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 //  Artists: Joshua Grimmie, Eilidh Title: Ticking On It Length: 4:05 Genre(s): Synthpop, Pop, Electronic Pop Written By: J.Grimmie, C.Hudson Produced By: The Wolverines Label: Five Pesky Kids Records From The Album: PORCELAINHEART Ticking On It is a song by American singer-songwriter Joshua Grimmie. It is the eight track coming from Grimmie's long-awaited debut studio album, "PORCELAINHEART". In August 2017, it was released as the fourth single from the album. The new single version features vocals from US pop singer Eilidh. The track follows on from the breezy, uplifting guitar-driven anthem "Faking On Top Of The World". Returning to the more sombre tones heard previously on the album on such tracks like "Porcelain Heart" and "Borrowed Scars", the mid-tempo song dabbles with smooth, minimalist, nocturnal sounds within the urban realm while combining the catchy hooks and earworm production skitters associated with electronic music and synthpop. Despite having rather violent and aggressive sounding lyrics, Ticking On It, is delivered in a soft, tender manner. Joshua shows off yet another side of his voice, further proving naysayers wrong about his versatility. His rough, gritty and deep vocals are nowhere to be heard as they've been swapped for a lulling, breathy and fluttery falsetto. The record was written in mid-2016 with Christopher Hudson, famed for being 1/4 of The Stat Nerds and also a critically acclaimed songwriter. Feeling some pressure from his label to create a "big pop moment" that would fit in easily on streaming playlists, Grimmie knew that Hudson was the right person to turn to. Wanting to remain true to his roots as an artist, the pair worked hard and compromised to create the perfect concoction of Joshua's personality and serviceable pop music. The song was one of three not to be performed at Grimmie's Unapologetic Tour which began on April 1st 2017. Believing that this would either be a future single or fan favourite, he decided against an early premiere to avoid the possibility of fans growing tired quickly. Production of the song came from none other than The Wolverines, a staple in pop music of the last five years. Grimmie was initially reluctant to work with them as well as others outside of the acoustic pop genre but after some persuasion from his manager, Bilal Holmes, Joshua was more open to work with acts from different musical backgrounds. Ticking On It was one of two songs he approached the duo with. When he discovered that he was going to be having a session with the producers, Grimmie knew that "Ticking On It" was one of the songs that he wanted them to look at. Chasing that pop sound, there was nobody more qualified for the job than The Wolverines. With a melody already somewhat formed with thanks to Christopher Hudson, the duo worked on it simultaneously alongside Porcelain Heart, the other track Grimmie had brought to them. Using the other track for a rough outline and inspiration, alongside encouragement from Joshua, The Wolverines started to shape a silky modern R&B inspired track, gently drizzled with the essence of addictive electronic music. Aided with light, almost faux dubstep beats and slightly distorted, breathy vocals, Ticking On It manages to capture the feel of a melodic, space-like and psychedelic track. Lyrically, the song tells the story of a couple who are seemingly no good for one another both mentally and physically but they enjoy the pain and all the excitement that the volatile relationship brings their way. Rather than being a one-sided story and sounding more lighthearted about the situation like the track "Vital Signs", the song documents a more tragic and sinister tale. The aforementioned album track could be written as one big metaphor for his partner's overpowering, addictive and abrasive love but "Ticking On It" is far more explicit in its lyrical approach. The relationship clearly involves emotional manipulation and physical altercations - "...still picking the broken glass from my skin". The couple constantly tease and taunt one another throughout the course of the song and it's evident that they break-up just to enjoy the make-up. It is a tiring game but neither one of them wish to quit as it is addictive and they have never felt so alive - "Why do we keep living and riding on a time bomb?/There could be something better for us all along/But when it feels this good, how can it be so wrong?". A theme throughout the song, mainly the chorus, is time. Joshua uses many time related words in order to show how long it's been going on and just how constant it is, hence the title of the song. Ticking On It is probably one of the most explicit songs on the album, dropping cuss words and referring to sexual activity: "You fuck with my mind and I'm the bastard who broke you in" - as well as some double entendre: "Making me feel like I'm no good with the way that you spit/And when my tongue's on rapid fire, you never want me to quit"Joshua SaysQuote:"Ticking On It is a song that I've been desperate for everyone to hear for the longest time. Like I've said before, I'm a real storyteller and this one was based on a couple who attended my school. They were in the same year as me, actually. So no, this song isn't based on a personal situation, just one I observed...and read about on Facebook all the time. They have been in "love" since like middle school and they were just infamous. They were the first real, official couple the year had and I have no idea how they lasted so long because all they ever did was fight. Publicly. They are still together now, I'm sure. There would always be drama and everyone in our year would be divided into her team and his team. I'm not going to name them. It was like a free soap opera. I know a lot of people will immediately think that the guy was the asshole but, in all honesty, those two were just as bad as one another. I kept looking at them and wondering what the hell was keeping them together. When they were happy, it was the sweetest picture ever but when they were at war...man, it was lethal. I didn't think that the constant fighting, stressing and crying was worth it. Like, call it a damn day and go enjoy life. This song was a way of me getting into their mindset and trying to understand what it was that kept them together."
