"What makes a song a banger? The most important is the hook, that sticks in your head, after you hear the song just once. In addition it will also have a solid beat, that you can't help but move to. And recognizability is also key."
They sort of represent the opposite bookends of a musical bookshelf: the catchy banger and the smooth ballad. They are the flamboyant, which thrills and the mellow, which triggers feelings. Not always do they catch the broad public's attention. Maybe because the timing just isn't right, maybe because they are deep cuts that not everyone gets to hear or simply because the artist is not well enough known (yet). And although musical tastes always are personal and subjectiv, this spot here shall give those songs a little stage to shine.
Ballad: a song or poem that tells a story, or a slow love song. (dictionary.cambridge.org)
On Spotify you can find his first release under the contemporary title 'Climate Change' (as a hook for a cooling relationship) from the summer of 2019. It was the first public result of his collaboration with Victoria Shaw, who signed him to a publishing deal right after his arrival in Nashville. But while Victoria Shaw is best known for her collaboration with Garth Brooks ('The River'), Cooper Alan was virtually unknown.
That changed for the young college graduate from North Carolina during the pandemic when he discovered social media and TikTok. His songs, most of which he co-wrote or wrote by himself, soon got streamed there in the millions. Today he can boast over 100 million streams for his song catalog on Spotify alone.
Although Cooper Alan (whose real name is Alan Cooper) emphasized his preference for country music on countryswag.com ("My music taste always comes back to country music."), his sound is largely shaped by modern pop and hip hop influences. Which brings an uptempo party atmosphere to his concerts. "Live performing is my thing," he stresses after all.
So it is quite unexpected that his repertoire also includes a romantic ballad such as 'Shoes Under My Bed', which was released in December 2022: I want your shoes under my bed, I want my pillow under your head.
Which gets clarified by the simple fact, that Cooper Alan was not involved in the song as a songwriter this time. Rather, the song originates from 3 recognized songwriters: Pete Sallis, Riley Weston and Wil Nance (who wrote songs for George Strait, among others). And ultimately it's not Cooper Alan who recorded the song initially either. Instead it was unsigned artist Raleigh Keeghan who put it out in 2018 as a simple acoustic guitar ballad. Before up-and-coming duo Madison Station followed suit in December of 2021, not quite so unplugged however. But surprisingly, Cooper Alan makes it the most gentle with his lush piano version.
Banger: a popular song or piece of music with a loud, heavy beat (= rhythm) that people like to dance to. (dictionary.cambridge.org)
In January of 2023, Andrew Swift was named Male Artist of the Year at the 51st Golden Guitar Awards in Tamworth, NSW, Australia, which he followed up in April with the release of his third studio album. It is titled "Lightning Strikes and Neon Nights" and the artist says of his project: "The title, Lightning Strikes & Neon Nights, is a great way to summarise this collection of songs. The ‘Lightning Strikes’ are the stories about finding moments of love and romance while the ‘Neon Nights’ are more influenced by a good night out."Consequently, the album is more uptempo than his previous two projects. And it focuses more on the electric guitar than the acoustic one, as Andrew Swift did on his two previous albums. And among the 11 tracks on the new album there is also a delightful banger, 'Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em', which is an emphatic reminder to enjoy life now, while you still can.
The song was created during a pandemic lockdown and Andrew Swift wrote it together with well-known Australian country artist Travis Collins via Zoom. "It’s a fun song that reminds us that we aren’t going to live forever and that we should enjoy ourselves while we can."
Comments
Post a Comment