So super fly

I can just imagine J.R. Rotem sitting around, thinking, "You know, 'S.O.S.' was a big hit for Rihanna...if I've got this other pop-R&B chick who had some decent success with her first album [author's note: which had three good-to-great singles taken from it] and is looking to really break through with this second one, maybe all I need to do is go find another '80's hit to sample."

So, if you're J.R., what do you do? Go search for another '80's anthem with a dark bassline that you can use for a unfightable dancefloor-ready pop track? Nope. You go straight for Nena's "99 Luftballons." And turn that into a bouncey mid-tempo song (about, say, Mariah's "Heartbreaker" in tempo) about how fantastic the singer looks with her sunglasses, skinny jeans, and Gucci bag. If you think too much about, your head might start spinning at the thought of "flossy, flossy, baby, I do it right" covering over the synth hook from Nena's song about the dangers of nuclear weapons, but really, for most people, was the joy of Nena's song--a hit in the U.S. in its German form and surely unintelligible to most Americans--really about the lyrics or that can't-get-it-out-of-your-head and actually pretty joyful music? "Stunned Out" is kind of ridiculous, but it somehow manages to keep that joy, albeit in a transformed urban-synth-pop version that feels perfect for the summer. Is it kind of goofy? Yes (and some people are going to hate it for what it does to a classic), but only in the best possible way.

This song is not yet available for purchase, but you can buy the artist's self-titled debut album here (physical) or here (digital; only available to U.S. residents). "Walk Away" (best in its rap-free form) is underrated, as is "Easy," and "Doing Too Much" is fun mid-tempo urban pop fluff.

Next up: probably a Dutch song I've written about before.