A pop singer, living out the old maxim to “write what you know,” records a song about heartbreak and the spiteful feelings it engenders. Rumors abound that the raw lyric is directed at a high-profile former paramour. (The singer denies it, not entirely believably.) The singer has been around a while and even topped the charts years earlier, in a former collaboration that rode radio’s then–most reliable pop trend. But trends since then have shifted, and the singer’s ultimate goal is making it as a credible solo performer. To break through, the star-in-the-making seeks not just a big hit but a song that proves definitive, shows what is possible. The heartbreak song, with its notoriety and broad relatability, is what finally does it. Rising to the upper reaches of Billboard’s Hot 100, the song’s icy, minor-key pop, adapted from prevailing music trends, sounds right at home on the radio in the dead of winter.
from Stories from Slate http://bit.ly/2RjlKKO
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