POP SONG REVIEW: "Sorry" by Justin Bieber

Good song. I noticed that you judge music a lot by the character of singer. You did it with Taylor's "Wildest Dream" in the top ten which I was surprise by since that song would have never been a hit if a big name wasn't singing it. "Sorry" is lyrically about an apologize within a relationship. Not an apologize for the fans.

"We just like unrepentant assholes" *cough*Donald Trump*cough*

James

The "missing more than just your body" line, which I've heard variations of in other songs, seems surprised that they stumbled into a normal relationship and wants extra credit for discovering what non-douches took for granted.

Ryan Rowekamp

I thought pop stars were supposed to be unrepentant about offending the sensibilities of the ESTABLISHMENT, not their own fucking fans. Elvis Presley gave his fans what they wanted; his behavior was offensive to old, crotchety, 1950s social conservatives who didn't like his music and never would. White boys in the late 90s loved Eminem; it was their lame, suburban, post-yuppie parents who were always complaining about the guy. That was the whole point: screw the old squares, they're not your fans anyway. But now... now we've got assholes like Chris Brown and Bieber who do shit that even their fans hate them for, and they don't care. This is why I have a zero-tolerance policy for Chris Brown when I listen to music; I may have to instate a similar policy for Bieber.

Brad Riegner

Is... is that a Dennis Rodman jersey? WHY?

Fred Mulholland

You mentioned Bieber could've called this "Sorry Not Sorry." Well there's actually a song with that name on the charts right now. By Bryson Tiller. And...yeah, it's about as douchey as you would expect.

There's a great article on waitbutwhy.com that explains something called "Taming the Mammoth: Why You Should Stop Caring What Other People Think" that explains perfectly why we feel the need to please others due to survival instincts embedded into our survival instincts. Not only does it say we shouldn't care what others think, but it can be downright dangerous to your well-being if you only do things to please others and expect some kind of reward from it. I get the impression Bieber sang "Where Are U Now" with a particularly hungry mammoth. Like any celebrity, he wants to fill his ego and thinks that anything he does must instantly be admired and revered for how great it is. It isn't, and he's a downright fool to think it makes him a better artist or person. Then again, if we keep feeding the mammoth, we become the fools ourselves.

lithium_green

Good production forgives all in my opinion. Plus I don't really mind the insincerity of the apology since what he did was honestly pretty tame college douche stuff so the your making a big deal over nothing sentimentality fits.

Andrew Conrad

i feel like the doucheometer should appear in all future reviews whenever relevant

It's not working on mobile.

Yeah. Come to the conclusion that it's...not my favorite song ever, but I like it for how insincere it is.

Josh Spicer

Exactly. And it's a good thing Todd mentioned Robin Thicke and "Blurred Lines" in this video, which is a song that got big because of its hook despite its repulsive content. The fallout from that song was catastrophic to Thicke, but it didn't come over night. I get the feeling the public will come to their senses about Bieber soon enough... again.

lithium_green

Wow. That was a slamfest if I ever saw one. Gotta admit, I was not thrilled to see you cover Bieber again, Todd. At least you vented your frustrations out. How about focusing on something else that isn't so rage-inducing? Hey, did you know that Game of Thrones is approaching its sixth season? ... Ok, wrong alternative. My suggestion still stands, though!

lithium_green

This was exactly how I felt the first time hearing this song. I homed in on those two douchetastic lines that made it eminently clear that I was actually looking not at an apology song but at a non-apology song. Yet as detestable as this fake apology is, I don't find it nearly as disturbing as "Where Are U Now", a song built around the poisonous idea that anyone who is shown affection has an obligation to return it.

Wow, Todd's genuine offense by Bieber's attempt at apology really comes through. I get the feel this song got big almost entirely on its production though, as they usually do. The general public doesn't really pay close attention to lyrics outside the chorus. Remember, just a few years ago "Tonight I'm Fucking You" was a major hit.

Is t supposed to be a joke that it says "sorry", no video? :P