Why I Reacted To This Song
It’s one of those tracks that sounds like it’s about to fall apart and somehow that’s exactly what makes it work.
Original by Artist
About This Song
“Anything, Anything (I’ll Give You)” is the standout track from Dramarama’s 1985 debut album Cinema Verite. Written by frontman John Easdale, the song never charted particularly high on release but became a college radio staple and has since endured as a cult classic, later resurfacing on the soundtrack to A Nightmare on Elm Street 4. It’s built on a simple, desperate plea repeated until it becomes a shout.
First Impressions
The verses simmer just under control before the chorus lets loose and that release is where the song earns its reputation.
My Reaction
What sells “Anything, Anything” is the commitment. Easdale isn’t pleading quietly, he’s yelling it and the band behind him sounds like they’re barely holding the arrangement together, which only adds to the urgency. It’s a scrappy, unpolished anthem in the best sense, the kind of song that never needed a hit single’s polish to earn its place. Decades later it still sounds like a band giving everything they have to a three-minute song.
Rating
81/100