Hello, I’m MusiCommentator, and while I’m much more knowledgeable in music than I am in movies, I like to sit down and watch a nice film every once in a while. Recently, I went to the theaters to see “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse”, and I concur with many of the reviews in that it is an awesome movie. Not only is the animation incredibly unique, but the story is so enthralling that the two-hour runtime will feel like a half hour. It was cast perfectly as well, and I suggest anyone even slightly interested in seeing it to go out and watch it now before it’s out of theaters. Surely, this movie brought in exemplary reviews, but it also brought a new, original soundtrack, and one of the songs off it is blowing up on the charts, so I decided to talk about it.
The two artists featured on the track are Post Malone and Swae Lee. It’s no surprise that this song is a hit with Post Malone on it, since almost anything he touches is guaranteed to at least make it into the Billboard Top 10. Still, I find his music good. I don’t think any of it is good enough to make any “year-end best” lists, but as far as mainstream rap goes, he has a style that lures in the listener and makes them want to listen to the track on repeat. Swae Lee, on the other hand, is not as big as Post, but has his own catalog of hits under his name. He’s the main member of Rae Sremmurd, so he’s been a big part of hits like “No Flex Zone” and “Black Beatles”. But, he’s also gotten many hit songs off of features, such as “Arms Around You” and “Unforgettable“. Compared to Post Malone, I like Swae Lee less, but I think he’s able to make some catchy melodies that will definitely get stuck in your ear. So, let’s see how these two do together on “Sunflower“.
Let’s start off by looking at the chorus:
“Then you’re left in the dust, unless I stuck by ya
You’re the sunflower, I think your love would be too much
Or you’ll be left in the dust, unless I stuck by ya
You’re the sunflower, you’re the sunflower”
While simple, it’s message is nice. The singer is saying that he will stick with his girl no matter what because of the love he has for her. It’s a good sentiment, and the melody of it is very pleasing. I guess I should talk about the beat, too, which is easily the best part of the song. From the soft drums to the synthesized horns, the melodies and harmonies are so beautiful that it is easy to get lost in it. The producers of this track definitely struck gold with this beat.
Now, let’s see how good the artists do on their verses, starting with Swae Lee.
“Needless to say, I keep it in check
She was all bad-bad, nevertheless”
Seems odd to be talking about how “bad” your girl is in a song like this, even it its the positive connotation of “bad” used in many rap tracks, but I guess you gotta throw some rap stereotypes in there.
“Callin’ it quits now, baby, I’m a wreck
Crash at my place, baby, you’re a wreck”
Wait, what are you calling it quits on? Are you calling quits on her? Why is she a wreck? Were you out partying? Fighting? This seems like an odd couplet to have in a love song, especially when no context surrounds it.
“Thinkin’ in a bad way, losin’ your grip
Screamin’ at my face, baby, don’t trip”
So they were fighting! I mean, I guess it’s good to show the bad and the good of a relationship in a song like this. It shows the realness of the relationship in an unabashed way.
“Someone took a big L, don’t know how that felt”
Didn’t you just say you were fighting with her? Look, Swae, I know you’re young and probably new to relationships, but I wouldn’t call a fight with my significant other a “win”.
“She wanna ride me like a cruise”
…Is this verse over? Can we go to Post’s verse now, please?
Thankfully, that is pretty much the end of Swae’s verse, and…my expectations were not reached. He didn’t add much to the theme of the chorus, mainly being off-topic most of the time, and when he was on the topic, he didn’t handle it well. Fortunately, Post Malone does a lot better on his verse.
“Every time I’m leavin’ on ya (Ooh)
You don’t make it easy, no (No, no)
Wish I could be there for ya (Ooh)
Give me a reason to, oh (Oh)
Every time I’m walkin’ out (Oh)
I can hear you tellin’ me to turn around (Oh, oh)
Fightin’ for my trust and you won’t back down (No)”
On his verse, Post spends his time detailing a relationship which he has doubts about, sometimes wanting to walk out, but realizes that he can’t because he does truly love her. Lines like “Every time I’m leavin’ on ya (Ooh)/You don’t make it easy, no (No, no)” elaborate on the first line of the chorus (“Then you’re left in the dust, unless I stuck by ya”), and the feelings he shows for this girl throughout the verse exemplify the love he has, or how she is like his “sunflower”.
Overall, this is a good song. The instrumentation on it is strikingly beautiful, and both artists’ voices sound better than usual. Post Malone does a good job on his verse, elaborating perfectly on his personal meaning of the chorus, but Swae Lee’s verse is confusing at its best and cringey at its worst. I’d probably give this song a 3.5 out of 5. Do you agree?
Thank you for reading my “Sunflower” 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.
See related post: Post Malone’s “Wow.” Song Review
MusiCommentator 