B-Side Weekly: Sia – “Taken For Granted (M.V.P. Remix)”

Sia is not an unfamiliar name to the world of music, let alone EDM and dance; most of her early work focused on melancholy hooks and a heavy emphasis on her music with less on her image. The latter focus on her image has even come to the point that, at the height of her fame, she is still relatively reclusive to the public light by obscuring her face with outfits. If you ask some old school fans, you might even get some anecdotes about her friendly stage banter and former tours before she started writing for the likes of Christina Aguilera, Rihanna, and Adele. Writing music has given Sia an outlet for not only her work projected on other artists, but has allowed her to develop her own sound in the process, and refining who she is as a singer/songwriter. Yes, although Sia might not have as strong roots in EDM as she has in trip-hop, and alt. pop, there are few hardcore Sia fans who remember her debut pop album, Healing Is Difficult.

Released in 2001, Healing Is Difficult came in a pivotal time for newcomer Sia Furler, after already playing in the band, Crisp, but also coming out of a release from 1997, a 100% Trip-Hop 90s effort called OnlySee. OnlySee had local success, while Healing is Difficult spawned a #10 peak single on the UK Singles Chart for the lead single, “Taken For Granted.” Long before the days of the catchy alt. pop We Are Born, or the orchestral chords found on Some People Have Real Problems, there was only the budget-quality video made for Taken For Granted, along with a long lost remix that was rereleased when Furler started to break into the mainstream with her ballad works on 2008’s Bionic, an unsuccessful Christina Aguilera album.

Taken For Granted (MVP Remix)

The MVP Remix of Taken For Granted almost has little historical context to where it was commissioned or where it possibly came from. Unlike some of the other recognized names on the album’s “deluxe” re-release, the MVP Remix was brought together by production group, “M.V.P.,” comprised of B-Legit, E40, and D-Shot, all of hip-hop rap and production fame. You would never expect a group of rappers bringing a hybrid trip-hop-dance effort to the table, but somehow they pulled it together pretty damned well. I almost had to double take the information I was taking in on the only website I could find information on it (the very gracious “WhoSampled” website for cheaters like me).

As a song itself, there is no doubt that Taken For Granted has a typical 90s dance backbeat for the time. Although it follows many trends that would be considered reflective of the past, the track innovates with its random quirks and high frequencies that enter the measure at almost just the right time. This interesting off-timing, as well as morphing the melody yet retaining the vocals, gives the track just enough juice it needs to play it at a party. It is no question that some of your friends might scratch their head at your selection, but the end-rap near the conclusion of the song comes almost out of thin air, yet does nothing to ruin the integrity of the song. It might be a “blink and you miss it” moment, but it is an interesting mash-up with a pre-mainstream pop Sia Furler.

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Sources: The Barton Quandary