Era Istrefi is a Kosovo-Albanian singer and her hit Bonbon is a simple, yet tasteful take on the sins and pleasures of temptation. The review will cover the English version of the song. Bonbon, put quite simply, is “sweet/candy” in French.
Bonbon, I know what you want
Bonbon, bet you wanna taste it
Bonbon, bet you wanna taste it
I know what you want, want, want
Bonbon, can you get it done, done?
Bonbon, bet you wanna taste it
Bonbon, my sip will get you wasted
I know what you want, want, want
Genius.com
Much more subtle than most songs that use the subject of temptation as its main point, Bonbon brings to the table a refreshing breath of air. The bonbon in question could be any part that the listener deems to be tempting, which gives this song more versatility because one’s imagination can take it and run with it.
It is the simplicity of the lyrics and the carefully nuanced repetition that enables this song to not be just an off-the-shelf hit, but it is more a carefully crafted song that tackles a topic that many, many artists to date have attempted to write about. Though all that's been said about it, it is still flawed and very much so due to the same reason that makes it good, makes it bad - it overuses the same theme of temptation. It is still shallow, despite it being nuanced. Perhaps it is the dynamism between the good and bad that divides so many over this song.
But who doesn’t want to give in to temptation? The better it is, the further away it is, the more subtle it is, that’s when it’s sweetest and “will get you wasted”.
