the craziest pop song of the 21st century

Willow Smith's new song "symptom of life" is in 7/4 time and uses some very jazzy chords, two things I would not have expected from the singer who gave us "Whip My Hair" back in 2010.
My other video where I mention Willow Smith: • 6 pop songs that aren'...
The outro music to this video is my track "Clap" which you can hear in full on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0wKKJ... 🎶
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SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: / davidbennettpiano 🎹

[@DavidBennettPiano]

I interviewed the piano player on this track, Brad Oberhofer! Check it out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h2rTeKmIh7Whi8U

[@goodlookingcorpse]

"I'm not going to talk about Radiohead today. I'm going to talk about Willow Smith. Whose song reminds me of Radiohead." :)

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Radiohead is my prime meridian… everything is measured relative to them

[@illegal_space_alien]

@@DavidBennettPiano This is the way. Never stray from your path.

[@jayrussell3796]

​@@DavidBennettPianooh lol...I thought the Beatles were 😮

[@IamSapindeNoel]

Come on, even the video is an homage to Just

[@DeckardRJ]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@zachary963]

I always love it when songs in “odd” signatures just feel like music, instead of a math equation.

[@donericdisante]

I feel like there's a property to music where playing something simple and making it sound difficult is appreciated just as much as taking something difficult in making it sound simple. And what's crazy is a lot of times many of us can't tell which is which.

[@Sonny_McMacsson]

7/4 seems to be the most common "odd" signature.

[@stefanmachler8295]

Well said!

[@davidjohnson1654]

All things being equal, it adds up to a nice, interesting sound.

[@fleecefoxes6471]

Yes! That is really inspirational - but still, a lot of the "math equation" music is really nice as well

[@zzzaphod8507]

Starting in 7/4 time and later going to 4/4 is right on the Money

[@DavidBennettPiano]

beautiful pun! (I hope it was intended!)

[@PBVideo1962]

The time signature is gone, the song is over, thought I’d something more to say…

[@DavidBennettPiano]

@@PBVideo1962 😂😂

[@AndreaAustoni]

Willow didn't want to be Outshined by Pink Floyd

[@zzzaphod8507]

@@DavidBennettPiano Yes, thanks. After posting hundreds of KZbin comments, eventually I might get a half-decent one!

[@zillavale]

You can tell she's really focused on the music and not into the fame so much. This is such a unique sound. I love it

[@pantone369c]

Somehow the 7/4 sections sound freer and more open while the 4/4 chorus feel tight and jarring.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

It might be the relentless eighth note rhythm that the vocal sings in the 4/4 chorus that makes it sound that way to you

[@pantone369c]

@@DavidBennettPiano That and the off-kilter sounding hi-hat (?) accents are probably what do it. But I really like how despite being in 7, the verses really aren't at all wonky feeling to me.

[@avijatsinharoy8944]

Might have to do something with the syncopation?

[@jonathanwingmusic]

I also think in the 7/4 section her vocals are floating around in a more relaxed and free way, with a very spacey production sound behind her - mostly loose jazzy drums and light piano and pads - then when it shifts to 4/4, everything becomes really tight and syncopated with an almost mechanical sounding vocal melody (the way she sings primarily one note gives it an almost robotic feel which I find interesting), like a harsh and relentless ticking clock, with jarring/unexpected accents. It feels like a march here. I don't believe David pointed this out specifically but the 4/4 section also appears to be using only open5th chords, meaning chords without the 3rd, which I think lends this section a more stark, cold, and powerful feel as well. I think the contrast is pretty cool, and for me, I oddly find the 7/4 section to have a greater sense of "release" and the 4/4 feels more tense for all these reasons.

[@chrishillery]

Yeah - with the very off-beat accents, especially the way those accents halt the song for half a beat, the "4/4" chorus feels like it's in a weirder time signature than the 7/4 verse. You *can* count a steady "1 2 3 4" under the chorus, but you've gotta concentrate to do it, which is kind of the opposite of comfortable.

[@GoddamnAxl]

This is gotta be the most natural sounding 7/4 I’ve ever heard. Lit 🔥

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😊

[@patrickobrien8185]

Check out Look at Me Now by Caroline Polachek! She even sticks to 7/4 for the entire song and still makes it sound natural, which is quite the achievement in my opinion.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

@@patrickobrien8185 I’ll check it out!

[@DaedalusCommunity]

Money by Pink Floyd?

[@devondorr8212]

merigold by periphery

[@johngriffon2118]

Please let this be a sign that the new generation is bringing back complex harmonies in popular music, not just "pop".

