[Tracks] To say I’ve been blowing it…
…on the blogging front would be an understatement. I wont bore you with the reasons, but I’m back now and will attempt to return to a (somewhat) regular posting schedule.
As the year and decade come to a close, we’ll have lots of good coverage of our some of our favorite stuff. But forget favorites for now. The song I’ve listened to MOST this year, 2009, more than “My Girls,” “Wavin’ Flag,” “Stillness is the Move,” “Two Weeks,” and “Party and Bullshit in the U.S.A.” is from an artist I wouldn’t have expected.
I remember the first time I heard it: my girlfriend wanted to play me a new song. She covered my eyes, put it on, paused it immediately before the lead vocals kicked in and asked “What do you think?”
I replied with something along the lines of, “What’s not to like? Weird tinny backing vocals, synth, funky bassline… I’ve been hoping pop music would start to bite from electronic dance music the way it’s done from hip-hop and R&B for the last 15 years.”
My girlfriend hit the space bar again. I recognized the voice and, in turn, my mistake. In reality, my girlfriend had wanted to trick me into admitting my feelings about the song before I knew who it was, and she had succeeded.
As someone who, up until three weeks ago, had been paying close attention to the internet music world, I pride myself on having a certain standard for the music I listen to. I’m not going to get teary at Taylor Swift and Max Martin isn’t going to get me on the dancefloor. Generally, I like my pop music with a twist, something to make it stand out, lyrically, musically, whatever. There are plenty of exceptions (my Dave Matthews phase, Rick Ross, etc.), and I’m not a total snob (I hope), but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit embarrassed by my affinity for this song.
My girlfriend played me this track right before we moved to Chile in August and I was hoping that it’d turn into one of those songs I listened to on the sly, you know, only only or with headphones in crowded areas with my finger on the next track button, in case I ran into someone I knew.
Instead, I haven’t been able to escape this song for the last four months. The version they play down here is in Spanish, but the gist of the song is the same. The song: Shakira’s “She Wolf.”
I’m not going to defend this. In fairness to me, when I say it’s the song “I’ve listened to most” this year, it’s because every store seems to put on “La Loba” once an hour, and not because I’ve had it on repeat for four months. It’s not my favorite song of the year, and I’m not sure it’s great pop music, but it’s mighty enjoyable for my ears.
Shakira - La Loba
Shakira - She Wolf
Shakira - She Wolf (Calvin Harris Remix)
Shakira - She Wolf (Pance Party Remix)
(The above image is, indeed, a she wolf in our closet. Practical joke from the ladyfriend a few months ago that still makes me laugh every morning I’m going for a tie.)
