I'm frustrated with "stitches", because I really like the instrumentals, the percussion is actually pretty cool. Shame the lyrics were written by a toddler.
I thought "Stitches" went "You watch me BEAT IT 'til I can't breathe", and I was very confused since masturbation and/or baking preparation seemed rather inappropriate for the subject matter. I also thought he said he was "NUMB without your kisses", which I think would actually fit into the metaphor better than his simple descriptions. Basically, the kid needs to work on his enunciation.
Kai Sea I STILL have to look up the lyrics every time I think of the song (though I hate it) because I'm like "I must be right, I don't hear it as anything else". That kid seriously needs to work on his diction because despite Stitches being a simple, cliche-ridden song, I still only catch like half the lyrics when I hear it.
I thought I was the only one who heard "beat it" I felt like I was in the twilight zone when all my friends and family were like "what are you talking about????"
Huge child stars (especially musicians,) do tend to end up just being...meh. Usually because they get raised to believe they're natural geniuses, and therefore don't work to grow or improve. And what's impressive in a 13 year old is mediocre in a 25 year old.
Well if MJ was not a genius his father would kick the shit out of him, actually he was a genius and his father kicked the shit out of him. Guess for him was a question of survival.
So what you're saying is that Mozart was the OG child star... Super popular as a child, playing for kings and queens at the age of three, to not even being able to afford a headstone for his early demise.
+David Roberson He looks punchable but you just can't attack pure awesomeness, you can't hurt a person who helped create the musical masterpiece that is 2112.
David Roberson True, but he just has a punchable face, even if he's singing. You could punch him while he's singing but then you'd feel bad for endangering such an amazing artist.
@@swagatabanik5840 that's okay, but don't get offended when others don't. Everyone can have opinions and make jokes and you can just as well ignore them and like what you like.
Important to note: Justin Beiber does not say the words shawty, swag, or party like it's 3012 once in this song or any of his new singles. No wonder why he's starting to not suck
Ugh. English isn't even my first language and even I can tell how badly and awkwardly written "Stitches" is, or the fact that lyrics like these need way more passion. Completely agree with Todd's verdict.
Completely agree. the pacing in stitches as well as the misuse of emphasis and the bad wording really does make it suck. congrats. You have a better comprehension of wording than Teddy Geiger.
My theory is thatTodd is Teddy Geiger. He is just embarrassed about his old music and disses himself for making them. Like see, Teddy replace with an o then remove the y then boom: Todd. Plus Teddy can play the piano and so cam Todd. That part was for extra points for validity. But sadly the voice doesn't match.
Or maybe she kicked him out of his house for having “Nice Guy Syndrome” and now he lives with a couple other teenage men and he’s telling one of them to treat him better! 😂
+Emera Lee My gf LOVES both Evanescence and Stitches and I've listened to the song dozens of times but never made the connection. I think I might try to break out into Evanescence next time I hear Stitches on the radio
If Bieber ever finds himself in a jam with his singing career, he could always do a Mike Posner and produce songs for other people, because this beat ain't half bad.
+Oblivionhold The lyrics are subpar in both songs in my opinion (although it's more prevalent in Stitches imo), but Bieber's song at least has a good beat through and through Stitches is boring af
*Stitches score* ⭐️⭐️ (snore......) *What Do You Mean* ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (What Do You Mean is very confusing because of Justin’s own confusion, but at least we can see skateboarding tricks in the background, so if only Bieber were one of the skateboarders).
So the choice is Bieber's volatile attitude appearing in his music or Teddy Geiger writing music for the newest talentless teen pop idol... Well the answer is obvious: Adele.
+Caiuxa190 I thought it was pretty good o.o Give the music some time to grow, though. Apparently it's not available for streaming certain places, so expect pirates c: Yar har, man.
+SquiddyReviews it's pretty sad that that's her defining trait. a good writer and sings with emotion. seriously that should be the fucking standard man.
5 years later, Bieber married Mendes's ex and Mendes is dating the girl who sings like a minion and Teddy Geiger is...a woman. This is like a fucking soap opera. Just needs someone with amnesia.
And Teddy’s music is awesome! Highly recommend her recent album! She also wrote an absolute banger for Caroline Polachek called So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings
Eh... while Mendes is certainly just as corporately evil as Beiber, and the line "Now that I'm without your kisses, I'll be needing stitches" is incredibly cringeworthy, I just think that his voice and instrumental sound are actually pretty interesting to hear, unlike Bieber who was once awful and is now plain old boring. I think Mendes is gonna be a new guilty pleasure for me.
Im surprised he didn't say anything about that tongue-clicking tick-tock sound on the beat of Bieber's song, cuz that honestly bugged me a little. And personally, I never hated Justin Bieber as a singer (as a person, he's definetly a jerk). In fact I was always more annoyed by people expecting me to have an opinion on him when I was completely benign.
+Horsechoker1898 If nothing Else Bieber knows the sound of his voice and how to use it well on a track. It suits the song well. He may have picked something of how that works.
***** I think we have to wait and see if Mendez gets himself arrested for something stupid. In fact, that's one good thing you can about him. Though this song is slightly worse than Bieber's new stuff (hence my above comment), he doesn't seem to have the same douche-bag personality. However, that's also the problem because he doesn't have much outside of "generic singer that teen girls like".
Yeah, Bieber technically has the better song here (by the length of a mouse's whisker) but I think that's mostly because he's been around in the music business long enough to at least have some idea of how to produce. I will say if One Direction can have one legitimately decent song, than there's hope yet even for Bieber. This is at least a step in the right direction as far as giving the guy an identity.
I thought a few songs from him lately were alright. And same goes for one direction. Hell i'm one for the death of the author idea and if these teen pop stars are going to keep having sex with everybodies daughters the least they can do is release half decent tunes.
