Mooncrown11 Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 As quiet as it is tonightYoud almost think you were safeYour eyes are full of surprisesThey cannot predict my fateWaiting underneath the starsTheres something you should knowThe angels, they surround my heartTelling me to let you goI barely couldntI barely couldnt recognizeBut I played right into itSo who am I to criticize?Somehow Ill get through itAnd you wont even realizeFalling through your own disguiseIts like over and overYoure pushing me right down to the floorI should just walk awayBut over and overI keep on coming back for moreI play into your fantasyNow that its overYou can lie to me right through your smileI see behind your eyesNow that Im soberNo more intoxicating my mindEven the Devil wouldnt recognize youI doEven the Devil wouldnt recognize youI doEven the Devil wouldnt recognize youI doEven the Devil wouldnt recognize youI do, I do, I doYou almost fooled yourself this timeThat all the saints be praisedYou hide your sadness behind your smileAnd you keep your lost heartbreaksThe steps that edge along the ledgeIts much higher than it seemsBut Ive been on that ledge beforeYou cant hide yourself from meI barely couldntI barely couldnt recognizeBut I played right into itSo who am I to criticize?Somehow Ill get through itAnd you wont even realizeFalling through your own disguiseIts like over and overYoure pushing me right down to the floorI should just walk awayBut over and overI keep on coming back for moreI play into your fantasyNow that its overYou can lie to me right through your smileI see behind your eyesNow that Im soberNo more intoxicating my mindEven the Devil wouldnt recognize you.... The song that many fans felt should have been a single from the Hard Candy album. Maybe her camp felt that it was too close in sound to Justin's own Cry Me a River but this song has something that song does not - the Madonna factor. Her voice is really well used here and it even bears a slight resemblance to Karen Carpenter's during the verses (does anyone else hear that?) I actually prefer her more organic vocals on the verses rather than the more processed vocals of the chorus. The song also has strong lyrics with powerful imagery - some great writing here. Would love to hear the original written for the Helllo Suckers musical to see how the song evolved into what we hear on the album. The only part I question is why they didn't include Madonna's voice during the "Oh Oh Oh" breakdown?? It would have been great to hear her harmonizing with Justin or maybe throw in some humming - a missed opportunity to really showcase her voice if you ask me. I don't think she's ever said who the song is about, but one can assume it was written about Guy as their marriage was about to come sadly to an end at the time. Favorite lyric: The angels they surround my heart, telling me to let you go Favorite vocal part: The verses Favorite musical part: The piano One Word that Sums Up This Song: Betrayal What do you think of this song? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crystal Coffin Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 I deleted "Voices", so this is my closing track of Hard Candy. Yes, it sounds too much like a JT song but who the fuck cares, it's gorgeous so shut your hole haters. It gets a 9/10 from me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 I love this song; I've never really been heavily into Justin's solo recordings, so I wasn't really aware of how close this may have been to any of his songs. (I'd heard "Cry Me a River" before, but when I first heard "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You," it didn't remind me so strongly of "Cry Me a River" that it was bothersome, so...) I can't really improve much on what you've written, Mooncrown. Nice feature. I, too, am curious about the earlier version (which almost made it into the RIT set list), but I think the recorded version is lovely and haunting -- and I love the live version, too. The only thing I'll say in response to what you questioned -- about the "oh, oh, oh" breakdown not featuring M's vocals at all, and only Justin's ... Hmm. I'd never considered that, actually -- I do love Madonna's humming, so I guess I couldn't say the track is better without that added element. But I guess I'd always imagined those vocals in the breakdown as the chorus of the "angels that surround [her] heart" (your favorite lyric -- which I love, as well ... I agree, lyrically, it's a really strong track). I don't know -- maybe that's silly or odd, but that's how I always 'heard' that part of the song, so it never seemed odd to me that M wasn't singing there. Anyway, yeah. I think this is such a strong song that doesn't depend on gimmickry or production -- I know some may say the Timbaland production and JT vocals 'ruin' the song, but ... I don't think so. I think the strength of the song still comes through, regardless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick00 Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 I always thought the track was good. I actually started giving it a closer listen after I read so many people liked it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runa Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Pure gem. My favorite song on HC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crystal Coffin Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 LOVE THE JT VOCALS. His presence enhanced the song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elijah Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 The best song on hc together with tbgo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gang bang Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Amazing song Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phineaspoe Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 I love the writing and the melody, but the production and her paper thin vocals make it sound cheap. I also loathe the last chorus with all the cutting and chopping. The guitar at the end is ace. As peter said above, the strength of the song comes through despite some questionable choices (for some). I'd love to hear this one live again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJM Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 with amazing lyrics this song could have been better. don't get me wrong i love it but it does kind of sound like a justin timberlake song in my opinion. i would have also rathered only her vocals on the song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooncrown11 Posted September 3, 2014 Author Share Posted September 3, 2014 The only thing I'll say in response to what you questioned -- about the "oh, oh, oh" breakdown not featuring M's vocals at all, and only Justin's ... Hmm. I'd never considered that, actually -- I do love Madonna's humming, so I guess I couldn't say the track is better without that added element. But I guess I'd always imagined those vocals in the breakdown as the chorus of the "angels that surround [her] heart" (your favorite lyric -- which I love, as well ... I agree, lyrically, it's a really strong track). I don't know -- maybe that's silly or odd, but that's how I always 'heard' that part of the song, so it never seemed odd to me that M wasn't singing there. I actually quite like your interpretation peter - that part does have a kind of "heavenly" or "other-worldly" feel to it. Don't get me wrong, I like this part a lot and Justin sounds great but I always thought it could have been a "moment" for her as well. Thanks for sharing your thoughts-it makes me see the song in a different light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rb19 Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Definitely should have been the third HC single, it couldn't have been second because of Justin again, but as others have said Justin's vocals are amazing at the end. I also love the choppy bit at the end, listening to it loudly, on good headphones it swirls around you and conjures up very strong imagery, like the rain on the screens during the S&S performance. I also think, unlike a few people, that it is a perfect sort of closer, before Voices as a finale, if that makes sense. Voices is grandiose and dramatic enough to close the album, but Devil frames it perfectly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzy Jan Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 Easily one of my favourites on Hard Candy. Great song with great lyrics and it has a sort of eerie atmosphere. I was not fond of the voice distortions at the end but that is only a minor quibble. Mooncrown and Peter, always love reading both your song reviews and descriptions and they make me want to listen to the songs again to capture what you are saying. Mooncrown, I also often feel Madonna has a Karen Carpenter type quality to her voice. I have noticed it before on other songs and yes it is on display on the verses here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenDrazi Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 Great track Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooncrown11 Posted September 4, 2014 Author Share Posted September 4, 2014 Mooncrown and Peter, always love reading both your song reviews and descriptions and they make me want to listen to the songs again to capture what you are saying. Mooncrown, I also often feel Madonna has a Karen Carpenter type quality to her voice. I have noticed it before on other songs and yes it is on display on the verses here. Thanks for your positive comments Jan! I'm glad you hear the Karen Carpenter thing too - I thought I was crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vogue992 Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 You always make great threads for AMAZING songs I love this one, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooncrown11 Posted September 4, 2014 Author Share Posted September 4, 2014 You always make great threads for AMAZING songs I love this one, too! Thanks so much Vogue992! Glad you are enjoying SOTW and thanks for participating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loomer Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 This is alright but sounds way too Cry Me a River for my liking, one of a few rewrites of that song, RiRi's Rehab sounded like it as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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