This review covers the pop track Aqua – My Oh My.
This track was released in 1997 on the album Aquarium.
The track starts with some horse sound effects. From there, a clavichord comes in. After that, the female vocals come in for a softer main chorus. From there, the kick comes in along with other synths as the vocals take the track into the main chorus.
From there, the vocals take the track into the first verse as the galloping sound returns. The male vocals then come in for a bridge. This is capped off with a short clavichord solo.
The female vocals then come in for a main chorus. The vocals extend the main chorus with some female backup vocals.
After that, the female vocals take the track into the next verse. The male vocals then delivers another bridge. The female vocals then plays out a modified part of the main chorus.
Then, the female vocals take the track into the main chorus again. After that, another short clavichord solo comes in before the track leads out with some horse sound effects again.
What I find quite interesting is the mix of Renaissance elements and modern dance synths. To this day, this isn’t all that common of a mix as there is more interest in incorporating orchestral elements. As a result, this track has a rather distinct sound simply because a clavichord was incorporated into the track.
Meanwhile, the lyrics ultimately extent that Renaissance sound with themes of royalty. The symbolism used to extend what is otherwise a worn theme in pop music by this time is actually a breath of fresh air.
Probably the biggest target for criticism is the male lyrics. To some degree, yes, there is weaknesses. They could have been a little more original because it does borrow a bit too heavily from Robin Hood. I wouldn’t call them terrible by any means either.
Still, the vocal dynamic between male and female vocals works quite well. This duo set-up is definitely quite popular by this point in time in pop music, but it does work quite nicely here.
Overall, this is a pretty solid track. The integration of Renaissance themes into a more modern pop track at the time works quite well. It refreshes things quite nicely. While the male lyrics are a bit of a weak spot, it isn’t as bad as some people seem to think it is. So, an overall very solid track.
Score
7.5/10
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Facebook.
