LENE NYSTROM — “It’s Your Duty”
Some of the other pop logs have been talking this one up and they’re quite correct. Lene Nystrom used to be in Aqua and now songwrites for Girls Aloud among others: “Duty” could have fetched good money on the pop transfer market but she’s kept it for herself and it should pay off. This record has everything - eurodisco’s love of a simple melody and a party atmosphere; the pro-girl spirit of the Spice era; the jerky, crunchy beats Cheiron hit with; the fake sherbet guitar sound Girls Aloud use. Oh, and Aqua’s smart. cheeky lyrics.
It’s also not, I don’t think, aimed entirely at kids. Lene is lowish profile, and the song is about office naughtiness and the power of young women over middle-aged men. OK, it’s ‘about’ that - it’s more about it being your duty duty to shake your booty booty, so the kids will buy it too, but I still think the prime market is the emergent adult pop audience. They - we? - had a laugh at Pop Idol, loved Kylie’s comeback, thought the GA singles were manufactured but “to be honest, they’re great songs”, and are wriggling free of the orthodoxy that it’s a bit lame or pervy for grown-ups to like bubblegum. It’s only a hunch, but I think Lene knows about this market and is aiming squarely at it.
Will it work? I would guess a Top 20 hit and no higher for the single release, and then a lot of compilation royalties. Download the song anyway, though - it’s marvelous.
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Pete on December 18th, 2007
Still a terrific record though outside our close community, possibly unknown. But much of what you say of the emergence of a proto-adult pop audience has been at least partially borne out by the critical acceptance of Girls Aloud. But poor ole Lena!!! I met her at the Sliding Doors premier. She was lovely. And she did her duty.
Marcello Carlin on December 18th, 2007
Lene’s “Here We Go” totally pwns the GA one, even though it uses the exact same backing track.
The current GA output could do with a lot more Aqua-type good humour, I must say.
Pete on December 18th, 2007
Nice tip Marcello. It suits her voice nicely, and she vamps it up more than GA, but I do like the GA gang chorus.
Listen to it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNrtjgA21BY