Written by Simon Gonzalez. Illustration courtesey of Grace McGlynn.
Yes, if I must be honest, the tragedy of modern pop songs being glanced at like a dead rodent lying on the street: with dismissal and pity, is quite reasonable. Said type of music might even fit into the category of useless, and I frankly recognize its pathetic attempt at pulling the heartstrings of exactly no one by presenting a melody and lyrics filled with awkward rhymes, corny beats, and sappy yelps. I might even go as far as to say that such modern pop songs are hollow, shallow, unoriginal, repetitive, indescribably painful to sit through, and just plain bothersome. It’s just that there’s this one song that I’ve heard during a shuffle spree and I can’t seem to stop indulging…
And sure, that’s truly how it goes with trends in music: they come in like unexpected waves and everyone seems to enjoy them. Then, finally, the true intent of the song seeps through and the message is clear; no one cares about your ex-girlfriend, Charlie. The melody floats away while the words remain, and it (the song) becomes stale like a crisp in dry air and nobody wants to listen anymore. But in terms of Charlie Puth’s upbeat tune ‘Smells Like Me’, are you really going to deny yourself an insight into a new wonderland just because of the outside opinions? Sure, it isn’t and will never be a revolutionary song, whether it is in anyone’s hands or not. Still, will you be so shallow as to allow your growing insecurity to block off a pop song written by a pop artist just because he sings about missing his ex-girlfriend?
Of course, who is to say that Charlie Puth will become the next big thing? That is not for me to tell. I will one day find the too-familiar pop tunes and high-pitch notes too much to bear, and I will be hearing it once again in the shower and wonder why the lyrics must carry such pitiful whining. Yet he is worth listening to because it is the prestige of living at the same time as his that makes it altogether a compelling moment. Those perfect pitch demonstrations will get old for him but they will never stop being impressive, and it simply makes me want to reach for my phone and play the song again– the miraculous feeling of being able to!
And anyway, I was arguing with my ex-boyfriend one day about how sorrow plays into breakups when this song came up, and we froze and listened to Charlie’s voice do flips in the air while he sang about yearning accompanied by pop tunes. It was knowing my ex-boyfriend disagreed with Charlie that made me appreciate it even more when he started bobbing his head to the catchy music. I saw that, within disagreements and broken hearts, the only connection left between us was Charlie’s male straight voice singing pitifully through a speaker.
There is something truly wondrous – whether it is apparent at first glance or not – about the misunderstood high-pitched notes of a young musical prodigy. If you’re lucky enough, you will allow the pop to drown the prejudice. Having his music at your fingertips means privilege, which you should cherish at least for the time being.