Ah, now this is the Todd I love. It's completely his decision as to where he lands on the "beatdown vs. calm analysis" spectrum, but I became one of his viewers back in early 2013 when he was at the height of his kickassery, so that's naturally the type of video I'm going to like the most.
I never understod why people actually wasted energy on hating Bieber, or anyone for that mather. I never liked his music so I avoided it. This one I kinda like though, beat is definitly good and I like the ambiguity in the lyrics. Not a master piece by any stretch but it is somewhere on my afterparty playlist.
an unhappy capitalist Cuz he’s a douchebag and we think he doesn’t deserve the fame and adoration he gets from his fans. I don’t think I personally use that much energy disliking him but I don’t wanna talk about him or I’ll just get frustrated cuz all his fame went to his head and he seems really full of himself and his fans are, or at least were, crazy and would defend him to the grave which is a dangerous mentality to have... anyway-
DDayz1 I try not to actively hate celebrities for no reason, like if I dislike someone’s music I don’t dislike them as people or hate them, it’s just if they do something shitty or are shitty people and don’t seem to want to change or become better I lose respect for them and I don’t understand why people love them so much when they’re just bad people who don’t deserve the ego boost
"Maybe someday he'll actually be good." Considering you put him on your 2019 worst list and will probably end up on your 2020 worst list with Yummy, that's probably not going to happen. Yummy is basically the Wiggle of the 2020s. A pop-star turned R&B artist (Wikipedia says Bieber makes R&B music) made an awful sex song with a one-word title that is decidedly not sexy.
"What Do You Mean" honestly made me like Bieber. Hearing it finally made me get rid if my anti-Bilieber attitude and grow up and appreciate modern pop. I also have memories of listening to that one Grover song on vinyl and constantly replaying the near/far scene because I thought it was so funny
I kinda took Stitches to be about an abusive relationship, or at least an unhealthy one. The line "when I'm without your kisses, ill be needing stitches" could be literal: when she isn't loving him she hits him. The same applies on "like a moth drawn to a flame": it's an unhealthy relationship, detrimental to him. Also, "words cut deeper than a knife" could reference verbal abuse. Basically, he left or was left by an abusive woman or left an unhealthy relationship and can't deal with the fact that it was awful and can't deal with the fact that he still craves it.
I can't hear Stitches without remembering the Pirate's Booty mascot desperately trying to dance to it at last year's Thanksgiving Day Parade. But that's not really a bad thing, because it was hilarious.
Is Shawn Mendes really comparable to the hype of earlyJustin Beiber??? Or am I just so old and out of touch now that I've somehow missed him becoming popular?
The music itself reminds me a HUGE deal of Your Love Will Set You Free, only it's much less impressive. Still, baby steps Bieber, baby steps. Also, please change the "genre" of "white guys with acoustic guitars" to "bro-ballads". Otherwise it just sounds like you hate anyone who's ever performed in a coffee shop in North America.
+Jordan Stusiak (Kingfisher's Brother) >Otherwise it just sounds like you hate anyone who's ever performed in a coffee shop in North America. Is that so unreasonable?
+Jordan Stusiak (Kingfisher's Brother) Agreed. The first few times I heard him say that, it was pretty funny. Now he says it whenever there's any acoustic guitar songs. I admit, most acoustic pop songs are not that good, but the title is really unnecessary. Bro-ballads definitely fits better.
All the scenes of Mendes being knocked around by nothing just makes me think of that scene in Fight Club where Edward Norton beats himself up to blackmail his boss, which in turn makes me imagine that the stitches in question aren't a metaphor at all and he's pulling the same thing on his ex. Has some friends waiting outside he told he wanted there for emotional support, if she doesn't take him back he's gonna stagger out of there bloody and tattered, all "I-I didn't want you guys to know. It's okay, she just gets like this sometimes when she's mad. It's my own fault for trying to push her to take me back. I've been hurt before, but never been this sore..."
To the people wondering about his Hills review, it was removed from youtube, but here's the vimeo link: vimeo.com/140550544 Happy watching! Edit: don't worry about the thumbnail isn't todds normal edit, it's a picture from one of The Weekends video. :D
I don't know. I understand most of the criticism of Shawn Mendes and "Stitches", but I think I would still consider it the better song and Mendes slightly more interesting than Bieber. As a song, Stitches is actually deceptively well-written. There's a lot of wounded metaphors (i.e. "without your kisses/I'll be needing stitches" referring to kissing a boo-boo to make it feel better, and without that, he needs stitches..."needle and a thread/gotta get you outta my head", etc) As a sustained metaphor, I think it works. The POV of being heartbroken is way overdone while being confused in love is slightly less so, but that doesn't mean Stitches is a bad song. Also, I think Stitches plays better live than "What Do You Mean". Mendes' voice -- to say what you will of it -- translates well live, and with actual percussion this song kinda jams. "What Do You mean" is already a low-key toe-tapper as a record; live it doesn't work. Bieber has a hard time staying in key while dancing and it sounds whimpier than Stitches TBH.
The fact that he survived the PC police after being caught using the word "nigga" means that he's pretty much invincible, i honestly didn't think he could survive something like that: it's pretty much the biggest celebrity killer outside of drug abuse. It also means your Chris Brown comparison also has a lot more merit to it because the public will love this kid no matter what stupid shit he does (especially the shit in 2013 before he was caught saying it).
+Michael Boyd Bieber acted like a spoiled shit in 2013, he might not have beaten the fuck out of a girl: but he's not whatsoever a good person. The only thing that's better about bieber right now is he's making meh music instead of ghetto trash like chris. And from a career stand point, almost NOBODY (who's not black) has kept their career after someone revealed they said "nigga". Eminem did, but his music is meant to be somewhat offensive, plus, he had rappers like Nas defending him. Also, eminem probably faired a lot better because he's actually a good rapper unlike many of his peers. Woman-beating is in the same league pretty much because feminism (and no, i'm not defending brown. But IF the tables were turned and rihanna beat him to a bloody pulp, she probably wouldn't still be a walking punchline for it), so yeah both musicians are extremely lucky they're still around.
