I'd Rather Sing
{{short description|Song by Oh Land}}
{{Infobox song
| name = I'd Rather Sing
| artist = Oh Land
| type = promo
| cover =
| border =
| alt =
| caption =
| album = Loop Soup
| released = {{Start date|2023|09|19|df=yes}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| genre =
| length = {{duration|m=3|s=40}}
| label =
- Tusk or Tooth
- Capitol Records Denmark
| writer =
- Nanna Øland Fabricius
- Adnan Zukanovic
| producer = Adnan Zukanovic
| tracks =
}}
"I'd Rather Sing" is a song by Danish singer and songwriter Oh Land. It is included on her sixth studio album, Loop Soup (2023), where it was released as a promotional single on 19 September 2023 through her Tusk or Tooth label and Capitol Records Denmark. Oh Land wrote the song with her husband, Adnan Zukanovic, also the song's sole producer.
Background and release
Details regarding the release of her sixth studio album, Loop Soup, were first announced on 23 June 2023, of which "I'd Rather Sing" appears as the opening track.{{cite web |title=28 New Songs Out Today |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/28-new-songs-out-today-50/ |website=BrooklynVegan |access-date=24 June 2023 |date=23 June 2023 |archive-date=6 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230706203617/https://www.brooklynvegan.com/28-new-songs-out-today-50/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Oh Land Returns with Genre-Bending Pop on New Album 'Loop Soup' Out September 29 |url=https://fizzymag.com/articles/oh-land-returns-genre-bending-pop-new-album-loop-soup-september-29 |access-date=5 July 2023 |work=Fizzy Mag |date=24 June 2023 |archive-date=6 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230706203619/https://fizzymag.com/articles/oh-land-returns-genre-bending-pop-new-album-loop-soup-september-29 |url-status=live }} The song later received a limited streaming release on 19 September 2023, exclusively through the music website mxdwn.com. On 29 September, the song was made available for digital download and streaming as part of the wide release of the parent album.
"I'd Rather Sing" was written by Oh Land and her husband, Adnan Zukanovic, the song's producer.{{cite AV media notes |title=Loop Soup |type=LP liner notes |others=Oh Land |publisher=Tusk or Tooth, Universal Music Group |year=2023 |id= UNI 5588174}}{{cite news |title=Loop Soup – Oh Land |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/loop-soup-mw0004156237#credits |access-date=October 9, 2024 |publisher=AllMusic}}
Composition and lyrics
It begins with a "pulsating beat" prior to the introduction of Oh Land's vocals.{{cite web |last1=Rincon |first1=Skyy |title=Mxdwn Premiere: Oh Land Shares Anthemic New Single 'I'd Rather Sing' |url=https://music.mxdwn.com/2023/09/19/news/mxdwn-premiere-oh-land-shares-anthemic-new-single-id-rather-sing/ |access-date=17 October 2023 |website=mxdwn.com |date=19 September 2023 |archive-date=18 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018050510/https://music.mxdwn.com/2023/09/19/news/mxdwn-premiere-oh-land-shares-anthemic-new-single-id-rather-sing/ |url-status=live }}
Lyrically, "I'd Rather Sing" details Oh Land's thoughts on life's and societal expectations, particularly those of an artist thrown into the industry.{{cite web |last1=Crerand |first1=Emily |title=Album Review: Oh Land – Loop Soup |url=https://music.mxdwn.com/2023/09/29/reviews/album-review-oh-land-loop-soup/ |access-date=17 October 2023 |website=mxdwn.com |date=29 September 2023 |archive-date=18 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018050613/https://music.mxdwn.com/2023/09/29/reviews/album-review-oh-land-loop-soup/ |url-status=live }} Regarding her inspiration behind the track, she commented that the song expresses her desire to achieve her "own authentic feeling of happiness," and added: "For me, singing wasn't a choice, it was just something I did more and more and paid attention to because it made me happy." Additionally, she found the lyrics to also represent concerns of students seeking education and become stressed out as a result: "I feel stressed out on the behalf of young people who need to make big educational choices very early and don't get the time it takes to figure out what they're naturally driven towards doing." In the chorus, she repeats "What is it they know that I don't get? / Speaking in a foreign alphabet / I never did, I never did / I'd rather sing instead".{{cite web |title=24 New Songs Out Today |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/24-new-songs-out-today-51/ |website=BrooklynVegan |access-date=17 October 2023 |date=20 September 2023 |archive-date=2 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002071751/https://www.brooklynvegan.com/24-new-songs-out-today-51/ |url-status=live }}
Critical reception
Release history
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Release dates and formats for "I'd Rather Sing" ! scope="col"| Region ! scope="col"| Date ! scope="col"| Format(s) ! scope="col"| Label ! scope="col"| {{abbr|Ref.|References}} |
| scope="row" rowspan="2" | Various
| 19 September 2023 | Streaming (via mxdwn.com) | rowspan="2" | Tusk or Tooth | style="text-align:center;"| {{cite news |last1=Major |first1=Michael |title=Oh Land Drops New Track 'I'd Rather Sing' From 'Loop Soup' |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwmusic/article/Oh-Land-Drops-New-Track-Id-Rather-Sing-From-Loop-Soup-20230920 |access-date=24 September 2023 |publisher=BroadwayWorld |date=20 September 2023 |archive-date=21 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230921104436/https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwmusic/article/Oh-Land-Drops-New-Track-Id-Rather-Sing-From-Loop-Soup-20230920 |url-status=live }} |
|---|
| 29 September 2023
| {{hlist|Digital download|streaming}} | style="text-align:center;"| References regarding the release of Loop Soup by Oh Land on Apple Music:
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