AMY SHARK ft. KEITH URBAN - Love Songs Ain’t for Us
Pictured: Amy Shark by photographer Max Doyle - Max Doyle Studio
Background image: Jimmy Wah - Sense Music Media
The Complexity of Simplicity
Written by: Jimmy Wah - Sense Music Media
If you live in Australia or follow Australian music, AMY SHARK is a name you’ve probably heard before. Although I must admit, her rise to fame in 2016 at the same time as the viral song ‘Baby Shark’ by South Korean education company Pinkfong was slightly confusing. Like any accomplished musician, AMY SHARK spent years refining her craft and recording her own music before being picked up by Sony Music Australia to produce her 5 x Platinum certified single in Australia ‘Adore’, which gained countless streams, worldwide recognition and second place on the Triple J Hottest 100.
Pictured: Amy Shark
Photo courtesy of: Sony Music Australia
Since then, AMY SHARK has gained further worldwide attention, recording with BLINK 182’s Mark Hoppus and renowned pop producers Jack Antonoff and Joe Little. This led her to win ‘Album Of The Year’, ‘Best Female Artist’ and ‘Best Pop Release’ following her debut album Love Monster in 2018. She once again topped the ARIA charts in 2019 again with yet another 2 x Platinum single ‘Mess Her Up’, which dominated commercial radio and streaming services. This has led her to tour internationally and perform on major US television shows including The Late Late Show with James Corden and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. She even won an ARIA for ‘Best Live Australian Act’ following her 2019 regional tour.
2020 saw her strengthen her foothold both domestically and internationally with the release of ‘Everybody Rise’, a teaser of her second studio album Cry Forever which is due out on April 30. Her recent release of ‘C’MON feat. TRAVIS BARKER’ in December continued to build the anticipation while the world has been starved of seeing Amy walking the stages that she’s so used to playing. Despite this, 2020 saw her play at Firefight Australia in front of 70, 000+ people and even play at the NRL Grand Final. So why has this local girl from Brisbane QLD captivated such a strong worldwide following? Maybe that’s a question best answered by the music.
Single Review
The title of this song may fool you into thinking that this isn’t actually a love song and I think you might be right… My reasoning might just be a little unconventional. Let me explain. When I heard that this song was co-written by ED SHEERAN and featuring KEITH URBAN, the possibilities became endless. Just like ‘C’MON ft. TRAVIS BARKER’ released by AMY SHARK in 2020, the potential for something with hard hitting drums and wailing guitar was lingering in the air but just like with Travis, the Shark lived up to her name and surprised us from the deep.
Now I know what you’re all thinking; ‘Jimmy, mate, this sounds exactly like a love song.’ and I agree… to an extent. The ingredients to a love ballad are all there from the sweet voice, the unobtrusive instrumentation, the slow, broad tempo of the drums and emotive lyrics talking about love’s suggestion; and that’s precisely my point. I’ve heard the same formula used by almost every musician, from SILVERCHAIR to SLIPKNOT. Just like with so much rock and metal that talks endlessly about the spaces between the love, this is not exactly a love song, it’s a lingering question of one’s feelings. So why is that important?
Perhaps this unresolved conflict is best described through the music. Opening with the narrative of the self, a story told using the almost a cappella phrasings of one of Australia’s best female vocalists, the feelings and perceptions of innocent contemplation are grounded amidst an inescapably real world defined by four walls and a coming storm. With guitars and keys filling the spaces so softly that they sound like the thoughts themselves, it’s the perfect setup for the drums that punctuate the chorus’s underlying summation of where those delineated thoughts are resolved. Just like JEFF BUCKLEY’s interpretation of LEONARD COHEN’s ‘Hallelujah’, it seems the combination of Ed’s composition and Keith’s performance enables the fingers to dance along the fret-board throughout the verses; as the guitar voicings are cadenced in a way that parallels the words spoken throughout the song. Marrying perfectly with the contribution of Amy’s guitar, steady drums, bass, the depth of Keith’s vocals harmonise perfectly to give body to the seeming simplicity of this complex composition.
As for the film clip itself, what can I say? A lot. More than I have space to write. Opening with the advancing shot of a single guitar perched under a tree accompanied by nothing but an amp, the soft chirping of cicadas and rolling thunder, this beautifully shot and professionally produced clip makes it possible to not just understand but also relate to the themes of the song. We see Amy stepping out of her car and begin walking before her crystalline voice sings”Caught in the moment” which pretty much sums up what the song is really about. The direction of James Chappell and production of Yiani Andrikidis take us on a journey past familiar scenes of couples sharing those moments where the only thing that matters is the present. As we follow Amy and catch glimpses of Keith under the trees, “It’s all making SENSE” brings to light what we are seeing, before Amy picks up the guitar and joins in singing with the band. Soon the band and characters are joined by yet another couple who engage in some barefooted modern ballroom dancing on the grass, dressed in casually formal white costumes that punctuate the purity of the moment. Which brings be back to my former point, this isn’t quite a love song.
I guess the ability to combine so many elements into a seemingly simple song is the reason AMY SHARK is so successful. That girl next door who keeps plucking at the heart strings? Don’t worry, she’s not moving out anytime soon.
The Verdict
‘Love Songs Ain’t for Us’ is a beautifully written, composed and executed piece of music. The film clip is a gorgeous visual accompaniment, choreographed and shot with unrivaled professionalism and evocative intent. Together they are a thoughtful exploration of what it means to be connected in the moment. Unrequited love? You decide.
