Monday, August 29, 2011

Review: iTunes Promo Singles - "Love Me" & "Favorite Girl"

Songs: "Love Me" (iTunes Promo Single #1) &
"Favorite Girl" (iTunes Promo Single #2)
Release Dates: October 26 & November 3, 2009
From Album: My World (EP)
I've got two songs to review this time around. And the reason for two is because these songs were both iTunes promotional singles for My World and released within about a week of each other. The two songs are "Love Me" and "Favorite Girl."

I mentioned last week that single #2, "One Less Lonely Girl" was the song released closest to the EP release date. And while technically true in terms of official singles, LM and FG were, in general, the songs everyone got to hear closest to the release. These were what were going to be used to promote the album. And they were definitely great choices to release as these iTunes promo singles, especially "Love Me."

As a single, I didn't particularly think that "One Less Lonely Girl" was a standout in terms of people remembering it. But that's not a problem at all with LM and FG.

"Love Me" is my favorite of the two, mainly because of how catchy the song is (and if you've been reading my previous reviews, you know how important a factor I think that is). The chorus, especially, stands out: "Love me, love me, say that you love me / Fool me, fool me, oh how you do me / Kiss me, kiss me, say that you miss me / Tell me what I wanna hear, tell me you love me." The arrangement of the beat and tempo is excellent, in how the vocal emphasis is on "love," "fool," and "kiss" in each of those lines. Whenever Bieber gets to those lines again, I look forward to it. At the time of this writing, I have listened to the song quite a few times. And those parts of the song are stuck in my head on a loop now.

Even though the record company is certainly focused on money, this repeat mode is what they want to hear, because that's a good indication that listeners will come back for more. A catchy song = money for them. And for the fans, a catchy song = so much enjoyment, listening over and over again, and just getting lost in the music. That's what music listeners are looking (or rather, listening) for. So it's a win-win.

Of the two iTunes promo singles, a music video was made only for "Love Me." And the video wasn't released until about nine months later, August 3, 2010. That makes more sense, because I when watching the video, I was wondering why he was performing in that huge of a stadium. Now, I obviously don't know what his popularity level was at the end of 2009, but I doubt he would have been doing that well yet (wait 'til 2010, right?). So reading after the fact that this was in mid-2010 made more sense.

Anyway, the majority of the music video contains footage of Bieber performing to an enormous crowd at one of his concert stops. Other shots are interjected of backstage moments, meeting the fans, and choreography practice. We also see that Usher is there at the practice. I believe this is now the second time (out of three music videos so far) that Usher has made cameos. I haven't seen any of his other ones, but is this a recurring appearance?

Bieber has said that this music video is a "tribute to his worldwide fans, thanking them for their support." And it's a good way to do a tribute of sorts. It's also a great glimpse into what his concerts are like, as well as seeing what goes on backstage (and to let you know, I'm a big fan of seeing behind-the-scenes of things).
"Favorite Girl" is another great song choice to promote the album. Just as "Love Me" has a catchy hook (with the vocal emphasis on "love," "fool," and "kiss"), so does "Favorite Girl." For this song, the hook, what makes the song catchy, is the parts in the chorus when the vocals go up at the end of the phrases and lines. An example is with "My prize possession, one and only / Adore you girl, I want you." The vocal emphasis where the notes go up are on "possession," "only," "you," and "you." It does something different to those lines. If they are sung without those little bounces, I guess I could call them, not only would the chorus not stand out, but neither would the song as a whole either.
So again, as I said, both great choices to promote the song with leading up to the release. "Love Me" received great reception and reviews from music critics, and it's no wonder why. If I had to choose a favorite song out of the four I've reviewed so far, I might go with "Love Me."

To find out the latest TV, movie and entertainment news, visit Bieber Guy's partner sites, TV Watch Online (and follow T.W.O. on Twitter HERE) and the TV Watch Online BLOG.

The next review is currently scheduled for Monday, September 5, which will be my overall thoughts of the My World EP, including the remaining tracks I haven't reviewed yet.

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Bieber Guy My World Reviews: "One Time" (Updated) / "One Less Lonely Girl"

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