Review: Paddington Bear (From “The Adventures of Paddington”) song by Gary Barlow
- by Phil Arnold
- in Reviews
It’s pretty rare that neither the artist or the song title needs little introduction, but I think in this case it could well be a justified argument. Gary Barlow can surely now be credited as being one the the UK’s most prolific artists, with a career spanning 3 decades.
His achievements and talents cannot be in question, and his journeys into collaborations and creations post Take That have yielded a diverse back catalogue of music, that makes his input into all avenues of media quite enormous.
In terms of reviews, this one is slightly different because the songs primary goal is to be the theme tune for a well loved children’s TV show Paddington Bear. It's also written and performed by an equally loved national treasure Gary Barlow.
This song would no doubt test Barlow's writing ability, as he is going to have to appeal to a completely different audience with a sound and dynamic, probably not heard before. Of course, being Gary Barlow he nails it! Great piano fills and a distant EQ changed vocal at the very beginning of the song then straight into the big sound, with children's voices, a catchy hook for Paddington Bear, and you’re left thinking what could go wrong... The melody is familiar, but unique. There are bits I can hear that even remind me of the Beatles. The orchestration is full, utilising horns, strings and a nicely balanced driven guitar. The texture is great, dropping in and out and changes of dynamics are great at not only setting up the TV show, but making this a great song on its own.
Paddington Bear (From “The Adventures of Paddington”) was released last week and I don’t think releasing it individually is a bad idea at all. This, I suspect is going to be the theme tune to lots of younger children’s formative years and we should probably all get to know it now. It’s not a throw away gesture of a composition either, you can hear careful planning and a complex melody line, designed specifically for the target audience. It goes to show that Gary Barlow has to be one of the most talented, diverse and creative song writers the UK has ever produced.
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