Attack of the hipster goombas!"Party Rock Anthem" (ft. Lauren Bennett, Goonrock) has been a wildly successful single for party rock duo LMFAO, which should come as no surprise - it's one of the most unapologetically formulaic pop songs to come around since Taio Cruz's "Dynamite". Like "Dynamite", and, indeed, most of LMFAO's catalog, "Party Rock Anthem" features a syncopated minor key chord progression and a straight ahead dance beat. Similar to many pop hits, it covers topics like partying, good times, and putting one's hands in the air.
While the song is generally catchy, danceable, and fun, it has its weaknesses, most notably its bridge and, well, its bridge. Exhorting listeners to "get up, get down, put [their] hands up to the sound" repeatedly, it fails to maintain the subtle illusion of not listening to unreasonably repetitive music that the rest of the song manages to uphold.
The bridge, like any part of a good song, should introduce compelling new lyrical and/or musical themes. Since there is scarcely any fresh lyrical content, and since the singer is, in fact, a "featured artist" on the song, it would actually make a lot of sense for this section to focus on introducing new melodic material. Instead, we get two - count 'em - two notes for a good 30 seconds of song time.
Like a reverse Yngwie Malmsteen
Disappointing bridge aside, "Party Rock Anthem" brings enough party, rock and anthem to the table to live up to its name. Hopefully, the LMFAO boys will put a little more effort into crafting their next mega-hit.
While the song is generally catchy, danceable, and fun, it has its weaknesses, most notably its bridge and, well, its bridge. Exhorting listeners to "get up, get down, put [their] hands up to the sound" repeatedly, it fails to maintain the subtle illusion of not listening to unreasonably repetitive music that the rest of the song manages to uphold.
The bridge, like any part of a good song, should introduce compelling new lyrical and/or musical themes. Since there is scarcely any fresh lyrical content, and since the singer is, in fact, a "featured artist" on the song, it would actually make a lot of sense for this section to focus on introducing new melodic material. Instead, we get two - count 'em - two notes for a good 30 seconds of song time.
Like a reverse Yngwie MalmsteenDisappointing bridge aside, "Party Rock Anthem" brings enough party, rock and anthem to the table to live up to its name. Hopefully, the LMFAO boys will put a little more effort into crafting their next mega-hit.
Right, not like that.
Tee hee.
ReplyDeleteWhat's with all the bad bridges in pop music? They seem to come as an afterthought to the song. There's never lyrics to them either, mostly just grunts and groans.
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