[@OGseoulite]

We are, I’m composing a few things as we speak :)

[@zenpeamusic8893]

You need to give ariana grande and beyonce a listen, they are virtuosos of harmonies. If you would like to hear a new/upcoming girlgroup, FLO blends & harmonizes beautifully

[@skyler7017]

i mean, there are many artist making dense complex music these days, its just not pop, willows song just blew up because its willow

[@bread_dawg]

Pop doesn't equal bad. Listen to Carly Rae Jepsen's stuff, like Emotion Side B. Adults deserve simple, fun, happy music too.

[@kissit012]

Pop is what is popular. This music has always been around. In every generation. Just not always at the forefront of consumerism. Several artists, especially black female artists, have kept this alive

[@esdel1955]

Yes! 68 y.o. musician here, this song grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let go. I had to download. I hear some Joni Mitchell and some Radiohead and lots of jazz. I love Willow’s voice and the producer she’s working with and I wish them much success.

[@soundshaper]

I have to agree, this is an excellent piece of contemporary pop jazz music. Of course, there are plenty of others out there who'll do stuff like this, Tori Amos comes to mind, even Bjork, possibly they are influences. And certainly Joni Mitchell would add some of these chord elements. Very nice work.

[@ToddGimlin]

Joni Mitchell was the first thing I thought of when I heard this. Great song.

[@angelicaterry3367]

@@tink6225 She is the musician she is as a result of her full background. Parts of why may be connected to what it means to be black in america or not. There's a reason why Willow stands out. There's no other artist like her. Most are bogged down by fame and the trappings. She had the best education money can buy and her parents have enough money to relieve the pressures of raising children whom, relatively speaking, you want them to feel free or unencumbered. The worry of what others may think can be easily shaken off in their environment. There's also genetics. She wouldn't be as talented or be able to be in the right rooms if her parents weren't talented and in those rooms before her. Think whatever you may of her parents but as a mother myself, children do not become the people they are by accident. I adore both her parents for the phenomenal job that they did raising both Willow and Jaden.

[@tink6225]

@@angelicaterry3367 very well said

[@silver6380]

Chris Greatti is excellent! Check out the albums Am I A Girl?, I Disagree, and Flux by Poppy.

[@gabby.maya11]

Welcome to the Willow fan club! She’s been making super dense and interesting music since her first album she dropped at 14. Her range is wild and she has punk rock , screamo, rnb, and pop records in her super impressive discography. In my book she’s the only nepo baby that deserves ALL the hype

[@mipr5420]

Exactly 💯

[@rafisqiadhaputra6136]

Agreed but what about Julian Casablancas

[@OGseoulite]

@@rafisqiadhaputra6136what about him? The video isn’t about him nor is the original comment. And you sure didn’t add anything yourself so you’re right, what about him???

[@rafisqiadhaputra6136]

@@OGseoulite im so sorry,i have rough day when i made that comment,my grandma was bedridden sick and my pet hamster is missing,but its just not justyfiying me being so rude online.so again im terribly sorry if my comment sounds so ignorant

[@s.r-mariem9233]

@@OGseoulite Why so aggressive..? The purpose of the comment, a response to another comment that talks briefly about "NEPO BABIES", was firstly to *agree*, and then to suggest another nepo baby supposedly equally deserving of hype. It wasn't to overshadow Willow. Calm down, my days.

[@rome8180]

That chorus grooves so hard. It's one thing to have an intellectually interesting song. That's cool enough, especially in the pop world. But for it to also have you singing along and bobbing your head is a pretty unique accomplishment.

[@br6803]

Sorry to go against the consensus, but I found the song uninspiring.

[@wherethequietbeingsgo]

@@br6803 Okay. 🤷‍♀️

[@XenMaraj]

yall been sleeping on willow for YEARS

[@chantoya17]

lol right? let 'em know.

[@bobbobertson9063]

True! I recently noticed more of her songs popping up in my playlists and I'm like damn I should've given her more credit all along.

[@ElijahChikondi]

I’m one of these “y’all” 😢

[@blahblahsuperanon]

You’re right lol

[@XenMaraj]

and her new song "big feelings" is complicated just like this one, I love the direction she's going

[@franklincrisis3939]

1:10 i cant get kendrick verse out of my head pls help

[@sexaccess7155]

😂😂 sames😂😂😭😭😭

[@keesdevreugd9177]

LOL. I went there too.

[@kiiturii]

I like how it's known as "the thing kendrick said" even though it's such an unoriginal line lmao

[@AbrahamNixons]

Really cool song that I wouldn't have heard without this video.

