Pop music can sound like a dirty word to some people and while much of what tops the charts is rubbish, there is the odd bright spark. So far this year, there’s been Ellie Goulding’s “Love Me Like You Do” (as part of the soundtrack to the abhorrent Fifty Shades of Grey) and “FourFiveSeconds” from Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney and now, there’s Taylor Swift’s collaboration with one of the biggest rappers of 2015; Kendrick Lamar.
Taylor Swift’s 1989 was a surprise from last year and her smooth transition from country to pop has been an impressive one. “Shake It Off” was a highlight of the record and while “Bad Blood” was not the best track on the album, this new remixed version with Lamar has taken the track to new heights.
Lamar’s trademark delivery references his career choices and his roots in Compton, California. He also harks back to good kid m.A.A.d city track “Backseat Freestyle” (one of Taylor Swift’s favourites) with “All my life I want money and power” but brings us back to the present collaboration with “and you gotta live with the bad blood now”. The “Freestyle” line fits perfectly in with “Bad Blood” ‘s themes of betrayal and how “Band-Aids don’t fix bullet holes” – indicating that small statements don’t help to stem the flow.
While the song is a great catchy one, what is most impressive is the Sin City / Kill Bill music video accompaniment. The all-star cast features the likes of Hayley Williams (The Crimson Curse), Lena Dunham (Lucky Fiori) and Jessica Alba (Domino) and Swift (Catastrophe) leads her clan against a betrayer, in Selena Gomez (Arsyn).
Overall, “Bad Blood” is an impressive track and well worth a listen!