Very interesting...but as I said, regarding your statement about rappers, Justin has had rappers defend HIm,too (Backstreet Boys and some of those others,too,I believe). Hey, Michael jackson, and does anyone remember Michael's use of the N word and the K word (Kite but insert a second K in lieu of T...).
My bestie got mad at me for dissing "stitches." lol! It sounds so damn whiny (ugh, I hated teen drama even when I was one) when it should be 'over the top' like Todd said. Kudos for the Evanescence clips! I loved them as a teen and I still do.
+sprocket0077 It's not too different from the chill house that occasionally pops its head into the charts. The one about going on a holiday to Mexico was also like this.
+sprocket0077 Meh. It doesn't have that much of a hook, but I think it works as background music that you are not really paying that much attention to. It does actually have a very nice, slick beat to it. I
Apparently, Teddy Geiger is now living their best life as a woman. She's keeping her birth name but going by she/her pronouns. So salute to Todd for not deadnaming a trans artist!
I just figured out why I can't stop seeing you as an adversary even as I've grown to genuinely appreciate you and your art/content. You're a Backstreet Boys fan, and I'm an NSync - well... I'm an NSync fan the way I'm a 49ers fan. I'd always choose a different sport/genre of music, but I have a strong, but shallow opinion.
When I posted my first music review ("See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa), Todd coincidentally posted his review for the same song 4 days later. When I posted my second music review ("Stitches" by Shawn Mendes), Todd coincidentally posted his review for the same song 2 weeks later. I understand that reviewing pop music, there's inevitably going to be overlap, especially since I draw a lot of inspiration from Todd after watching him for the past several years. I just found it as cool affirmation when I say something critical about Shawn Mendes and having a professional music critic confirm such criticisms. ~SK
I miss going to my cousin's house back in 2010 and 2011, soaking up the sun in the backyard, playing ladderball and logging into the old YT and just laughing at Justin Bieber music videos. Good times.
Oh awesome, I thought you had quit making videos after I hadn't seen you on Channel Awesome for a while. You (and Rap Critic) were the only reasons I was still checking that site. You should have announced your move so we didn't lose you :D Love the new video; time to play catch up.
Been waiting for this one. The Bieber resurgence needed to be tackled but god damn juxtaposed to that Mendes kid this is just brutal. Everyone give Todd some credit for having to sit and edit this. Also, have a laugh for all the kids who searched "Stitches" on youtube looking for that kid and ended up getting scarred for life by the rapper Stitches hahah
Agree. also, Todd has already tweeted that he dislikes that song. Which it's not so much of a surprise. I mean, he was so pissed off in his "worst of 1987" video because people back then put "elevator music" on the pop charts (Kenny G's "songbird"). He probably was also mad when he found out that people of today put actual "waiting in line" music on the Top 40
First heard what do you mean driving home from a late night at work driving home through farmland in northern Illinois. It was the perfect sound track for being emotional worn driving fast on a long straight road in late dusk.
So Shawn Mendes rips off Evanescence lyrics in this song and sings the line "Feels like I'm crawling in my skin" on "In My Blood." Did he just listen to a lot of nu-metal in his youth?
Todd you really have the sharpest writing of any youtube reviewer imo, every single video, even outdated shit like this, has at least one line that makes me laugh audibly.
Stitches would have been much better in my mind if the music video went for more of a serious, realistic scenario than some whiny teen walking around so hurt from his last break up that he gets physical pain from it. How about instead show a music video of a troubled teen so broken up over his girlfriend leaving him that he intentionally puts himself in situations of violence where he's going to get beat up just to take his mind off of her for a while? As it is, yeah, it just comes off as more corporate pandering towards tweenage girls but I honestly do feel like the core concept has potential if the violence is real. What Do You Mean is pretty okay though, I agree. I mean I won't even be putting it on my playlists but it's mellow and unoffensive enough that I don't mind hearing it played at a party or at work. When you don't pay attention to the lyrics the beat and Beib's tone are actually kind of soothing, give his songs some more meaning and he may have found his new niche...Well, at least a niche where he can be appreciated as an actual talented artist.
I figured the "without your kisses I'll be needing stitches" was from the whole "kissing the booboo to make it better" but I always thought I wouldn't want to kiss an open cut that needs stitching, and I guess they chose stitches because it rhymes easier
I would rather listen to "What Do You Mean?" for 10 hours without a break than listen to "Stitches" all the way through. Gawd that song is a dumpster fire.
OMG! Todd...thank you SO MUCH for the Evanescence references! They were brilliantly placed! God...you (along with TheDoubleAgent and Robert Christgau) are my musical heroes! Thank you so much!
"This kid's face is pretty punchable. But is it punchable enough to make him a superstar?" My favorite line in anything ever
I died with that phrase 😂
The mantra to be super star.
Ngl, I think Austin Mahone is overhated.
Not only does he make very catchy songs, he is also humble in real life.
Yeah, plus these “big stars” (Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes really give out Sam Witwicky vibes of teenage mentitlenent.
“maybe someday he’ll actually be good”
bieber 2020: yeah you got that yummy yum that yummy yum
Add that to the failed Todd predictions list.
@@aegisScale how long is that thing anyway?
@@CarlsCozyCorner too long. Too long.
@@aegisScale FAR too long.
@@GarfieldiusPrime at least his prediction about taylor swift getting bearable again was correct
I'm frustrated with "stitches", because I really like the instrumentals, the percussion is actually pretty cool. Shame the lyrics were written by a toddler.