[@pigeonmanner3296]

She also makes other great music. Check out "alone", "transparent soul", and "Wait a minute"

[@petekiki9129]

Don't forget time machine and waves of nature!!​@@pigeonmanner3296

[@tink6225]

check out her self titled album

[@MCAndyT]

same

[@adhmrr_]

This song is what i call a pop UFO. Sometimes, in the vast sea of mediocre pop songs all sounding the same, we are blessed with a song, so unique, so musically advanced, and yet still within the codes of mainstream pop, taking us by surprise. It's like the ray of light piercing through an overcast sky, gently kissing your face, or like the satsifaction of a gold digger finding a huge gold nugget after searching through stone shit for days. It feels good and gives hope.

[@ivanfabricky8705]

Amen❤

[@devinbeggs4104]

What are some other examples of pop UFOs?

[@jupiterskallisto7302]

Radiohead's whole discography after Pablo Honey is the first thing that Codes to my mindestens. Especially OK Computer, Kid A and In Rainbows. And many songs/artists that David makes videos about. Maybe Björk or Kate Bush, too

[@adhmrr_]

@@jupiterskallisto7302one could argue these bands are not really Mainstream pop, but you’re right

[@ivanfabricky8705]

@@devinbeggs4104 sting's albums mercury falling and ten summoners tales and jamie cullum's catching tales are 3 of my favorite "advanced" pop albums. :)

[@jaredandell126]

Willow’s really grown into her own as an artist these last few years, so this video was a really wonderful surprise to see! Glad more people are being open to her work, she’s got a really distinct flair that started with her last album.

[@christopher9152]

She probably had limited input into the creation of this track, whether as writer, arranger, or producer, but I'm happy to be corrected if she actually IS an artist.

[@illegal_space_alien]

@@christopher9152 I was wondering this as well. Who actually wrote the song? Was she the primary writer, or were there 6 other composers involved? If she wrote this, then she should absolutely be given the credit for being innovative.

[@christopher9152]

@@illegal_space_alienI agree. I can't say I love the song, but there is more going on in it than in many other modern pop songs, and I can see why people like it.

[@tbird81]

Surely she just sings what she's told, and the radio play what they're paid to play. Although I'm glad Murder on the Dancefloor is replacing that bad cover of Fast Car for pay to play.

[@erolmerten1736]

There's no chance she wrote any of the music.

[@LadyGavGav]

2:32 - 🎵 I whip my chords back and forth, I whip my chords back and forth... 🎵

[@AniHaz14]

😂😂😂😂 underrated comment

[@thistooshallpass5425]

😂😂😂😂

[@LosantoBeats]

@3:25 "Our body now knows how to move and follow the rhythm" To me summarizes the whole song. Its about the journey to find the pattern, the rhythm of life. Its there, but we are always trying to find it. Its always shifting, but if you are patience and you listen enough, you will find the pattern. Its a great song. As soon as I heard it, it spoke in a different language. A language that speaks to a deeper part of us.

[@KarlKarsnark]

Its about the journey to find the pattern, the rhythm of life........ A language that speaks to a deeper part of us......WTF? Time for you meds ;)

[@marlonknockaert3233]

@@KarlKarsnark don't shame poetry

[@KarlKarsnark]

@@marlonknockaert3233 Ok, show me some poetry......LOL! Dysgenic Nepo-Baby, She's driving me crazy. Thinks she can "sang", but the auto-tune proves she's lazy ;)

[@hmzjvdn]

My body doesn't know shit! 😢

[@LosantoBeats]

@@KarlKarsnark you are not there, and thats also fine! 👍🏾 You have your own journey.

[@anuvette]

If pop songs sounded like this I'd listen to them everyday

[@wherethequietbeingsgo]

Literally.

[@BouncyAnimation]

but then they'd fall under boring again because they would all sound the same

[@furcornmanwiththemasterpla8380]

You should check out some of Kendrick Lamar's stuff (Specifically from the albums To Pimp A Butterfly and Untitled Unmastered)

[@thepotatotaxi2430]

Listen to The Alphabet of Me by Haken. And their whole discog after that

[@ktyy777]

Taylor Swift’s “tolerate it” is actually in 10/8. The chord voicings are pretty standard but as a pop song it’s still interesting

[@PianoVampire]

I'm so glad you made this video. I heard it on Friday without noticing it was by Willow Smith and thought it was one of the best songs I'd heard this year. I had to do a double take when I saw who it was. Her last song before this was really good as well - who'd have thought?

