02 JULY 2021: ROBYN – Be Mine!

One of the best examples of pairing a heartbreaking lyric with a hyperactive production.

I did a double take when I scrolled back through the flashbacks playlist and realised I hadn’t featured this song yet. It’s one of my all-time favourites, and from a truly legendary artist. Robyn has often proven herself to be the master of the sad-bop, helped of course by her cool Scandinavian delivery and polished synthpop soundscapes. ‘Be Mine!’ is the best example of this for me. The lyrics are so poignant, dealing with the sad realisation that a romance is doomed, and it especially tugs at the heartstrings during the spoken section in the middle-8, culminating in the quiet, despondent ‘I just miss you… that’s all‘… goosebumps. There’s even more nuance to this track though. On the surface, the jittering strings and stutter of the beat bring the boppy energy, but they also reflect the manic anxiety underpinning some of these emotions too. This feels like a track coming from someone who’s really lived every single emotion described, and it’s all the more impressive as a result.