On January 18, 2024, Benson Boone, 21 year old Tik-Tok star, American Idol finalist and songwriter from Monroe, Washington, released his newest folk/rock single with the name “Beautiful Things.”
Boone originally gained popularity through his social media accounts, gaining almost 5.9 million followers. He was later recognized by Dan Reynolds, the frontman of successful band Imagine Dragons, who helped him get a label with Night Street Records.
The single “Beautiful Things” is all about the meaning of life, and the song begins with him singing about Maddie Thurmon, whom he is currently in a relationship with, thanking God for the life he has been given. The lyrics are backed up by acoustic guitar, yet shifts into screaming vocals praying to God to not take all the things he has been given backed up by an electric guitar and a drum kit. The single ends with him singing about how he is wasting his life, yet does not want to lose it.
I feel that Boone made what could have been a very popular song, yet this is a poorly written song. The flow of it could confuse the listener and seems to divide into two differing songs; I think that if the quiet and grateful vocals of the beginning were set into one song and the louder more rock based into another, both could have been very popular in their own right. The instruments and chords were very basic, yet came together to create an effect of agony during the second portion of the song.
In total, I feel the song has potential, but could have been better if it were shifted into two different songs.
