Bang Bang

I think Jessie J has an absolutely incredible voice.  She, in my opinion, has one of the best voices in the industry right now.  But the only problem I have is I think she is so underrated.

A few months ago I talked about her live performance of her song "Who You Are" in a New York City subway station.  That's a difficult song to sing and she sounded flawless.

The most recent piece of evidence is the song "Bang Bang."  She sings the song with Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj.  While Ariana and Nicki sound good, I think Jessie sounds by far the best.

[Source:  YouTube]

Jessie J does not get the attention she should for that voice she has in her, yet Ariana Grande is the nation's pop princess.  I like Jessie J a lot more than I like Ariana.

Girls

I was listening to The 1975 in the car today and, of course, listened to their song "Girls."  For the first time I actually listened to the lyrics and let them sink in.

Wow.

That's all I am able to say.

The lyrics are very promiscuous.

[Source:  YouTube]

It starts with saying how she is "17 and a half years old / Worrying about my brother finding out / What's the fun in doing what you're told?"

"I said, 'No!' / 'Oh give it a rest, I could persuade you' / 'I'm not your typical, stoned 18 year old / Give me a night I'll make you' / 'I know you're looking for salvation in the secular age, but girl I'm not your savior' / Wrestle to the ground."

The chorus goes, "They're just girls breaking hearts / Eyes bright, uptight, just girls / But she can't be what you need if she's 17 / They're just girls / They're just girls."

"One moment I was tearing off your blouse / Now you're living in my house / What happened to just messing around?"  Now, if she is really 17, why are her parents allowing her to stay in the house of an older man?

"I said, 'Yo, I think you better go; I can't take you / You just sit and get stoned with 30-year-olds and you think you've made it / Well, shouldn't you be f***ing with somebody your age instead of making changes?'"

Now, how I take this song is that this girl is a distraction or someone to "mess around" with.  She's fun and dangerous because she doesn't listen to people, which is why he's into her.  She lives with him because she wants them to be together, but he claims he made it clear that he just wanted to mess around.  The harder he tries to distance himself from her, the harder she tries to stay with him.  That's why he keeps telling himself they she's just a girl.  She is not what he needs because she is only 17.  But this is how I interpret the song.

Comment below to tell me what you think!

I think The 1975 has some of the best songs lyrically and musically.  All around, actually, they're such a talented band.  

Problem

I was never a huge fan of Ariana Grande.  I thought her Summer hit "The Way" featuring rapper Mac Miller was catchy and I knew all of the words, but I wouldn't have the radio on full blast when it would come on.  That's kind of how I feel about her number one single "Problem" featuring "Fancy" rapper Iggy Azalea.

When the song was first released, I actually hated it.  I listened to the preview on iTunes and turned it off before it was finished.  Now, the iTunes previews never really do much for me.  I usually have to listen a song in full before I make my final decision.  At the time, I was too lazy to listen to the complete recording, but I heard the whole thing yesterday.  Yes, it is a fun song.

Ariana Grande's voice is outstanding.  She sounds like Mariah Carey and hits notes that no one ever really knew could be hit.  Here's the song if you haven't heard it.  If you have heard it but dislike it, try again.

[Source:  YouTube]

Hallelujah

I was watching old X Factor performances from both the X Factor UK and US.  I didn't watch X Factor US, but I remember how crazy people went for Carly Rose Sonenclar.  Her voice is incredible.  She was the runner-up in the second season of the show in 2012 but honestly deserved to be the winner.

In the live finals she performed "Hallelujah" and I get goosebumps every time I watch it.

[Source:  YouTube]

Please tell me you did not get goosebumps watching that.  Flawless:  the word I will use to describe her talent.  She sounds absolutely perfect the whole three minutes.  Absolutely perfect.

Welcome to the Black Parade

It doesn't matter what genre a song is if the song has amazing percussion.  If your band has an impressive drummer, you will most likely win over my heart.

My Chemical Romance is one of those bands.  I vividly remember when their song "Welcome to the Black Parade" came out in 2006.  When it was released in 2006, I was in fourth grade, but the song wasn't popular in my school until fifth grade.  Everyone loved it.  It was requested so many times to the DJ at my fifth grade social.  Anyway, when I first heard it, at 11-years-old, the percussion was the thing that caught my attention.

Bob Bryar was the drummer for the band when the song was recorded.  The boy has major talent.  He's like the Stewart Copeland of alternative rock - to me.  In the song, the drums are really apparent, so when you listen to it, the drums kind of smack you right in the face.  But don't worry because the smack doesn't hurt.