#3 Westlife, "Something Right"

I got nothing left to prove
And it's all because of you

(Yes, it got radio airplay in some countries in 2007 and I loved it then, but with no proper promotion of it, I decided not to count it as a single; in 2008, with a music video--which I'm choosing not to embed because it includes the inferior single mix--and single cover art released for it [and some consultation], it counts as an actual "single" according to my definition.)

Early into my time in Sweden, I found myself stuck on a bus miles and miles away from a very important place I was supposed to be at with absolutely no chance of making it there by the time I was supposed to. I was, to say the least, a bundle of nerves struggling to keep down the slowly rising panic.

I'd been in Sweden long enough at this point that, though the joy of hearing Swedish radio stations in the real world and not through headphones plugged into a computer was still present, it was no longer a novelty. Stuck in the middle of nowhere-near-where-I-was-supposed-to-be, I was barely even conscious of the fact that, as always, the bus had the radio playing, probably tuned to Rix FM or something like that.

Three minutes later, my heart had slowed to a normal level, a smile had crossed my face, and I was no longer clenching the handrail quite so tightly. I hadn't forgotten everything that had gone wrong, but it no longer seemed like such a big deal.

That's the power of "Something Right." This past year, I could count on no other song to make me feel like, even if everything wasn't right in the world, everything was survivable. As someone living in a country where Westlife have never made it big, I've always been free to cherrypick the good songs of theirs and avoid the ones I don't like, so consequently it's probably been easier for me to have a gently positive attitude towards their existence; if they've only averaged one song I return to over the past three albums, that's fine with me--no one else would have given me those three songs. "Something Right," a Swedish creation, is a mid-tempo boy band pop song, not edgy by any definition, and with a light percussion beat and piano part behind its perfect uplifting pop melody (avoid the single mix which strengthens the drums, though), but that in no way gets across the simple magic of this song. A better classic boy band sound from the past five years you'd be hard pressed to find.

Find it on: Back Home

I know I don't deserve the love you give me...

Do you ever have those times where you listen to a song, think "that's OK," then don't listen to it again for a while before suddenly being struck by a desire to listen to it again and really getting into it? I've kind of fallen in mini-love with Westlife's "Something Right" today and yesterday. It's really a shame "Us Against The World" (a ballad) is going to be a single instead of something like this (and let's ignore their cover of "Home" entirely), which is more upbeat and, come to that, actually has a beat. Anyhow, I imagine you all probably already know who Westlife are--Irish boy band who are kind of infamous at this point, but, even if I'm not really on full album-level terms with them, I really do believe that they can sometimes be the vehicle for some good pop songs--"If I Let You Go," "World Of Our Own," "When You're Looking Like That," "Amazing," and "Hit You With The Real Thing" (if you liked the Backstreet Boys' harder-hitting uptempo songs from the days of yore, there's a good chance you'll enjoy that latter song, and if you miss their ballads from around 2000, "Amazing" is definitely a throwback to those) all come to mind, and I think we can put this song in that category.

Something Right--a mid-tempo upbeat pop song that kind of has a similar vibe to "World Of Our Own;" they'd work well played back-to-back. It's just been able to consistently bring a smile to my face so much the past day or two that I had to post it. The lyrics ("I know I don't deserve the love you give me/But now I understand that/If you want me/I must be doing something right") and the lovely, upbeat but not aggressively so music are a perfect match. It's just so easy to listen to...it's got a very reassuring feel to it.

To buy Westlife's album Back Home, go here (physical) or here (digital).

Next up: maybe something Swedish to go along with the next Melodifestivalen announcement.

It's 99 degrees and the temperature is creepin' up

To close out the month of January, we've got a group everyone knows, but hopefully not a song everyone knows...and before you all give up the moment you hear who it is, just try giving the song a chance; if it came from an unknown group, I have trouble believing it would be met with the passionate hatred that will probably rain down upon it the minute I mention who it's actually by.

Westlife. I've stated my feelings on them before--though I've never bought a full album of theirs (I may do so at some point), I do think they've done some good songs, "Amazing," "World Of Our Own," "If I Let You Go," and especially "When You're Looking Like That" among them. Maybe if I lived in the UK and was forced to listen to all of their songs, my feelings might be different, but since I can pick and choose which songs to listen to, I have nothing against them. Oh, and though I probably wouldn't have liked the album at all, I still think Allow Us To Be Frank was a brilliant title (but this is coming from the girl whose favorite song titles in past years have included "Catch Me When I Fall For You" and "Rockin' On Heaven's Floor," so clearly I like cheesy wordplay).

Anyhow, given that I've not bought any of their albums, I only heard the following song recently, when Paul mentioned their new single "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" was getting remixed and included a link to their MySpace; this song was one of the songs on it, and I immediately liked it. By posting it, I'm hoping to prevent other people from missing out on a good song on an album they might not usually listen to.

Hit You With The Real Thing--first things first: "Hit You With The Real Thing" is uptempo. That might disappoint their ballad fans, but for me, that wins it some automatic points. It also includes phrases like "electro paradise," another "how can you not love it" aspect. Saying the song is electro might be going to far, but it is very danceable and not guitar-driven. It starts out with an admirable amount of tension for a boy band song, thoroughly poppy but with almost the slightest hint of danger, before bursting into the first use of the chorus. One of the big things about Eurovision songs is how long it takes them to hit the chorus; "Hit You With The Real Thing" is sure to give any of them a run for their money by reaching the chorus in 27 seconds. That's right--27 seconds. Given my love for the chorus, that's another point in Westlife's favor--as Roxette would say, don't bore us, get to the chorus (I know, now I'm putting Roxette and Westlife in the same paragraph--how much more heretical can I get)! After that, the verses, which are great, are less minimal and more energetic, though it's still the small explosion of the chorus that seals the deal. Plus, the whole thing's over in under 3 minutes--no messing about or pretension, just pure catchiness and fun and then out. It's a song any boy band from the peak of the boy band era would love to have on their album, but since Westlife made it, many people (myself almost included) will probably never hear it.

To buy Westlife's album Face To Face, go here (physical) or here (digital).

Next up: maybe that Norwegian singer, or the German band, but possibly a dance song.