Now, I liked Lean On, it was a fun song to dance to, and it was produced in spots by DJ Snake, one of the best mainstream EDM producers there is. This song does not have DJ Snake, allowing Major Lazer to run wild and do whatever the heck they want. Heck, I'll even admit to liking a few songs Justin Bieber has put out recently, mainly What Do You Mean and Sorry, both mainly for the production. Still, it's no surprise to anyone that Justin Bieber needs good production to sound good, because without it he sounds like he'd rather be anywhere else. As for MØ, I don't really have an opinion on her. I haven't heard any of her music, but she seems talented.
So, there's my opinions on the artists. What about the song? Well, when I heard it that day, I thought it was okay. I predicted it would probably become a hit considering it was a collaboration between three (five?) known hitmakers. Still, I was a bit shocked to see that it debuted at number 2 on the August 13th edition of the Hot 100. It's managed to chart above One Dance, allowing that song to further slip into obscurity. Hell, I'm tempted to give this a blindly praising review simply for that fact (seriously, One Dance needs to get the hell out). Sadly, I'm going to have to find other things to praise besides the fact that it is currently marginally more popular than the most bland as white bread song currently out right now. So enough about that, let's get into the review proper.
Well first of all, I'm glad there's a lyric video for this, because it's pretty difficult trying to pay attention to what the singers are actually singing. I'm really loving this production from the get-go. I swear, the fact that I keep doing Caribbean-inspired music is completely coincidental; it's just what's gotten big this year. This is some of the best production I've heard all year. It even manages to make Bieber sound good! The verses are cool, chill, and pleasant. And then the chorus kicks in, and the song shifts into maximum overdrive. It's nowhere near the awesomeness of DJ Snake's best work, but then again DJ Snake is a god among men who should not be trifled with. This drop is epic, but pulls the punches just enough for you to not look like an absolute fool when you're jamming to it in public. THIS is the kind of electronic music I want to see more of, not Calvin Harris.
Lyrically, it's a perfectly fine song. Ed Sheeran and Benny Blanco both helped write this, and those two are incredibly inconsistent writers. That is, neither of them is consistently good or bad. I would say this is some of their better work, along the lines of their last collaboration, Don't, which had been sung by Sheeran. It's not as bitterly angry as Don't, not even close, but this song has its own purpose.
It's a love song, like most electronic. Bieber's verses have one very basic idea: No matter how bad things get, he'll always be there for you. He won't let go, he'll be your lifeline. And then MØ's verse crops up, and it's very clear that this is a two-person narrative. She's the "you" Bieber has been talking about this whole time. Her situation is unstable, like a rocking boat, she's close to tipping over, and she wants to make sure Bieber's really got her back, and guess what, he's got her back. He won't let go, he'll be her lifeline tonight.
Really, this song pulls everything together at the end. It feels like a complete narrative by that point. I don't know if it's objectively the best song in the world, heck, a lot of critics have called this song mediocre, but I'm a lot more forgiving to this song. I love it, it's a definite late-summer jam. If you're burnt out from grandpa Timberlake trying to be cool again or goddamn One Dance, give this song a go. It'll reinvigorate your spirits.
SCORE: 8.75/10
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