Peter Bjorn and John featuring Big Pooh, Phil Nash and Chaundon “Stay This Way (DJ Jazzy Jeff Remix)”
Tucked away in the closing third of Peter Bjorn and John’s Living Thing lies the underappreciated treasure “Stay This Way”, a lackadaisical reflection on one’s existence (“In my ridicule I thought that I was something special/ In spite of ordinary dreams/ But you end up getting tired of doing psychoanalysis of yourself”) that simultaneously brews a faint flickering of being a touching love ode (“You can only do as much in little time/ If you’re up for sharing I can split up mine/ ‘Cause it makes me happy”).
Geeky Valentine sentiments aside though, the track’s main pull lies in it’s production: a drowsy, snap-accented doo-wop arrangement (think a sluggish “Stand By Me”) that treads along so heavily, even the pregnant pauses between it’s punctuating bass plops feel like they weigh a ton. Despite that unappealing description, it’s a great sublime groove, one you could easily lose your thoughts in…and one that (with a little remix tinkering from producer DJ Jazzy Jeff) surprisingly comes across quite pleasantly when supporting a trio of emcees respectively wishing that they could have stayed ‘Toys R’ Us kids’.
The latest cut to leak from Mick Boogie’s highly-anticipated mixtape re-imagining of Living Thing (due August 27th), this Jeff-helmed revamp cleverly splices together original lines “I don’t wanna grow up” and “‘Cause it makes me happy” to form a brand new hook and inspire some fond childhood-recalling memories (including references to Nintendo 64, “Knight Rider”, lunchboxes, Hot Wheels, “TGIF”, sneak viewings of BET’s “Comic View”, freeze tag and, yes, “Do You Like Me?” notes) from featured rappers Big Pooh, Phil Nash and Chaundon.
DL: “Stay This Way” (alt)
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