[@DavidBennettPiano]

I really enjoyed the “Meet Me At Our Spot” song, and her album from 2022 is good too! Quite rock-focused. But this new song seems to signal a different direction which I’m excited about 😀

[@donericdisante]

I have a much younger friend who has pretty solid taste in music and she's been obsessed with Willow for as long as I can remember. So I knew there had to be something special about her.

[@th.nd.r]

@@DavidBennettPiano really it feels like she’s taking what she did in that earlier “Meet Me At Our Spot” era, and what she did in her recent rock stuff, and that’s she’s applying both of those but twisting in some jazz stuff as well. It’s pop/R&B meets alt rock meets prog/jazz and it’s just so good and also so undeniably HER. Like she’s really building an identity of her own

[@eddited]

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT? did you listen to her first album? It’s a masterpiece.

[@mr.dr.prof.patrick3359]

@@DavidBennettPiano I got really into her a few months after , and her song Alone back in november got me really excited for where she's taking her sound. This one got me even more and now i cant wait for the album!

[@cakemartyr5794]

Great to see you concentrating on individual songs, and a modern artist too. Well done

[@joelcaron8291]

Yesssss... Modern as not the beatles !!!!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks!

[@jayrussell3796]

​@@joelcaron8291Yes...modern, as in doesn't hold a candle to the Beatles music 😆

[@nuberiffic]

"artist" lol

[@jonathanjasso7990]

@@nuberifficshe is an artist lmfao. I don’t see you releasing music

[@violetl9497]

the whole album goes so crazy WIllow popped tf off

[@tinesess3521]

Big agree..I haven't been able to stop listening

[@simibro1709]

It reminds me of an Esperanza Spalding song. Very well crafted.

[@finnpeters7867]

Exactly What I thought when I heard it!

[@lakeugly]

With Snarky Puppy playing

[@liamoliver]

100%. Was just thinking the same.

[@CookieCreamCrumble]

Willow's been doing experiemental exciting music for years now, not being afraid to genre hop either, love that shes finally getting spotlight recently (Will has a rap bg but her mum was also the lead singer of a metal band so i thinks he grew up with a lot of different music)

[@tbird81]

Is Will her father?

[@mchjsosde]

Yes ​@@tbird81

[@MCAndyT]

totally, I remember folks being surprised when Jada Pinkett Smith came out as a metal head. The math rock aspect of this track def connects to that metal rhythm.

[@dasain9]

I'm glad that there's being finally some acknowledgement of Willow as an artist. She grew a lot after releasing her first two songs (Whip My Hair and 21st Century Girl, which, mind me, are absolute bops) and her music always leans towards experimenting.

[@kimberleywilliams7802]

She's literally never made a bad song and I STAND on that.

[@Swameh]

@@kimberleywilliams7802 right?! "WHIP MY HAIR" was an actual hit, wdym.

[@kimberleywilliams7802]

@@Swameh I'M SAYING!

[@balanceis_key]

+++

[@amysorbit]

WELCOME TO THE WILLOW FANCLUB PEOPLE!! been here since wait a minute dropped! the rest was history. her music is phenomenal.

[@louera]

I love willow! She's proving to be so ahead of our time with "wait a minute" and other transcendental beats.

[@nicolem5626]

Radiohead? Reminds me of Kate bush. Listen to the drum beat, the melody, and vocal phrasing. The chorus reminds me of anime music. Willow is an excellent writer, and she writes music that suits her vocal capabilities very well.

[@jaidaimani4844]

which kate bush songs do u recommend?

[@2Pinapod123]

Haha I also got anime music but from the first verse and pre chorus, made me this of the opening song for Tokyo ghoul S2

[@ombra711]

@@jaidaimani4844 Wuthering Heights, especially if you know of the novel, and of course running down that Hill, probably heard that 10 times over by now!😅

[@greyLeicester]

​@@ombra711nah, of course youve gone for the most popular and mainstream songs of hers... Try Cloudbusting. The harmony and vocals are mesmerising

[@justjoeagain2944]

@@jaidaimani4844 Sat in your lap, it switches between 3/4 4/4 and 2/4

[@sarajanelafleur8796]

This song made its way to my Spotify Discover playlist this week and I was listening to it on shuffle. My first thought was "Tori Amos?" followed by "what in the math rock?" to, shortly after, "Willow??? Okayyyy!"

[@happyron]

First time I've heard a video about a brand new song and it makes me want to go out and listen to the song.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Great!!

[@sommelierofstench]

wow you are missing out on so much great stuff!

