#196 Robyn, 'Body Talk' (2010)

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In the lead up to this, her seventh album, Robyn had a whole heap of songs. Her intention was to release 3 EPs. It had been 5 years since her last release and she was too impatient to wait until all the songs were finished to release them. Her manager suggested that she release songs, tour them and then release more when they were ready. Sound familiar? 11 years later, that’s exactly the model that the music industry follows, to a large extent. Record a single, release the single on streaming, let the song live, and then release more later until you have enough for an album. And that’s exactly what Robyn did. Two EPs and then the third release was a full album (i.e. the original two EPs plus 5 extra tracks).

The result is a well-crafted electro-pop record full of hooks and danceable beats. The stand out on the record by far is ‘Dancing On My Own,’ a song about empowerment, about heartbreak, about regret and hope. Subsequently, it has become a major LGBT anthem, much like Diana Ross’s ‘I’m Coming Out’ and Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way.’ Almost like ‘I Will Survive’ for the new generation. The song went to #1 in her native Sweden and sold more than a million copies in the US alone. The song ‘Don’t Fucking Tell Me What To Do’ made me laugh, almost like the Swedish Pop version of Rage Against The Machine’s signature song. ‘Call Your Girlfriend’ was another song I liked. As stand alone songs, there are some real pop gems. I guess that’s how the album was designed. As a full album, I don’t really need it and don’t see myself returning to it anytime soon.

#rs500albums