We are stars and
We are open-hearted
Yes, you are stars. You are open-hearted. Whaaaatever.
Look, there was a time when Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful"- wait, is that two entries in a row where I bring up this song? Anyway, there was a time when Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" was all the rage. It touched the hearts of many and inspired even more. Hell, it's still popular today, and there's a very good reason for that: "Beautiful" is a damn good song.
You are beautiful no matter what they say
Words can't bring you down
The song promotes acceptance and self-empowerment of all people. It has been hailed as the LGBT anthem of the 2000s, and for good reason. "Beautiful" is... well, a truly beautiful song. So why do I have such praise for "Beautiful", but such contempt for this song?
To understand where I'm coming from, you have to understand that lately, Canadian music has latched onto the "self-empowerment" bandwagon and never really let go. Which, to be fair, is a very Canadian attitude. We're always looking to support our fellow Canadian in their quest to gain self-confidence to maintain our identity as a peace-loving nation. God knows we need all the PR we can get after Rob Ford was let loose.
But god damn, do these songs have to be so clichéd and dull?
Bringing the topic back to "Beautiful" for a second, that song worked so well because it came from a real, heartfelt place. Compare this:
Every day is so wonderful
Then suddenly it's hard to breathe
Now and then I get insecure
From all the pain, I'm so ashamed
to this, Hedley's entry in the Canadian self-empowerment brigade:
Be a movie star or rock a main stage,
An Xbox tester, or an astronaut in space,
If they tell you that you can't,
You can shove it in their face,
I can, I can, I can, so
Now then, which one sounds honest and which one sounds like an overly optimistic, yet immature song for kindergartners? I'm praying you chose the same ones I chose.
That's exactly the problem with Canada's recent influx of self-empowerment songs: They don't sound real. They sound horribly, horribly manufactured and clichéd. And it's exactly those problems that are prevalent in "We Are Stars".
Everything's so small when you're on top of the world
This is the opening line. Really? Really, song? Where's the journey? Where's the struggle? Hell, at least when Drake did "Started From the Bottom", he mentioned that he started from the bottom! Who wants to hear about somebody who starts on the top and stays there? There's no story arc!
The song does eventually get to some "struggles" that the listener may or may not be experiencing, but these struggles are so vaguely and confusingly worded that I just cannot bring myself to care.
It's hard to see the light when you're caught up in your life
You're scared and insecure cause now it's fight or flight
"It's fight or flight", huh? Tell me, which defense mechanism is appropriate for dealing with clichéd lyrics like these?
Keep dreaming, keep dreaming, keep dreaming
Keep on, keep believing
Don't you mean "don't stop believing"?
Oh, I wish. Oh boy, do I wish.
No, that's another comparison that illustrates why other songs are good and this one sucks. "Don't Stop Believin'" has a pulse, but this slogs along like it's leftover reverb from some drunken indie pop jam session. I already posted part of the chorus earlier, but I didn't really convey in the text how it sounded. This should do the trick:
Weeee aaaaarrrrrreeee staaaaars and
Weeee aaaaarrrrrreeee oooopeen-hearted
"Beautiful" had kind of a slow pace too, but god damn if Christina Aguilera wasn't giving it everything she had with her vocals. This guy sounds like he's trying to save his voice for a big concert later. The problem is, this is your big concert, buddy. Own it, don't moan it.
Speaking of moaning, did I mention Alyssa Reid yet?
We are the kings and queens of hearts that break
We may fall in between the cracks
Living life like it's just a game of blackjack
I don't know how but we always find our way back
Admittedly, Alyssa Reid's lyrics are by far the best lyrics of this song, but I've never liked her singing voice, and this song isn't about to prove me otherwise. I don't know if she's trying to sound like she's on the verge of bursting into tears, but it ends up sounding like she's constipated. Now there's a self-empowerment image. I am worthy of the laxative!
I don't know, guys. This song just doesn't do it for me. I would feel bad, though, if this was somebody's personal strength anthem, and I took it away from them like this. So this would be a good time for me to remind you all that this is only my opinion. I'm not a music scholar; heck, I'm not even a music student. This is just my little writing niche, okay? Remember: you are beautiful, no matter what I've said. Words can't bring you down...
Seriously, just listen to "Beautiful", okay?
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