[@babyzorilla]

Willows music is outstanding to me

[@willfrancescofini]

same

[@christopherjobin-official7440]

Prog is so back! Let's go!

[@thepotatotaxi2430]

HELL YEAH I LOVE HAKEN I LOVE GUITARS WITH TOO MANY STRINGS I LOVE ODD TIME RAAAAAAAHH

[@og666]

​@@thepotatotaxi2430 haken mentioned 💙

[@thepotatotaxi2430]

@@og666 Haken should ALWAYS be mentioned, it is my mission

[@keithparker1346]

Prog never went away but apart from albums in the 70s it's rarely made any impact on popular music

[@christopherjobin-official7440]

@@keithparker1346 Thats what I mean. Hopefully prog gets a new popularity phase.

[@Apostrofe]

I find it interesting how Peter Gabriel uses 7/4 to 4/4 in Solsbury Hill to create a feeling of liberation and coming home when contrasted with this which seems to use it to build tension and then release it despite the undercurrent of (Radiohead-ish) melancholy.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

A similar example is 2+2=5 by Radiohead which starts in 7/4 but then later goes to 4/4 😊

[@2255223388]

​@@DavidBennettPianoWould you say that 4/4 is the default resolution for 7/4 when it needs to change?

[@DavidBennettPiano]

@@2255223388 it’s perhaps the most obvious yeah, although you could go to 3/4 which would be cool!

[@gideonk123]

The major difference, in my opinion, is that in Peter Gabriel’s Solsbury Hill the strangeness of 7/4 time is almost “unnoticed” by most people, whereas in Willow’s song, it feels to me deliberately made to draw attention to the various layers of strangeness, as David Bennett analyzed so eloquently. Perhaps the tremendous chart/financial success of Solsbury Hill stems from this “unnoticed” strangeness ?

[@tonybates7870]

​@@gideonk123 I'd been listening to Solsbury Hill for 40 years before I even realised it was in an 'unusual' time signature.

[@OrestLubinets]

This is an amazing discovery. Loved it right from the first 10 seconds

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Excellent!

[@nongmar8783]

She watched Rick Beato videos and was like “I’m gonna show the boomer kids can write complex songs still” 😂

[@keithparker1346]

Beato is a whining old man but knows his audience is largely conservative rock music fans so can diss top 10s but it's silly as the vast amount of music available to anyone nowadays at a click makes it silly to concentrate on a tiny aspect of music

[@CairoBraga]

@@thereturnofthemac a single visit to Discogs or Wikipedia will tell you you are WRONG. Willow is not a big budget pop star, she writes ALL OF HER SONGS SINCE SHE WAS 13. her first album has 15 songs of which 10 were all written and produced solely by her. she is not Rihanna, nor Ariana, nor Beyoncé, nor Britney, she's on a completely different lane and pathway.

[@CairoBraga]

@@thereturnofthemac first of all, Spotify does not respect name order when it comes to metadata ingesting, at least it never did for me (I'm an independent musician), so I'll not take that into consideration. 2nd, let me tell you why the 4 names as writers: Greatti on bass/production, Bank on drums and Oberhofen on keys. it's very obvious to me that Willow wrote the song and then the 4 of them made the music together. and most of the album's credits show me exactly that situation with almost all of the tracks. my opposition to your comment is because you are trying to undervalue the work and artistry of a 23-year-old black woman because GOD FORBID she wrote a track with 3 more people. do you have the same opinion about when white male artists are in the same situation, when their songs have 3 producers and 7 songwriters? it's absolutely no demerit to anyone how many writers and producers are credited on a song. truly great music can be done alone in a sublet bedroom with almost 0 dollars and by a team of 35 people on an expensive studio, and in every situation inbetween and beyond. Willow's talent and artistry is undeniable and you trying to undervalue her based on what you're posing as an argument just comes across as racist and sexist. and that's all I'm gonna say about it. toodles!

[@katelsmusic]

You should really cover Hiatus Kaiyote! I feel like at first their music sounds a but chaotic and hard to follow, but their songs are such earworms that by the second or third listen I'm hooked forever!!

[@alexandriaorcld6365]

seconding this!

[@franciscop9009]

I HOPE this finally gets Willow its flowers. Been backing it for almost a decade.

[@mackermaldrill2656]

Whomever came up with those chords is a genius. I think a hard rock remake would sound awesome.

[@victorcraraujo]

She's so amazing. I just KNOW we're in for a treat when she releases new music...