"I co-wrote the song with Christopher Hudson, who I had been put into contact with via my management. They had told me a few weeks prior that they wanted me to come up with something that sounds a little more serviceable to pop stations and all these streaming platforms. I'm always up for a challenge but I'm never going to just abandon who I am as an artist and cash-in on a total generic bop. I felt that, having a session booked with Christopher, he'd be the right person to help me come up with what was required and it also be of substance. He's a terrific artist himself and the songs he has written for others have been just as in-depth as they are catchy. It's never anything faceless with him. I told him the story that I had in mind for the song and he was hooked but he said it's a little too heavy for something really pop. In order for it to be more palatable and catchy, he said that we needed a recurring theme. Something that repeats or coincides that sticks in the mind. We continued discussing the couple I was writing about and I said to him something along the lines of "All eyes would be on them every lunchtime, like clockwork." and his eyes lit up. Clockwork. That is our basis. We started to throw time related words around and decided to emphasise on just how long this disastrous relationship has been going on and the repetitiveness of it all. The rhyming, the playful nature of all the metaphors as well as that catchy little "tick-tick-tick-tick" really helped sway the song from disturbing, downbeat territory into something far more enjoyable and easier to swallow."
"Working with The Wolverines was a wonderful experience. We didn't always see eye to eye but I have a lot of respect for them. I knew that they were the guys for the job. Christopher and I had created such a wonderful melody and we needed professional, the best of the best, to do it justice. These guys have the Midas touch when it comes to pop songs. They started to work on Porcelain Heart first and once they got going with that, it really inspired the beginnings of Ticking On It. I had a really strong melody but no instrumentation and I found it hard to conjure up possibilities in my head, so when they presented me with this almost outer space sounding, slinky, slick, nocturnal feeling track I was taken aback as I would have never thought of that. They got me to re-record the song and was told to make my vocals more relaxed and breathy to coincide with the silky instrumentation. It's a side of my voice that I hadn't really used before but I was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked. It definitely fits in with the album but it stands out in a major way. I think that is the beauty behind it and what makes the song one of the key parts of PORCELAINHEART. Lyrically, I felt like I couldn't hold back when talking about a subject as intense as this. I feel like the positioning of the song is just perfect, sitting at track number 8 for many reason. It follows on after the closing of the heavily stringed middle section of the album and as it's a rather smooth-sounding song, it makes for a great transition back into the more electronic influenced stuff again. Very easy on the ears. Also, it slowly starts a trend of more brutal and Rated R lyrics which is spread across the final three tracks. Track 9 is rather sexually suggestive and the closing song is just fucking raw and personal as can be, so I think that Ticking On It is a nice stepping stone towards those."
