Music Review // Nelson Sobral "Hang On"

 

Nelson Sobral brings out this rock n roll sound right away that remind me of classic rock as much as it does a modern rock band such as Jet.   This has a moderate pace to it as well, so it just feels like such a fun song because it doesn't go too fast or too slow.   In some ways, "Hang On" even has that Southern way about it, which partly can make this feel like a spiritual / gospel type of sound.

The idea of hanging on, as the song says, is kind of interesting as the chorus says: "You hang on for nothing / You hang on like a fool".  On one hand, I like to think of people who talk to you on the phone but will put you on hold.  They'll ask you "Can you hang on for a minute?" and I always want to say "No, you shouldn't have called me if you weren't prepared".  When you're on the phone with someone, that should be your focus, so there shouldn't be a need to hang on.

But then I think of this in a similar way with what this song is more likely about and that is hanging onto a relationship which might not be lasting much longer.  You just never really think of all the different types of hope we hang onto on a daily basis and how most of the time we do so as fools.   Many times when you have to justify why something like a relationship is worth hanging onto, it's already begun slipping away from you.

This song certainly can give you a lot to think about with the lyrics, but the music itself is just something nice to throw on in a playlist as it has that general rock n roll vibe that people seem to like regardless of what other genres they listen to.  Whether you're hanging on or being held onto, this song will at least provide you with some musical satisfaction.