Since its release last month as part of Savage 21’s new album ‘American Dream’, ‘Redrum’ is one of the biggest hits around the world. You can find it in Spotify’s Global top 10, where at its best it has even been number 6. It is our Song of the Day.
The song, which takes its name from the famous scene in ‘The Shining’, is “MURDER” backwards, so here we find Savage 21 among “killer” beats, softened by the voice of Brazilian vocalist Elza Laranjeira . Like Bad Bunny’s ‘MONACO’ recently, ‘redrum’ is inspired by a recording from the ’60s. In this case ‘Serenata do Adeus’, which appeared on the 1962 album, ‘A Música De Jobim E Vinicius’. We are talking about two of the greats of Brazilian music, and the song at hand was signed by Vinicius de Moraes.
In ‘redrum’ the contrast works between the sweetness of Elja saying that “the only thing left is all love” (and the high pitch of her voice), with the rawness of 21 Savage’s trap rhythm and his rap.
Gunshots appear marking the rhythm of the song because “all we know is ‘redrum'”, while the theme echoes the commonplaces of the genre. Death, cocaine, success and “pussy”, with an ostentatious chorus: “I want it all, I won’t leave even a crumb of bread.”
The video for the song has been recorded in London and Brixton, which has benefited its international character. The song by the half-British, half-American artist has been number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 11 in the United Kingdom. Although of course it has not reared its head in Spain, it has done so in Germany (top 51), Italy (top 66) and France (top 88).
