I, I BET MY LIFE, I BET MY LIFE, I BET MY LIFE, that if I have to hear this song one more time, I might just cut my own ears off.
That's only a slight exaggeration because not only is that song annoying, it's disappointing. 3 years ago Imagine Dragons came out of nowhere, with a killer debut album. It was original, and unique, but not in a way that felt forced. They didn't have any eyes on them, and they made the music they wanted. The Music they wanted, and miraculously, music people wanted to hear. Their song 'It's Time' became the theme for Perks of Being a Wallflower, and shortly after, 'Radioactive' became the theme for the Host, two movies I was incredibly excited for. Next thing you know, I own the album and it's on repeat.
Flash forward a year or so, 'Radioactive' has run its course on pop radio as a coveted crossover song, and I had long since taken the album off repeat. Imagine Dragons had earned a fan base though, and you can't go long without producing before the pop culture fan base gets bored. So 'Monster' came out. It was okay but ultimately forgettable. While it still sounded somewhat uniquely Imagine Dragons, the lyrics were boring. I think it's around that time I checked out, stopped caring. Actually, I wish I stopped caring. To be honest, I wasn't even aware the band had put out a new song till it was already in heavy rotation.
The second I heard 'I Bet My Life' I was angry. This? Not only did they think writing a song so terrible was acceptable, they thought it was okay to release it as a single, instead of burying under the rest of the album. This song is the definition of generic pop. It's boring, but not so boring that people stop listening, and the chorus is repeated back enough times you know it by heart after one listen. Scratch that, the chorus is yelled at you several times. The verses have an inkling of the bands former sound, you could tell its Imagine Dragons, at least. Now, don't get me wrong, I am all for a band's evolution of sound, changing and growing. Marina and the Diamonds actually call each or her albums 'eras' making sure she doesn't revisit the past in her new albums. Heck! I re- fell in love with Fall Out Boy after a 5 year hiatus and a completely different sounds. It’s fantastic and they do it gracefully.
Imagine Dragons, however, didn't evolve, no they sound more like they were genetically mutated. 'I Bet My Life' takes what the band used to be, at least the most popular parts of their music, and smashed it together with traditional pop music song construction. In fact, there is no doubt that Imagine Dragons have become more distinctly pop. 'I Bet My Life' vs Other Pop Songs, vs 'Amsterdam' by Imagine Dragons. The pattern is not quite as strong in 'I Bet My Life' as other pop songs, it's a millions time stronger than the non-existent one in Amsterdam.
It could have been done rather well, I’ll admit, but they didn't take the time. The lyrics, the part that always made the band for me, were thrown to the wayside, and as much as I loved the fresh vibe the band gave off, it could hardly carry the band through the next album. Especially since they're next album is just a diluted version of who they used to be. They just threw it together and hoped no one would care. That's what bugs me the most, it sounds like they just stopped caring. There is almost an unwritten contract between artist and listener, like the listener will stay with the artist through whatever creative endeavors they take on, as long as the artist keeps caring about the music they are making.
It could have been done rather well, I’ll admit, but they didn't take the time. The lyrics, the part that always made the band for me, were thrown to the wayside, and as much as I loved the fresh vibe the band gave off, it could hardly carry the band through the next album. Especially since they're next album is just a diluted version of who they used to be. They just threw it together and hoped no one would care. That's what bugs me the most, it sounds like they just stopped caring. There is almost an unwritten contract between artist and listener, like the listener will stay with the artist through whatever creative endeavors they take on, as long as the artist keeps caring about the music they are making.
This unwritten contract violation is the real problem for me. I've seen many artists I loved put out pop albums, and although they feel like simpler, dumbed down versions of the band, I still felt like they cared. Imagine Dragons stopped caring, when it came to ‘I Bet My Life’ and that's what hurts. Like so many other artists, they didn't bring about this ridiculous change for themselves. They saw people liked what they made and probably decided to try to stay the same while not staying boring; try to mix in some terrible pop inspired component instead of what they wanted. And so, down came the curse of pop music, to never sound sincere. Please don't assume I mean 'popular' music either because the term 'pop', like music itself, has evolved. Pop is its own genre, its own genre categorized by insincerity. Songs written by other people to boost your brand, managers breathing down your neck, and vaguely lyrics written to be related to. It's a scene. A scene ‘I Bet My Life’ was desperately trying to be a part of.
When it’s all said and done, ‘I Bet My Life’ the worst offender on the album, but the other songs they've so far released, are close being. The majority of the album just sounds like I said, a diluted version of them, a simpler version of them, and a less genuine version of them. Overall, the album is not bad, far from good, and disappointing.
Let this be my final goodbye, Imagine Dragons. You know where to find me if you choose to start making music you care about again. Farewell.
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