It's the birthday of one of my close friends today, so I thought I would review this song. This was released on Megan and Liz's birthday last year, and it's not the kind of song you would expect based on the title. Everyone knows the classic song "Happy Birthday". It's a bold and interesting move for an artist to name one of their original songs after a song everyone knows so well, but does pull people in to listen to the song. This "Happy Birthday" is a melancholy oxymoron. The song name has 'happy' in it, but is one of the saddest songs I've heard in a long time.
The girl in the song remembers her ex boyfriend's birthday last year that they spent together, and is speculating what he's doing on his birthday this year, without her. The chorus includes the lyrics,
"Happy Birthday
Staring at my phone
Happy Birthday
Are you spending it alone?
Are you with someone, someone I used to be?"
These lyrics are so clever because she's comparing what she hopes his situation is to her own. She wishes him happy birthday, but then says something sad about her life right now, showing their differing situations. This leads me to believe that she doesn't actually hope his birthday is a happy one, she hopes he's as miserable as she is without her. The production is simple, (because it is the acoustic version of the song), with just acoustic guitar backing it. Their harmonies are beautiful as always, and both of their vocals shine against the simple production. I hope the studio non-acoustic version of this song is still as sparsely produced, because this ironic, depressing song needs the lyrics and vocals to be highlighted, not the instrumentals.
Overall rating: 4 and a half crowns
"Happy Birthday
Staring at my phone
Happy Birthday
Are you spending it alone?
Are you with someone, someone I used to be?"
These lyrics are so clever because she's comparing what she hopes his situation is to her own. She wishes him happy birthday, but then says something sad about her life right now, showing their differing situations. This leads me to believe that she doesn't actually hope his birthday is a happy one, she hopes he's as miserable as she is without her. The production is simple, (because it is the acoustic version of the song), with just acoustic guitar backing it. Their harmonies are beautiful as always, and both of their vocals shine against the simple production. I hope the studio non-acoustic version of this song is still as sparsely produced, because this ironic, depressing song needs the lyrics and vocals to be highlighted, not the instrumentals.
Overall rating: 4 and a half crowns
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