[@mahavishnustravinskij]

*they

[@justinwescott8125]

I'm what most people would call a jazz nerd, but I have always loved Whip My Hair. Its one of my favorite songs

[@ywenp]

It's really a cool song. There are some nice Steven Wilson vibes at times (the 7/4 is clearly one of the reasons why ^^). I can sense some japanese pop-jazz influences too. The drums are catchy too and clearly received care, the groove is palpable. ...dammit, if 7/4 is going mainstream then I'll have to find more cryptic time sigs to use...

[@JerichoScott]

Not even 5 seconds in and that Will Smith part is mental.

[@eddited]

Omg I listened to this song on its release date and I can’t get it out of my head since. It’s sonically light years ahead of what most artists are doing.

[@aweawd]

You've taught me so much about music theory, and I improved a lot as a composer because of it. I've finally actually made a full length song now! Thanks!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Excellent 😀😀😀

[@boomerbear7596]

Good video David! Never heard this song before but I'm hooked! To me the 7/4 sounds somehow as natural as the 4/4 albeit somewhat more fast-paced. I always enjoy these odd time signature videos!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks!!

[@ywenp]

I think what makes it kinder to the ear is the fact she is actually singing a 2 bar motif during the verses, in which the second bar is much calmer than the first, and thus leaves the music time to breathe before starting the motif again. This way, the vocals put much less accent on that "missing beat" (which sounds (IMHO) particularly jarring with vocals) because when it comes she's just holding the last note of the motif. That kind of constrast between the drums (which are unashamedly marking the 7/4) and the voice (which is more "freely floating") is really what I like about those verses.

[@boysaiah3165]

I’ve been obsessed with this song for a week and I’m thrilled you made a video about it. It’s like the stars aligning for me. I always knew the song was unique but I had no idea the specifics of the time signature and chords. Thanks for breaking it down!

[@TheNextDoorNeighboor]

Damn, a song so crazy that it is going to be livestreamed? Can't wait!

[@laurenboboren]

Thank you for making this video!! I haven’t been able to stop listening to her album because it is so fascinating!! Please consider making a video about her entire Empathogen album!!

[@mikkom3]

Thanks David again. A tip: "Hey Ya" by OutKast. It features a continuous chord progression of G, C, C, D, E, E in time signature of 4/4 but the D-chord every time is a 2/4 bar, and the more interesting thing, when in the two E major chord bars, the acoustic guitar clearly plays E major but the vocal harmonies and the synth loop refer more to E minor.

[@andyzhang7890]

Been listening to this song for the last week and never expected someone would make a video on it, but made me appreciate it so much more and I’m only like 2 minutes in 🔥🔥 I’m honestly such a fan of the smith twin’s music they are crazy talented…

[@growingmelancholy8374]

Can we talk about the people who wrote the music?

[@pameliemusic]

thank you soo much!!! I needed this explanation so much!! blessings

[@SarahBacote]

Fascinating! Thank you so much for breaking this down!

[@greg55666]

Since you asked, I've just been looking at Puttin on the Ritz, which does sort of the opposite. It's in 4/4, but the rhythm of the melody and the odd way the words are stressed makes it feel very unsettled until the end of the line when it holds and releases on very tension-releasing straight eighths, very similar to what you describe here, but leaving the actual beat in 4/4.

[@Maano-dj5hg]

"Tryna strike a cord and its probably A minooooor" 😂

[@Bronco541]

Thanks so much for this video! I would never have heard of her before this! And dont forget to mention her incredible vocal work wow!

[@a-ki-mm]

Thank you for making this Video !!!!! I've been trying to tell my friends how crazy and beautiful this song is

[@moleedaboi]

It's crazy to me that I've been a fan of Willow for such a long time, and I witnessed all the stages of people calling her garbage and generic (most still do). Although her lyrics aren't anything spectacular, her vocal delivery is something out of this world. And she works with great producers and musicians too. She's a talented singer and has a good ear. Makes me happy that people are starting to realize that a bit. One thing she can't escape is people hating on her because she was brought up in an extremely wealthy family. I'm not saying every person who sees no appeal in her music, dislikes it because she's a "rich kid", it's just that the ones who hate her for something she had no control over are a very loud minority.

[@MeredithAvila]

It lends credence to the cool things that people can do if we were all free to create instead of feeding the machine and competing against the other crabs in the barrel. A lot of people would relax and create more if not for economic anxiety. Which seems like a solvable problem.

[@Orin-D]

Thanks a lot! I didn't know this really great song! And thanks for the way you do it all - I love your videos! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you 😊

[@enriqueventer2871]

This so so cool, I purely enjoyed the song and didn't even notice the counting while listening to this song. She just released a new song as I am typing on this, and as I listened to the new song I immediately started to listen to the beat and she did it again!! Thank you so much for the video!!

