Gwen Stefani tries luck again with emotional track
The days that Gwen Stefani dominated the charts with hit singles like ‘What You Waiting For’, ‘Hollaback Girl’ and ‘The Sweet Escape’ are far behind us, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t still trying. At the end of 2014 she planned a comeback with the single ‘Baby Don’t Lie’ but this did not gather the success she and her team hoped for. The promised third solo album never came, but the former No Doubt singer is starting a whole new campaign which took off with a live performance of the new track ‘Used To Love You’. Today, the studio version was released on iTunes and it’s Song of the Day at A Bit of Pop Music!

Stefani lays her soul bare on this new track that looks back on a crashed relationship after the news of her divorce from Gavin Rossdale earlier this year. “I don’t know why I cry, but I think it’s cause I remember for the first time since I hated you, that I used to love you”, she wonders in the chorus. The track needs a little time to sink in as the hook is bombarded with quite a lot of text and therefore might feel a bit clunky in the beginning, but once you are used to the rhythm and flow of Gwen’s delivery, it actually works very well. Her squeeky vocals on the ‘oh oh oh, I used to love you’ parts are endearing as well. If you listen to the lyrics one might expect a ballad, but ‘Used To Love You’ actually has quite an upbeat character with a fast pace and swinging rhythm. In that sense, the track has a similar vibe to her single ‘Cool’. Why does Stefani make heartbreaking songs sound so groovy?! Welcome back Gwen, you are on repeat here!