McLovin
For our non-UK readers, you might be surprised to hear that, contrary to expectations, the past few days have seen the country basking in unexpectedly glorious sunshine. Yesterday as I was walking along my local river, I saw children diving off a bridge into the water, a rather noisy steamboat and an independent ice cream vendor. In October. These are sights I did not see once throughout the summer, so to observe them as we reach autumn has been a real pleasure.
Equally delightful has been my ears decision to finally embrace Alexandra Stan's Mr. Saxobeat. It is a song I grudgingly accepted a few months ago, but am now openly choosing to listen to. Last week at a wedding disco, I found myself contently head bopping away to it. And at a friend's party this weekend, I demanded its presence on the playlist (alongside Rihanna's What My Name, obviously).
When I first heard it around May, I initially dismissed the distinct saxophone hook on the grounds it doesn't really sound like a saxophone, more a sneaky kazoo in disguise. Alexandra Stan's vocal performance, while enjoyable, didn't really stand out for me. In a Romanian pop star battle for survival, I'd probably choose Inna over her. So why have I decided to become better acquainted with Mr. Saxobeat?
First, I really like how simple it is, reminding me of ATB's 1999 hit 9pm (Till I Come). There isn't any added complication, no dub-step breakdown to fit in with the contemporary landscape. The single is happy to use the sax/kazoo loop in tandem with Stan's singing. Second, this simplicity is achieved using just three chords throughout the song: B minor, E minor and F# minor. Typically used to create a 'sad' sound (against the 'happy' major chords), if I were to write a song using these chords, I'd be ecstatic to come up with anything half as toe-tapping and uplifting. I'm quite a sucker for minor chords, so I take my hat off to the Mr. Saxobeat team for producing such a catchy single comprised solely of them. I'm really happy that the recent sunshine has swayed my opinion over this summer hit. With hindsight, its number 3 chart placing was thoroughly deserved.
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