Music Review: Fun. & Janelle Monae "We Are Young"

FUN. & Janelle Monae

We Are Young

Album: Some Nights

Year: 2011

    Nate Ruess makes amends in the woeful “We Are Young.”

   A nervous drum opens the single, setting a skittish tone. Ruess approaches a former friend while at the bar. He blurts out that he needs to think of the right alibi. He decides to cover all his bases. His friends are holed up in the bathroom, taking Ecstasy.. He was on his way back to his girlfriend (including a wave to her to prove he’s not making it up) and somebody has claimed his seat. He doesn’t have anywhere to go right now and since he’s there, he figures he would see how she is doing. Several months ago, after a heated argument (over what, he can’t remember), he punched her. It left the girl with large scar across his eyebrow. It required hospitalization and since then, she won’t acknowledge him. She listens and doesn’t say a word. Ruess apologizes and says he didn’t mean for it to get as out of control as it did. He offers her a ride home.  (“Give me a second,I/I need to get my story straight/My friend's are in the bathroom getting higher than the Empire State/My lover she's waiting for me just across the bar/My seat's been taken by some sunglasses asking about a  scar, and/I know I gave it to you months ago/I know you're trying to forget/But between the drinks and subtle things/The holes in my apologies/You know I'm trying hard to take it back/So if by the time the bar closes/And you feel like falling down/I'll carry you home.”)

      In the chorus, he reasons they are still twentysomethings and have a lot of life ahead of them. They can enjoy the endless night, becoming larger than life characters in the bar they frequent. For a short time, they are in the spotlight. (“Tonight/We are young/So let's set the world on fire/We can burn brighter than the sun/Tonight/We are young/So let's set the world on fire/We can burn brighter than the sun.”)

       He tells her he understands if the he doesn’t want to speak him again. However, he was hoping they become friends again. They used to have fun together, drinking their troubles away. She accepts Ruess’ apology and buys them both drinks. At the same time the server is bringing them their drink order, his friends have come out of the bathroom.  He puts his cup up and makes a toast to renewed friendship. (“Now I know it I'm not/All that you got/I guess that I, I just thought/Maybe we could find new ways to fall apart/But our friends are back/So let's raise a cup/'Cause I found someone to carry me home.”)

         The chorus is sung again.

       In the bridge, Janelle Monae has started to stumble around and takes up on his offer. Meanwhile, Ruess feels like he caught a break. Something good has happened in his life. He overindulges himself and needs someone to drive him back to his house. (“Carry me home tonight/Just carry me home tonight/Carry me home tonight/Just carry me home tonight/The world is on my side/I have no reason to run/So will someone come and carry me home.”)

          The chorus is sung again.

        At the end, he mumbles his promise again. He will take care of his friends. (“So if by the time the bar closes/And you feel like falling down/I'll carry you home tonight.”)

      Ruess’ glum, tormented vocals yearn for a connection. The friends he came with only care about their drugs and his girlfriend has her own problems. He can’t really turn to her. He’s been carrying the guilt and shame of hitting the girl for awhile. To have her finally forgive him would at least make him feel like he’s a good person again. He’s lost and in search of something. His anger certainly wasn’t the girl’s fault.

    It’s bold for a guy to even imply in a song he would that he would hit a woman. It’s even tougher to make him a guy as someone to root for. Nonetheless, Ruess’ succeeds (and a lecture about misogny is spared).

      Monae, however, barely allowed to make an impression. Her quiet vocals are obscured by needless “na’s na’s”, overpowering drums and Ruess’ vocals. She can’t compete.  

      The scattered arrangement splatters the notes into a mishmash of drums and guitars, creating uneven lines. It’s also easy to input the words to Blondie’s “Atomic” chorus and get a match, making it a surprise that he doesn’t add a compliment to that his friends’ hair is beautiful…tonight….ATOMIC.

     The remorseful “We Are Young” makes numerous errors from which it can’t recover.