Hey Americans! I know most of you (MuuMuse-excluded) didn’t stay up till 3:00 AM to catch the UK radio debut of Cheryl (Cole)’s new single, out June 10th, so I’ve got the rundown for you. At 8:10 AM UK time, radio stations all over the country premiered “Call My Name,” giving fans a tease of what’s to come from her third album, A Million Lights, due June 18th through Polydor Records.
From the second you hit “PLAY,” you know this is a Calvin Harris joint. The beats are eerily reminiscent of Harris’ Rihanna collaboration, the international #1 hit “We Found Love,” (not to mention his NEW RiRi collab, “Where Have You Been“) but “Call My Name” is not a clone. Not by any means. Hey, if you have a formula that works (and Calvin does) why not test it out on different artists, tweaking it here and there as necessary? Ryan Tedder worked it out with both Kelly Clarkson and Beyoncé a number of years ago. While by no means pop innovators here, Calvin & Cheryl know what the people want this summer and that’s booty-shakin’ dance-pop gold, which is exactly what they deliver on “Call My Name.” The thumping disco-ball beats are steeped in 90s house glamour from beginning to end, making it awful hard not to shake your groove thang.
Lyrically “Call My Name” is lacking, then again it’s a summer pop anthem, so what do you expect? This isn’t poetry people, it’s a summertime dance anthem designed to zap you straight onto the dancefloor. It’s repetitive, radio-friendly chorus, paired with that trademarked Calvin Harris beat is fist pump inducing and easy to remember, exactly what you’d want out of a summer single. “How’d you think I feel when you call my name. You’ve got me confused by the way I change,” Cheryl repeats, drilling those words into your brain. What “Call My Name” lacks in substance, it more than makes up for in danceability, not to mention it’s the quintessential summer driving song. Picture yourself cruising, top down, warm summer breeze through your hair, radio blasting, singing along to that chorus. Now, what do you do when you pull up to a stop light? For me, the true test of a good guilty pleasure pop song is whether or not you lower that volume when other people are watching/listening – “Call My Name” has ‘guilty pleasure’ written all over it.
Listen to “Call My Name” BELOW and look out for the Anthony Mandler-directed video, set to premiere on VEVO May 2nd. “Call My Name” is out June 10th (UK iTunes).
Check out Cheryl on the web: