“Hotline Bling” (Drake Cover) by Sufjan Stevens ft. Gallant, Monday, August 19, 2024
Before his record-setting 333 (and counting) Billboard Hot 100 entries and his record-tying number 13 #1 hits--tied with Michael Jackson--, Drake released his 2016 album Views. First, he scored a number 2 hit in 2015 with “Hotline Bling” before the album was released, and then he reached the top position on the chart with the single “One Dance.” Drake released his first mixtape in 2006, but his 2009 single “Best I Ever Had” from his third mixtape was the breakout event for the Canadian rapper. Perceptions about Drake may have changed over the years, particularly earlier this year when he and Kendrick Lamar were involved in a nasty highly-publicized feud. “Hotline Bling” harkens back to a time when the perception of the Canadian rapper was mostly positive, even if the lyrics to the song have been criticized as sexist.
EVER SINCE I LEFT THE CITY… The summer vacation sounds of “Hotline Bling” partly come from the song’s sample of Timmy Thomas’s "Why Can't We Live Together,” which features a Caribbean rhythm that punctuates “Hotline Bling.” Many music critics have called Drake an Emo rapper, and the sadness in the lyrics of “Hotline Bling,” the rapper sings tells a self-pitying story about a girl who no longer calls him when he comes home. It’s a horny lament and the instrumentation only brings the imagery of a lonely fuckboy with a couple of days in his hometown and no one to call on an uncharacteristically tropical night in a Canadian summer. The speaker of the song complains to the subject, who seems to be living a good life after being the speaker’s friend with benefits. She has outgrown the relationship, but the speaker feels that she owes him loyalty. The speaker is honest, but honesty doesn’t excuse douchebaggery. What’s worse is that the song’s lyrics sound strikingly similar to the manipulation a gaslighter or even a domestic abuser uses to keep his partner reliant on him.
WONDER IF YOU’RE BENDING OVER BACKWARDS FOR SOMEONE ELSE. Serious issues with Drake’s “Hotline Bling” aside, the song is still culturally significant. The song has been covered by many pop artists, including fellow Canadian, Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, Sam Smith and Disclosure, and today’s version Sufjan Stevens and Gallant, among others. Today’s version isn’t the best; however, it is an impactful version given the musical context it comes from. In 2015, Sufjan Stevens released his acclaimed, heartbreaking album, Carrie & Lowell. Stevens toured the album, performing much of it in concert. Opening for Stevens was R&B singer-songwriter Christopher Joseph Gallant III, known solely by his surname. Sufjan’s concerts were recorded
and later released in 2017. The audience and Stevens endure some 80 minutes of intense material. Following the concert’s closer, the extended version of “Blue Buckets of Gold,” Stevens played an encore, a light-hearted version of Drake’s “Hotline Bling.” The moment is meant to be savored ironically. It’s hard to imagine Sufjan Stevens’ fans looking to Drake for poetic notes on how to address unfaithful lovers. Pop music is the reward for making it through the emotional torment of Carrie & Lowell. The song comes from out of nowhere, just like a humorous moment strikes after losing a loved one. It takes some time, and it feels inappropriate at first, but in the end, it’s a sign that healing is taking place. Grief becomes swallowed up little by little as other emotions start to return. No, Sufjan Stevens isn’t going to be releasing a cover album of ironic pop songs anytime soon. At least I don’t think he is. Nothing is really outside of the scope at this point. But just as the audience needs relief from Carrie & Lowell Live, Steven needs to believe that life moves on.
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