#59 Universal Poplab, "Fame & Hate"

Though you knew that there would be
A price for popularity
Now you're ripping out your heart to please the crowd

Diatribes about fame are hardly original fodder for songs, but for three minutes and fifty seconds, Swedish synth-pop group Universal Poplab managed to make me feel like it was a topic worth revisiting. A little bit Erasure-esque, "Fame & Hate" is effortlessly catchy, with an electronic backing as good as we've come to expect from the group, periodic shouty group-style backing vocals, and a chorus that will have you singing along and having fun even as it includes lines like "And as the fame grows/The hate grows/How long till the fame goes/And hate becomes the state where you belong?". Put simply, it's brilliant pop that, despite its warnings about the dangers of fame, never tries to distance itself as too cool for the listener--it's music that's made to be listened to and enjoyed, as music is supposed to be.

(A note: this is a review of the song, not the video.)

If you're new to Universal Poplab, they're a group with some seriously top-notch songs in their back catalogue--"Heart Apart" is one to check out. Also, they're on the wonderful record label Wonderland Records, who offer "Fame & Hate," among other songs, for free download here. However, if you love the group's work...

Find it on: Seeds (or digitally here)