Mike Posner gives the “scorned lover song” a different spin — he even names names! — on ‘Cheated,’ the next single from his debut album ’31 Minutes to Takeoff.’
Posner doesn’t spend any time crying about the fact that his ex-girlfriend was unfaithful. Instead, he gets angry: “I should have cheated on you / I was everything you wanted and more / I should have cheated on you / Nobody told me I was dating a whore / I should have cheated, cheated, cheated.”
Before the final hook, Posner sings, “Caroline Stevens, this song is for you.” Ouch!
It’s fun to see a pop singer get revenge on an ex by outing her as a cheater. You have to root for Posner as he shares his frustration.
While the lyrics are inventive, musically, the song bears some resemblance to Posner’s hit ‘Please Don’t Go,’ in that the verses feature only a few electronic sounds, while the music slowly grows in intensity until reaching its climax during the chorus. The similarity isn’t a surprise since both songs were co-produced by Benny Blanco, the young hitmaker who has guided Kesha and Katy Perry to the top of the charts.
About the only negative here is the silly group chanting in the second verse — a group of fellas scream “Return it! Return it!” after Posner sings that he bought his girl a ring.
Otherwise, ‘Cheated’ is strong enough to follow ‘Cooler Than Me,’ ‘Please Don’t Go’ and ‘Bow Chicka Wow Wow’ into the Top 40 and give Posner a fourth hit from ’31 Minutes to Takeoff.’
Now, we just have to find out if Caroline Stevens is real. Because that would be the most awesome thing ever.
Listen to the NEW version that’s hitting radio here: Pop Crush