Song Review: My Sweet Passion by Nikki Gregoroff

So, The Hot 100 hasn't given me anything interesting lately. Drake went down a few spots and came back up, and just like that, every song in the top 20 has remained practically the same. So I decided to review a song outside of the pop charts, or this decade. But before I do that, I'll give you a quick run down on the Top 20 starting from number 1 over here: http://nanasushireviews.blogspot.com/2016/07/billboard-top-20-quick-rundown.html

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My Sweet Passion was released in 1998 as the character theme song of Amy Rose in Sonic Adventure. I will admit, there is a certain nostalgia bias in favor of this song because Sonic Adventure for the Dreamcast was the first videogame I have ever played and Sonic Adventure DX (the Gamecube remake) was the first Gamecube game I ever owned. Not to mention that despite its ups and downs, Sonic the Hedgehog is my favorite videogame franchise.With that said, I know I liked most of the music in Sonic Adventure, however, it was until I began playing Sonic Adventure again after 15 years that I started paying attention to the music, I looked for the soundtrack and I wasn't disappointed with what I heard. If I could describe the entire soundtrack in a nutshell I would say it's the right blend between Funk, Rock, and even Metal. Basically what Maroon 5 tries to makes us think they are but not really. Not all songs are great, but to me the good ones are GOLD. One of them being My Sweet Passion by Nikki Gregoroff. My Sweet Passion leaves out  Rock part out and goes full Funk on us and damn was that a good choice. Since this song was written specifically to be about Amy Rose, they had to make both the Character, the lyrics, and music go hand in hand thus limiting the creativity on the song, and yet still succeeded. The song has this sweet little girl vibe, but is strong, passionate, and very energetic. This song is an overall good time (I would love a jam session based around this song).

Let's start by talking about the music: There is just so much going on in this song. The drums lay a funky beat while the bass walks all over it. A guitar with the Wah-Wah pedal grooves to the song with a second guitar playing a few high notes, with a synth filling in the gaps. Bongos help the drums with the beat as they give their own sound. That keyboard work, that guy knew what he was doing, because that keyboard hit the right notes and don't even get me started on that brass section. To put it simple, there is a lot going on in this song. Everything is tight and done perfectly. If ANY instrument were off by one beat, the whole song would fall apart. One of the things about the song being so rich and tight, is that you can follow a particular instrument to see what they are doing. It's like a book you can't stop reading because it's so interesting. Also, the mixing is impeccable. No instrument in the tune overshadows another. Even the vocals doesn't stand out, they all seem part of one whole body. Of course, to keep with the theme, Nikki's delivery was perfect. The song has a very
"Call-Response" structure. In the verses, the main vocal, which is soft, almost spoken, sing a line and then a whispered vocal follows. This actually adds "seductive" to the mood and vibe of the song. In the chorus they just go all out, a chorus sings "Sweet, Sweet, You're so Sweet" and Nikki sings her heart out in response. Again, she delivered the right energy in the right moment. What else can I say about this song other than it is, musically speaking, perfect.

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Lyrically is where we start seeing problems on the song. Again, there are lyrics in the song directly related to the character and wouldn't make sense in any other context. For example, "I know that your lucky color is that that cool shade of blue (I wouldn't mind painting myself blue for you)" which is a reference to Amy's devotion to Sonic (although it does sound like a naughty fetish out of context). This song might be famous among the Sonic fanbase but not really because of the music. In one of the whispered vocals you can hear "...Looks so cute. I have to shave it". The line goes "I do understand the feelings of a Persian Cat (But the Sphinx looked so cute I had to Shave it". I have NO idea what that is supposed to mean. Is it a reference? Is it related to the character? Is it a sexual Innuendo? I don't know! I've researched this lyric down and I haven't found anything regarding what it means. Even as an innuendo I feel it's a stretch, I won't go into the details but by specifying "Persian Cat" throws me off, followed by referring to the same object as "Sphinx" is just too specific and weird to be a sex reference. I've read that some people don't like this song because it's a little too "Stalky". Well, the character of Amy does chase Sonic very passionately in the games (specially before) and that's mostly because Sonic runs away from here, so I honestly feel that maybe that was the point. Amy is kind of a stalker in the older games, but not so much to make her creepy. The song is the same to me, there might be some lines that might be a little "stalky" but again, not so much to actually call the "narrator" a stalker. Besides, what's the problem with stalker songs? We've let Stalker jams slide before. If we let Every Breath You Take, Somebody's Watching Me, I Will Possess Your Heart, You're Beautiful, One Way or Another (Twice) be a hit, why not this song?