An initial observation is: I'm wondering what this man's ethnicity is. He has this sort of whiny accent. A little "byeee," a Little Richard thing. a "Rock and Roll" accent. Which is funny, because I was reading about the indie accent, and the indie girl accent. Did everybody have the same accent in the '80s? He doesn't sound like the guy from the Cars, I don't think.
Moving on to "Stuck with You." Is the middle guy Huey? That's his name? His legal name is Huey Lewis? I know this, "Stuck with You." Is this in stuff? What's it in? Someone asked it on Reddit... there's discussion about what is this from? Is that what Huey Lewis and the News' sound is? The sound of something that people are wondering what it's in?
I've been watching the TikTok of the man tap dancing in his underwear to "The Power of Love," and I had never thought of that song before. I listened to "Power of Love" hundreds of times after that, and added it to the list of songs do I need to talk about in therapy. But the song is one that makes you want to tap dance in your underwear.
My review so far is questions based:
Is Huey Lewis and the news Gay Culture?
What movie are these songs from?
What accent does this man have, and is it the '80s rock accent?
What ethnicity is this man? (We were able to answer this one.)
"Whole Lotta Lovin'"... this sounds like the Folgers commercial. This sounds like the opening credits to a sitcom. Tell me this isn't a montage of dads popping in through doors, and you're stuffing a granola bar into your kids' backpack as they're on roller skates. Was the Full House theme meant to sound like Huey Lewis and the News? What's that show where they have too many kids? Step by Step? This is not the theme to Full House, this is the theme to Step by Step. This one has a good horn thing going on. Is that a horn? Is that a harmonica?
How does the band feel about being referred to as "The News"? Huey Lewis gets to be first-name-last-name, and the other men are just "The News." Is it always the same guys, or is "The News" whoever is playing with Huey? Maybe it's like the Beach Boys are now, whoever is playing is the Beach Boys.
"Doing It All for My Baby"—I know this song, I know this. Did someone in my life like Huey Lewis and the News? Why do I know this?
Another theory: Huey Lewis and the News is supermarket music. So if you know it you are shopping at the supermarket. I recently heard "Power of Love" at the supermarket—which you know, I was attuned to because of the tap dancing. Another theory: do we know these songs, or are they just predictable?
Have you been to Catholic mass? They got out the hymnal... you hear a few notes... you get the gist... you could just kinda go along with it. I wonder if we don't know any Huey Lewis and the News songs, but you "get it," so you just THINK you know all the songs. And you're just inferring, you don't know. But when this started, I knew, so I think I knew this one.
Going to ding Huey Lewis and the News here. WELL, it's a pro and a con. Everything sounds alike. A comparison: I like the Cars. You can't listen to more than two The Cars songs. That's the right amount. They're all the same. They all sound like that.
Oh I like this part: "Doing it, doing it, doing it." Is Huey Lewis and the News sexual? Do we know? In like, a middle school way?
This is the big hit [referring to "Hip to Be Square"]? I've never heard of this. He said "I used to fool around." Yeah, they are a bit of a horny boy band. I don't know this part yet... let's see. OK, yeah, I know the chorus. Oh wait, DO I KNOW IT? Or is this just Catholic mass. If I had never heard this before, if it was literally provable, if God came down and said you never heard it before, if someone started singing karaoke, I'd be singing along to it. Yeah, I get it. It's like mass.
As someone who has just entered their Huey Lewis and the News phase, as someone who has listened to one song hundreds of times until they got nauseous: You should not listen to a Huey Lewis and the News album—it's not a good investment of time. Not a remark on the joy you might or might not get from the music. Listen to one song, and you get it, and it's not BAD, its just, you have other things to do with your time
Let me come up with a scenario where if this album was on, I'll keep going: You're getting ready for a wedding, you're in the groom's party, and you don't really like the groom, but you're on his side, and he is kind of lame, and someone starts playing this album as a bit, and the bit gets funnier because you're still listening to the album, and it kind of gives everyone there something to listen and talk about, other than the groom, because he's not great. So, it's a great album to listen to as a bit, with someone you don't like. This is a good album to listen to if you're in mixed company of how much you like them—but it's a good bit. There's another takeaway: Huey Lewis and the News is another album you listen to to tell someone you don't like them.