He had a second chance with "Treat you better", is basically the same tune... and yet is even worst
Pretty messed up toddler
The pre chorus lines are kinda okay? Everything else could use a rewrite tho
I thought "Stitches" went "You watch me BEAT IT 'til I can't breathe", and I was very confused since masturbation and/or baking preparation seemed rather inappropriate for the subject matter.
I also thought he said he was "NUMB without your kisses", which I think would actually fit into the metaphor better than his simple descriptions.
Basically, the kid needs to work on his enunciation.
"you watch me beat it til i can't breathe" holy shit
Oh thank goodness I wasn't the only one. Had to look up the lyrics. Because I was so confused.
Kai Sea
I STILL have to look up the lyrics every time I think of the song (though I hate it) because I'm like "I must be right, I don't hear it as anything else". That kid seriously needs to work on his diction because despite Stitches being a simple, cliche-ridden song, I still only catch like half the lyrics when I hear it.
I thought I was the only one who heard "beat it" I felt like I was in the twilight zone when all my friends and family were like "what are you talking about????"
well you called it
a problem like that has happened in the newest song of his that Todd reviewed
That Shawn Mendes kid actually went to my high school, after I graduated. My little sister knew him. That's such a weird thing to think about.
A genuinely nice kid apparently, not a douchebag. He got famous through Vine soooo that tells you everything about his target audience.
Omg you were a Pine Ridge Puma?! Same here!!
+Brad Laws hopefully he keeps that good personality despite his fame. It's always nice to see a kind pop star.
+Brad Laws I hope he doesn't get corrupted.
+digitivortex same
Huge child stars (especially musicians,) do tend to end up just being...meh. Usually because they get raised to believe they're natural geniuses, and therefore don't work to grow or improve. And what's impressive in a 13 year old is mediocre in a 25 year old.
What about Jackson?
@@bambap9012 He's the king, he WAS a natural genius
Well if MJ was not a genius his father would kick the shit out of him, actually he was a genius and his father kicked the shit out of him. Guess for him was a question of survival.
Most of them don't even have a stable childhood
So what you're saying is that Mozart was the OG child star... Super popular as a child, playing for kings and queens at the age of three, to not even being able to afford a headstone for his early demise.
Is Canada's greatest export punchable pretty boys? It looks like it is.
kevin willems I know some people, tone deaf people, that think Geddy Lee looks pretty damn punchable.
+David Roberson He looks punchable but you just can't attack pure awesomeness, you can't hurt a person who helped create the musical masterpiece that is 2112.
Swag Monee I didn't say I was going to hit Geddy. Geddy gave us 2112 like you said. I can't punch that. But some people could. We call them tone deaf.
David Roberson True, but he just has a punchable face, even if he's singing. You could punch him while he's singing but then you'd feel bad for endangering such an amazing artist.
Swag Monee And then have the hoard set down on me, plus I'd have to hit myself. No thank you.
Todd, how did you go the whole video without calling Mendes a "wanna-Bieber"?
That's pretty much what he meant by "a low-rent clone of such".
@@djspuddzz8116 yeah but the pun is so good
@@swagatabanik5840 you okay man? Pretty harsh for a comment about a beiber pun.
@@swagatabanik5840 that's okay, but don't get offended when others don't. Everyone can have opinions and make jokes and you can just as well ignore them and like what you like.
@@swagatabanik5840 A bit too far to tell people to "Go get a life" because you got offended by a comment against someone who you like.
Important to note: Justin Beiber does not say the words shawty, swag, or party like it's 3012 once in this song or any of his new singles. No wonder why he's starting to not suck
Is it just me or is Bieber turning into the love child of Vanilla Ice and Macualay Culkin?
+Patrick Donnolley Probably xD
jesus
+Patrick Donnolley and Miley Cyrus, don't think about that too hard.
Ugh. English isn't even my first language and even I can tell how badly and awkwardly written "Stitches" is, or the fact that lyrics like these need way more passion. Completely agree with Todd's verdict.
+SilverAnicore You da real MVP
+mariokarter13 aye aye, bro. keep this on the down low, but... todd likes Bieber. shhh. tell no one.
+little demand I am tempted to cut the part where he says "I like Bieber now" and do something with that.
RenoHex I INFLUENCED....SOMETHING!!! YAY!
Completely agree. the pacing in stitches as well as the misuse of emphasis and the bad wording really does make it suck. congrats. You have a better comprehension of wording than Teddy Geiger.
My theory is thatTodd is Teddy Geiger. He is just embarrassed about his old music and disses himself for making them. Like see, Teddy replace with an o then remove the y then boom: Todd. Plus Teddy can play the piano and so cam Todd. That part was for extra points for validity. But sadly the voice doesn't match.
Little Tiber Teddy Geiger is Shawn Mendes's co-writer. The plot thickens.
Teddy Geiger is now transgender. Oops.
Can't be Geiger... no, not her.
You can use computers to change your voice.
Ironically, since this video, Shawn Mendes has actually been steadily improving as an artist while Bieber's just gotten more boring and douchey.
Yeah I kinda like Senrotia and “Never Holding You Back” (is that the name?) is good.
Senrotia I’m cryingggggg
but yeah and I liked wonder as well. His gf is problematic af but besides that doing pretty good
@@captainayaaya28 There's Nothing Holding Me Back is the right name for that song.
@@lilrqlovesanime650 thanks!
@@zcalhoun3638 what did she do?
I like to imagine that Shawn Mendes is singing the chorus to his mother. She can no longer kiss his boo-boos.
F1o9392222d3332
Or maybe she kicked him out of his house for having “Nice Guy Syndrome” and now he lives with a couple other teenage men and he’s telling one of them to treat him better! 😂
Haha, I was really hoping the Evanescence references would show up.
I thought I was the only one.
+Emera Lee My gf LOVES both Evanescence and Stitches and I've listened to the song dozens of times but never made the connection. I think I might try to break out into Evanescence next time I hear Stitches on the radio
I was hoping he would reference I Need A Doctor
+hakc97again By Eminem?
