Blogocentric Formulations

Rude

PROMPT: "Note: 48-HOUR CHALLENGE : Media Prompt Deadl..."


This is one of those songs that just seems to perpetually come around every few years. It was originally released in Fall 2013 as a promotional single for Magic!, which was then re-released by a major label (Sony) in Winter 2014. Over the course of 2014, the band performed it all over the place, including on both morning and late night talk shows, and the song ended up being one of the Top 10 bestselling songs of the year. It's also been covered a remixed a number of times, including by some very popular artists like Zedd and Selena Gomez.

I think the last time that I listened to this song regularly was during the pandemic. While everyone was sheltering in place for COVID-19, my wife and I were stuck at home with two young children, and we spent a lot of time listening to music and watching videos. Music videos were particularly popular in our house, and there were quite a few that played on repeat because the kids liked the song and the video captured their attention. This was one of them, and I think we watched it so much that the YouTube algorithm still populates it in my personal feed of music videos whenever I put on a playlist.

As with so many of the songs that I listened to during that time, there's a part of me that feels nostalgic whenever the song comes on. After all, I've heard it enough to practically memorize the lyrics and the melody is instantly recognizable. On the other hand, it's a reminder of what was a very difficult, borderline traumatizing time in all of our lives, so the memories that come flooding back with songs like this are often quite vivid. None of that changes the fact that it's a catchy, feel-good kinda song though.