Orla Gartland, 'You're Not Special, Babe'

By
Bob Boilen
WNYC | Jul 7, 2021

My initial reaction to "You're Not Special, Babe" from London-based, Dublin-raised musician Orla Gartland was that it felt mean-spirited and sounded overly pop-y, two things I'm allergic to. But I was reminded of Laurie Anderson's Harmonizer-sounding vocals at the start. Then my curiosity regarding the lyrical refrain (also the song's title) had me listening deeper; I realized, by the chorus, that she was singing "you're not special" to herself. I was hooked.

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