Ozzy Wagenseil, ‘22

February 2020

For this review, I will be using the source https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100. I will listen to the top 10 songs so far of the week and review them based on lyrics, singing/rapping, and beats. In the end, I will calculate the average ranking of that song based on those three categories. This list is also in the order that the website lists the songs.

10. “everything i wanted” Billie Eilish: Well, Billie Eilish has successfully created a calm mood in this song. The beat, brilliantly produced by Finneas, is very touching. The soft piano notes speak a lot and the soothing drums are calming for anyone who should listen to it. Billie’s singing is much better than her whispering as it is more vocal and goes from low to high notes, showing her range and how it fits with the song. And as for the lyrics, it is really fascinating to read a story about her and how this song was spurred out from a singular dream and how thoughtful it is to her. This is best displayed with, “I had a dream I got everything I wanted But when I wake up, I see You with me” and “And you say, "As long as I'm here No one can hurt you Don't wanna lie here But you can learn to.”

Lyrics: 8/10. Singing/Rapping: 8/10. Beat: 9/10. Average: ~8/10.

9.  “Don’t Start Now” Dua Lipa: Damn. Does pop just now have cool bass lines nowadays? The only part of the song that sticks out among the rest is the beat alone, especially the bass. It is very groovy and just overall funky. It makes this song very repeatable and allows the listener to get lost in their own world. The singing from Dua Lipa adds some flavor to the song, but nothing, in particular, seems to be appealing as she sings just like anyone else would for a groovy beat like this. The lyrics spell out a story of a guy (obvious from a Dua Lipa song) and also show no uniqueness, as seen by, “Aren't you the guy who tried to Hurt me with the word ‘goodbye’?” as well as “Don't show up, don't come out Don't start caring about me now.” But what a great song overall.

Lyrics: 7/10. Singing/Rapping: 7/10. Beat: 9/10. Average: ~8/10.

8. “10,000 Hours” Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber: This song seems like it could be any Ed Sheeran song ever, Only it features  Justin Bieber. The song does not seem to possess any originality when compared to other folk-pop songs. For starters, the beat is that of simple strumming of a guitar. This beat is similar to other songs along with the same genre and has no extra features that make it unique. The vocals of this song are lighter and more whole-hearted than many others of the genre, but they do not differ in tone. But the vocals are especially good in the final chorus of the song. The lyrics are very generic. They are  about having a deep love for the person that you love, best exemplified by the lyric: “I'd spend ten thousand hours and ten thousand more, Oh, if that's what it takes to learn that sweetheart of yours, And I might never get there, but I'm gonna try.”

Lyrics: 6/10. Singing/Rapping: 7/10. Beat: 7/10. Average: ~7/10.

7. “Roxanne” Arizona Zervas: Well, at least the cover art for this song is dope. As a melodic rap song, it does pretty much fill the standard expectations of what it has to be. The autotune on its own is enough to hint at the contents of the song, setting expectations low. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the rapping is just generic and shows no signs of effort. And, oh my, the bar may already be low but Arizona Zervas does his best to lower it from there. Telling a story of a girl you meet at a party also shows how low-effort and generic the song is. And there are lyrics as well that was especially annoying to me. For instance, “She from, Malibu, Malibu, If you ain't gotta foreign then she laughs at you, Malibu, Malibu, Spending daddy's money with an attitude.” However, there is an upside to this song which is the beat. The beat is very simple, but at the same time, it is very calm and soothing, giving you creative feelings about life.

Lyrics: 6/10. Singing/Rapping: 6/10. Beat: 7/10. Average: ~7/10.

6. “Someone You Loved” Lewis Capaldi: Wow. This song is very depressing. Sad boi hours. The piano playing is very standard and similar to other piano riffs, but that does not mean it isn’t very raw and emotional. It makes one feel very emotional and down. Speaking of sadness, the lyrics are just as somber. Lewis Capaldi’s chorus delivers a lot of raw feelings. The chorus states: “Now the day bleeds, Into nightfall, And you're not here, To get me through it all.” This guy needs a big hug with what feelings he’s suffering. Finally, the singing, of course, is diverse with low and high ranges, especially evident in the chorus and the third verse. In all, this is just a beautiful, sad song.