[@Lilbee730]

Holy wow, never wouldve heard this if you hadnt done this video. Absolutely hooked! Such a magical song!

[@INZmusic]

Even though the song sounds somewhat different from the regular pop music we hear on the radio, the melody of the chorus is based in mostly one note, which is a characteristic of pop music nowadays. It would be interesting to see you talk about that phenomenon, specially about the massive use of the second degree of a major scale in a melody.

[@keithparker1346]

Baby Shark

[@bruzebruze5959]

You gotta check out "Alone" by WILLOW it's really good

[@jnwcello]

Obsessed with this song, thank you for the excellent vid!

[@dumpoching9433]

i absolutely adore this song and seeing its patterns explained helped me admire it even deeper. thank you

[@LivingWithTheCoopers]

Absolutely incredible, I love it when odd things permeate pop music, musically and vocally sounds amazing! I hope she carries this on!

[@royalex21]

Really enjoyed this analysis, David! I've never heard this song before but after watching this I think I'll check it out. By the way, a rock song that I think would make a great analysis video one day is Question! by System of a Down which uses 4 time signatures throughout its 3 minute duration.

[@ahamillphotography]

Greag video, David. Your analysis is so illuminating and insightful. I tend to hear the chorus as two bars of 4/4, then two bars of 3/4, then a bar of 6/4, thanks to the accents in it.

[@lout9231]

Would never have heard this without your channel. Finally a recent pop song worth listening to

[@supremint]

Getting strong Mars Volta vibes from this song. Great analysis!

[@DougerArt]

too much by sufjan stevens is in 7/4 or 7/8 i believe, and that's a really good pop song

[@21centuryhippie61]

Sufjan uses lots of odd meters, in fact, and has been doing so since his first couple of albums. He frequently uses 5/4 and 7/4 which is really nice to hear from a more pop oriented artist, especially compared to how oversimplified a lot of pop music is, lol.

[@elektro.phobia]

Thank you for this awesome breakdown/analysis. I was trying to figure out why this song was so incredible and you explained beautifully!~

[@davidpercy]

great explanatory video, and honestly a crazy good track. the time signature even gave me a wiff of some King Gizzard tracks, or Esperanza Spalding's "I Know You Know"

[@GamERsEmielRobin]

its sooo good

[@SMarshall92]

Love this, and from such an unexpected source! Speaking of songs in 7, I'd love to know what you think of "Anagram" by Young the Giant - it's in 7 but the drums play across the beat in 8, can't imagine how much practice it took for the band to get it right!

[@FAMUCHOLLY]

Thank you for introducing me to this beautiful, interesting, and entertaining song, David.

[@A_Jung]

Thank you for this great analysis of such an unusual song! 👍🏻

[@lesliespeaker668]

Brad Oberhofer wrote those chord progrssions most likely and the other two guys helped with the beat and production

[@lesliespeaker668]

@@luke5100 She hired them they worked for her, of course she had anything to do with the song. She wouldn't have signed off on things she didn't like. Why are you so touchy when you hear the truth? It's VERY common for all big artists to have their songs mostly written by other people. Didn't you know that? It's not even a secret. Except among some fans who want to believe in a fantasy of artists doing every thing on their own.

[@TheMister123]

Brad's.

[@that_icy_stylish_bitch]

​@@lesliespeaker668You're so dense, ijbol. Willow and Chris Greatti have been working together for a while, and he's always so vocal about how creative she is, he has many posts talking about how they create everything from scratch *together*. She didn't co-produce this one, but she's the main writer and producer of all of the other tracks, and she also helped with the guitar work. Maybe you should do a little research instead of discrediting an artist's work because of sheer ignorance.

[@lambda1863]

I really liked the video you made on why we start with C instead of A and something i thought would be cool is making a video about why major and minor are the 2 main modes of music like imagine another universe where we have major and dorian or mixolydian and minor

[@DavidBennettPiano]

That’s a cool idea!

[@keithparker1346]

Weren't major and minor chords relative modern contributions to music and back in the classical days those chords were considered novel...certainly for Arabic or Asian music they would probably be rarely used

[@FridayTheGood]

Thank you for making this video! I wanted to understand why the song is so amazing. I don't have music theory knowledge but you made this simple to understand :)

[@misa5614]

Don’t know how you got on my algorithm but grateful you did. Great video and thanks for introducing me to this song!

