Song Review: Alexz Johnson "Give Me Fire"
Earworm
[i(ə)r wərm]
noun
A catchy song or tune that runs continually through a person's mind.
Alexz Johnson
[al-iks jon-suh n]
proper name
Canadian singer-songwriter and actress whose song "Give Me Fire" has been a very welcome earworm for several weeks.
Depending upon the song, earworms can be frustratingly annoying or overwhelmingly welcome. "Give Me Fire" by Alexz Johnson is a very persistent earworm and absolutely falls into the latter category. The song goes back to 2012 and comes from Johnson's Skipping Stone EP. Take a listen and you will understand why this song has been on a loop in my brain for so long.
The track made it to my ears via a record label's monthly song sampler and was credited to Mandy Perkins from the group, of Verona, with whom I am very familiar with (Perkins co-wrote the track with Johnson and Dillon Pace). A bit of searching led me to Alexz Johnson, who has a new EP, Heart, which dropped a couple weeks ago.
Clearly, I am not the target demo of this particular song, which, as the lyrics reveal, is told from a woman's perspective about a new infatuation who ignites her passion. The fact that the song transcends the intended listener is a testament to Alexz Johnson's strength as a co-writer and performer.
Typically it is the chorus of a song that becomes an earworm. In the case of "Give me Fire" it is also the verses and the adorably energetic "hey!"s which punctuate the chorus that lead to its catchy nature. Johnson's voice is utterly fantastic, as is the production and instrumentation of the song.
There is a very tangible energy in her performance, accentuated by intentionally pushing her voice to crack/squeak at the appropriate moments in the verse. You and I definitely need to listen to more of Alexz Johnson's sounds.
Photo credits: via Alexz Johnson's Instagram.
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