JennyCThree Yep
If Bieber ever finds himself in a jam with his singing career, he could always do a Mike Posner and produce songs for other people, because this beat ain't half bad.
this is 4 years late but, bieber had nothing to do with the beat. it was diplo
@@themilanguy1 yeah xD
The Bieber wannabe looks like a younger MatPat
Lol
Oh wow! I didn't even see it, but after you mentioned it, that's totally what he kind of looks like. xD
Holy shit, I was just thinking that too....
I see more Ansel Elgort in him
Now that you mention it, yeah he does look like Mat lol
"it's 2015 we have to start dealing with the fact that Justin Bieber is still here" bad news from the future buddy
Grover: "Near."
Todd: "..."
Grover: "Faaaaaaaar!"
Todd: "...brilliant."
🤣
I don't know. I honestly prefer Stitches. He's kinda whiny, but I'm way too bored by What do you Mean.
+Oblivionhold eh dependsw what you prefer, bored or annoyed.
+Oblivionhold The lyrics are subpar in both songs in my opinion (although it's more prevalent in Stitches imo), but Bieber's song at least has a good beat
through and through Stitches is boring af
I agree. To me, Stitches is the song I can tolerate more between the two.
*Stitches score*
⭐️⭐️ (snore......)
*What Do You Mean*
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (What Do You Mean is very confusing because of Justin’s own confusion, but at least we can see skateboarding tricks in the background, so if only Bieber were one of the skateboarders).
"The Hills isn't still on the air..."
well yeah, it is, but only on weekends.
(yeah, sorry, that wasn't funny).
It's a little funny. lol
Nah, it's only on Weeknds. :)
I was gonna say it’s only on air at 5:30
So the choice is Bieber's volatile attitude appearing in his music or Teddy Geiger writing music for the newest talentless teen pop idol...
Well the answer is obvious: Adele.
"Hello" wasn't what i was expecting (i was expecting for it to be good), is her new album any good?
+Caz Actually, in the case of Shaun Mendez, I'd go back to Evanescence. Their last album was pretty awesome.
+Caiuxa190 I thought it was pretty good o.o Give the music some time to grow, though. Apparently it's not available for streaming certain places, so expect pirates c: Yar har, man.
+SquiddyReviews it's pretty sad that that's her defining trait. a good writer and sings with emotion. seriously that should be the fucking standard man.
+SquiddyReviews I think it's alright, whenever I hear 'Hello' on the radio I want to run over someone but otherwise yes
5 years later, Bieber married Mendes's ex and Mendes is dating the girl who sings like a minion and Teddy Geiger is...a woman. This is like a fucking soap opera. Just needs someone with amnesia.
Cass Lyris Came here to say something like this. It’s poetry in motion.
And Teddy’s music is awesome! Highly recommend her recent album! She also wrote an absolute banger for Caroline Polachek called So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings
@@jessica23clairewait I love that song!
"Is this going to turn into John Wick 2?"
How awesome would that be? Just imagine Keanu Reeves coming in and Killing Bieber.
There was that time he was shot a bunch of times on CSI Miami.
Now, I know the lyrics to "stitches" might be bad , but the music itself is emotional and energetic . It just needed better lyrics.
Eh... while Mendes is certainly just as corporately evil as Beiber, and the line "Now that I'm without your kisses, I'll be needing stitches" is incredibly cringeworthy, I just think that his voice and instrumental sound are actually pretty interesting to hear, unlike Bieber who was once awful and is now plain old boring. I think Mendes is gonna be a new guilty pleasure for me.
Im surprised he didn't say anything about that tongue-clicking tick-tock sound on the beat of Bieber's song, cuz that honestly bugged me a little.
And personally, I never hated Justin Bieber as a singer (as a person, he's definetly a jerk). In fact I was always more annoyed by people expecting me to have an opinion on him when I was completely benign.
"What Do You Mean?" is an EDM song where the drop never comes.
Wow. Weird to hear Todd talk about Shawn Mendes. I went to high school with the guy.
Shawn Mendes started off as a mix of Bieber and Ed Sheeran, and now Ed Sheeran sounds like a somehow worse combo of Bieber and Mendes
I'm always think Ed Sheeran was Boris Johnson or Jon Moxley (During Dean Ambrose gimmick) 😆
you know whats weird? at 17, Avril Lavigne was more badass than both these guys at 17 PUT TOGETHER. And then even she.... Canada, why?
My theory is that she began taking off in the Jackass era. A big difference between the elder and younger millennials.
I actually like the production on the Bieber song
i agree his voice still needs improvement but the lyrics and the beat are pretty good. no where near my favorite song of all time but i do enjoy it
Agree. I even prefer it to let's say, How deep is your love, one of the lamest EDM songs of the year.
Oh no doubt
Yeah, I first heard this on my store's Muzak and was genuinely stunned when I saw it was Beiber. Not great, but definitely north of tolerable.
+Horsechoker1898 If nothing Else Bieber knows the sound of his voice and how to use it well on a track. It suits the song well. He may have picked something of how that works.
"What Do You Mean?" as in "What do you mean, there's two Justin Biebers?!"
+TheHeroOfTomorrow "What Do You Mean?" as in "What do you mean the new one is worse?"
Any opinions on the songs Eli? Bieber is my winner and Mendes gets an honorable mention for trying.
I don't think Mendez will be Bieber levels until both Barely Political & Bart Baker start making parodies of him.
***** I think we have to wait and see if Mendez gets himself arrested for something stupid. In fact, that's one good thing you can about him. Though this song is slightly worse than Bieber's new stuff (hence my above comment), he doesn't seem to have the same douche-bag personality. However, that's also the problem because he doesn't have much outside of "generic singer that teen girls like".
