For me, the main appeal of this song and the accompanying video, is that it makes me really, really happy. Somehow the feel-good factor is so high on this song that I am able to watch and enjoy it without being overcome by jealous feelings for the wonder that is Leslie Feist. Perhaps this has something to do with the presence of the wonderfully ridiculous Zac Galifianakis in the video. Perhaps it is due to the fact that Feists’ whimsical, honeyish voice in combination with Drew’s grungy, melodic tones is the perfect musical match.
Also, who doesn’t love a bit of satire? The video opens with Drew attempting to do an acoustic performance of You in Your Were for Galifianakis, who quite clearly, just doesn’t get it. It pokes fun at the very industry that both of its creators have enjoyed great success in. But let’s not kid ourselves, Feist and Drew’s incredible careers have had them both carving out a unique niche in the music industry. While my previous articles will reveal to you that I’ve learnt not to make a habit of profiling certain genres, it’s difficult to refute the fact that there’s a great deal of thoughtless music on the market. Is it possible that as consumers, we’ve largely stopped thinking about what we listen to? If we wrote down the lyrics of most of what we’re listening to, would we still think it was great? That aside, I think this one is great. And it’s clear that it’s possible to make upbeat tunes with meaningful lyrics. While I confess, I once preferred only sad songs, it’s songs like this that show that great music actually has an equally great emotional range. It’s got a catchy synth baseline, driven by complex, beautiful percussion. The video shows Feist and Drew doing the only logical thing, taking over a dance studio and playing You in Your Were at an appropriately loud volume. Man, I love collaborations.
