At age 10, Willow Smith recorded the buoyant, world-beating pop-rap anthem “Whip My Hair.” Now, two years later, she’s already entered her serious-second-album phase with “Sugar and Spice,” a really sad song about not knowing who you are, which heavily samples Radiohead’s “Codex,” a really sad song about yearning for innocence (and probably also death?)
Not to get all weird about what is ultimately just a sad song by an angsty kid, but it makes me uncomfortable to consider that with the constant looming presence of social networks, smartphones, and cyber-bullying, there’s probably a lot for the average American 12-year-old to relate to in Thom Yorke’s melancholic, paranoid lyrics.
Have a good day!