The worst part about stitches is just how GOOD IT SOUNDS. Like..
It has no right being this nice to listen to while being written so badly
Yeah, Bieber technically has the better song here (by the length of a mouse's whisker) but I think that's mostly because he's been around in the music business long enough to at least have some idea of how to produce. I will say if One Direction can have one legitimately decent song, than there's hope yet even for Bieber. This is at least a step in the right direction as far as giving the guy an identity.
I will admit freely that tropical beats give me a minor ear boner
+Liliputian07 Ditto. I immediately could not dislike Bieber's song purely on that basis.
+Brandon Tabor Yeah, I guess it is a step in the 'right direction' for them.
I thought a few songs from him lately were alright. And same goes for one direction. Hell i'm one for the death of the author idea and if these teen pop stars are going to keep having sex with everybodies daughters the least they can do is release half decent tunes.
I'm no One Direction fan, but I think they had a ton of enjoyable songs
Then there’s the ultimate squeaky voiced Canadian, the man, the myth, the legend...Geddy Lee :)
Bieber's song would be good lyric-less.
Ok Most songs are better without someone screeching over top of it.
Vocals: The world's most overused and overrated instrument.
+TimedropStudios Or Bieber-less
+TimedropStudios Really, I thought this beat sounded like the goddamn Skype ringtone!
+Daniel Feldspar Anything too stupid to be said can be sung.
The lyrics aren't the problem , it's his voice.The beat is pretty meh to me.
Ah, now this is the Todd I love. It's completely his decision as to where he lands on the "beatdown vs. calm analysis" spectrum, but I became one of his viewers back in early 2013 when he was at the height of his kickassery, so that's naturally the type of video I'm going to like the most.
I never understod why people actually wasted energy on hating Bieber, or anyone for that mather. I never liked his music so I avoided it. This one I kinda like though, beat is definitly good and I like the ambiguity in the lyrics. Not a master piece by any stretch but it is somewhere on my afterparty playlist.
Why do you waste energy enjoying things?
an unhappy capitalist Cuz he’s a douchebag and we think he doesn’t deserve the fame and adoration he gets from his fans. I don’t think I personally use that much energy disliking him but I don’t wanna talk about him or I’ll just get frustrated cuz all his fame went to his head and he seems really full of himself and his fans are, or at least were, crazy and would defend him to the grave which is a dangerous mentality to have... anyway-
DDayz1 I try not to actively hate celebrities for no reason, like if I dislike someone’s music I don’t dislike them as people or hate them, it’s just if they do something shitty or are shitty people and don’t seem to want to change or become better I lose respect for them and I don’t understand why people love them so much when they’re just bad people who don’t deserve the ego boost
'Thanks Robin Thicke... your stupidity will be a cautionary tale for years to come' Made my day - thanks Todd x
I lol'd at "I'm Just a Kid" playing in the end credits.
2020:
Justin Bieber: you thought I was getting better? Yummy!
Watching this in 2020, "but now that I'm without your keesees, I'll be needing steetchees" gave me war flashbacks
"Maybe someday he'll actually be good." Considering you put him on your 2019 worst list and will probably end up on your 2020 worst list with Yummy, that's probably not going to happen.
Yummy is basically the Wiggle of the 2020s. A pop-star turned R&B artist (Wikipedia says Bieber makes R&B music) made an awful sex song with a one-word title that is decidedly not sexy.
think I'll run into 25-yo girls randomly singing "yummy" like I've had 25-yo girls randomly sing that "wiggle wiggle wiggle" 'hook'?
There was also his song “Intentions” which is trash too.
@@ffjreviews9029 I actually like intentions
I remember the innocent days when Justin Beiber was considered worth the energy to hate. How the times have gotten significantly worse.
"What Do You Mean" honestly made me like Bieber. Hearing it finally made me get rid if my anti-Bilieber attitude and grow up and appreciate modern pop. I also have memories of listening to that one Grover song on vinyl and constantly replaying the near/far scene because I thought it was so funny
I kinda took Stitches to be about an abusive relationship, or at least an unhealthy one. The line "when I'm without your kisses, ill be needing stitches" could be literal: when she isn't loving him she hits him. The same applies on "like a moth drawn to a flame": it's an unhealthy relationship, detrimental to him. Also, "words cut deeper than a knife" could reference verbal abuse. Basically, he left or was left by an abusive woman or left an unhealthy relationship and can't deal with the fact that it was awful and can't deal with the fact that he still craves it.
I can't hear Stitches without remembering the Pirate's Booty mascot desperately trying to dance to it at last year's Thanksgiving Day Parade. But that's not really a bad thing, because it was hilarious.
Is Shawn Mendes really comparable to the hype of earlyJustin Beiber??? Or am I just so old and out of touch now that I've somehow missed him becoming popular?
whoevers idea it was to include that little ticking clock noise in What Do You Mean honestly made the song good imo
“GEEEEIGERRRRRR”
🤣
‘Bubblegum that comes hidden in a sandwich.’ The best line.
I quite like the production on the Beiber song, actually
Lorde wrote her own songs, but she's a genius. What's Shawn's excuse?
Not being very good?
"Cut deeper than a knife". Wow. Never heard that line before.....before the Pleistocene.
I keep hearing "You watch me beat it til i can't breath"
It really kind of makes the song both more awkward and kind of hilarious.
The music itself reminds me a HUGE deal of Your Love Will Set You Free, only it's much less impressive. Still, baby steps Bieber, baby steps. Also, please change the "genre" of "white guys with acoustic guitars" to "bro-ballads". Otherwise it just sounds like you hate anyone who's ever performed in a coffee shop in North America.
+Jordan Stusiak (Kingfisher's Brother)
>Otherwise it just sounds like you hate anyone who's ever performed in a coffee shop in North America.
Is that so unreasonable?
+Jordan Stusiak (Kingfisher's Brother) Agreed. The first few times I heard him say that, it was pretty funny. Now he says it whenever there's any acoustic guitar songs. I admit, most acoustic pop songs are not that good, but the title is really unnecessary. Bro-ballads definitely fits better.
Nice name. I second that. Can someone tweet it to him?
*baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby steps
shit. i like a justin beiber song.
well, okay. dat panflute tho.
Can't really go wrong with a pan flute.
+JEEVES635 No you don't unless you were a preteen or just brain dead.
Demon Rantz HILARIOUS AND ORIGINAL
JEEVES635 Butthurt.
Demon Rantz Nah, just a reference to Papa Franku. Does it really bother you that I like a good beat?
I can only hope that now that Teddy Geiger (aka. teddy
Oh snap! Didn't know she was trans! Good for her!
0:38 5 years later he's STILL HERE
All the scenes of Mendes being knocked around by nothing just makes me think of that scene in Fight Club where Edward Norton beats himself up to blackmail his boss, which in turn makes me imagine that the stitches in question aren't a metaphor at all and he's pulling the same thing on his ex. Has some friends waiting outside he told he wanted there for emotional support, if she doesn't take him back he's gonna stagger out of there bloody and tattered, all "I-I didn't want you guys to know. It's okay, she just gets like this sometimes when she's mad. It's my own fault for trying to push her to take me back. I've been hurt before, but never been this sore..."
You're so right though
You are secretly one of the funniest people on TH-cam. That "opposites" montage was brilliant and hilarious.
I read on spotify behind the lyrics that the needle in the thread line from shawn was simply to get it stuck in people's heads
I'd love to see you do critiques of modern rock songs. And possibly older rock songs you actually like
Sudden evanescence drop in the middle of a video I was only half-listening to? Way to being me back to attention, Todd.
BRING BACK BIG TIME RUSH 2K16
no
+Gerardo Rojas let me dream
+Gerardo Rojas btr is pretty decent. they're pretty much a middle ground between 1d and 5sos
Matthew Songuad Nah i cant ever forgive them for ruining song 2
YES
To the people wondering about his Hills review, it was removed from youtube, but here's the vimeo link: vimeo.com/140550544
Happy watching!
Edit: don't worry about the thumbnail isn't todds normal edit, it's a picture from one of The Weekends video. :D
Thanks i was so confused on who he was talking about.
Yeah I was very confused on what happened to it since he mentions it on a few other videos too
I hope this review gets put there soon because I only managed to see it on my IPad once before mobile blockage occurred
+Abby Other Thanks a lot! I had not seen this review at all, so I didn't even know it existed before now xD
Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
I don't know. I understand most of the criticism of Shawn Mendes and "Stitches", but I think I would still consider it the better song and Mendes slightly more interesting than Bieber. As a song, Stitches is actually deceptively well-written. There's a lot of wounded metaphors (i.e. "without your kisses/I'll be needing stitches" referring to kissing a boo-boo to make it feel better, and without that, he needs stitches..."needle and a thread/gotta get you outta my head", etc) As a sustained metaphor, I think it works. The POV of being heartbroken is way overdone while being confused in love is slightly less so, but that doesn't mean Stitches is a bad song. Also, I think Stitches plays better live than "What Do You Mean". Mendes' voice -- to say what you will of it -- translates well live, and with actual percussion this song kinda jams. "What Do You mean" is already a low-key toe-tapper as a record; live it doesn't work. Bieber has a hard time staying in key while dancing and it sounds whimpier than Stitches TBH.
The fact that he survived the PC police after being caught using the word "nigga" means that he's pretty much invincible, i honestly didn't think he could survive something like that: it's pretty much the biggest celebrity killer outside of drug abuse. It also means your Chris Brown comparison also has a lot more merit to it because the public will love this kid no matter what stupid shit he does (especially the shit in 2013 before he was caught saying it).
+Neil Venegas "Gamerlives" | Video EVERY Whenever! I don't like Bieber either, but comparing him to Chris "Wasted Sperm" Brown is a bit harsh.
+Michael Boyd Bieber acted like a spoiled shit in 2013, he might not have beaten the fuck out of a girl: but he's not whatsoever a good person. The only thing that's better about bieber right now is he's making meh music instead of ghetto trash like chris.
And from a career stand point, almost NOBODY (who's not black) has kept their career after someone revealed they said "nigga". Eminem did, but his music is meant to be somewhat offensive, plus, he had rappers like Nas defending him. Also, eminem probably faired a lot better because he's actually a good rapper unlike many of his peers. Woman-beating is in the same league pretty much because feminism (and no, i'm not defending brown. But IF the tables were turned and rihanna beat him to a bloody pulp, she probably wouldn't still be a walking punchline for it), so yeah both musicians are extremely lucky they're still around.
+Gamerlives Then there's that whole 2010-2011 "Oh, rape just happens for a reason":. Stuff. No respect for United States or Canada at all.
Very interesting...but as I said, regarding your statement about rappers, Justin has had rappers defend HIm,too (Backstreet Boys and some of those others,too,I believe). Hey, Michael jackson, and does anyone remember Michael's use of the N word and the K word (Kite but insert a second K in lieu of T...).
My bestie got mad at me for dissing "stitches." lol! It sounds so damn whiny (ugh, I hated teen drama even when I was one) when it should be 'over the top' like Todd said. Kudos for the Evanescence clips! I loved them as a teen and I still do.
the girl in the justin Beiber video made me realise i was gay
"Your words cut deeper than a knife."ow the edge.
"What Do You Mean" is so fucking boring though... Like holy shit. All of Justin Biebers songs have been really boring lately, to be honest.
+sprocket0077 It's not too different from the chill house that occasionally pops its head into the charts. The one about going on a holiday to Mexico was also like this.
