Calvin Harris - 'Ready For The Weekend'
Ah Calvin Harris, Calvin Harris. A very nowadays sort of a pop star. He's on Twitter, he's good with the synths and he likes to sing his own songs, he makes little videos for YouTube, he's a festival regular, he's got the clever ideas, and the tunes, he's got that 'Can Do' attitude, and he effortlessly overcomes the fact that his records are not selling on the back of his astonishing good looks and vocal charisma, by making them stick in the mind like a harpoon in a watermelon.
Heck, he can even get away with the autotune in this song, by drafting in a proper singer to make it take off just at the point when it starts to get a bit monotonous.
And this is where a new Calvin Harris song requires proper scientific analysis. How else can you accurately rate the quality of a song like this, when it hops over the gulf between 'amazing' and 'a little drab' with such nimble grace?
(. In which Calvin gives new meaning to the phrase "a hole in the '0' zone layer".)
Things Which Should See Him Lose Marks:
Thing 1: The weekend again? Really? Remember when he was all about the girls he fancied. Girls from the '80s, girls from anywhere. Girls, girls, girls, that's all he could talk about. And now it's weekends and dancing.
On The Other Hand: Girls, dancing and weekends...does rather show that he has an appreciation of the finer things in pop life. None of this "my soul burns to be at one with your divine aura" nonsense. It's all "I wanna go dancing, I wanna snog a girl, I wanna PARTY!". To get this across without sounding like a drunken letch is worth a slap on the back at the very least.
Thing 2: Aw...the "weekend" thing just made me remember how good 'I'm Not Alone' is. I should really go back and give that an extra star. I mean, this is sort of a four-star pop song, definitely above average, if a little anonymous at times. Maybe it's a three? The verses are a three. The bits leading up to the chorus are possibly a three-and-a-half.
On The Other Hand: You cannot argue with that chorus. That's one fantastic chorus right there. Verse two is brilliant too.
Thing 3: The whole 'Jam TV' thing. It's fine to kick off because some media people have asked you to open a jar of jam as part of their backstage festival coverage. You're an artist, and therefore above such silly nonsense. People should be shaking your hand and misting up, before vowing never to wash again. Also, it's probably not the best idea for content that there has ever been.
That said, if you then go about making videos of your great showbiz mates opening jars of jam and then looking grumpily into a camera...what exactly are you doing which is so very different? You're making the same videos of people opening jam jars, but ironically? Can't wait to see Katy Perry's ironic response to your ironic response to the original deliberately, ironically bad idea with the jam jar and - Zzzzz...
On The Other Hand: If he got Van Morrison to do it, I would lead a parade through the streets at the brilliance of life in general.
CONCLUSION: Let's just assume the verses are there to make the chorus look even better, and get on with our lives. 'K? 'K.
Download: Out now
CD Released: August 10th
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Music page
(Fraser McAlpine)
Comment number 1.
At 5th Aug 2009, spirit wrote:I have loved Calvin Harris's Ready 4 the weekend for what seems like an absolute age .
It is one of those brilliant songs , that makes you wanna hit the dancefloor and dance with someone who makes you feel special .
The chorus is pure pop heaven .
As I said months ago , this track is going top ten at least , and is a great lead single to promote the album of the same name .
"I put on my shoes and I'm ready for the weekend ! "
Great stuff.
And with Calvin producing Dizzee's Holiday , he may as well get some pillows and make himself comfortable for life in the singles chart !
Oh and by the way Calvin , you did an excellent remix of Supernova !
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Comment number 2.
At 10th Aug 2009, pasotortoise wrote:a more upbeat tune than i'm not alone, and the chorus sounds as though singer is on ecstasy, but in the world of calvin, that is a good thing.
i agree with Fraser on the rating.
Top 5
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Comment number 3.
At 11th Aug 2009, spirit wrote:Yep Top 4 !
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