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"Whyyawannabringmedown" is a song recorded by American rock band Aranda, from their debut studio album, Aranda (2008). Written by Dameon Aranda with co-writing and co-production by Sam Watters and Louis Biancaniello, the song was released as the album's second and final single through Astonish Entertainment on July 1, 2009.

Background and reception

"Whyyawannabringmedown" was written by Dameon Aranda, Sam Watters, and Louis Biancaniello, with the latter two handling the production. It was originally intended to be recorded for their pop-oriented album in 2001. But after losing their recording contract with Sony Music before the album was released, Aranda instead leaned for a rock-oriented direction for their self-titled album, Aranda, which was independently released in 2008. "Whyyawannabringmedown" was released as the album's second single after being used by the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as the official theme song for their professional wrestling pay-per-view event, The Bash on June 28, 2009. Upon its release, Axel Thunderflex of Sputnikmusic praised the song as "upbeat and catchy enough to make you want to stand up and dance."

Track listing

Digital download

Charts

Kelly Clarkson version

In 2008, Watters played tracks from the Aranda album for American recording artist Kelly Clarkson, with whom he was collaborating the time. Clarkson, in turn, expressed interest in recording some of them for her fourth studio album, All I Ever Wanted (2009). She chose to record the song along with "All I Ever Wanted", with the latter receiving a single release in 2010. Clarkson's version of "Whyyawannabringmedown" was also produced by Watters and Biancaniello, with Aranda providing background vocals. It received positive and mixed reviews, with many praising her delivery but feeling like the song itself was overproduced.

LA Times editor Ann Powers wrote that "Whyyouwannabringmedown" gives Clarkson "a chance to howl the way she's wanted to since her grunge-loving teen years." Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated that Clarkson "touches on her hard rock infatuation and improves it, particularly on the bubblegum punk "Whyyawannabringmedown." PopMatters praised the track, saying that "the punky “Whyyawannabringmedown” feels like one of the few songs where Clarkson is allowed to let her freak flag fly, and amidst the stop-start guitars that chug around her, Clarkson's rock-ready wail makes her sound like a dead ringer for Tia Carrere's character in Wayne's World." In a more negative review, Billboard editor Elle J Small called the song "a giant mistake", saying that "when Clarkson delves in to punk/thrash territory on Whyyawannabringmedown- purists will despair and KC fans will be perplexed." Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone praised her vocal delivery and described the song as "a kind of AM-radio punk". Slant Magazine's Jonathan Keefe wrote that "her throat-shredding punk snarl on "Whyyawannabringmedown" is a whole lot more fun than it is convincing" and described the song as a "P!nk reject". Claire Lobenfeld of Vibe stated that “Whyyouwannabringmedown” is the album's most confusing cut. The song's lyrics fit in with the rest of Clarkson's catalogue, but between her yelps and wails and the power chord progression, it comes off like a product of Fisher Price's My First Punk Rock Song."

References

1. ^ Karasinski, Christina Fuoco (April 13, 2013). "Color Me Badd, Kelly Clarkson bolster the career of rockers Aranda". Mlive.com. Booth Newspapers. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
2. Williams, John A. (24 July 2009). "Oklahoma City band Aranda hopes video provides big break". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
3. Nemer, Paul; Tedesco, Mike (20 June 2009). "Smackdown Results - 6/19/09". WrestleView. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
4. Thunderflex, Axel (December 28, 2012). "Aranda - Aranda (album review)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
5. ""Whyyawannabringmedown" by Aranda". Amazon. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
6. "Aranda Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
7. "Aranda Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
8. ^ "Aranda". Wind Up Records. December 28, 2012. Archived from the original on April 17, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
9. "Kelly Clarkson's 'All I Ever Wanted': 3.5 stars [UPDATE]". Los Angeles Times. February 27, 2009.
10. "All I Ever Wanted - Kelly Clarkson - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic.
11. "Kelly Clarkson: All I Ever Wanted".
12. Small, Elle J. "BBC - Music - Review of Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted".
13. "All I Ever Wanted". Rolling Stone. 3 March 2009.
14. "Kelly Clarkson: All I Ever Wanted - Album Review - Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. 2 March 2009.
15. "Kelly Clarkson: All I Ever Wanted : VIBE.com". 15 March 2009. Archived from the original on 15 March 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

• American punk rock songs
• 2008 songs
• 2009 singles
• Kelly Clarkson songs
• Songs written by Sam Watters
• Songs written by Louis Biancaniello
• Aranda songs