As Todd said, it's a song about confusion, a really calm and chill confusion.
+sprocket0077 They've always been boring. Even back in the 2010 era.
+sprocket0077 Hey, not only do he and Miley Cyrus share haircuts, they also share a dullness while trying desperately to be big celebrities.
+sprocket0077 Meh. It doesn't have that much of a hook, but I think it works as background music that you are not really paying that much attention to. It does actually have a very nice, slick beat to it. I
Grover clip made me laugh soooooo hard love this Todd thanks for your great work as always!
to be fair there both miles better than Charlie Puth
Disagreed.
i mean to be fair they posted the comment before attention
@@vladicgrabot6019 I mean his first album wasn't that bad
Charlie Puth is American though. So he isn't technically a Bieber wannabe clone.
"I'll be needing stitches"
What are you, a snitch?
Apparently, Teddy Geiger is now living their best life as a woman. She's keeping her birth name but going by she/her pronouns. So salute to Todd for not deadnaming a trans artist!
2021. and he's still here! Still making ears bleed and critics miserable.
Whats with this lack of energy in all these songs? My god all of this stuff is so boring
"Where were you when I was egging someone's house?" XD I'm crying!
the sheer power of "bubblegum that comes hidden in a sandwich"
I just figured out why I can't stop seeing you as an adversary even as I've grown to genuinely appreciate you and your art/content. You're a Backstreet Boys fan, and I'm an NSync - well... I'm an NSync fan the way I'm a 49ers fan. I'd always choose a different sport/genre of music, but I have a strong, but shallow opinion.
When I posted my first music review ("See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa), Todd coincidentally posted his review for the same song 4 days later. When I posted my second music review ("Stitches" by Shawn Mendes), Todd coincidentally posted his review for the same song 2 weeks later.
I understand that reviewing pop music, there's inevitably going to be overlap, especially since I draw a lot of inspiration from Todd after watching him for the past several years. I just found it as cool affirmation when I say something critical about Shawn Mendes and having a professional music critic confirm such criticisms.
~SK
I miss going to my cousin's house back in 2010 and 2011, soaking up the sun in the backyard, playing ladderball and logging into the old YT and just laughing at Justin Bieber music videos. Good times.
Oh awesome, I thought you had quit making videos after I hadn't seen you on Channel Awesome for a while. You (and Rap Critic) were the only reasons I was still checking that site. You should have announced your move so we didn't lose you :D Love the new video; time to play catch up.
Been waiting for this one. The Bieber resurgence needed to be tackled but god damn juxtaposed to that Mendes kid this is just brutal. Everyone give Todd some credit for having to sit and edit this. Also, have a laugh for all the kids who searched "Stitches" on youtube looking for that kid and ended up getting scarred for life by the rapper Stitches hahah
Do you consider reviewing Hotline Bling by Drake?
+Alabaq Q Rap Critic gave as best of a analysis of that song than it needs.
Agree. also, Todd has already tweeted that he dislikes that song. Which it's not so much of a surprise. I mean, he was so pissed off in his "worst of 1987" video because people back then put "elevator music" on the pop charts (Kenny G's "songbird"). He probably was also mad when he found out that people of today put actual "waiting in line" music on the Top 40
+CobaltT9 Yeah. To sum up the Rap Critic review: decent beat, but the lyrics make Drake look like a mega-douche.
I don't see how the lyrics make him seem that way. I think it's about having someone you care about become someone else
Aaaaaaand Merry Christmas.
First heard what do you mean driving home from a late night at work driving home through farmland in northern Illinois. It was the perfect sound track for being emotional worn driving fast on a long straight road in late dusk.
So Shawn Mendes rips off Evanescence lyrics in this song and sings the line "Feels like I'm crawling in my skin" on "In My Blood." Did he just listen to a lot of nu-metal in his youth?
Todd you really have the sharpest writing of any youtube reviewer imo, every single video, even outdated shit like this, has at least one line that makes me laugh audibly.
Stitches would have been much better in my mind if the music video went for more of a serious, realistic scenario than some whiny teen walking around so hurt from his last break up that he gets physical pain from it. How about instead show a music video of a troubled teen so broken up over his girlfriend leaving him that he intentionally puts himself in situations of violence where he's going to get beat up just to take his mind off of her for a while? As it is, yeah, it just comes off as more corporate pandering towards tweenage girls but I honestly do feel like the core concept has potential if the violence is real.
What Do You Mean is pretty okay though, I agree. I mean I won't even be putting it on my playlists but it's mellow and unoffensive enough that I don't mind hearing it played at a party or at work. When you don't pay attention to the lyrics the beat and Beib's tone are actually kind of soothing, give his songs some more meaning and he may have found his new niche...Well, at least a niche where he can be appreciated as an actual talented artist.
Love how Todd says Geiger with more venom than the venom evoked by an H.R. Geiger picture.
"maybe someday he will be good"
Oh boy oh boy i welcome you to Purpose by Justin Bieber.
Dude I haven't heard "I'm Just A Kid" in years. Nice touch at the end. 👌
I am pretty sure the Shawn Mendes song is a "nice guy" anthem about threatening to kill yourself if she breaks up with you. Probably not on purpose.
todd didnt even know what was coming…
What do you mean?
I figured the "without your kisses I'll be needing stitches" was from the whole "kissing the booboo to make it better" but I always thought I wouldn't want to kiss an open cut that needs stitching, and I guess they chose stitches because it rhymes easier
Haha, his whole set is dark but you can still make out the orange tip of his prop gun. Love it.
I would rather listen to "What Do You Mean?" for 10 hours without a break than listen to "Stitches" all the way through. Gawd that song is a dumpster fire.
OMG! Todd...thank you SO MUCH for the Evanescence references! They were brilliantly placed! God...you (along with TheDoubleAgent and Robert Christgau) are my musical heroes! Thank you so much!