One of my favorite things in the world to do is recommend music. As you’ve (hopefully) seen by now, my preferred medium so far has been through those Pick Me Up posts I put up every couple days on the Off Pitch Instagram. But sometimes, I’ll have thoughts on a song that’s so well-known that pretending as if I’m “recommending” it would be ridiculous. To put it simply: you’ve heard these before. That’s why I’m kicking off this new article series, Pop Picks, to give myself a chance to talk about hit songs in a bit of a longer format (I wanted to call this Top of the Pops but I’m afraid of getting sued by the BBC. Who will definitely read this).
My first Pop Pick is going to be a bit of a surprise for anyone familiar with my taste in music, AKA most likely everyone reading this right now. I’m not anti-pop, obviously, but I’m almost never a fan of anything that gets overplayed. And for a while, that included “I Took A Pill In Ibiza.” I must’ve heard that song a thousand times in its initial run. And every time I’d hear that iconic opening line, which I’m blanking on right now, I’d hate it just a little more. I didn’t like Mike Posner telling me he was cooler than me, and I sure as hell didn’t need him crooning about all the partying he did over tropical EDM nonsense. But luckily for me, trends come and go. After a few weeks dominating the airwaves, “I Took A Pill In Ibiza” joined the other ghosts of pop hits past. This particular radio fatigue nightmare was over.
I don’t remember exactly how this next part happened. Either I gave the track a spin in the car during an episode of nostalgia, or maybe it popped back up on the radio, or I saw it mentioned in an article. Whatever it was, something caused me to re-listen to the song with a more careful ear. And to my surprise, I found that the lyrics really resonated with me. I actually think my unusual hatred of “Cooler Than Me” made me empathize with Mike on a deeper level. I mean, if there was one thing I could relate to, it was being hurt by the disaster that was “Cooler Than Me.” But I digress. The fallen star narrative was intriguing, and Mike seemed truly genuine in his lyrical confessions. Not to mention how catchy the song is (which is what made it so overplayed in the first place).
It’s clear to me now that Mike Posner’s entire career has been an elaborate long con to get me to listen to his song and think, “Oh, that’s actually pretty good.” Well, congrats Mr. Posner. You’ve reached the pinnacle of artistic achievement: changing my mind.
Lyle B.
If you’ve forgotten what the song sounds like, refresh your memory here: