Artist: ELMNT
Title: Because You Want To
Genre: Electro-Pop
Length: 4:00
Written By: S.Mac, S.Wellington
Produced By: Steve Mac
Label: Five Pesky Kids
Taken From: ELMNT EP

Because You Want To is a song performed by Australian boy band, ELMNT. The track serves as their second official single and is the third to appear on their chart-topping, self-titled debut EP. The song was written by Weekend member and former X Factor New Zealand judge Scott Wellington alongside famed British songwriter and producer, Steve Mac. The electro influenced break-up song was one of the earliest songs to be brought into the project after the band announced they wanted to take and a more upbeat, dance inspired sound. The song was specifically penned for ELMNT with the original first version of the song being entirely written by Wellington during his time in New Zealand while working on The X Factor. During a creative meeting with Mac, Scott presented the song to him and the pair reworked a few lines before Steve began creating a beat to use. The pair believed that an instrumentation with a somewhat "sad" and "lonely" undercurrent yet remaining upbeat would be best suited for the song as ELMNT had stated that they wanted to stay away from piano based ballads on the EP. Mac and Wellington also wanted to avoid any dubstep influences as they feared it would take away from the sentiment of the lyrics. The track has been met with critical acclaim and has been dubbed by many as "the best song on the EP".

As the song is essentially about a break-up, lots of silence and confusion, Mac built the beat around that concept. It's "poppy" and repetitious synths aid the verses along before the bass comes into play in the pre-chorus, constant and sounding pent up. It all eventually "explodes" into a "biting" chorus with powerful vocals from all members and a pulsating beat. The harmonising sections after each chorus are backed by what has been described as a "lemon sorbet flavoured" arrangement of "sharp" and "erratic" synths which are extremely infectious. Lyrically, the song tells the story of two lovers who are in a relationship that isn't going anywhere fast. The female lost interest a long time ago and after fighting for their love, now the male in the relationship has accepted the fact that it just won't work and has prepared himself for the breakup already. They have tried over and over again but nothing ever appears to work. Although they are still on good terms, are entirely faithful and still pretend to be interested, deep down they know that the spark won't ignite again. The male in the story is telling his lover to just admit how she is feeling so they can both move on, clear the air, be entirely honest and just call it a day.

Justin opens the song, singing in his lower register. His deep and raspy voice contrast greatly with the upbeat "rising and falling" synths yet somehow compliments it so well as they manage to stand out on their own and don't take away from one another. He manages to incorporate his lower tone and vibrato into some relatively long notes which can prove difficult to some if that's not the register they're used to performing in but for Gray, that is certainly not a problem. After the first two lines, he lowers his voice slightly again and although he's not exactly doing the vocal acrobatics like he usually does, this still proves just how vocally gifted he is. James sings the pre-choruses. His voice is often subject to debates as many believe that he is probably the second most vocally talented member, however, more often than not he sounds rather unpleasant as he frequently chooses to sing in a slightly high, nasally tone (which a critic has once pointed out and called it "a bad attempt at copying Riley Hamilton's unique vocals) and is often supported by heavy autotune. Unfortunately, that seems to be the case on this song as well. He has the range, power and conviction but it's sadly overshadowed by production. Ciaran takes on the second verse and again, has come under fire from critics. His voice is rather deep, even when talking on a day to day basis so he naturally falls into a lower register. However when he tries to reach anything above his limited range, the struggle and force in his voice is often detected which makes it all seem very unnatural. As he tries to stretch his notes out like Gray, it seems like he's almost gasping for ear and that his naturally deep voice is ready to crack and break because he's pushing it into a territory that just isn't for him. Chambers has no problem keeping the low notes in check though as that's his natural area, usually providing the lowest harmony in the group. Amir sings the bridge as the stomping electro influenced beat subdues slightly, allowing Williams' voice to be the focal point. His voice sounds rather at ease and like Gray's, a little deeper than usual. He can't lower his voice down to the level of his aforementioned band mate but still gives a convincing performance. A quality of Amir's is that you can really hear him connect and identify with his lines no matter what he is singing. A lot of emotion goes into his vocal deliveries. Michael unfortunately does not have a solo on the song like in the Star Factory days. He does however get to sing along in the chorus with everyone else.

Because You Want To

ALL
AMIR
CIARAN
JAMES
JUSTIN
MICHAEL


I don't need to be a mind reader
I can see exactly what's going on
I'm no fool and every day it gets clearer
Isn't hard to see that I'm not the one
You can drop the false smiles and disguise
I've been feeling the same lately
Past few months it's been one big lie
Better drop it now before we go crazy

I know you're scared to hurt me or say something wrong
But we've been sinking slowly, it's been going on too long

I'll get over it just let me rip the band aid off
Don't keep riding along if you've already had enough
No point in dressing things up to make it look good
I want you to love me because you want to
If you should up and leave right now I'll understand
Been clear for a while, things didn't go as planned
Don't stay to be kind, just come out with the truth
I want you to love me because you want to

Whoa, uh, whoa, oh
Whoa, uh, whoa, oh
Whoa, uh, whoa, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Whoa, uh, whoa, oh
Whoa, uh, whoa, oh
Whoa, uh, whoa, oh

Guess our time is up but that's OK
We had our fun but things just haven't worked
Not everything will last forever and a day
Can't drag this on, I want to throw my hands up
You'll move along and I'll find someone else
We'll no longer have to feel like we're stuck in chains
Might as well say it no, tired stuck on the shelf
We're gathering dust, blow it off and go our own ways

Don't be scared that you'll hurt me, I'll just move on
You'll feel a whole lot better when it's all said and done

I'll get over it just let me rip the band aid off
Don't keep riding along if you've already had enough
No point in dressing things up to make it look good
I want you to love me because you want to
If you should up and leave right now I'll understand
Been clear for a while, things didn't go as planned
Don't stay to be kind, just come out with the truth
I want you to love me because you want to

Whoa, uh, whoa, oh
Whoa, uh, whoa, oh
Whoa, uh, whoa, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Whoa, uh, whoa, oh
Whoa, uh, whoa, oh
Whoa, uh, whoa, oh

Day by day we just keep on getting colder
There's no heat even when the lights go out
Shouldn't force this, we're only getting older
Only digging this hole deeper, we're falling down

I'll get over it just let me rip the band aid off
Don't keep riding along if you've already had enough
No point in dressing things up to make it look good
I want you to love me because you want to
If you should up and leave right now I'll understand
Been clear for a while, things didn't go as planned
Don't stay to be kind, just come out with the truth
I want you to love me because you want to

Whoa, uh, whoa, oh
Whoa, uh, whoa, oh
Whoa, uh, whoa, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Whoa, uh, whoa, oh
Whoa, uh, whoa, oh
Whoa, uh, whoa, oh


Can Be Compared To