you will have heard: DANCING WITH A STRANGER

The random number generator spat out the number 4, which means that today on the very first edition of songs you will have heard I am listening to the current number 4 in the Official Charts UK Top 40:

Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith and Normani.

THE SONG:

The song tells a tale so often spun in pop - losing a love, and filling the hole that is loneliness in the most sensible way: going out on the town and, as the title would suggest, dancing with total strangers. It ticks all boxes for chart success: love, loss, a failed attempt at redemption, and Sam Smith. And that is the crux of the issue with Dancing With A Stranger: by sticking to the formula, it forgets to be anything new.

There is nothing necessarily objectionable about the song – Smiths vocals express his classic brand of pain and longing, cycling through his impressive range at ease, and the addition of Normani, who also puts in a believably sad performance, adds a level of intrigue – could they be singing to one another? Are they both longing for new love when they are neglecting that which they once had? In the final chorus they sing the simultaneous, damning accusation: “look what you made me do” – this was a love that wasn’t meant to end but somehow everything fell apart.

It’s enough to break your heart.

The problem is, the song, musically, lacks essentially everything. There’s no single defining or exciting feature to prevent it from being just another pop song about heartbreak, to be swept under the rug by the time the artists release their next single. The melody is uninspiring, the production too solemn and reserved, and you just get the feeling that in trying to be safe, somewhere along the line they forgot to be entertaining. Oops.

Once all is said and done, Dancing With A Stranger leaves you not so much wanting more, rather just wanting, well, anything.

THE ARTIST:

Sam Smith, at Lollapalooza 2015

Sam Smith

This may not be his finest hour, but over the past few years Smith has proved himself to be one of the most exciting and talented pop vocalists currently releasing. His impressive range and powerful falsetto means he has an exceptional ability to portray emotion and pain through his voice, switching between vulnerability and agony seemingly without breaking a sweat – and he can have fun too, with songs like Like I Can and Money On My Mind brimming with danceable energy.

All this has lead to some absolute belters, phenomenal chart success, and even performing the title song from the most recent James Bond Film, Spectre.

Other songs worth checking out: Stay With Me, Too Good At Goodbyes, I’m Not The Only One.

Normani in 2017, sporting a highly impractical glove.

Normani

Once of girl group Fifth Harmony, Normani (born Normani Kordei Hamilton) has so far seemingly navigated the choppy waters from group to solo work with success. Her first solo outing, as a featured artist on Khalid’s 2018 release Love Lies, achieved international success and cemented Normani in the collective conscious as a solo act to be reckoned with. Influenced by 90’s and 2000’s R&B, Normani’s smooth delivery has scored her a collection of high profile collaborations, with acts such as Calvin Harris and 6LACK, and has all the makings of an artist that we may well be about to hear a lot more of.

Other songs worth checking out: Love Lies (Khalid), Waves (feat. 6LACK), Checklist (Calvin Harris feat. Wizkid)

RATING:

4/10

Disappointing from both artists, who have both previously delivered to a much higher quality than Dancing With A Stranger, and I sincerely hope this is just a blip on otherwise impressive records. That being said, it’s number 4 in the charts, so what do I know.