Saturday, May 20, 2006

I Put My Blue Jeans On

This is one of those default covers they put on a single when they can't figure out how to express the song in a picture. The black/white/navy/denim theme's really starting to set in now which, while it's a nice change from the black/white theme, is starting to grate because of its irritating same-ness.

Nicky looks suitably sexy with his blue sweater and man-jewellery, especially with just a hint that Donkey-Man might be waiting in the wings. Shane looks completely vacant, like his brain's just stopped working. Kian's got a haircut that rivals his recent hippie-do for hideousness (Forelock! Argh!), Mark's hiding in the back, and Bryan's wearing possibly the most unflattering jacket of all time. It makes him look like a flabby gorilla.

The b-sides here are absolutely superb. A cover of Greased Lightning is an rollicking delight, with every member displaying a voice that suggests every hipthrust is being done right there in the studio. It's a grand nod to the past too, for many fans - Shane, Kian and Mark met during a school production of Grease, though there's no way that performance could have exceeded the one here.

The other b-side, You See Friends (I See Lovers) is probably one of Westlife's most triumphant songwriting moments. Sticking with the basic format of I Won't Let You Down from the Hey Whatever single, the song features back-and-forth vocals between Mark and Bryan. But whilst I Won't Let You Down was only fantastic, this song is spectacular. The lyrics are wonderfully interwoven into delicate, nuanced harmonies, and are injected with beautifully quirky vocal acrobatics - Mark's final falsetto, especially, is a bizarre little trademark that lifts itself out of 'just plain odd' and becomes magical and perfect, made even better by the little laugh included at the very end of the track. It's a delight, worth a thousand of Mandy.

4 comments:

Yaara said...
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Yaara said...

Grace! You should be acknowledged more often for your sheer brilliance. I very much enjoyed reading this blog through, and will keep coming back for more. You made me laugh, you made me cry (well, not really), and then you made me laugh again. Thumbs and toes up.

Oh, and I've bought "Mandy" purely for the b-sides.

[Oh, and this attempt went better than the last one cause I actually read through before hitting "publish"]

Grace Suter said...

Lol, thanks Yaara! I do try :-)

And I think EVERYONE bought Mandy for the b-sides.

Grace Suter said...

Ah, screw you Megan :-)