BONUS: hate u love u (Olivia O'Brien solo version)

This song should need no introduction if you've been following me for a while. This is i hate u, i love u, a collaboration between American singers Gnash and Olivia O'Brien. Now, you may know that I really like this song; sincerely, I enjoy this song. I even put this in the honorable mentions of my best list. Unfortunately, it seems I'm one of very few who actually shares this sentiment, as after reading and watching various other year-end lists, I am under the assumption that 90% of people hate this song. Why is that?

There's a number of reasons people seem to give. It's depressing an unpleasant. The production is minimal, almost nonexistent. The lyrics are confused, unfocused, and all over the place. The most common complaint I seem to see, however, is the performers, Gnash especially. A lot of the problems people have with the song are a result of the man in the above thumbnail, from his verse contradicting the rest of the song to just plain sounding bored. Well, what if I told you there's a version that's completely void of Gnash's involvement?

This here is the solo version that Olivia O'Brien wrote back in 2015. It's got a new second verse where Gnash's verse would normally be, plus different production. Miraculously, this thing has managed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 for a single week despite virtually no buzz surrounding it whatsoever. You know what? That's honestly kind of a shame, because this version manages to be better in almost every way. Let's figure out how.

For one, the narrative is tons more focused. When you realize the song takes place from the view of a high school student, and then you cut out Gnash's verse, the lyrics make a whole lot more sense. It's not about two exes, it's one ex's feelings about another. No complications, it's all very simple. It's very raw, very honest.

Plus, there's actual production here. I can't figure out who's producing here, but I'm pretty certain it's not Gnash again. Though the pianos sound somewhat compressed during the choruses, it feels like an actual song at least. The cymbals, the snares, it all works well here for how brief it is. The song just feels bigger the longer it goes on, like it really should.

So yeah, I have very little to say about this. Honestly, if this version had been the hit instead of the Gnash version, it probably would have made the top 10. So, yeah, that's that. The next review's coming up shortly, so stay tuned.

SCORE: 8.5/10