A View From The Top #85

Despacito remains at the top of the charts for the third week running, taking away any glimmers of hope we had about the charts actually beginning to rotate. I’m already having flashbacks to One Dance, Shape Of You and Sorry - will Despacito stay on top as long as they did? Only time will tell, but at the moment I think it fits disconcertingly well amongst them.

To follow this inconclusive answer comes what is beginning as a very inconclusive analysis. I can’t decide whether or not I like Despactio. I’m a huge fan of the Spanish guitars at the start, and the Spanish singing itself, but I’m unsure of the addition of Bieber. Like both Daisy and Sriandini before me, I would really recommend listening to the original version. It seems a little less forced and therefore a lot more cohesive. It was originally intended to be sung in Spanish, and it definitely sounds better that way.

With that being said, I’m still not in love with the track. It’s undeniably catchy, but something about it doesn’t sit quite right with me. I will openly admit that I’ve caught myself singing it on more than one occassion this week, even when I hadn’t heard the song itself that day. That really shows just how good of an earworm the track is - you don’t even have to have listened to Despacito recently; it will remain in your brain three nights after hearing it once at Unit 1. Strangely enough, I think this pinpoints exactly why I feel like I dislike Despacito. Not because it reminds me of tragic times in Unit 1, but because the sheer catchiness of it crosses a line. On your second listen to Despacito it goes straight from seeming enjoyably catchy enough to get to number one, to being so catchy that it is outright annoying. It becomes one of those songs that you can’t get out of your head no matter how many other tracks you listen to in an effort to try and replace it. You’ll find yourself singing it as you’re making lunch, as you’re walking to town, and even more annoyingly, as you are trying to get to sleep. Yet when someone plays it at a party or in a club, you still somehow love it. How long will it take for this Despacito effect to wear off?

Elsewhere in the charts, it looks as though the UK are really loving listening to this kind of hip-hop diluted with pop style of track. Liam Payne’s (unexpectedly hip-hop) solo debut single is lurking at number three, whilst DJ Khaled’s I’m The One hasn’t strayed far from number one, sitting in second place. Jason Derulo’s Swalla (ft. Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign) can also be found comfortably at number eight. Whilst it isn’t my favourite kind of genre, I (also unexpectedly) don’t mind these tracks. Maybe it’s the chilled summer mood getting to me, but I’m actually loving the charts at the moment.