In Recognition of another hit album
Oh wow. When you think of The Proclaimers, you wouldn’t expect a song to start with an overblown church organ. Ah, that’s better, we’re almost immediately into more familiar pop-rock territory. A-side ‘New Religion’ (hence the church organ) packs a powerful punch sonically and lyrically. Although it does border on preachy on it’s subject, that’s not going to ruin a good tune. These boys have proved time and time again that they are brilliant songwriters with an ear for a good melody.
If ‘New Religion’ sounded a tad sanctimonious, wait ‘til you hear ‘In Recognition’, a snide and bitter look at the accolades bestowed on music industry darlings. “Oh vanity, it gets them one by one” rings undeniably true alongside “in recognition of your bankability”. Something we’ve all thought, at times. Although it does sound a bit rich coming from a couple of guys who have found a new wave of phenomenal success over the last couple of years. Not to mention that this is the third single of their latest album, Life With You - bankability, huh? Turns out it’s not just the “Yanks that don’t get irony”.
This is a pleasant enough slice of well-observed pop, with the potential for a lot of airplay. But you have to ask whether they needed to release another single for this album. But I’d recommend it for the witty lyrics alone.