I was not a huge fan of David Archuleta during his tenure on American Idol’s seventh season. Sure, as Randy Jackson reminded us (over and over and over), the kid could "sing the phone book," but frankly, a weekly rundown of surnames and seven-digit numbers would’ve been more interesting (and more contemporary) than the array of drippy, "big issues" ballads the Utah teenager favored on his way to a runner-up finish.
With that in mind, though, I’m glad none of my PopWatch colleagues weighed in on David’s first post-Idol single, "Crush," which premiered on Elvis Duran’s Z100 morning show Friday morning (while I was enjoying a day off at the Jersey shore), because much to my surprise, it’s actually pretty good. I was worried the folks at 19 might saddle David with the kind of bland, soul-crushing production that sent former Idol runners-up like Bo Bice and Diana DeGarmo directly to the bargain bin (without passing go, or collecting a followup major-label release), but "Crush" sounds hip and contemporary. The chorus alone is prettier than a window box of pink petunias, with an epic sweep that evokes waves crashing, thunder rolling, and herds of horses galloping through lush fields — exactly what a song about the early pangs of teenage romance should do. The lyrics, like a lot of today’s top 40 fare, won’t win a Pulitzer for poetry, but they won’t make you wince, either. (Side note: On my first few listens to "Crush," I was wrongly convinced the last line of the chorus — "Do you ever think/When you’re all alone/All that we could be/Where this thing could go" — was "Where this sneaker go.") And David adroitly walks the line between giving his core fans their fill of vocal runs while showing enough restraint that he won’t automatically alienate non-Idol-loving listeners. In other words, I’m convinced "Crush" (embedded below) is good news for David (a charming kid, as you can see by clicking here and here for the interview I did with him a couple months back), for his fans, and for the general health of the Idol franchise. What say you, PopWatchers?
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I love the song! I can’t wait to buy it and his album!!
The song is good for Archie…but why is it so overproduced? The chorus is so tech/synth heavy on his voice. The allure of Archie is that his voice is pure, that is why Imagine was great song for him. yet in this song they do not trust him or his voice. I understand it on a Lindsay/Ashlee/Paris hilton “song”, but David should be allowed to have his voice heard.
thanks for posting this slezak! i woke up to it on friday morning, and was too confused to figure out what i was hearing. i’ll agree it’s better than i expected, but i’m still feeling a little lukewarm about the whole thing. then again, at least he’s not singing “i need you boo… gotta have you boo.”
Seems like they rushed to release this song. It needs alot more work. I dont get the Archi effect from it. Anyone could sing this song.
It is good and I agree a little overproduced, as Marc in NYC states. I will buy this when it becomes available. At 17, he has plenty of time to grow as an artist and eventually have more say in what he produce. Good start
I appreciate the positive review. Crush is very catchy, perfect choice for a 17 year old, perfect for David fans, it is fun and will be a hit.
I love, love it! An awesome song and very addicting!
I cannot wait to buy it and buy the CD!
there’s another versino(the final version) on this song in which David’s voice is clearer and sounds less overproduced..try finding it on youtube or google..i lost the link but the final mix is much better.
Thanks slezak for your fair review..i enjoyed reading it and this single just goes to proves that david CAN be contemporary and mainstream.
I cant wait for his album!!
and yes how can i forget to mention how catchy and addicting this song is.lol.Crush FTW!
I Love it.
I would reserve the production comments until we get a better quality version of the song–all these youtube videos are taken off of live radio streams. You add in youtube degrading the quality further, and you’ll get a “tinny” sound that’s not actually there.
I think this is a wonderful first single for David–young and current with an amazing hook. And it gives him just enough room to show off some of his vocal prowess.
http://www.kisn971.com/cc-common/mediaplayer/player.html?redir=yes&mps=davida.php&mid=http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/30266/1h/cchannel.download.akamai.com/30266/1084/richmedia/davida-crush.mp3?CCOMRRMID=17669959&CPROG=RICHMEDIA&MARKET=SALTLAKECITY-UT&NG_FORMAT=chr&NG_ID=kzht94fm&OR_NEWSFORMAT=chr&OWNER=1084&SERVER_NAME=www.971zht.com&SITE_ID=1084&STATION_ID=KZHT-FM&TRACK=davidarchuleta-crush
This is a better version. Much clearer and not so overproduced sounding.
I love this song. I’m usually meh about Idol firsts singles but this is one of my favorites. Glad you’re liking it, Slezak.
LOVE CRUSH! Great first song for David…stay tuned…this guy’s gonna be a star! I actually think his vocals are far too good for this song but it’s catchy and fun.GOOD JOB DAVID!
I LOVE this song. David is amazing.
Props to you for FINALLY admitting that the kid is “charming” AND “talented” and all in the same article! I’m pinching myself!
ummm….is this article really written by michael slezak?? i was confused because there were good things written about david archuleta.
anyway, i love the song. i think it does exactly what david needed to do to connect to both his die hard archies and draw in some new fans. it’s catchy and fun and makes me want to buy the album asap!
