’10 Second Songs’ Singer Enlists Fans for First Original Track
After spinning hits like Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” and Ariana Grande’s “Problem” into patchwork pop quilts, Ten Second Songs mastermind Anthony Vincent enlisted his fans for the latest edition of his series of songs sung in 20 different styles. “City Street” is Vincent’s latest, and first original, composition. The song was co-written with fans, who contributed individual lines via YouTube and Facebook comments complete with the artist they wanted Vincent to imitate.
The track is centered around a chorus Vincent wrote about driving around in his ratty Hyundai Sonata “singing songs in different melodies just because I wanna.” While he kicks off “City Street” in an unspecified arena rock fashion, he’s immediately tasked with aping the likes of Prince and Tool, as the fan-written lyrics appear on-screen.
While all of Vincent’s covers have a certain mania to them, “City Street” is delirious, but equally impressive. His Lemmy Kilmister impression during the Motörhead portion is followed by a soulful Stevie Wonder, while moments later he’s crooning a line about running over Snow White in the style of Sam Smith.
Cannibal Corpse and Bruno Mars also get back-to-back hat tips, creating a bizarre scene about noticing a hungry bear in the backseat and a cute girl walking down the street. In perhaps the clip’s most surreal moment, Vincent dusts off his burly howl and German language skills to sing his hook à la Rammstein.
In the video announcing the “City Street” project, Vincent said he’s working on a new 20-style cover, but noted that he’s taking his time since he’s attempting to imitate several artists for the first time. Prior to “City Street,” Vincent offered up a Valentine’s Day treat, covering 20 different love songs by 20 different artists. Other previous Ten Second Songs offerings include renditions of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” Linkin Park’s “In the End” and Jason Derulo’s “Talk Dirty.”