“Every Time I Hear That Song”
Blake Shelton
Written by Chris Lindsey, Aimee Mayo, Brad Warren, and Brett Warren
“Every Time I Hear That Song” is like listening to Blake Shelton while you’re swimming underwater. It’s all drum machines and processed vocals and synthesizer sounds.
Songs that are about other songs evoking memory are difficult to pull off. I wrote once about the songs that explored this theme the best.
This one fails at the task because it isn’t successful at being memorable in its own right. The only thing that lingers is a really terrible attempt at a melodic hook – the “ooo-wooh-ooh” that goes looking for a few different notes but doesn’t manage to find any of them.
Nashville producers seem determined these days to hide the vocals of legitimately strong singers, almost as if they need to level the playing field on the radio for the majority of contemporary acts that can’t really sing. Blake Shelton can actually sing, but you’d never know it listening to this record.
Grade: C
This reminds me of Brett Eldredge’s recent #1 “Wanna Be That Song”, except that I actually like that song and felt it was more sincere than this one. Shelton’s got a better voice than Eldredge does, but it doesn’t shine through in this song for me.
I agree with this review. Shelton either hits or misses lately but this one is just average so a ‘C’ seems appropriate.
Kevin, thanks so much for the link to your previous article. I really enjoyed reading that and agree with your choices. And how great to be reminded of Please Mr. Please by the great Olivia Newton John. Like you, I sang that song a lot when I was younger.
I’ll add three more that may or may not be considered for this category, since two of them don’t talk about a specific song:
Could I Have This Dance by Anne Murray – “I’ll always remember the song they were playing the first time we danced and I knew”. Great song IMO.
Nobody Likes Sad Songs by Ronnie Milsap – it doesn’t refer to a specific song but it talks about how a singer in a club used to be successful until his relationship ends and he begins to play only sad songs about goodbyes and broken hearts.
Another ‘Somebody Done Somebody Wrong’ Song by BJ Thomas – again, not about a specific song but about somebody requesting these types of songs so he can feel at home while he misses his baby.
I agree that Blake can sing which makes his selection of weak material even more frustrating. Can’t argue with a C for this song.
I liked that Songs about Songs post from July 2014 and the 3 songs mentioned by Caj. Haven’t played BJ Thomas in a long time. I’ll have to get out his greatest hits.
As a Nashville based producer, I have to point this out: there’s plenty of acoustic instruments on this track, it’s not all just “drum machines and synthesizer sounds”. Guitar in the chorus? Also, every country singer has got some sort of auto tune going on since 2008, most just keep it transparent. If you think that the best singers forgo any sort of processing, you crazy.
Jonny, I think you’ve proven the point with your comment. There may be acoustic instruments, but they’re buried amongst the synthesizers and drum machine and everyone may use autotuning, but it should be subtle, not painfully obvious, as it is in this song.