POP SONG REVIEW: "Ordinary" by Alex Warren

I'd call this song purely okay. Have I listened to it? Yes. Do I think it's kind of cute? Yeah. Do I care enough to defend it against Todd's or anyone else's criticisms? Nope.

"Dylan arc speed runner Jelly Roll". 10/10. <3

Hillsong music ass song

I'm thankful i've never heard this song(ever since I discovered that I can actually get Rebel Radio on my car radio i've barely listened to any other radio stations except when RR does not come in clear).

I do think that the political situation in US does have an effect. I suspect a lot of people just don't have the time or energy to get exited about new music. Something familiar or something calming. People are simply not paying attention.

I was watching this whole video thinking if you had made it before Sabrina Carpenter announced her new album and then you got me with the ending 😅

Relient K shout-out! Is that a hint? Are we finally getting Be My Escape vs. Dare You to Move on Song vs. Song? =D

Alex Warren is American???????

I'd only ever heard this as bgm for insta reels, I literally thought it was taken from an advertisement lol

This feels like a successor to your 7 Years review - Taking stock halfway through a *BAD* year for pop music, and performing an autopsy about how a track this inexplicable managed to climb to the top of the charts (though I hate to say it, 7 Years is at least more interestingly bad than this) Also don't let anybody tell you that calling him "Adam Warren" at 8:40 is an error. You understood the assignment perfectly

I watched this right after I saw Hayley Williams' post condemning the Christian music industry for covering up a closeted sexual predator. Talk about setting up the mood, huh?

Todd, you still got it man! Sharp critique here calling this christian music and I hadn't put 2+2 together on the slow christian music takeover. No one wants to offend - just write the most milquetoast stuff, eat at the blandest restaurants, drive the least original cars, and live in the greyest dullest houses. Love your lead-in that the famously dull brits eat this up.

“Sam Smith at 80% speed” was incredible. Also calling his audience “people who don’t put paprika on their deviled eggs.” I can tell you hang with a lot of queer people cause your reads are devastating

I’m surprised you haven’t reviewed Nokia

This is Imagine Dragons reimagined

Not that I mind the point made in that segment, but the clip of the IDF strikes at 22:10 feels out of left field for the topic. I'm always one for not making things US-centric and that is a very valid horror among many, but something more "local" feels more appropriate for this. It's not like there's a shortage of them! (I am so deeply tired rn)

I'd never heard this song before (I am woefully out of tune with popular music, but trying to get back into it) but wow it's really a whole lot of nothing huh--just so . . . bland and empty sounding

At one point you call him “Adam Warren” before cutting to a clip that calls him Alex, but I think that’s really funny.

I think this song has made me understand what “Take Me to Church” sounded like for people who don’t like it or Hozier’s voice so I guess it’s got that going for it at least

If anyone is wondering how Donald Fucking Trump managed to finagle his way back into the White House, look no further than the multiple topics of this video. I really try not to overromanticize the past and I know that there's actually plenty of good music being made right now, but if this is what passes for popular culture currently...yeesh. No wonder people are rhapsodizing so much about Brian Wilson's music after he passed this week. Who's doing the 2020s version of that?

Oh wow, this SUCKS. Because I don’t listen to the radio and am not really on Tik Tok anymore, I somehow had missed hearing this and…. Yeah, I hate this. Not at all shocked to learn this is Christian music because it has that Hillsong, Bethel, megachurch sheen on it that I despise

What worries me about songs like this is how so much power is consolidated in the hands of so few corporations, most of which are pushing conservative agendas. If they can reinforce conservative values by ensuring songs like this become popular and block more controversial and minority-driven music from the spotlight, it'll help trample anything that isn't cishet white men into the dirt. I mean, the song is not good and I don't like it on so many levels. I'm just afraid that this is a symptom of a much, much bigger problem.

At 7:28, you say Adam Warren rather than Alex Warren. I think this might be intentional due to the Beige-Curtainness of the guy (and if so, good joke), but if not, I thought I should mention it.

8:42 you refer to him as Adam Warren

Not the use of "Obsessed" for Addison Rae 💀

I heard this song for the first time during the Season 8 Love is Blind reunion, and it’s funny that the comments online during that (arguably the very audience this song was for) were basically “what the fuck is this? Who is this guy making a lame Love is Blind mv?”

Damn, I actually like this song and I'm glad to see it successful. This year has made better songs a lot more famous though

Oh thank god! Hate this song too, it’s so awful.

The part of about Christian music and people getting mad at Lil Nas X reminded me of how apparently some conservative Christians were apparently harassing Gigi Perez last year to change the line in Sailor Song "I don't believe in God, but I believe that you're my savior" cause it was offensive to Christians. Sailor Song is about lesbian sex, just to be clear.

