This week’s DJ Music Chart continues with Katy Perry “Roar” as number 1 for the third straight week. Right behind Katy Perry is Avicii “Wake Me Up”. Rounding out the top five are Lana Del Rey “Summertime Sadness”, Lorde “Royals” and Jay-Z “Holly Grail”.
DJ Music Chart – Week of 10/7
This week we will review Avicii and “Wake Me Up”.
“Wake Me Up” (stylized as “Wake Me Up!“) is a song by Swedish DJ and music producer Avicii, which features uncredited vocals from American soul singer Aloe Black and acoustic guitar from Incubus‘ Mike Einziger. It was released in June 2013 as the first single from Avicii’s full-length debut studio album, True, which was released on 17 September 2013.
The song achieved critical and commercial success internationally, peaking at number one in much of Europe and charting well in all of the English-speaking world. The song has been described as a “summer anthem” by Variance Magazine and, throughout the 2013 festival season, Avicii included it as part of the opening or closing sequence of his sets at EDC Las Vegas, EDC London, Tomorrowland, Creamfields, Electric Zoo and iTunes Festival.
In an interview with the Daily Star, Avicii, who had previously labelled “Wake Me Up!” as “a fun experiment” during an exclusive chat with MTV UK, said: “I had a demo with Mac Davis singing, the guy who wrote all the Elvis Presley stuff, but I needed another singer to do the parts. At the same time I was tipped off about doing another track with Aloe Blacc and I started working on that track. When I was with Mike Einziger from Incubus, we came up with the chord progression and the melody for Wake Me Up but no real lyrics. None of us sing and we really needed to get that demo down and the only person I knew that lived in LA was Aloe, so I called him and he was free. Lyrics come really easy to him so he wrote them in a couple of hours and we finished the track.”
Robert Copsey of Digital Spy blog gave the song a positive review, stating:
“As chart-friendly EDM continues to reach the furthest corners of the globe, staying ahead of the pack can prove a tricky task – especially when more and more acts arrive on the scene turning out mixes with identikit build-ups, tired lyrics and uninspired breakdowns that newcomers to the arena lap up with excitement. Kudos to Avicii then, who has dared to try something a little different for his latest offering. “So wake me up when it’s all over/ When I’m wiser and I’m older,” featured artist Aloe Blacc sings over dialled-up, country-flecked guitar strums that sound like Mumford & Sons on speed. The jig-along chorus may conjure up images of Brits-on-tour, but to be honest, what summer anthem doesn’t?”
What is your new favorite song on the DJ Music Chart for the week of 10/7?
DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & Boston DJ
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