Tim: Shayne Ward’s BACK! apparently. Well, that’s what he said on The X Factor on Sunday, so it must be true. Here he is with his very own version of Nickelback’s Gotta Be Somebody.
Tom: Otherwise known as every Nickelback song ever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpkdvhRHLho
Tom: The autotune on that is actually offensive. When used properly, it can be a decent effect. That’s just horrible.
Tim: Now, he clearly thinks he’s gone back in time five years, because let’s be frank: this is not just a song from an X Factor winner – it is an X Factor Winner’s Song:
- Cover of a fairly well known song.
- A quiet start then kicking in a little bit halfway through the first verse.
- Good chorus, leading out to a second verse with considerably more energy than the first.
- Nice bit of calm in the bridge.
- Musical exposion to follow.
You may doubt this formula, especially parts two and three, but check any one you want. All it’s missing is Dermot in the video yelling his name.
As a winner’s song. it’s not bad. Decent source material helps, nice bit of synth work in the background brings it up to date.
Tom: I really dislike this, because it’s got the major-key chord structure that forces my brain to get enthusiastic about it. Like you say, it is a Winner’s Song, and for that reason I hate it.
Tim: As an actual song, well, it’s still not bad, but it sure as hell isn’t good. It’s just formula, and isn’t remotely exciting. Even in the loud ending he doesn’t seem particularly energetic – it’s as if he went into a studio and said, ‘This sort of worked last time, let’s have another go. It’ll be something to pass the time.’
Tom: I think that’s the damned autotune.
Tim: Normally, a song like this would have four months of two hour weekly TV adverts, and so success is a given, deserved or otherwise, because it’s been implanted in the nation’s brain. This hasn’t, and so doesn’t get a free pass.
Tom: I’m about to say something that I don’t think has ever been said before: the Nickelback version is better.
Tim: Problem with the video: there is no way Shayne Ward has a stalker willing to take 230 pictures of him.