We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe)

This review is from: We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe) (MP3 Download) Where did it come from? That tune just kept going through my head. At first I couldn't place it. Then I remembered a recommendation on the Rhapsody web site that I had listened to just once. I finally tracked it down and it turned out to be We Are Young by Fun. I went back and listened, and listened and listened. At that time I did not know that the Glee cast had covered it. Just as well. This is a superior version by the composers themselves To put it mildly, this is a truly captivating and complex piece of pop music. Another reviewer has depicted the story of the song, and it seems mostly on track. However, FUN has purposely created some obscurity in the lyrics, so it is hard to pin down a clear narrative. If you look at the video on the wearefun.com website, a violent bar room brawl occurs as the band plays on. In any case, the overwhelming message of the music is upbeat and unmistakably hopeful, evidenced as well by the two refrains that weave in and out of each other, "We are young, so let's set the world on fire" and "Carry me home tonight." The music is what caught my attention from the beginning: the rapid drum beat gives way to the solo voice of the Nate Ruess but stays in the background, then a soft intermittent piano chord eventually takes over from the drums, followed by a shift to a strong wall-of-sound effect belting out the melody and introducing the dominant drum beat. In the acoustic version this melody is clearly a duet with Janelle Monáe; in the full band version it is not clear if anyone is joining Nate Ruess. The repeated refrains comprise the majority of the song broken up by a return to the introductory theme; then the whole thing climaxes with a strong melodic shift compounded by the voice of Janelle Monáe providing a counterpoint at the climax. Finally the song returns to the main melody and ends similar to where it started: the solo voice of Nate Ruess with only piano backing winding down and bringing the piece to an open-ended conclusion. But it is the catchy melody that creates the real power of this song. I can listen to it again and again and not get tired of it, and will hum it to myself for hours on end. Is the song a masterpiece? Time will tell, but in the meantime do enjoy FUN. It is a truly artful group and deserves all the attention that this song is beginning to bring.