Quality

I don't hate this song, but I respectfully consider it a "meh" BNL song. Not offensive to listen to, but not something I am drawn to either.

The musical side of the song (the one that usually decides my taste in a song) is not terribly exciting. Someone in another thread compared it to... a mundane TV theme, I think - whether they did or they didn't, I think that's an apt comparison. It doesn't have a lot of energy in the production, and the melody isn't in a "power" part of Ed's range in the chorus, so it just comes off as a "factory production" kind of song rather than one the band was really into. I get the same feeling from "Rule the World" which I actually like as a song, but I think the production turns it a bit boring.

I think it's a bit symptomatic of the entire record actually - maybe they tried to record too many songs in one session (29), but I think a lot of them suffer from not having a uniquity and spark of energy perhaps because they were running out of ideas for 29 songs or running out of gas, or because you have more than twice the usual number of songs with a similar production sound on that album.

When I occasionally play a "name every BNL song" quiz on Sporcle, I generally have "groups" of songs that I tie together in my mind (i.e. when I remember one, I always remember one or more others that my mind has tied to them). For example, when I remember Spider in my Room, I also remember In The Drink - both Jim BOAPS songs. Sometimes its explicable; other times it's just a "feeling" I get that the songs have something in common. I always associate I Live With It Everyday, The Wrong Man Was Convicted and Everything Old Is New Again. I have no idea why.

Similarly, I always tend to hit the certain songs on BLAM together including Quality, The New Sad, Why Say Anything Nice? and Something You'll Never Find. I have no explanation, but they are all songs I don't find myself humming or remembering all the words to or picking up a guitar and playing. I think Quality is my favourite of those four, or maybe Anything Nice, but still.

As for the lyric, I find the song once again has that attempt to include "pop culture" references except that instead of One Week's or Four Seconds' dropping them in a rap context with relatively little meaning, Ed tries to use the references here (Billy Barty, Kobe Beef, driving on the left, "cross my heart and hope to die - stick a needle in your eye") to come up with a single cohesive story, and I think it takes away from any sentiment the song might have. Similarly, the song is a mid-tempo chord strumming based pop song, but the language chosen seems a bit more urban and hip-hoppy or rappy - "Your guests will go insane/for me", "If you're not down, vote with your feet", etc. It doesn't help that I'm still not entirely clear what the song is supposed to be about.

This probably came off very negative, because I'm mainly referencing my problems with the song. I don't hate the song though, I just don't really have any particular affinity for it.

Probably bc Shopping was used by Kohls (?) a few years ago, lol.