"When it came to choosing the next single, it was between Ticking On It and Vital Signs. The latter was more of an obvious choice for the summer but Ticking... has always been a fan favourite and one of mine. I knew that I wanted to add a female vocalist for the single release and for the video. It describes a very intense relationship and having the male-female voices intertwining on the record makes it feel much more real, more raw. It's like both sides to the coin. As my voice is rather husky and gravelly, I wanted someone who completely stands out against that and takes a vocally different approach. Eilidh was the obvious choice. She has such a powerful yet silky smooth voice. Also, being label mates, I know her and have somewhat of a bond with her so it was easy to approach Eilidh and fit everything into place. The contrast between our vocals really works well together and I think that it takes the song to a whole new level. I can't wait for everyone to hear this new version." Joshua
Eilidh
BothTick, tick, tick, tick
Tick, tick, tick
It's getting harder to breathe, you're tainting the oxygen
Easier to leave but there's no high like letting you win
I'm no saint either, still picking the broken glass from my skin
Gripping onto the reaper, tempting fate down in the deep end
You help me drift in a trance as we bathe away in our sins
You fuck with my mind and I'm the bastard who broke you in
There's really no point running from a speeding bullet
Leave you succumbed and begging, that's the way that we do it
Making me feel like I'm no good with the way that you spit
And when my tongue's on rapid fire, you never want me to quit
Living a game of cat and mouse, always trying to outwit
Keep me on my toes, making nights that I won't ever forget
I am tired, I am growing weaker with every waking moment
I am battered, used to be ten now it's twenty I'm smoking
But I feel more alive with every breath that is stolen
I'm going down in the ring against my favorite opponent Close my eyes and count to ten, the roses all fade to black
Stroke of midnight, our fairytale slips through the cracks
Say another Mississippi and you bring it all right back
Tip the hourglass and start the countdown to the next attack
This tale's as old as time, loops around from dusk 'til dawn
And I just keep tick-tick-tick-tick ticking onWe can be picture perfect, straight out of a movie scene
And within the space of seconds we hurl into this tragedy
It's a waiting game, who'll be first to burst at the seams?
You keep on building me up as I overdose on your caffeine
We aren't scared of the sirens, it's the same old routine
Means we're having much more fun when the two of us scream
I am tired, I am growing weaker with every waking moment
I am battered, used to be ten now it's twenty I'm smoking
But I feel more alive with every breath that is stolen
I'm going down in the ring against my favorite opponentClose my eyes and count to ten, the roses all fade to black
Stroke of midnight, our fairytale slips through the cracks
Say another Mississippi and you bring it all right back
Tip the hourglass and start the countdown to the next attack
This tale's as old as time, loops around from dusk 'til dawn
And I just keep tick-tick-tick-tick ticking onI'm madly loving every moment, praying we could stop the clocks You're waiting for a sparkling apology hidden in that velvet box Raise me up like a king then hit me over like building blocks Have you all on edge then butter it up with the sweetest talk Why do we keep living and riding on a time bomb?
There could be something better for us all along
But when it feels this good, how can it be so wrong?We just keep tick-tick-tick-tick ticking on Close my eyes and count to ten, the roses all fade to black (fading)
Stroke of midnight, our fairytale slips through the cracks (Through the cracks)
Say another Mississippi and you bring it all right back
Tip the hourglass and start the countdown to the next attack (Ooooh)
This tale's as old as time, loops around from dusk 'til dawn (Keep going 'round and 'round)
And I just keep tick-tick-tick-tick ticking onTick, tick, tick, tick
Tick, tick, tickCan Be Compared To:
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     WEEKEND: BILLY • DUSTYN • OSCAR • RILEY • SCOTT
PUBLIC WARNING: BEAU • CARTER LEE • JAKE • MYLES • ZANDER
THE STAT NERDS: BRIAN • CHRISTOPHER
THE ZONE: BLAKE • CHRIS • JASON • LIAM
JOSHUA GRIMMIE • LINCOLN • LAYLA • MERCEDES • MICHELLE GREEN
ANDREA • DENEIL • CHICAGO NOBODY • BLOOM • SONNY • VICTORIA BLACK
REUBEN • ELLIE-GRACE SUMMERS • ALFIE SUMMERS • MICAH DELISLE
JAMIE JACKSON • KONSTANTIN • FAYETTE • SAYYID |
