Add to Library: "I'm Ready" by Sam Smith & Demi Lovato
The first of the ‘Add to Library’ series, and a gay anthem.
The backstory
Welcome to the Add to Library series. Together, we’ll dive deep into one song that deserves its place in your music library. I’m a sucker for pop music, but worry not, the genres will be diverse and hopefully diversify your library.
There’s so much more that makes a song, so we’re going full-tilt “six degrees of Kevin Bacon.” We’ll learn more about the music, lyrics, songwriters, producers, performers and more!
The song
The first song in the Add to Library series is “I’m Ready,” by Sam Smith & Demi Lovato. Fitting, in that Aaron and I first set out to write our blog for the lack of positive representation of our community, and this song, since teased by Smith and Lovato weeks ago, immediately emerges as a gay anthem.
In its first lines, Smith sings, I've been waiting patiently for a beautiful lover/He's not a cheater, a believer/He's a warm, warm blooded achiever. This is one of Smith’s first singles off their upcoming album after publicly announcing their change in gender pronouns and non-binary gender identity last September. Therefore this new album is a momentous moment for Smith and to open “I’m Ready” with lyrics that don’t comply with the heteronormative love language of pop music must be recognized as Smith is one of the biggest LGBTQ+ artists of their time.
Smith wrote the song with Lovato, Savan Kotecha, Peter Svensson, and the song's producer, Ilya Salmanzadeh. From the first beat drop and mysterious first vocal lines, Salmanzadeh’s production shines through. Think Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” featuring Kendrick Lamar, another one of Salmanzadeh’s production masterpieces.
Melodically, the chorus has a simple rise and fall, making it all the more easy to sing in your first listen by the time it comes around again. Kotecha and Svensson know a thing or two about a simple melody paired with chorus lyrics that are equally as simple and repetitive. The pair is also responsible for Ariana Grande’s duet with The Weeknd, “Love Me Harder.”
Similar to Grande and The Weeknd, Smith and Lovato’s voices blend well together, giving them opportunities to sing in unison (yes in the same octave) and weave their voices in and out. For both singers, when the transition from the minor verses finds their voices void of major backing production, settled in a warm major chorus, the song finds its “anthem” status.
One of Salmanzadeh’s most recent songwriting and producing credits, “Spirit” by Beyoncé, lends well to close “I’m Ready” with Smith and Lovato belting the chorus one last time with an epic a cappella gospel choir.
Keeping it simple with its melody and lyrics, powerhouse vocals and production, let the I’m ready for someone to love me sentiment wash over you.
Add to library 👇
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