This is a fun one.

Okay so you may not have heard of these guys, unless you follow Logan Paul or you just happen to cross paths with them while going through Instagram. For people who don’t know who these people are- Why don’t we boys are a pop/boy band formed in September 2016. The band consists of Daniel Seavey (20), Zach Herron (17), Jack Avery (19), Corbyn Besson(19) and Jonah Marais(20). They have released a single album (which dropped last year) - 8 Letters, and 5 E.Ps till date.

This song released on 20th March, 2019 featuring the American rapper Macklemore is their second single of this year and is possibly the most fun yet. So basically the main them of the song is underage people trying to get into a club. Yeeeaaaah…I told this is a fun one. Each member of the band portrays different aspects of ‘the act of getting into a dance club’. Daniel, Jonah and Corbyn are trying to get entry into the club but are denied so, whereas Jack and Zach are cordially (okay maybe not cordially) allowed to enter. So a bit of a context here, at the time of release of this song Jack and Zach were the youngest members of the group ( Corbyn was too but I don’t know why they didn’t acknowledge him), and Daniel and Jonah were the eldest. So it is ironical that Daniel, Jonah and Corbyn are denied entry whereas Zach and Jack are allowed to go inside. These lines below show what aspect Daniel, Jonah and Corbyn are portraying.

Some guy skipped in front of me

Can't believe I paid an entry fee

And I don’t even got the energy

To smile for a selfie

And I know that I should go home

But I'm still standing here so

I guess one more for the road

I wanna raise a toast so

And in contrast to this, these lines show Jack and Zach’s parts.

Oh, save me (Save me), can't take it (Take it)

I don't belong in this club

One dance (One dance), no chance (No chance)

'Cause I'm feeling awkward as (Oh)

I was waiting in line for an hour

Just to get in, now I wanna get out 'cause (Oh)

I'm jaded (I’m jaded), can’t fake it (Can't fake it)

I don’t belong in this club, no

The lyrics don’t really have a very deep meaning behind them, considering this is a light hearted song meant to be enjoyed more than understood.

Another thing to take away from Jack and Zach’s section is that their lyrics denote they are not enjoying being in the club, which is clearly indicated by the chorus. Now Macklemore is also present in this song and he gives his experience of the club. He tries to get in but the bouncer insists that he has to wait just like any other person, which makes him regret his decision to even come to this club.

Walked up to the bouncer (Hey, what's up man?)

Whole squad on stealth (I'm Macklemore)

He said, "Mackler, who?" (It's me)

"You gotta wait like everybody else"

Shoulda stayed on the sofa

Forgot I hate being social

And I miss my ex-girl

When he does enter the club he does not enjoy the environment and wants to leave. What really got me in this part was the vocabulary used by Macklemore. He says-

'Bout to pull that Irish goodbye, grab my stuff, 'bout to cut

Fun fact, an Irish Goodbye is the act of leaving a party or a date when no one’s noticing. So…..good work Macklemore!

He tries to perform an ‘Irish goodbye’ but then the DJ calls out his name, which can be inferred from this line-

And the DJ yells, "Macklemore in the house tonight"

All in all, the lyrics although not the most remarkable in the industry, fairly suit the vibes and atmosphere this song is trying to create, not to forget all the while trying to covey a story.

Coming over to the production side, the song stats off with a high piano key(I don’t know what its called) giving the song a kind of an 80’s feel, followed by a finger snapping sound to add weight to the background music. Daniel and Jonah’s verse follow this pattern with a clapping sound added in Corbyn’s verse and the high piano note replaced by an opera like piano melody to finally transition to the chorus. At the end of Corbyn’s verse just before the chorus, the line “Same song twice in an evening” really gives a kick and does a fabulous job of transitioning into the grand chorus.

In the chorus, the same piano note returns along with the clapping, but to make the verse, well…let’s just say more distinct, a faded drum is added in the background probably to continue the kick that was given at the end of Corbyn’s verse. Zach dominates the chorus with most of the lines in the chorus being his(another fun fact, Zach has the most singing time amongst all the members in the whole song). The group as a whole sings few of the lines such as “I was waitin' in line for an hour just to get in, now I wanna get out 'cause (Oh)” and also the line “I don’t belong in this club” (well…I guess makes sense for this one).

Overall the song has this 80’ jazz kind of thing going on from the pianos to the drums to the trumpets in Jack’s verse. The song has been produced well, although a consistent problem I feel like there is with not only this but almost all Why Don’t We songs is that they feel a bit repetitive and both production wise and lyrically. Yeah, that’s called nitpicking *laughs*. This is in fact a very slight issue, because almost all their songs are enjoyable enough so it’s a little thing to ask but still, I wished there was more diversity in their lyrics and sound. To conclude, I would actually like to suggest you people to go listen to not only this but other Why Don’t We songs too, and also the music video for this song is…quite fun to watch I won’t lie, these American millennials are pretty good at what they do. If anything these maybe successors to our beloved One Direction (RIP 1D).