the song don't change all that much-- this song is totally a lost love power ballad.
Going back to my ignorance, this is the first Nelly song I've heard, and while it is sort of what I expected from a chart topper (in that it's incredibly bland-- I couldn't have asked for a more average song), I'm pleasantly surprised by a few things.
First, it's not noticeably autotuned, which is nice, and indicates that Nelly might be actually be able to sing... it's still a dodgy bet, because anything might have been done to his voice with the sparkly, platinum dusted production on this song.
Second, the bridge is awesomely ironic-- it mixes the club anthem “put your hands up” with the power ballad pull-back. So all of the beats go away and all you've got is a very quiet, plaintive guitar. Kinda makes you cry, eh? And then (remember, there are no beats here) the lyrics are “If you've ever been in love, put your hands up.” I don't know if someone's being clever and subverting a cliché, or if it's just the most misplaced “put your hands up” call-out since Jon LaJoie. Either way, I thought it was pretty entertaining.
have, how awesome their cars are, how wild and excessive their parties are, and how many sleazy women are in their bed nightly.I think I've discovered another parallel between those two genres: eventually, any party rockin' hairspray consumer would pick up an acoustic guitar or plop down behind a piano and write a sad, sensitive song about the girl who is now peeling the spandex off another (probably inferior) rocker.
So my first entry is a type of song I haven't heard in many, many years: the power ballad. From the guitar opening, it easily could have been the intro to a lost love song by Warrant or Extreme circa 1989... and honestly, the programmed beats and electronic flourish that fill out the body of the song don't change all that much-- this song is totally a lost love power ballad.
Going back to my ignorance, this is the first Nelly song I've heard, and while it is sort of what I expected from a chart topper (in that it's incredibly bland-- I couldn't have asked for a more average song), I'm pleasantly surprised by a few things.
First, it's not noticeably autotuned, which is nice, and indicates that Nelly might be actually be able to sing... it's still a dodgy bet, because anything might have been done to his voice with the sparkly, platinum dusted production on this song.
Second, the bridge is awesomely ironic-- it mixes the club anthem “put your hands up” with the power ballad pull-back. So all of the beats go away and all you've got is a very quiet, plaintive guitar. Kinda makes you cry, eh? And then (remember, there are no beats here) the lyrics are “If you've ever been in love, put your hands up.” I don't know if someone's being clever and subverting a cliché, or if it's just the most misplaced “put your hands up” call-out since Jon LaJoie. Either way, I thought it was pretty entertaining.
Not a bad start, but I don't see myself becoming a fan...
Stay with the song, walk away, or run like hell:
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