“Bad Day” by Daniel Powter

I don’t really understand why some people don’t like this song, because it’s actually an extremely pretty and soothing piece of modern Easy Listening. True, the lyrics would be more depressing than comforting on their own, but the same is true of plenty of classic Easy Listening songs that people listen to for comfort (Barry Manilow’s “Mandy”, anyone?). The real appeal in this song lies in its extremely pretty and kind of jaunty piano-ballad melody, which recalls a modern Adult Alternative version of an Irving Berlin song. The song’s frequently negative reception might have something to do with its connection to American Idol, but given that generally acclaimed acts like Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia, and Jennifer Hudson came out of that same show, that doesn’t seem like a satisfactory explanation. Ultimately, it probably boils down to the prejudice some people have against Easy Listening music, whether it’s done well or not. But pure, unadulterated Easy Listening has seldom been done this well in the past fifteen years, and this song’s status as a modern-day standard is ultimately well-deserved.

Verdict: Good.

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