SOUNDTRACK: JUSTIN BEIBER-Tiny Desk (Home) Concert #182 (March 17, 2021).
When Taylor Swift did a Tiny Desk Concert it was HUGE news–the biggest pop star in the world at the Tiny Desk?
I assume at one point Justin Beiber would have made a similar big deal (even if this one is a home show and just a stream like any other). I didn’t even know he was still making music. So imagine my surprise to hear that the album that these songs come from went to number 1 and that he is the youngest artist to have 8 number one records. Who is buying Justin Beiber records? I have no idea.
Especially now that he’s all tattooed up and sleazy looking.
Of course, it’s very likely that I don’t know anything he has done, because I really didn’t know what he sounded like. He plays four songs here.
“Holy,” another song from Justice, opens this set without the presence of guest Chance the Rapper.
“Holy” is a slow acoustic song (the acoustic guitar from Julian McGuire sounds great). His musicians are from We the Band. This is a catchy pop song for sure–the holy holy holy, hold me hold me hold me part is a nice touch. I like the addition of the record scotching from DJ Tay James in the middle.
But why is he always grabbing his crotch? Especially the way he grabs it, like he has to pee. It’s really disconcerting and seems like an unconscious reflex at his point. It looks particularly weird with his big baggy clothes on.
For “Peaches” he heads over to the keyboard. Julian McGuire picks up the electric guitar and shows how good he is. The opening piano melody is slow and pretty. I really like this song except that the lyrics are so unnecessarily crass. Why have such a pretty song and yet have your call and response lyrics be so rude
I got my peaches out in Georgia (oh, yeah, shit)
I get my weed from California (that’s that shit)
I took my chick up to the North, yeah (badass bitch)
I get my light right from the source, yeah (yeah, that’s it)
And good lord he repeats the chorus so many times.
Bieber plays the slow piano solo as the scotching begins and then keyboardists O’Neil “Doctor O” Palmer takes over and plays a really groovy melody as the outro to the song.
“Peaches” will exist in a significantly different form when Bieber drops his new album, Justice, on Friday — the track will feature guest vocals from GIVEŌN and Daniel Caesar
For “Hold On” he moves away from the keys. I prefer him standing in front of the keys because he looks so awkward when he’s just standing there, hunched over and crouching.
The song has pretty echoing electric guitar (Mcguire again). This song starts out quietly but when it kicks in, what a super catchy song! It’s got a killer bass sound from Harv and is just full on bouncer. This should be huge. In the middle of the song the band take a verse or two to totally rock out with crashing drums from Robert Taylor as well as ripping guitars and bass.
“Anyone” ends the set as a big old ballad with satisfyingly quiet synths and backing vocals. This is a really pretty song, but it would work so much better if he didn’t look so scuzzy. But once again the band totally rocks the end–a big jam that is really awesome once JB stops singing, McGuire get a ripping solo and the band turns the song into a funk jam with some cool bass and drums and the samples kicking in.
[READ: March 31, 2021] “Seventy-Two Virgins”
Comedy pieces are often funny when they are timely. I’m not sure what was going on in 2007 that Steve Martin wanted to make a joke about Muslim martyrs enjoying 72 Virgins. I do recall hearing about that closer to 9/11, but maybe something else new had happened?
I’m not willing to look this up. How does one even searching for 72 virgins? But the context is that it was widely believed that Muslim ‘martyrs’ enjoyed rich sensual rewards on reaching paradise.
So without having 72 virgins in the zeitgeist, what’s it like to read this?
Well, this is basically a kind of play with every virgin getting a line.
Virgin No. 1: Yuck.
Virgin No. 3: Ew.
Odd start and not all that promising.
But they start to get more detailed
Virgin No. 5: Do you like cats? I have fourteen!
Virgin No. 6: I’m Becky. I’ll be legal in two years.
I chuckled at
Virgin No. 9: It was a garlic-and-onion pizza. Why?
Virgin No. 14: I’m eighty-four. So what?
and
Virgin No. 16: Even I know that’s tiny.
Virgin No. 17: “Do it”? Meaning what.
A particularly good one was
Virgin No. 18: I’m saving myself for Jesus.
I also liked
Virgin No. 35: By the way, here in Heaven, “virgin” has a slightly different meaning. It means “chatty.”
It’s got to be tough to come up with 72 one liners. But this one was a good joke in the middle
Virgin No. 48: You’ve got it wrong. We’re in the Paradise Casino.
and a tough crowd:
Virgin No. 54: We’ve been together twenty-four hours now, and, you know, sometimes it’s O.K. to say something mildly humorous.
A good twist:
Virgin No. 58: Those are my testicles.
And finally:
Virgin No. 72: It was paradise until you showed up.
I tried reading them the way I imagined Steve Martin would say them and it did make them much funnier.
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