Party Anthems
If you are not lyricalecho, you are probably unaware that Heffron Drive is my new musical obsession. Now, I could tell you that they're this obscure indie pop duo that I discovered by chance, and you would believe that I am a cultured and discerning fan of music, and I'd feel all proud and hipster-ish that I knew about them and you didn't.
But, well, you all know me, so I'll level with you. The only reason I know about Heffron Drive is that one of its members - Kendall Schmidt - is a member of Big Time Rush.
[cue facepalm from all my non-BTR friends]
But wait! Don't roll your eyes and scroll away just yet! I PROMISE THAT I WILL MAKE THIS ENTRY APPLY TO YOU.
Even if you're not a massive, stupid BTR fangirl, I guarantee that you'll like Heffron Drive (unless you don't like solid, well written pop that makes you smile when you hear it, in which case I don't really know what to do for you). They have very few songs available - I've only found five floating around YouTube, and I don't believe they've released an album. But, to bring us to the point of this post, I'd like to share my current addiction: their song entitled Better Get To Moving.
As you may have noticed, this song is Heffron Drive's party anthem (in case you didn't notice that "I wanna see you jump on the dance floor" bit).
Today in school, while I was listening to this song for possibly the five hundredth time since I put it on my iPod, it occurred to me how much my obsession with this song reflects my gradual change in music tastes over the past few years. When I was in middle school/when I was an underclassman, if you had asked me if I liked pop, I would have gone on a tirade against the very concept. I used to listen to Evanescence and My Chemical Romance, as well as bands that actually weren't pop like Coheed & Cambria and Nightwish, and I took myself very seriously for this. I wrote snippets of angsty lyrics on my school papers or my hand, and I guess I thought I was cooler that people who listened regularly to Kiss (the radio station).
That's changed, of course, as I have realized that I am not cool, I never was cool, and I am unlikely to be cool at any point in the near future. So, I've settled for just being me, and having fun. At first, I would insist that while I was okay with pop, I only liked music with good, interesting lyrics. Which is...still mostly true-ish?
But I mean. I recently spent at least two weeks of my life listening non-stop to the music of tween pop sensations. So clearly I've dropped my pretentious standards completely. I still don't like most rap (especially the oversexualized songs), and the majority of modern pop/R&B on the radio is largely a little bit boring. But the hits? The songs that get overplayed and parodied and turned into memes? I love them. They're catchy and fun, and there's a certain appeal to having a song come on and being able to sing along with everybody in the room. Of course I still appreciate interesting and well written and well performed music, but I don't discriminate anymore. There are plenty of moments when I just want to put on some music and dance around my room.
This brings us back to the subject of party anthems. Generally, pop artists will be able to group their songs into categories: happy love songs, sad love songs, songs about fame/independence, sexy songs, and party anthems. And if you look, you find an overwhelming majority of this last category in the top hits. Ke$ha had Tik Tok. The Black Eyed Peas had I Gotta Feeling. ...There was that guy who sang that "I throw my hands up in the air sometimes" song (Dynamite? IDK). And even going further back...I mean, Abba's Dancing Queen is like the grandfather of all party anthems. There's just something about songs that glorify going out and having a good time and dancing that makes them insanely likable.
And even though I very rarely throw my hands in the air without looking silly, and I have never found myself imploring the DJ to turn up the volume or calling all my boys and girls to the dance floor, I am no exception. Party anthems make me want to party. There is nothing bad I can say about them. Even though you could make the case that they're shallow, you could also make the case that they're expressions of of of the most basic human emotions there is. I don't want to get too lofty here, because these are literally the least lofty songs in the world, but party anthems may connect the root of why we like music - why early humans started banging sticks on rocks and decided they liked the rhythm. Give me a beat that makes me want to move, give me a tune that makes me want to sing, and instinct will take over before my pretentiousness gets the chance.
I was almost hesitant to decide that Better Get To Moving was my favorite Heffron Drive song, because there are other songs they've done that seem more deserving of being my favorite. Many of their lyrics are much more serious and emotional, and I truly love listening to them. But at the end of the day, there's something compelling about the party anthem.
