Single Review: Avicii – ‘Wake Me Up’
2 min read
The first time I heard Wake Me Up I could not believe that it was Avicii’s new single. It is completely unlike anything the electronic dance music master has released before, but I like it. And so does the rest of the world, apparently, having already reached number one in 40 countries around the world.
If you’ve never heard of Avicii before, you’re wrong. You have. The young Swedish dj produced the 2011 smash hit Levels, which reached the top ten in 13 countries, and topped the charts in Hungary, Norway and Sweden. He’s worked with everyone from Dj Tiësto, to Sebastian Ingrosso, and David Guetta, to name but a few.
Avicii’s new single, the first from his upcoming album, doesn’t sound like any of his previous hits though, and was received with very mixed reviews when debuted at this year’s Ultra Music Festival in Miami. Rather than his usual intense builds and dirty drops, Avicii introduced rapper and singer Aloe Blacc and Incubus guitarist Michael Einziger for Wake Me Up, complete with banjos and kazoo’s, and took the sweaty ravers on a hoedown journey through Americana. Some LOVED it, and some hated it, so much so that Avicii released a statement on his Facebook page explaining the set and the motivation behind his new direction.
Obviously, the fans won out though, because you have to have been living under a rock not to have heard this song on the radio. And I have to agree. It’s pure pop, and it certainly doesn’t fit into Avicii’s usual EDM genre, but it’s fun and it’s catchy, and the lyrics are totally different to what we’re used to hearing (“So wake me up when it’s all over/ When I’m wiser and I’m older/ All this time I was finding myself/ And I didn’t know I was lost”).
Though he may have lost a few fans with this new direction, I’m more than sure he’s gained many more, and with collaborations with country and bluegrass artists Mac Davis, Audra Mae, and Dan Tyminski it will be interesting to see what Avicii’s debut album is like when it finally drops.
Buy ‘Avicii – Wake Me Up’ from Amazon
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