Ella Mai’s “Boo’d Up” Song Review

Hello, I’m MusiCommentator, and we have all seen it before.  There is that one song from a new artist that starts to get popular and slowly builds its way higher and higher until it reaches a peak where many people have heard of it.  Well, this new song “Boo’d Up” seems to be following this trend right now, so I guess I should talk about it.

Ella Mai is an English singer from London and is signed to 10 Summer Records, a label run by DJ Mustard of all people.  She is a newer artist, so I have never heard of her before, but like I mentioned, this new song of hers has been making leaps and bounds on the Billboard Hot 100, so let’s check that out.

“Yeah, feelings, so deep in my feelings
No, this ain’t really like me
Can’t control my anxiety
Feeling, like I’m touching the ceiling
When I’m with you I can’t breathe
Boy you do something to me”

So, right off the bat, it’s easy to tell what this song is about.  She has a deep crush on a boy and it’s taking over her feelings.  It’s definitely a topic that’s been discussed many, many, many, many, many times in music, but I like her descriptive language here.  She goes much deeper than saying “Oh, I like you a lot and I don’t know what to do with myself”.  With these lyrics, she’s trying to make the audience feel what she’s feeling.

“Ooh, now I’ll never get over you until I find something new
That get me high like you do, yeah yeah”

I’ll say one thing about this; I’m annoyed by the “your love is my drug” comparison.  It works on a linguistic level, but it’s been used so much now that it’s been played to death.  If I wanted to like that metaphor again, the comparison would have to go above and beyond, and these lines don’t provide that.

“Listen to my heart go ba-dum, boo’d up
Biddy-da-dum, boo’d up
Hear my heart go ba-dum, boo’d up”

Now I will say that this chorus is kind of clever.  I’m not sure if it was intentional, but I like how she makes the phrase “boo’d up” sound like the noise a heart would make while beating, which fits excellently with the themes.

“How many ways can I say that I need you, baby, it’s true
I think I might die without you
Feeling all over my body
You know how I like it
Ain’t gotta tell you what to do, yeah yeah”

The second verse continues the themes of the first verse, continuing to discuss how this man or boy makes her feel.  Nothing more is really added, but it helps with continuity.

“Head over heels in love
Right in front of you, ain’t gotta look no more baby (hah)
I wanna build this love
And everything you want, you ain’t gotta ask for
You got me boo’d up, boo’d up”

Aaaaand the third verse is basically the same, too.  I guess you could say it’s more assertive now that she is saying directly to him that she wants to “build this love” and be with him, but it’s nothing you wouldn’t expect already.

Overall, I know this was a shorter review (which I bet some of you like) but that’s because this song stays pretty safe.  I’m not saying it’s bad, but there is not too much to talk about.  I’ve never heard Ella Mai before, so I was impressed by her voice.  It’s very silky and smooth and works well for the genre she sings in.  The beat is nothing too spectacular.  The only thing I can say about it is that I’m not a big fan of is those 80s-90s R&B drums.  I’m not really sure how else to describe them, but you know what I mean if you’ve heard the song before.  The lyrics, too, are pretty basic for a song like this, even if they do a good job with portraying some basic imagery.  Much like that Carrie Underwood song I reviewed, this probably won’t be a song I’m returning to, but I enjoyed it well enough while listening to it for this review.  I’d probably give this song a 3 out of 5.  Do you agree?

Thank you for reading my “Boo’d Up” song review. If you liked this review, make sure to follow my website, Twitter, and Instagram, like this post, and be sure to check in to read my future reviews. Also, if you have something you want to see me review, tell me in the comments. Until then, keep on listening to good music! I know I will.

 

 

 

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