RETURN OF THE DEAD?
Mandy Moore: "I Can Break Your Heart Any Day Of The Week"
Gotta be honest. I love me some Mandy Moore.
I love her first hit "Candy". It's a great song.
Exhibit A:
Unfortunately for us all, it's been a musical downhill run since then.
The problem arose when Ms Moore wanted to be cool and attempted to make everyone forget about her former pop self. I mean, she's still Mandy Moore, she didn't do it in an insane "don't ask me about when people actually liked me" kind of way. She just kind of distracted us all with a clever smoke and mirrors show: she died in A Walk To Remember (sniffle!), she dated tennis pro Andy Roddick (Mandy & Andy = guffaw!), she starred on Scrubs with then-boyfriend Zach Braff (good times!) and - perhaps most shockingly - she cut off all her hair (gasp!). Then with a flick of her fairy wand, she proclaimed she was a serious music artist and went about the very self-important business of making music that nobody listens to.
Sure, some of the tracks on her covers album were above-average and the single "Extraordinary" off her album "Wild Hope" was a reasonable enough song but they didn't exactly set the charts on fire. Or at all.
So, with all this depressing news in mind plus her horrifying recent marriage to hissy-fit prone-country-rocker Ryan Adams (I love him but really?), I have to admit it was with complete trepidation that I hit 'play' on her new single, "I Can Break Your Heart Any Day Of The Week". It just sounds like it's going to be a boring ballad, right? And with Captain Hissy Fit calling the shots at home, I was truly worried that it was going to be even worse: a boring country ballad.
Plus, there were other signs the world was against Ms Moore (can we call her that anymore? Mrs Adams?? Bleeeeurgh) reclaiming her former musical glory. For starters, her new album is called "Amanda Leigh", which is her unabbreviated name. Groan.
She also co-wrote the song. Please noooooooooo!
Then, at first peek, she appears to be wearing a freaking trench in the video... urgh.
This is going to be bad.
So, is it that bad? Well, actually... I am so deeply thankful to report that the song is nothing like what I was fearing. I *LOVE* IT. The song is actually fun, catchy and kinda awesome. This is something I haven't been able to say about her songs for a very long time. Sure, it's no "Candy" and the video could certainly do with less boring-ness and more skater bois but.. I have to say that I've only just stopped listening to it and I already want to listen to it again right now.
Exhibit B:
What do you think? Could this be the song that brings Mandy back from her musical graveyard?
Carolyn Stewart
I've got a cold and should be in bed... but still I write o'clock, April 21, 2009
Posts
Can I confess that at one time THREE songs from her Coverage album were in my 25 most-played iTunes list. Her version of Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters was awesome. Luckily I got a new iPod and had to wipe the top tunes list. I haven't listened to it for ages, though. Actually, her version of Drop the Pilot would be awesome for Idol.
ReplyDeleteI do like her "Drop The Pilot"... I even liked "In My Pocket".
ReplyDeleteScott
Ditto Fiddy - her Mona Lisas was a fave of mine and that album was played regularly in the Barbie office (but only when someone had managed to hide Gavin DeGraw.)
ReplyDeleteI am not saying I didn't listen to her covers album more than would be considered normal...
ReplyDeleteHahaha - we had about 3 albums in the Barbie office, it seems, KEF - Gavin DeGraw, Mandy and Black Eyed Peas.