This is a trickier category for me to nail down as I do have a problem with overexposure. Sure, like every person I’ll inevitably come across a tune that’ll be on repeat some nights (Recent examples include “Anything Could Happen” by Rialto, “Rhythm of Yourself” by the Molotovs, and “Up in Suze’s Room” by Paul Weller). However, there will absolutely be a time when I finally break free of the cycle and go out of my way to avoid that song for a while before I start to dislike it and its rent-free presence in my brain.
So what we’re looking for today isn’t just a song. It’s a lightning in the bottle kind of tune. Like I say, tricky.
Day 11: A song you never get tired of
2020: “Blinding Lights”, The Weeknd
A tune not made in the 90s? A tune that was brand new back in 2020?? What was I on???
Well, a good time, that’s what I was on. Ages ago I noted that Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” had been a modern day equivalent of Blur’s “Song 2”, being overused and in promotional material here, there and everywhere. The same could be said for “Blinding Lights” at the start of the 2020s, because Christ what wasn’t it used for? Every third advert you’d see on the telly, soundtracks for films and video games, themes for sports events etc. etc.
Being routed in an 80s sound with it’s synths and electropop feel, in a roundabout way this song felt fresh. It was a pop song with its own identity, able to easily stand head and shoulders above the other stuff in the charts at the time. It felt good, nay rewarding, to listen to it over and over again. Everything about it just clicked, and I never once felt like I was hearing it too much. A nod to the past, a look to the future, and granted eternal life as a result. “Blinding Lights” is timeless and I likely will never tire of hearing it.
Eee, God. Now I’ve got to find another song like it. Wish me luck.
*A DAY ON AND OFF OF THOUGHT LATER*
Sod it.
2025: “Beetlebum”, Blur
It’s a cop out, but it’s true.
Haven’t tired of it since the day I was born. 27 years on, still going strong as one of my faves. Once again, extensive thoughts on this song are available at the very beginning of this blog.
I really need to get out of the 90s, this is getting ridiculous.
A-Side Glance 