4. “GLU”

USHER | SINGLE-ONLY RELEASE

Before I go any further, I must acknowledge I was privileged to attend Usher’s Las Vegas residency this past July.

How does it feel to be one of God’s favorites? Pretty awesome, thanks so much for asking. How was the concert itself? Only topped by Stevie performing Songs In the Key of Life and assorted classics past midnight in Michigan during a blizzard. Experiences you couldn’t pay to replicate. I spent money I didn’t have both times, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

This residency has been a marketing masterclass for Mr. Raymond, if only to remind us all that he is a performer without true peers. And not for nothing, he got the Super Bowl halftime show out of this! A turn of events! “GLU” is an encapsulation of this moment in Usher’s career, a vocal victory lap if you will, because what a motherfucking flex it is to maintain that falsetto for four minutes and twenty-two seconds.

His vocal performance here only becomes more impressive after watching it live. (A rehearsal video, for reference.) Neither you nor I can sing along to “GLU,” and that is precisely the point. Who has the courage? I certainly don’t. And neither does your favorite singer – not if they know any better.