Ah, Megachurch-core. This is definitely music for people who have no problems in their life, which is generally the least interesting form of music. That being said, a #1 single ain't what it used to be, and the charts have been a terrible indicator of the zeitgeist for the last couple years at least. Brat didn't even have a single wind up on the year end 100 but its cultural impact far outshined most of the dreck on that chart. Real ones don't care about metrics! The Hot 100 could end up being 90% AI slop but no one who actually cares about music would be listening to any of it. I wonder how many streams of this song are just background music in retail or office spaces - passive listening that drives up streams but no one chooses on purpose.

also the only christian pop i support is that yolanda adams cover of i believe i can fly with the whole religious choir. and this man is NO yolanda adams.

Sitting here at 3am with my sleeping newborn who was born yesterday, about to watch this, remembering how I watched your New Radicals review while in basically the same place with kid #1 almost six years ago. Todd you had no say in it but I now associate your videos with the birth of my children. Thats weird but also keep on Todd!

I saw this was no. 1 in the UK while watching the top 10 videos on mute in a kebab shop, and immediately longed for a Todd takedown based on the video/song name/double first named singer alone.

i just can't get over the fact that this man used to be part of the hype house. like those guys should not be allowed into another other medium i'm sorry

It will be interesting to see if this shit has any legs or if this is all the Afternoon Delight or Light of my Life of the 2020s. Sadly, you don't know how lucky you are in the states. I live in Japan and this horrible song called Next Summer by Damiano David is taking off and holy shit it might be the worst pop song I've heard in 30 years.

I think you are spot on with your analysis and comments. Well done, sir.

Theory 6: Spotify (and others) are increasingly and intentionally pushing the blandest possible music into every possible playlist (especially stuff they commissioned from “fake” artists and AI) because it doesn’t get skipped, and thus are disproportionately increasing the popularity of Christian and Christian sounding music because it’s soooooooo bland already. Evidence: nobody I know knows a thing about this guy or this song, and everyone I know is still obsessed with Chappell and Sabrina and other pop stars who are actually interesting. Also please read Liz Pelly’s Mood Machine if you think I’m being hyperbolic.

The already noted issue with saying his name wrong is the only thing I noted as a problem I was eagerly waiting to see if you referenced Lewis Capaldj and then the white boy got pipes scale hit. I was very torn here between "this is the most boring song from a boring looking guy" and "thank goodness his hair isn't as bad as it was in the reality show"

This song is made for grandmas who still buy CDs

Thanks for posting this! After the blockbuster music year we got last year, this year does feel... Very different, to say the very least. Even though we have gotten some good stuff from the likes of Gaga and Miley, I've increasingly found myself retreating to random indie "weirdo shit" and the good ol' sound of silence as the 2025 pop charts have been overflowing in boring slop. And yes, I'm glad I'm not the only one who's been getting so mad about this one song by this one guy that sounds like a whole lot of nothing. I swear I don't "hate Christians." It’s just that I also grew up in a fundie megachurch, and "Ordinary" and "Your Way's Better" sound like so many Maranatha! Music songs (#IYKYK) that tried to be "for the youth" by retconning churchy lyrics onto trendy pop sounds. I guess this is another reason why I'm so upset over the state of popular music in 2025. After we had an open door for all sorts of groundbreaking creativity and a new crop of artists from historically underrepresented communities and backgrounds, we've fallen back to celebrating the typical cishet white guys making the most mid music (to put it kindly). When I was so excited about Sleep Token getting an album bomb onto the charts a few weeks ago, I realized how hard we have it in 2025.

Man I was never expecting you to show a Kilian Experience thumbnail for a gag XD

I used to prey for times like these

I'm growing more grateful at how little I follow modern music if this is the biggest song of the year and I've never heard it until this video.

Amazing video, hearing you reference CKY was surreal. when you mention that people were genuinely offended by Lil Nas X, i would’ve put up some screenshots of tweets/articles showing the outrage

Man, we really just kind of let the conservatives win the culture war, didn't we.

Woof, this timeline.

Some weird cropping issues with the stock images at the beginning, and throughout the whole video. Also, you called him “Adam” starting in the middle of the video. Honestly, I’m very, VERY curious to see how the best list will even look this year, considering there hasn’t been a lot of “best” anything this year.

I don't know if this is even worth fixing but at about 7:28 you call him Adam instead of Alex.

Again at like 8:40

Howdy. I dont usually watch these in advance so if this isnt a big deal whatever - you said "adam" Warren at around 7:30

7:28 Possible error, possibly intentionally getting the guy's name wrong as a joke about how generic he is: "That would be where _Adam_ Warren fits in."

I must be REALLY out of the loop, because I have NEVER heard of this song. Then again, my current listens for the year have been Sleep Token, Lady GaGa, GHOST and HAIM, so that may have to do with it. And I’m about to add Japanese Breakfast and Magdalena Bay to that lineup too.

Okay, the “white boy got pipes” scale took me out

"I think I've given away that I don't particularly like this song"... I dunno, Todd, there was something about the title card saying I HATE THIS that gave me that impression.