Making it her own

[Tusk]

I was watching the video of "Free" from the Vegas show, curious why it' has regained some popularity?

It was the first of two videos I posted, and I get that these two, "Free" and "Song For My Father" have a head start on the others because they were the first vids I posted from an anticipated Vegas show/First Live Performance after the Interscope Split, so sure they should have the most views.

I was interested when, in the last couple days, the LV "Free" had a surge in views that boosted it ahead of SFMF, It had prevously been consistently behind SFMF 30 views or so. Now it has 50 more views than SFMF

I've always liked the original rendition of "Free" but it seemed, among most Haliens, that it had lost it's sheen,and wasn't really among the top favorites of most Halien lists from LU. So when it had fairly significant surge, from a song that many people are apathetic about, I noticed

Which had me thinking on past events and the possible evolution of songs on LU...maybe a reworking of "Undone" in the future :
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As noticed before, "Listen Up!" has a sticker on it with three songs on it, presumably the 'strongest' of the disc. They were "Free", "Oh My" and "Undone", in that order and thought to be the songs that would be promoted from LU.

Fast foward to Lollapalooza. "Free" after initial good reviews does not translate into better sales, so OM becomes the heir apparent, and the gimmick of adding B.o.B to the track was a reason. Rumblings that OM would make it's 'single' debut at Lolla had people discussing the possibility of a B.o.B cameo.

For reasons unkown, the B.o.B/Reinhart live collaboration was not meant to be. Being the 'show must go on'/ Bringing her 'A' game person she is, Haley takes on and executes the rap on the Lolla Stage. Rolling out a 'rap' performance, while her fans loved the execution, Haley must not have, after taking it out on it's 'first drive'.



So what does she do? She brainstorms (with her Dad) and switches out the B.o.B. bridge replacing it with an almost middle eastern, smokey one that better fit her performance personality and vocals.



Given Haley's tendency to be forward looking, We will probably () never hear Haley rap the B.o.B lyrics again.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago. We hear fewer and fewer live performances of "Free", a song many Haliens see as 'the song she did not write' so put it at a 'lesser' level. It's most likely because she is performing other songs that she was not performing "Free", but it is absent for many of performances.

Then the Interscope split happens. "Free"'s status as a "lesser/non radio friendl/Haley didn't write it" all of a sudden had a new byline:

""Free", the song that didn't 'win' Haley a second single"....

But that's not where the story ends... We're talking about Haley Effin' Reinhart. here (you thought it was 'Elizabeth', didn't you? ).

The song she has performed from LU more than any other song (second probably only to HOTRS or "Oh Darlin'") was now also symbolic of the Interscope "Failure". It would be completely understandable if she never sang that song again. There are at least three more songs from LU we have yet to hear...then there's Spiderweb ...her unreleased songs...new songs on her stops to the studio... Many, many, many reasons why she might NEVER perform "Free" again.... So WWHD? (What Would Haley Do?)

She picks up her old friend and collaborates with a couple cool dudes (Keith and Courtney) to breathe new life into "Free". Look everybody, Haley loves, "Free". It's really OK to like it again



-So we see Haley reworks and refreshes OM which now, without the rapping 'B.o.B lyrics, is a song she performs often.

-She takes a song in "Free", which she has no obligation to ever perform again, and convinces her fans to look again at it after she reworks it. And apparently they like it

So we come to "Undone"...... The true "Red Headed Step Child" from LU. Although Haley loves all the songs on the album, she appears to be uncomfortable with it, talking about it and performing it, we see Haley unable to connect her performance to the song like she has with practically every song she's tackled.



Despite Haley's communicated uneasiness with the song, it still continues to be tweeted about on Twitter partly due to it's appearance in a movie. Potentially an international, cross over, anthemic. Adele like hit. Did Interscope grin at it's potential? Probably, it didn't hurt "Undone"'s prospect as a second single. Still, Haley never appeared to find that 'fit' with Undone. She performed it expertly on iHeart, seeing it in it's Glory. Yet, she could never perform it with the ....passion... she could with the others.



As potentially 'Hit Worthy' as it appears to be, she choses to perform other songs over it, having performed it only twice? three times?

WWHD?.....

So we see, the 3 songs on the sticker. "Free", "OM" and "Undone". We have now seen Haley take two songs on a test drive, put it back in the garage, reworked it....then roll out songs that were more "Haley". They are the same songs....but "better", with more of her essence.

So, is "Undone" next?