[@lierox9]

well, I now love a Willow Smith song. (tbf I think I secretly quite liked whip my hair back and forth too back in the day)

[@PenelopeTAbdul]

You should check out her whole discography! Shes been so experimental since she was 15 years old and that fact blows my mind every time 😅

[@ric8248]

Great, what an interesting song! This video reminded me of Rick Beato's hilarious video about the most complex pop song ever.

[@thiago.dacosta]

I just reached out this song and been listening to it in the last couple days wondering what is so special about, thanks mate

[@pocketdweller3771]

Excellent breakdown. Tysm

[@pst_uk]

Not sure about that first group of chords soundling like Radiohead - sounded like a jazzed-up version of "Walking in Mephis" to my ears.

[@TheBuckAK]

"Jazzed up version" is doing a lot of heavy lifting with the comparison because i can't hear anything close harmonically between symptom of life and walking in memphis. To me it's obvious she's listened to plenty of radiohead though kzbin.info-VkPvOqeSXo?si=PmsB8soep7X9d6Nn

[@garydiamondguitarist]

Oh wow. A clever pop song which uses a changing arrangement (same sections get varied second time around), pushed chords to add tension, jazz chords on the piano which actually sounds like a piano, time signature craziness, reverse density (where the verses are busy and full while the chorus is stripped down, with a monotone vocal harmonised with a 5th for catchiness and simplicity). Stacking so many complex jazz chords in a short interval for tension then a long held simple major for release is brilliant. We need more pop songs like this. It's both old and new, with all that Kate Bush influence poking through. Glorious. Gorgeous. Irresistible. ❤

[@dubbadan1]

Thanks for the heads-up. Very interesting, I'm gonna check out her music.

[@zachcraigle]

It’s a rare thing when I play the same song over and over and over again. Tears were made, not just because how beautiful this is but the fact that finally someone had the courage in the pop music scene to say listen to this! They didn’t bend to make something “the listeners” would like, it’s what we NEED. Thanks for breaking down the theory and getting this out there. Your title made me look it up and I couldn’t be happier! 😊

[@pmberry]

Thanks for featuring this song, which I would NEVER have listened to otherwise!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

You’re welcome ☺️

[@madbeanpedals]

Wow, really cool track and analysis!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks!

[@askseacoast547]

Superb breakdown...cheers!

[@youngdumbandbaroque1543]

Thanks for sharing this, David! Got my drummer friend to enjoy this song.

[@roo72]

Conpared to her I Whip My Hair this is an amazing and mature song. If it's really her song, and not the doings of the studio musicians and the producer, she might be developing into an interesting artists.

[@sootikins]

"Written by Willow, Chris Greatti & Brad Oberhofer" No indication of who wrote what.

[@2255223388]

​@@luke5100She's enough of a super rich nepo-baby to get producers to make her into whatever she wants to be this month.

[@suomar-art]

I don’t really understand the hate around “Whip my hair” - it is such an odd song that hits you with horror chords in the middle of the chorus when you expect it to be just a regular pop song. It’s bold and different, and sure, the vocals are annoying but it creates a trance-like wall of sound that sounds cinematically horrifying. I feel like that aspect of the song is underrated because it isn’t as conventionally “pretty” as most pop songs - instead, it belongs in a horror movie.

[@roo72]

@@suomar-art I have no idea where did you get any "hate" from my comment. I don't "hate" IWNH, I just consider it to be a nothing song which was poorly written and even more badly executed. There is nothing "hateful" about having an opinion.

[@suomar-art]

Sorry for the confusion: I didn’t say your comment was being hateful, my comment wasn’t really directed at yours as much as it was to the video itself since he made a comparison between the two songs as well. On popular videos like this I find it preferable to leave replies to top comments rather than leave a separate comment that’s inevitably going to disappear immediately if I’m hoping to see if anyone has anything substantial to add to the topic. The “whip my hair” song is widely hated overall and I assume for the audience of this video it would be an understandable reference (I’m also hoping someone someday would make a video about how unusual and kind of cool song it is lol)

[@LON009]

This slaps

[@DavidBennettPiano]

I know right!

[@scrobaby]

DUDE when i first heard this song i was like holy shit pop music is changing i love this so much

[@LukeHoersten]

You’re so on top of it! Been watching you for years and still you’re ahead on discovery

[@zillavale]

A MINORRR

[@Lisarata]

This will invite unrhythmic dancing along

[@Welisdoingwell]

Willow understands emotional consciousness and her medium of communication is her music. As she learns to speak it will only get better.

[@vonnjohnson3400]

Love this breakdown!!! Makes me love Willow Smith Even more!! Thank you!