Since I admitted recently that I am fascinated by Ke$ha and her music to a degree that is truly stupid, there's really no use denying anything anymore.
But, well, you all know me, so I'll level with you. The only reason I know about Heffron Drive is that one of its members - Kendall Schmidt - is a member of Big Time Rush.
[cue facepalm from all my non-BTR friends]
But wait! Don't roll your eyes and scroll away just yet! I PROMISE THAT I WILL MAKE THIS ENTRY APPLY TO YOU.
Even if you're not a massive, stupid BTR fangirl, I guarantee that you'll like Heffron Drive (unless you don't like solid, well written pop that makes you smile when you hear it, in which case I don't really know what to do for you). They have very few songs available - I've only found five floating around YouTube, and I don't believe they've released an album. But, to bring us to the point of this post, I'd like to share my current addiction: their song entitled Better Get To Moving.
Click to viewAs you may have noticed, this song is Heffron Drive's party anthem (in case you didn't notice that "I wanna see you jump on the dance floor" bit).
Today in school, while I was listening to this song for possibly the five hundredth time since I put it on my iPod, it occurred to me how much my obsession with this song reflects my gradual change in music tastes over the past few years. When I was in middle school/when I was an underclassman, if you had asked me if I liked pop, I would have gone on a tirade against the very concept. I used to listen to Evanescence and My Chemical Romance, as well as bands that actually weren't pop like Coheed & Cambria and Nightwish, and I took myself very seriously for this. I wrote snippets of angsty lyrics on my school papers or my hand, and I guess I thought I was cooler that people who listened regularly to Kiss (the radio station).
That's changed, of course, as I have realized that I am not cool, I never was cool, and I am unlikely to be cool at any point in the near future. So, I've settled for just being me, and having fun. At first, I would insist that while I was okay with pop, I only liked music with good, interesting lyrics. Which is...still mostly true-ish?
But I mean. I recently spent at least two weeks of my life listening non-stop to the music of tween pop sensations. So clearly I've dropped my pretentious standards completely. I still don't like most rap (especially the oversexualized songs), and the majority of modern pop/R&B on the radio is largely a little bit boring. But the hits? The songs that get overplayed and parodied and turned into memes? I love them. They're catchy and fun, and there's a certain appeal to having a song come on and being able to sing along with everybody in the room. Of course I still appreciate interesting and well written and well performed music, but I don't discriminate anymore. There are plenty of moments when I just want to put on some music and dance around my room.
This brings us back to the subject of party anthems. Generally, pop artists will be able to group their songs into categories: happy love songs, sad love songs, songs about fame/independence, sexy songs, and party anthems. And if you look, you find an overwhelming majority of this last category in the top hits. Ke$ha had Tik Tok. The Black Eyed Peas had I Gotta Feeling. ...There was that guy who sang that "I throw my hands up in the air sometimes" song (Dynamite? IDK). And even going further back...I mean, Abba's Dancing Queen is like the grandfather of all party anthems. There's just something about songs that glorify going out and having a good time and dancing that makes them insanely likable.
And even though I very rarely throw my hands in the air without looking silly, and I have never found myself imploring the DJ to turn up the volume or calling all my boys and girls to the dance floor, I am no exception. Party anthems make me want to party. There is nothing bad I can say about them. Even though you could make the case that they're shallow, you could also make the case that they're expressions of of of the most basic human emotions there is. I don't want to get too lofty here, because these are literally the least lofty songs in the world, but party anthems may connect the root of why we like music - why early humans started banging sticks on rocks and decided they liked the rhythm. Give me a beat that makes me want to move, give me a tune that makes me want to sing, and instinct will take over before my pretentiousness gets the chance.
I was almost hesitant to decide that Better Get To Moving was my favorite Heffron Drive song, because there are other songs they've done that seem more deserving of being my favorite. Many of their lyrics are much more serious and emotional, and I truly love listening to them. But at the end of the day, there's something compelling about the party anthem.
Since I admitted recently that I am fascinated by Ke$ha and her music to a degree that is truly stupid, there's really no use denying anything anymore.