"Pompeii" - Bastille

You know, when you're reviewing pop music and Billboard hits, you tend to get a general idea of what types of songs become popular and what types do not. But since around 2012, fluke hits like "We Are Young" and "Somebody That I Used to Know" became part of the norm. Even so, I don't really understand why this is in the Top 10.

It's not like it's a bad song, or people shouldn't be listening to it. But especially in this day and age, this song doesn't appear to have any star power. I mean, why this and not Imagine Dragons' "On Top of the World"? Where's the mainstream appeal here? Well, I'm going to try and find out.

I guess that one thing "Pompeii" has going in its favour is the "eh-oh, eh-oh" thing it's doing that makes it very easy to sing along to, even if you don't know any other lyrics. It's also got kind of an optimistic tone, ironic since the lyrics strip away any optimism, quite literally actually.

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

I'm honestly kind of getting "Wake Me Up!" vibes from some of these lyrics, though:

But if you close your eyes,
Does it almost feel like

Nothing changed at all?

But it's okay, because while "Wake Me Up!" was trying (and failing) to bring about an optimistic attitude, "Pompeii" appears to use this sort of idea as an escape from all the badness around them, which makes a lot more sense and is a lot more relatable.

Upon retrospect, this song has a lot going for it actually. It tells an interesting story, is catchy, and doesn't necessarily end on a happy note, making the song a lot more real. Yeahk I give this song a thumbs up. Boy, this is a good run of songs! I wonder what else is in the Top 10?

Well, a streak can only go so far. Next week... next week.