2013 Grammy Nomination for Best Dance Recording for "I Can't Live Without You"
Okay, look at this track listing. 11 tracks. One song. Different mixes. Yikes. My question is, though - which was nominated to begin with?? *sigh* Here we go.
"I Can't Live Without You - Jerry Ropero & Dee Marcus Radio Edit" is the kick-off song to this single release. I'm going to go ahead and assume this is the version that garnered the nomination. It's okay. I mean, the vocals seem a little pedestrian and the build in the middle is just sort of thrown in your face. I can see it making for a good dance floor song though. The balance between sung words and insane music is pretty precise. And they transition between each other really well. | |
| The next one sort of takes a little rock beat, with a drum set getting involved… and please tell me that "moo" came from somewhere else. "I Can't Live Without You - Malibu Mix" sounds different to me. I'm not loosing it already, am I? Or are those different words and even possibly different singers? If not, wow production - way to twist it into a whole different song! |
Alrighty, moving on: "I Can't Live Without You - Rico Bernasconi Extended Mix" is next, which means… it's a two-minute longer version of the last one? Ah, no, wait, it's been a while since I listened to remixes, and what that actually means is there are additional beats added to build up to different sections of the song and more repetitive verses and choruses. Loop loop loop loop.
"I Can't Live Without You - DJerix Mix" brings on something a little different, so awesome. The beat takes on a more stellar, space-like mix, almost what you'd expect dance music to be like at one point in time. Spaceship traveling - I mean, come on, you've got to just make up your own world to enjoy these things at some point.
I deem this on the Flo Rida remix. Seriously, I have probably heard the beat for "I Can't Live Without You - Maui&Chris Mix" at least a dozen times throughout the guy's own tracks. The remixer(s) on this one take the instrumental sections up pitch-wise enough to mess a little bit with your head. The beat's dance-worthy for sure though.
"I Can't Live Without You - Turnyboy Mix" is the one that'll blast your speakers a little harder than the other mixes. The bass is up to high that it's distorted through my computer speakers. Hey, at least we're getting a slight difference between each mix, right? That's something to be happy about.
Woo! Overdrive! "I Can't Live Without You - Dave Dee! Hands Up Radio Edit" moves super fast. Even if the lyrics aren't necessarily sped up as much, the whole thing basically (if not definitely) at least doubles in BPM in the backing. The first minute just has your heart completely racing. Then there's this slight, small break to breathe, but not for long. Holy moly, this one doesn't really truly stop until the tail end of things.
"I Can't Live Without You - Dave Dee! Hands Up Extende Mix" (not a typo - that's how Spotify presents the title) is just as fast, but instead we get 5+ minutes of the beat. There's just more and more of it between verses. Not surprising of course, just more to wait through to get to the next track.
And now for something shockingly different, "I Can't Live Without You - Alternative Rock Wildcafe." There are rare instances when a new mix of a song takes on an absolutely beautiful song, and that's what I was hit with when we started this song. Annddd at about a minute in it's sort of crushed because they get into that rev-up mode that is unnecessary, yet in ever dang dance song you hear. Sigh, I was so excited at the sweet beginnings of this one.
"I Can't Live Without You - Jerry Ropero & Dee Marcus Extended Mix" rounds things out as the final song. It does come in with a little bit of a different sound in the beats, more precise and probably not played by original hands. Oh, and there's a beeping coming in… hm. Okay, well, not how I would have loved to complete this journey, but you might as well give it everything and push every button for the final number, right? Have fun and experiment.
Added to My Playlist:
- "I Can't Live Without You - Malibu Mix"
Yah know, it's always a little surprising to make it through multiple iterations of a song and not actually get bored. This, at the very least, kept things interesting throughout the entire collection, with just enough change each time to allow for commentary. Not a bad thing at all to spend the day immersed in.