AudiophileParadise

Ah! Michael Learns To Rock (Often abbreviated as MLTR) – The infamous band which produced some of the most beautiful music on the planet. Unfortunately, MLTR couldn’t climb the ladder of success all over the world; but they were hugely popular in Asia (Where they sold an excess of 6 million records). Overall, MLTR sold close to 11 million albums worldwide. But good music isn’t always famous, is it? Sometimes, you have to scourge the earth to find awesome music – In this case, MLTR. But that’s fate, right? Murphy’s Law; to be precise. I really don’t get it – This song has won over all the people who have listened to it; yet it hasn’t got the response it deserves. It has all the right ingredients in place – Beautiful vocals, rhythm, soulful lyrics and the most important…This song connects to everyone’s hearts; because everyone has to have gone through this phase. I’m here to try and encourage all my readers to go and listen to MLTR; and give them the deserved credit. Saying thus, I begin my review. Buckle up, guys!

History:Damn! I had trouble even finding the roots of this song on the internet. This just goes on to prove the popularity this song has gained – Nil. Anyways, here’s all I could get:

“That’s Why (You Go Away)” is a song from from MLTR‘s album titled “Played On Pepper”, which was released worldwide in August 1995. The album went on to sell over 1.2 million copies, but most of them were concentrated in Asia itself. It was also the first time where MLTR recorded and produced their own album by themselves. In order to promote their album, MLTR played 25 shows in 10 countries, including Africa, Brazil and The United Arab Emirates. “That’s Why (You Go Away)” is the 3rd single from the album. The song has only one version – The Official one, running for 4 Minutes and 10 Seconds. [Source – All Over The Net]

What it tries to convey to us: The song’s title tells you all you need to know here.

*A sincere request to all my readers – Please scroll down, open up the lyrics, and then listen to the song*

Review: The song kicks off with a beautiful soft and soulful piano cover, after which the vocals are initiated at 00:10. Jascha Richter really has an amazing voice; lending support to the song all the way till the end. The literal meaning of the song is really painful; and it has probably happened to almost everyone that I know of. In fact, when this incident happened with me; the only pillar of strength I had was this song. I know, listening to the song after a bad breakup is like rubbing salt on a deep cut; but hey – It worked. I finally did manage to move on with my life, courtesy “That’s Why (You Go Away)”. Moving on, (Pun very much intended!) The beats start at 00:40, after an audible bass chord. The beats suit the song perfectly – Not too slow, not too harsh. The song is slow, describing every single detail of the state of the person. The piano keeps playing in the background, and has a sort of dual personality – It provides the base of the song, as well as fills in the instrumental gaps perfectly. The first chorus starts at 01:09 (The chorus arguably being the best part of the song). It is so well executed, you play the song over and over again until you get the hang of it.  There’s a notable increase in the lead guitar’s pitch during the chorus; but the reason is evident – It’s done so as to attract the attention of the listener to the chorus. MLTR is probably the only band (At least among all the bands whom I know of) which can  alternate between the genres of Rock & Pop effortlessly – The chorus being the perfect example of this genre switching brilliance. The part I especially love is the ending of the chorus. The “That’s Why You Go…Away I Know” is said so beautifully, it melts the listener. The song comes down to it’s normal tone and the beats return to slow after the chorus ends. The awesome thing about MLTR’s lyrics is their simplicity. They are really simple, but straight to the point. The second chorus starts again at 02:09, after which a little vocal interlude is initiated. A short, but sweet guitar solo follows the bridge, followed by the chorus again. The song begins fading off after the second chorus loop, and completely ends with the final strum of an acoustic guitar at 04:05 (The part from the bridge to the end is fast paced).

Rating: “That’s Why (You Go Away)” deserves a well-earned 10/10 according to me. It also gains some extra points for the flawless ‘genre-switch’ phenomenon. A must listen to, guys! I know MANY of you mustn’t have even heard about this band; but I implore you – Please go listen to the song (And others too!).

Well, I’ve done everything I could. I’ve tried to convince you guys to go and give MLTR an ear. It’s up to you now. Tell me how you thought the song was in the comments section. I’ll be more than happy to clear up any doubts for you, or even give you more song suggestions. This is one song you don’t want to miss, guys!

Lyrics For “That’s Why (You Go Away)” : http://artists.letssingit.com/michael-learns-to-rock-lyrics-thats-why-you-go-away-ps8q1wm#axzz2DP3hJTNE

Download Link For “That’s Why (You Go Away)” : http://learning.sohu.com/zt/freshenglish/july15/tswyga.mp3 (Right Click on link, click “Save Link/Target As”)

Youtube Link For “That’s Why (You Go Away)” : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMowafFtPuA