“Burn Baby Burn” – Ash
(Words: Tim Wheeler, music: Ash, available on Free All Angels, Sony 2001)
“Burn Baby Burn” has left and entered my life more times than I can remember; if it was a woman, we would have the textbook definition of an “on again/off again” relationship. When I actively think of the song, I’m in love with it. Simply hearing the first few notes of the song can pull me right in, and by the time the first verse kicks in, I’m hooked. “Burn Baby Burn” flies out of the gate at a brisk tempo and continues soon afterward with the kind of power chords that make my heart rate quicken instantaneously. In particular, I’m smitten with the first verse (and maybe this “song as a woman” conceit subconsciously comes from the “your golden hair and pale blue eyes” line), as it mixes equal parts desperation, restlessness, and romance in the Springsteen-esque sense. By the time Tim Wheeler declares that his band has “never been satisfied,” I’m already back in love with the song. We’ve fallen back into our old ways – “Burn Baby Burn” sounds as fast and melodic as it did years ago, and I’m questioning how I could ever go more than a week at a time without hearing this song.
Still, something’s missing – there’s the reason why the song and I always part ways at the end. Thinking about it now, the only part of the song that lags for me is the hook – for a song that’s so intensely catchy, it lacks a strong vocal hook. The opening notes “hook” me in, and even the song’s chords progressing gets stuck in my head. I can’t think of a single time I’ve ever felt a jolt when listening to the chorus. It’s almost like the song has an inverted pop structure – the verses are more memorable than the chorus. I’m not saying that every song needs a clear, visible hook – but for a song that leans more to the “pop” side of pop-punk, it’s a shame that it doesn’t finish the job. Ultimately, this is probably the reason why I’ve never fully “committed” to the song by making it a mix / playlist staple. It’s a hell of a song, and we have a great time together, but I guess we need our space. I’m sorry, “Burn Baby Burn,” it’s not you, it’s me.
More on Ash: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm
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