Ok let me skip around and see if something's different.
I like the way they load the cannon with "I Know What I Like." It reminds me in the Scripps Spelling Bee when they rush to get the words in, when the light comes out for the timer. "IknowhatIlike." See, he's taking it for a walk here. No rush, no rush. And then all one word: IknowwhatIlike. I think that's kind of a fun gimmick. But they really need to do something else. Shake it up.
"I Never Walk Alone." OK great start, I like that. That's fun, what's that remind me of? What else starts that way? OK, that's fun, that's fun. Auditioning this as a breakout song. Another takeaway: this is a short album, short songs. In order for this song to live up, they'll have to do the synthesizer again. He ruined it, I'll be honest. He doesn't sound like someone who has problems. The piano made it sound like someone who had problems. Is this song about friendship?
Can I be honest with you Huey Lewis? It is offensive for you to sing about never walking alone when you get your full name, and the other guys are just "The News." They're accessories; like: I never walk alone because of my boots and jacket.
I am not feeling Huey Lewis because of this song on this album. Have people said that?
OK, "Forest for the Trees." It reminds me of "Somebody's Baby". He's ripping off "Somebody's Baby"! Note that. Note that. Put in my review it sounded like "Somebody's Baby" by Jackson Browne.
I have to be honest; something has turned in me. And I am out for blood. And this is a fascinating journey for me as someone who only known one Huey Lewis and the News song and LOVED it. And now I'm thinking this guy is like a creep? He has bad vibes. There is something unsettling about him. Do you find this? Did he do something weird? He has kind of Chappaquiddick vibes.
It be a shame if he's really nice. Oh like he's an amazing grandfather. He has Chappaquiddick vibes. If you were traveling with him, you'd come back to the hotel and be like, "wasn't someone with you, in the car?" And he'd be like, "The News?" OK, I've turned on this album. "Forest for the Trees," totally forgettable.
OK “Naturally” starts a little differently. A little like "Sixteen Candles," some crooning into the air. Some harmonizing. Sounding like a generation before them. This is better—good that they have this. I am hoping they do not get up to their bullshit and get back to Huey Lewis. OH, they're doing a doo-wop thing. This should have been earlier in this album. Because at this point you've said things you cannot take back. This is fun. It doesn't sound like the same group. I'd be curious whose idea this was. And is this their song? Is this all a cappella? This should be a lot earlier in the album. By this point people are thinking there are monotonous, and maybe, creeps. Yeah. No, not the News. Not the News. The News aren't creeps. Another takeaway: when we get off the phone, I am going to google "Huey Lewis problematic." Then I'm going to go on TikTok and dig into it.
This is catchy. No not catchy, fun. This would be in the scene change during musical change in a doo-wop era.
Now getting into a ballad, "Simple as That." I don't like ballads, so that's sort of eh. This song is bad. This song is very boring. Also, what the fuck is up with, let's talk about the titles? It feels like he just looked up some common phrases "Simple as That," "Forest for the Trees," and the song is him just saying that. Hold on, let's look at all the track names. Yeah, include this in the review: I am DISAPPOINTED that this is going to drive my DJ feature on Spotify. It's going to drive out other songs I'm interested in.
I actually started this album thinking this is a lot of fun. This is something you know, but you also kind of don't, it's familiar but it's new. But what I am determining is you don't know Huey Lewis and the News songs because you already do, and you don't need to.
I think the breakout hit of this album is... hang on... I think it's "Stuck with You." And I also like "Doing It All for My Baby," but I'm not sure if I actually like it, or I just know it. And we do that with celebrities and it's like... do I like that person, or do I just know them? Do you remember that Onion video that's like: for some reason there's a Green Lantern movie coming out. There's some guy being like "Green Lantern! Sure! Why not?" That's how I imagine Huey Lewis and the News fans are: "Sure! Why not?"
I'm not sure this is in my review. No, it is, I'm firm it's in. One time I was in a cab in Atlanta, the driver asks, "Do you watch The Big Bang Theory?" I said "No." He said, "why not, it's only half an hour." That's what I imagine Huey Lewis and the News fans being: "Why not? It's only 42 minutes." It's not a big investment.
[Told by Kristen to PoYB contributor Sunny K. and edited by Kristen]
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