Pillow Talk

More Than Happy, Zayn

Pillow Talk by Zayn Malik

Recommended by Alisa

"I've been waiting for this my whole life. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was waiting for this even before Zayn left One Direction. That is a fact."

Zayn is back.

Or should I say Zayn is here. 

Because this is the first time we've seen Zayn Malik as a solo artist, and this track is fresh.

The transformation is reminiscent of the one Justin Beiber went through. Like Justin, Zayn started out when he was just a kid and sang the teen pop recommended by the older, wiser people who knew better than him what he should perform. Then he took some time for himself. Now he comes back stronger than ever with a sick R&B track that is going to completely reinvent his image.

Or at least, that was the idea.

To be honest, this song still feels pretty pop-ish to me? I like it, but I expected more of a departure. I mean, Zayn's out there saying how he "doesn't f*** with" One Direction's style of music, but if it wasn't for the subject matter, this could actually be a 1D track. But whatever, it's tight.

Anyway, I don't want to stick with comparisons for too long because Zayn deserves to recognized for what he is not what he's similar to, but I have to say when I first turned on Pillow Talk, I was reminded of Justin's album. Not in a bad way. I think it's because they're in the same sort of genre. And because of those funky sounds in the beginning.

(If I'm mentioning Justin, I might as well bring in Selena Gomez. The chorus of Pillow Talk has hints of the melody from The Heart Wants What it Wants. Not on purpose. This happens in music all the time. It's not really worth mentioning, I just can't keep my irrelevant thoughts to myself.)

I missed this voice.

Zayn has the most perfect voice I've ever heard. It's smoother than silk. It's as smooth as polished river stones and twice as beautiful. It's butter and honey. It's sinking into a bath when the water's the perfect temperature. And this has been a conservative description.

But then he's using that angelic voice to murmur these unholy things, and I have to pause the music for a mo'. You know when you're in a hot tub and it feels nice but every now and then you feel like you might pass out and you have to get out and jump in the cool part of the pool? It's like that.

This song should have one of those warnings, like, "Enter and exit slowly. Elderly persons should consult a doctor before use. Limit your soak to 15 minutes, and cool off before re-entry."

No but in all seriousness, I actually think the lyrics are pretty tasteful despite the occasional use of, ahem, explicit vocabulary. I guess you could say they're so pure, so dirty and raw. I mean, yeah, it uses the word f*****g, but it's not graphic about any lustful acts. It's about the passionate night before, but it's also about the morning after. It's about sex, but it's also about pillow talk.

I mean, it's still sensual as hell, but it's not raunchy.

I also dig the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas. It's not an original concept, but it's not a broken one, either. The whole song is written in contradictions, but here are some of my favorites.

I'm seeing the pain, seeing the pleasure.

Paradise. War zone.

My enemy. My ally.

Proud of this kid. Love this kid. Can't wait for more.

Overview:

Genre:
Contemporary R&B

Favorite Lyrics:
Nobody but you,
    body but me,
    body but us,
    bodies together.

Verdict:
We'll piss off the neighbors...by playing this song on repeat all day.