Westlife - Everybody Knows

Artist: Westlife
Album: Flying Without Wings CD1
Year: 1999
Rating: 5/5

Westlife, the record-breaking and ever-legendary boyband. They've stuck around for ten years now and have NOT split up OR reformed after splitting up. Which means that they were around when everyone else were concentrating on solo careers and families and this and that, a feat in itself. Fourteen number one singles, over 40 million records sold worldwide, a couple of world records such as seven consecutive number one singles, the first boyband ever to debut at number one on any chart and the fifth biggest-selling artist in the UK. There's no question that their careers have been great.

This song dates back to 1999 and was the b-side to probably one of their biggest songs of all time, 'Flying Without Wings', which was covered by Ruben Studdard in 2003. Let me give you a quick recap of 'Flying Without Wings' first, alright? 'Flying Without Wings' was their second number one single and it was originally meant to be a Boyzone song. Simon Cowell, their A&R guy, locked Steve Mac and Wayne Hector (the people who wrote the song) in a room and wouldn't let them leave until her got the song for Westlife. You could say that this song was the one that separated them from other boybands and sustained their career, it was huge. It was also their highest US charting single, coming in at number ten.

OK, now for the song itself. 'Everybody Knows' is a mid-tempo song and it's quite R&B-ish. The song starts out with strings and an 'orchestra' feel but then once the verses start, it progresses into an R&B masterpiece. You could feel there and then that Westlife could really sing anything, whether it be dance, up tempo, mid-tempo, R&B, soul and probably what they're most known for, ballads.

The chorus is kinda low and compressed but it gives the song a certain feel to it. I don't know if it's because my copy of the song is crappy or what but whatever. What's essential in a boyband song is that it's catchy, and this is just that. If you think about it, you could imagine people singing this on the street or anywhere, which is why I wonder why it was 'just' a b-side.

Then of course, the verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge/key change- chorus-repeat to fade format, and this song is an ode to that. Unlike 'Flying Without Wings', which is verse-verse-verse-verse-key change-verse, I think, this song is the complete opposite, which I think makes the single more interesting, almost like a mini-album because the songs aren't all alike.

So, Westlife CAN sing more than ballads, this song is just the first. Watch out for more, alright?(Oh, and sorry about the small picture..)