"Hurricane" is a song by American recording artist Bridgit Mendler, from her debut studio album, Hello My Name Is... (2012). The song was released as a promotional single to the iTunes Store as Single of the Week on October 22, 2012, and was later announced to be the second single from the album.[3] On February 12, 2013, the song was released to Top 40 radio.[4]
"Hurricane" exhibits elements of rap, gospel and pop.[5] Built on a beat and multi-tracked harmonies, the song's instrumentation includes slow-bouncing keyboard tones, and drums. The song was written by Mendler and American songwriters Emanuel Kiriakou, Evan Kidd Bogart, and Andrew Goldstein, and produced by Kiriakou and Goldstein. Lyrically, the song gives ode to a disaster love, as well as reconciliation and perseverance in love. Mendler's vocals span from the low note of F3 to the high note of F5.[6] In interview for Coup de Main Magazine, Mendler commented about recording a rap song for the first time. She said:
I loved recording... you know the rap in 'Hurricane'? That was pretty fun. It was very experimental for me, I haven’t done much rapping before. It was not a deliberate decision... we had written the song and I had come in to record it and then the guys were like: "Why don’t we just try rapping this part?". So I did and then it kind of just worked and we decided to keep it. So not intentional, but sometimes things just happen in the moment.[7]
Critical reception
The song was praised by the media. Tim Sendra of AllMusic said, "[Hurricane] has clever fairy tale lyrics and an impassioned vocal (and a sassy rap section)."[8]Girls' Life magazine stated "[Mendler] brings the beat in 'Hurricane', where she belts out some sweet raps about being in the middle of a stormy relationship."[9] Kai of Embrace You magazine claimed that the track title was "quite ironic when we’re currently experiencing one of mother nature’s conception of the said thing" and later said that "interestingly enough, I love this song. The acoustic opener caught me instantly and I’m addicted to her 'oh, oh, oh…' The singer’s play on natural disasters as metaphors for the way she feels about her love interest once again showcases how witty she is as an artist. The fast paced pop rock driven track is both catchy and substantial."[10]
Music video
The music video for "Hurricane" was directed by Robert Hales and filmed in London in March 2013.[11] It was released on April 12, 2013.[12]Naomi Scott appears as Mendler's best friend in the video.[12] They previously worked together in the 2011 Disney Channel film Lemonade Mouth.
Live performances
Mendler performing "Hurricane" in New York, in October 2012.
In April 2013, Mendler recorded a series of four videos which were released to Vevo and YouTube entitled The Hurricane Sessions, and are acoustic performances of two songs from Hello My Name Is... and two covers.[20] On May 8, 2013, the first video, "Starry Eyed", an Ellie Goulding cover, was released.[21] It received positive reviews.[21] Sam Lansky of Idolator commented, "[Mendler's] husky voice works nicely with the song, especially toward the end, as it gets a little more emotive."[22] On May 15, 2013, she released the second song, "Locked Out of Heaven", a Bruno Mars cover.[23] Fanlala said that they "might like Bridgit's version just as much as the original."[24] "Hurricane", the third video, was released on May 22, 2013.[25] Two months later, the final video, "Top of the World", was released on July 23, 2013.[26]
_by_Bridgit_Mendler.png)
