Music Review: Charli XCX "Boom Clap"

Charli XCX

Boom Clap

Album: The Fault In Our Stars sdtk

Year: 2014

        Charli XCX, as Hazel Grace, lets herself fall for Gus in the  lucid  “Boom Clap.”

         Charli XCX shouts “boom boom clap!” and then the motoring synths start, setting a pressing tone.

       She thinks she knows why he dressed in orange for their date.  However, it can’t be true. There must be some other reason. Then, he tells her why: he wants to use his Wish to take her to Amsterdam. It’s generous and certainly not what she expected. During their picnic, she notices little things about him like how he holds his cigarette and wants to know more. Even with the promise of a kiss, she holds has to hold her breath, bracing from the intensity of her feelings. For the first time, she knows what it’s like to experience life with someone. (“You're picture-perfect blue/Sunbathing under moon/Stars shining as your bones illuminate/First kiss just like a drug/Under your influence/You take me over, you're the magic in my veins/This must be love.”)

           In the chorus, Gus is truly her best friend. She likes hanging out with him and talking on the phone with him. She forgets her cancer around him. (“Boom clap, the sound in my heart/The beat goes on and on and on and on and/Boom clap, you make me feel good/Come home to me, come home to me now/Boom clap, the sound in my heart/The beat goes on and on and on and on and/Boom clap, you make me feel good/Come home to me, come home to me now.”)

            He makes her laugh all the time. Worrying is no longer her favorite hobby. It’s him. The trip to Amsterdam changed everything and she knows what it’s like to live. (“No silver or no gold/Could dress me up so good/You're the glitter in the darkness of my world/Just tell me what to do/I'll fall right into you/We're going under, cast the spell, just say the word/I feel your love.’)

           The chorus is sung again.

          In the bridge, she has done many thing she didn’t think she would do if he wasn’t in her life. She can scream, cry or be quiet around him. He wants her to feel every emotion she can. He makes her happy and he fills her with hope that her life will be normal. (“You are the light and I will follow/You let me lose my shadow/You are the sun, the glowing halo/And you keep burning me up with all your love, oh.”)

        The chorus is sung twice to end the single.

       Charli XCX’s heavy vocals realize the positive effect Gus has had on her. She’s not waiting to die anymore. She’s enjoying life, regardless of how many years she has left. According to UK MTV.com, the song almost went to Hilary Duff and wasn’t written specifically for the movie. However, other than a few details in the first verse, it almost matches one of the chapters of the book.

        The  well-chosen  “Boom Clap” gives Charli XCX the much deserved spotlight.