"Novocaine" is a love song where James uses the drug as a synonym for how he feels about his love. He sings about how being with this person gives him an immense amount of ecstasy and serotonin, making him feel as if he has taken the drug. Especially in the chorus, he sings about his experience with love but makes it sound like he is on the drug itself. Clever lines such as "You give me something to crave that leaves me burning for days" and "it's like a chemical haze it takes me far away" strengthen this allusion that he is making to what love feels like. This song is very fast-paced and heightens listeners' emotions to give them a taste of what James himself is experiencing.
The first thing I noticed when listening to this song is how rapid the melody is and how quickly James sings his lyrics. I think that this adds even more strength to his argument that love is like a drug. Being in love, and on drugs, I guess you could say, makes life extremely vivid and as if everything around you is moving faster. Emotions and feelings are heightened, and James perfectly captured that feeling by making his song move along at such a quick pace. Another aspect to note is how the melody doesn't consist of too many elements, allowing his vocals to truly have the spotlight. By giving his lyrics more attention in the song, listeners are really able to hear what he has to say when they aren't too distracted by too much going on in the melody. As for his vocals, James' voice stays at a lighter pitch and he hits some good notes throughout the piece. His voice beautifully expresses the emotions that he is feeling in this piece and James did an amazing job at producing such a lively love song.
Gavin James is an Irish singer/songwriter who grew up in a household filled with musical talent. Beginning his music career early, James played in a rock band at the age of 8 and by age 21 began focusing on his solo career. In 2013 he released his award-winning song, "Say Hello", and signed deals with Sony and Capitol Records. He released his debut album, Bitter Pill, in 2015 and was awarded a Platinum certificate for sales in Ireland, and won the Choice Music Prize for Best Single released in 2015. Having had over 1.5 billion global streams, selling 250,000 tickets worldwide, shows with Niall Horan, Sam Smith, and Ed Sheeran, and having secured 22 platinum records in 8 different countries, Gavin James shared his highly anticipated new album 'The Sweetest Part' which released on July 22.
Written By Melina Darlas
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