Image via Complex Original
Justin Bieber’s life has been hectic these last few weeks. Norwegian women chased him on boats. Parisian paparazzi pursued him on bicycles. In London he rocked in front of 88,000 fans at the Summertime Ball in Wembley Stadium, then days later he more than doubled that crowd, performing in front of about 200,000 at a free show in Mexico.
At yesterday's listening session for Justin's much-anticipated Believe album at Island/Def Jam's New York City offices, Bieber’s manager Scooter Braun made two points perfectly clear: Justin Bieber is a huge star and he works very very hard. The music on his official sophomore album makes another point: JayBee has grown plenty as an artist.
Many have raved about how Believe will be Justin’s coming-of-age album—his Off the Wall, his Justified. But what they fail to realize is that Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake released those albums in their early 20s, not the fresh 18 that Bieber is now. Still, the eight months he spent crafting Believe were well spent.
Bieber proves that he’s a better singer and songwriter on Believe, often injecting elements of his personal life—as on the “Billie Jean”-esque “Maria.” But more often than not, the subject matter is light. And that’s OK. There will be a time for his “Cry Me a River” or “She’s Out of My Life.”
What’s coolest of all is that this album doesn’t sound forced, and it appears that it may make all the haters do what Scooter so badly wants them to do—“shut the fuck up.” So click through for Complex's track-by-track reactions to our first listen of Believe.
Written by Brad Wete (@BradWete)
"All Around the World"
Musically, it sounds a lot like Pitbull's "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)." It's a big record with a matching hook. "All around the world people want to be loved," Justin sings. "All around the world, they're no different than us." While the song was playing DJ Khaled walked out of his office to grab a cookie and fist-pumped to this song. He's the best.
"Boyfriend"
The quiet lead single finds the Biebs both cooing in his falsetto and whispering to a chick like the Yinag Yang Twins did years ago. As he says on the track, it's, "swaggy."
"As Long As You Love Me"
Justin dropped his Big Sean-featuring EDM track earlier this week. On the cut, the G.O.O.D. Music rhymer compliments his miracle girl: "I don't know if this makes sense," he starts. "But you're my hallelujah."
"Take You"
Like many of the songs here, this one could be a huge radio hit. It finds Justin trying to whisk a girl away to places she's never seen. But first, he has to get her comfortable. "I'm just trying to make a little conversation," he starts. "Why the hesitation?"
"Right Here"
This Hit-Boy-produced jam has an old-school hip-hop bounce with Drizzy Drake singing alongside Justin. It's about a guy who won't be leaving during rough times. "I'm right here," Justin reassures his lady. Selena's gotta love that.
"Catching Feelings"
On this mid-tempo, guitar-driven song Justin dreams about a girl and their future together. "In my head we're already together," he croons coolly.
"Fall"
Justin's manager Scooter explained the heavy subject matter of this cut and the headspace Justin was in when he made it. It's inspired by the movie Walk to Remember. On the cut, Justin falls in love with a girl and later learns she has a sickness that will eventually kill her. By song's end, he's placing flowers on her tombstone. Heavy, indeed. "You can't fly unless you let yourself fall," he sings on the hook.
"Die In Your Arms"
On this Jackson 5-sampling track, Justin confesses to his girl that "Loving you ain't easy. But it sure is worth a try."
"Thought of You"
This Diplo-produced cut is about first falling in love and then giving into it. "Why do we always fight the feeling," Bieber asks. "Let's just live in the moment."
"Beauty and the Beat"
With Nicki Minaj riding shotgun, Justin encourages a girl to let go of her troubles and enjoy the music. "We're going to party like it's 3012," he threatens. Talk about longevity!
"One Love"
Even though Justin's got a bunch of girls that want to be his, he denies them all the pleasure on "One Love." Loving the one he's with "is like a rollercoaster," but he doesn't mind.
"Be Alright"
This song only features Justin and his guitar. He's yearning to be with his girl, saying he'd "walk 100 miles" to be with her.
"Believe"
This one's dedicated to the fans—it's one of those big records where he'll sing a cappella while an audience claps to the beat during concerts. "Everything starts from something/ Something would be nothing if your heart didn't dream." It's a wonderful closing track. Still, there's an additional three songs on the bonus version of the album.
"Out of Town Girl"
Justin shows a girl who's not familiar with his lifestyle how to handle it. "All you gotta do is swag," he says. Easy enough.
"She Don't Like the Lights"
Flickering cameras open this song. It's about a girl who can't handle Justin's life in the spotlight. "She don't want to love in front of the camera," he says. Understandable.
"Maria"
This one opens with old audio of NBC's Matt Lauer interviewing Justin about the allegations that he fathered a child with a fan. Though it's more uptempo, this is Bieber's "Billie Jean." He sings: "Maria, why you wanna do me like that. She ain't me baby. She's not my girl." It's obviously a very personal record.
