What A Lot of People Do During the Day
I’m tired tonight, so I’m going to keep this short. I’m so proud of myself for publishing an article every day for over a week. My excuse to myself is that there is just so much music to write about—and that’s true. But really? I’m enjoying this so much. For everyone who’s reading: thank you.
I’m reviewing a new song, released on Friday. Don’t make fun of me, but I’m reviewing Pitbull’s “Work.” Pitbull is kind of in a weird corner of pop music. He’s definitely a rapper, first and foremost, but while he started off vaguely in the reggaeton and hip hop genres, performing with the likes of the legendary Lil Jon and Ying Yang Twins. He started experimenting with genres very quickly though, releasing several singles sampling notable recent dance hits, such as Federico Franchi’s “Cream,” Nicola Fasano and Pat Rich’s “75, Brazil Street,” and Enur’s “Calabria.”
Then it started getting weirder, with the smash hit single “Timber” with Kesha, very much the new pop princess at the time, and a couple of years later, the outrageous song “Give Me Everything” with Ne-Yo, Nayer, and Afrojack, which hit #1 on Billboard. I’m not going to lie: I loved that song and I still do.
Since “Give Me Everything” came out in 2011, Pitbull’s trajectory has been truly unique for a rapper. Having released his 13th studio album last year, Pitbull has explored pretty much every music genre imaginable in his samples in his released music. He’s not perfect. And a lot of people think he and his music are pretty cheesy. He has not achieved the same level of success or fame that many of his peers have, despite his consistent high sales and radio-friendly songs. He is not afraid to work with people across the entire music industry.
Okay, enough waxing poetic. On to today’s song. “Work” shares a lot in common with previous songs with the same name: Rihanna’s “Work,” Ciara and Missy Elliott’s “Work,” Iggy Azalea’s “Work,” and even Britney Spears’s “Work Bitch.” Namely, the repetition of the word “work.” To imply that they’re working. It’s kind of like that.
I’ll tell you exactly where Pitbull’s version sets itself apart. It’s the absolutely insane lyrics. At 0:35, he laughs and then says, in plain speaking voice: “Let me tell you what’s up. Success is like getting pregnant. Everybody congratulates, but they don’t ask how you got fucked.”
I mean, come onnnn. Some real brilliance there. That shit is inspired!
In the next verse, he adds: “It’s about what you leave behind, ‘Cause I never seen a U-Haul behind a hearse, church.”
What does that mean? I have no idea, at all. But it’s so fun! Pitbull always laughs at his own jokes, and you got to give that to him. I certainly do. He’s clever!