TYA – OK
Pop music has always played tricks on the people who loved it most. It fabricated stars, created stories for them and gave them songs to sing that could’ve been about anyone and were about nothing in particular.
But the pop music industry has felt compelled to do this out of fear. It wasn’t simply the worry that the profit margins would collapse if a more earnest strategy was adopted.
Before pop stars like TYA, it was understood that sharing your true self, your real feelings, and your messy, gritty, true story was a guaranteed recipe for record sales disaster. But what if things could be different?
“OK” by TYA is a large, bouncy pop song. It’s also a song about admitting to yourself that, actually, you’re not fine, need some time to get better and may require assistance. It’s a glammed-up real story of this world in which most of us find ourselves needing a hand to get back up. The trick, of course, is that TYA makes this all sound neither sad nor superficial. It’s a smart pop song, and it’s a good time for those.
Prince of Sweden – Points of View
Countries that can afford it invest a lot of money in protecting the interests of the artists and creative types who will represent the nation’s image in the world. The fewer chances that a nation has to be liked, see Finland and the Moomins, the more that this promotion becomes a national priority.
But who should England invest money in promoting abroad?
You’re not likely to meet any interesting people while listening to the radio. Certainly not anyone in particular you’d like to chat up over a drink. For the most part, radio pop hits do what they’ve always done – they copy themselves until they run one trend or another into the ground.
And, you’re unlikely to cause much of a stir or create long-lasting bonds when you promote typical, disposable pop stars. England’s best bet might be to lean into its natural tendency toward the curious and the erratic.
“Points of View” is a breakup song written by Prince of Sweden that couldn’t have arrived from any place other than England. It’s sentimental, presents a love story that was doomed from the start, and it ends with people taking refuge in colossal portions of comfort food. “Points of View” also contains the kind of Mike Skinner-like vocal delivery that locals weep when hearing, and foreigners buy plane tickets to experience. Come on, England! Make Prince of Sweden your Tove Jansson.
