SONG OF THE DAY
“Just Say Yes” by Snow Patrol (Up To Now, Fiction/ Interscope Records, 2009). Lyrics by Gary Lightbody, music by Snow Patrol.
INTERESTING FACTS (a la wikipedia)
– “Just Say Yes” has its origins as a song written for pop singer Gwen Stefani, who rejected it.
– Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls was then given permission by Lightbody to record it for her solo debut album. Scherzinger had loved the song, and felt grateful and “blessed” upon being given permission to record it, even calling it an “honour” to sing something written by Lightbody. Scherzinger felt influenced by the Northern Irish Lightbody’s accent, and attempted to record the song with an accent herself, with Lightbody acting as the producer. Though she was nervous about doing justice to the song, she was relieved when Lightbody told her that her singing had made his mother cry. The song was due to feature on Scherzinger’s solo debut album Her Name is Nicole, but the album has been temporarily shelved.
– Snow Patrol later took the song back and recorded it for their compilation album Up to Now.
– The song, having an electronic, synthpop sound, marks a distinct change in the Snow Patrol’s sound. Writer Gary Lightbody has called it their most adventurous single to date.
– The song was also used in the trailer for the 2010 film Leap Year.
– It performed well commercially, reaching the top 10 on the singles chart in countries like Belgium and Ireland and reached #1 in the Netherlands. However, the critical reaction was mixed. Reviews generally praised the song for encompassing the band’s past and new sound. The negative reviews criticized the song for being too linear, and for not having any “spark”.
– When Snow Patrol’s label in the United Kingdom heard the song, they were shocked to learn that Lightbody had given away the song in the first place. Lightbody then reclaimed the song for the band.
– EW called Scherzinger’s version “elegant” and Rap-Up magazine “understated”. Critical reaction towards Snow Patrol’s version was mixed.