Lyrics: 9/10. Singing/Rapping: 9/10. Beat: 8/10. Average: ~9/10.

5. “Dance Monkey” Tones and I: Well this is… quite something. It takes a couple of listens to the song to actually realize the cool weirdness it possesses. The lyrics are what bring the song down, as it is very repetitive and provides no meaning or message. Best evident with “Dance for me, dance for me, dance for me, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh” and “They say move for me, move for me, move for me, ay, ay, ay.” However, the high note vocals make these lyrics fit in with the fantastic beat of the song. The singing could be seen as annoying at first, but then it does really sound good. The beat makes solid use of simple piano notes that also matches with a cool bass line in the chorus. The song even sounds like something that Wes Anderson would make if he was ever a music producer.

Lyrics: 6/10. Singing/ Rapping: 8/10. Beat: 9/10. Average: ~8/10.

4. “Memories” Maroon 5: For a Maroon 5 song, this is not that bad.  It is certainly better than some other songs they have released. What’s really good about this song is the beat. The beat has nice guitar picking. And that’s just it. It is simple and brings a nice tone to the singer’s state of emotion at the moment. And no extra instruments are distracting the listener from the guitar. Surprisingly, Adam Levine’s voice is not as annoying as it is in other songs by Maroon 5. His voice is calmer and seems to greatly express the unpretentious tone of his memories. It makes one remember all the good things about life and how they were able to enjoy it And finally, the lyrics do convey a great feeling of remembering those in your life, whether they are here. It is not like being sad or happy, just harboring those treasured thoughts. The lyrics that can explain this well are, “Here's to the ones that we got, Cheers to the wish you were here, but you're not, 'Cause the drinks to bring back all the memories.”

Lyrics: 8/10. Singing/Rapping: 8/10. Beat: 8/10. Average: ~8/10.

3. “Circles” Post Malone: The debut song for Post Malone's new album is very good. The beat, for starters, is a nice guitar melody with the perfect blend of drums and other instruments, providing the song with a new Post Malone style. The lyrics of the song, while slow and dull, do give the song a memorable chorus. The chorus goes as follows: “Seasons change and our love went cold, Feed the flame 'cause we can't let go, Run away, but we're running in circles, Run away, run away.” These two parts of the song make up for the singing that is subpar compared to Malone’s other songs, but it is a great song despite its few flaws. 

Lyrics: 7/10. Singing/Rapping: 7/10. Beat: 8/10. Average: ~7/10.

2. “Life Is Good” Future and Drake: Kind of displeased that this song could be so much better, especially with these two rapping on it. First off, the rapping sounds are incredibly boring. There are many pauses throughout the song after each rapper says one line, especially Future. It sounds more like a conversation that someone added a beat to.  The beat switch is nice for any kind of song, except for this one it is very dull. The second beat has a bit more energy, but none so to make a difference at all. And the lyrics are just awful. The best example being, “Yeah, I ride for my ni**as I lie to my bi*ch, woo.” I am just very disappointed.

Lyrics: 6/10. Singing/Rapping: 5/10. Beat: 6/10. Average: ~6/10.

1. “The Box” Roddy Ricch: Who knew that at the beginning of a new decade, the phrase “Eee Urr” would be a lyric to the current #1 song on the Billboard Top 100. This hit song from Roddy Ricch’s debut album surely is odd, but kind of nice to listen to. Roddy’s way of rapping is different as he also incorporates some singing into it, which gives the song a better takeoff and delivery. The beat is out of the ordinary with such an odd phrase used in it, but it works in a way that shows Roddy’s style and vibe in this song, proving he is cool with his lyrics and rapping. Speaking of, the lyrics at first seem typical, but he does make references to external events from the song, such as “I done put my whole arm in the rim, Vince Carter'' and “Got a bi*ch that's looking like Aaliyah, she a model,” referencing Vince Carter's famous slam dunk and the late R&B singer Aaliyah, respectively.

Lyrics: 7/10. Singing/Rapping: 8/10. Beat: 8/10. Average: ~8/10.