Music Review: Clean Bandit & Jess Glynne "Rather Be"

Clean Bandit & Jess

Rather Be

Album: New Eyes

Year: 2014

               Jess Glynne knows she has chosen the right man to spend her life with in the              expressive “Rather Be.”

                A philosophical orchestral arrangement opens the single, setting a settled tone. She waves a newspaper in front of her face, fanning herself from the heat. Her husband makes cooks some beans over a fire for the both of them. She tells her husband that she has to go to the bathroom. If it was anyone else, she would’ve been complaining. However, he is able to take her mind off of it. Today they will go on a safari in Africa.  Their trip began with a flight into Spain, a ferry from Spain to Morrocco. Cuddled in his arms, watching the ocean view on the ferry is an experience she wouldn’t ever trade. (“We're a thousand miles from comfort, we have travelled land and sea/But as long as you are with me, there's no place I'd rather be/I would wait forever, exulted in the scene/As long as I am with you, my heart continues to beat.”)

           In the pre-chorus, they have gone to many places together: Japan and San Francisco, to name a couple. They’ve held hands on the boardwalks, sometimes bickering. They can be both stubborn. However, he’s a bit more emotional than her and one visual cue lets her know she has to give a little. She likes to call him “love” which she says more than his first name. (“With every step we take, Kyoto to The Bay/Strolling so casually/We're different and the same, gave you another name/Switch up the batteries.”)

         In the chorus, she’s afraid to skydive but he mentioned trying it someday, she’ll do it. She trusts him to keep her safe. However, if he vomited or got seasick, he would worry that he failed her. However, as she has told him, she cares more about him getting well. (“If you gave me a chance I would take it/It's a shot in the dark but I'll make it/Know with all of your heart, you can't shame me/When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be/No, no, no, no place I rather be/ No, no, no, no place I rather be/No, no, no, no place I rather be.”)

             When they first started dating, they both mentioned their past relationships left them empty and frail. They said they would always work together to make sure the other is happy. They got married a couple years ago. With him, she can read with him beside him and share a smile with him. They don’t always need words. (“We staked out on a mission to find our inner peace/Make it everlasting so nothing's incomplete/It's easy being with you, sacred simplicity/As long as we're together, there's no place I'd rather be.”)

           The pre-chorus and chorus are sung again.

           In the bridge, she says “be” nine times.

           The chorus is sung again to end the single.

         Glynne’s cosmpolitan vocals realizes that marriage isn’t going to be easy. There are times she has wanted to wring his neck and they have some major fights.  However, it didn’t change her love for him. He will be the one she will think of first.

          Clean Bandit’s creative orchestral arrangement scores their romance, chronicling their ups and downs. It heightens the emotions, making each one stand out. Its transitions to the popping synths are seamless. Neither element takes over the other.

          The striking “Rather Be” takes an artistic approach to dance music and succeeds.