Slezak,
I loved your interview with David a few months ago. You did a great job. David IS charming. Everyone in my family loves Crush. It is a good start for getting heard on the radio. We look forward to many years of great music from this kid.
I like the song a lot, I´m think is a message we all can relate to, all the decision to weather or not is work the risk start a new relationship with someone… I like his vocals and is prety catchy… Good work David… I hope this kid became a great artist so we can hear his amazing voice for a long time… and good work to you Mr.Sleza, I´m glad that your opinion in “Little David” like so many times was called in EW reviews has change for a good turn!!!
From interviews that I’ve read, David is stressing over not having time to do exactly what he wants on his album from the time constraints. I hope this song gives him a bit of relief because I think it is a hit!
Love the interviews you did with both Davids!
Archie hit it outta the park!!!!! Believe me when I say there were tons of us Archies up ALL NIGHT last Thursday – chatrooms blazing across the US , from Guam, Singapore, Japan, Canada, the Phillipines, India in nervous anticipation of this debut – and we all feel Jive has done our “Crown Prince” proud…. this is the beauty of him being 17 years old – the tiger is yet to be fully unleashed, and this debut goes a LONG way in silencing the critics and detractors who wrote him off as being unable to appeal to a “mainstream” pop audience…. BRAVO DAVID….
Thank you for your thoughtful review, and for finally acknowledging that David is very talented with a bright future. He was pressured to choose certain songs for American Idol and it is nice to see him being more free and contemporary. I look forward to seeing where his career takes him!
What do you mean surprisingly good? CRUSH is AMAZING! for the non fans they think they just discovered an incredible talent that we as his fans acknowledged from DAY 1. And yes, I am not a tween or a grandma but a woman in my 40’s. I just saw all the idols live at the Atlantic City, NJ concert and I can tell you, Archuleta is even better LIVE. He is much more relaxed and his voice takes your breath away when you hear him live. He sang 4 songs at this concert and 12,000 people were on their feet and gave him a standing ovation for 10 minutes straight. And the audience was not just full of teens and little kids. The age group that attended were 5 years old to 85. Many non fans walked away and said he was one of the best highlights of a great concert performer. WOW. I can’t wait to buy his CD and download CRUSH August 12. Only ONE word describes Archuleta…INCREDIBLE!
i cant believe slezak just wrote something good about david archuleta. well, i personally like the single, but of course, i was expecting all the naysayers (like slezak) to trash it and say it was the worst pop song ever written. but i am pleasantly surprised. nice to see some open mindedness from slezak.
CRUSH is great! You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized …… cause I m tryin, tryin to walk away… But I know this crush aint goin away, goin away ayyyy ayyyyy
Sleazak, thanks for reminding us that you didn’t like little David all season long. No, really?? Um, who could forget?! Well, I won’t dwell on the negative since this is a time for celebration. A time to celebrate David’s excellent debut with CRUSH, and a time to celebrate your freakin’ epiphany (of sorts) relative to David’s commercial viability! Oh come on, Michael, in your heart of hearts you always knew he had IT in him! :0) CHEERS TO YOU!
Thank you for your nice words to David! He certainly deserves it! I love the song! it’s hip and his age! I love how he always surprises his fans.
With so much Pop garbage available from singers that are not even that good and made it to the top 10, finally Archuleta’s incredible talent brings to life a real fun Pop song to show not only his incredible voice, but a song that we can all relate to who does not have or remember CRUSH ing over someone? I am a man a guy in my late 30’s and know this song will be hitting the top all the way. I saw Archuleta in concert in Newark and I can tell you he is an incredible talent not to just the teens and tweens but to the rest of the world. How refreshing to finally hear a pop song by a 17 year old, where we can understand the words and relate to the lyrics. Congratulations David Archuleta, great job. Fans of all ages, love CRUSH and you as the new artist. Anybody who doubted your talent before, needs to get a real life now.
Thank you very much for keeping an open mind regarding Archie’s post-idol career. I am a fan of his and was sometimes disturbed by your reviews during Idol, but your interview w/David post-Idol was one of the best I’ve seen–excellent questions and David was obviously relaxed with you. I knew David was not showing his true self during the Idol process, he was obviously very worn down by all the issues, etc. he faced and am hoping post-Idol he can really show the wonderful multi-faceted talent and personality he is. Thank you again.
Great review of the song. I remember reading your dislike for the young David. I heard the song and actually like it to. While Im not sure if this is number 1 hit single material. Its absolutely going to secure a place in the top 40. Good review and I agree the song won’t make me change the station. Heck I might even put up the .99 cents and grab it off iTunes…
Yes, he’s great! Crush is actually good for him, too! And of course, the song is as we like his first song to be!