Cheerleader

Jamaican reggae singer Omar Samuel Pasley, better known by his stage name OMI, swept Europe and the United States with the summer hit “Cheerleader,” remixed by German DJ Felix Jaehn, originally released in May 2014.  This song is a real summer hit but I doubt that the tune will continue to be played throughout the year.

This new summer hit has taken its time to reach the Americas but the reaction has made Palsey a superstar. Titled the song of the summer, this reggae hit has kept the youth moving in the heat and dancing all the way to the new school year. This is mainly due to the catchy lyrics and driving rhythm of the song.  But other than the beat and lyrics, there isn’t much else that makes this song a classic to be remembered. I feel that, like most pop songs, “Cheerleader” will eventually fall into the elevator music category and will most likely be forgotten.

The format of this song uses a house beat with a solo trumpet, bongos, and a “samba-like” piano part. This adds a new twist to a regular house beat that normally keeps you moving but not necessarily interested in the melody. The song’s lyrics center on the singer’s happiness at finding a “cheerleader,” a romantic relationship that will support him, and is “always there when I need her.” While the song’s lyrics relate heavily to romance, this song speaks to all those that have a special someone and feel that they have become a necessity to their partners lives. This may strike a chord in some people, though musicians like myself feel uneasy hearing the same melody over and over again without a development of new progressions or ideas.

Unfortunately the chord progression is too rudimentary to be called a true hit, making the song’s level of playability easy enough for a three-year-old.

This song has been a big player through the summer and has been loved by many.  There is decent compliment of a horn that isn’t usually used in pop but the song lacks musicality that makes a hit, a great. Therefore the song will fade away into the rest of the summer hit tunes.