“JOEJAS - SALLY’S LAST DANCE”
“SALLY’S LAST DANCE” is a funky, soulful R&B cut from the multi-talented UK-native artist, producer, and videographer JOEJAS, a.k.a. HairyMuffinMan. Running for 2 minutes and 42 seconds, the track gives off chill vibrations that feel just as much sincere as they do fun and energetic; it features a nice synth melody, a bell lead, and groovy drums. There is a plethora of sound effects and other subtle sounds which all unite to create a feeling that reminds me of dancing under a disco ball in a dim, colorfully lit room. Not to mention, these sounds also make for a deeper, more heartfelt vibe; this in combination with his staccato, high-pitched vocals, as well as the lower-range bars, tied together by the range of his inflections, heightens all of the aforementioned elements of the track, and that disco ball feeling they create. The arrangement also assists in the creation of this feeling, as it builds momentum and suspense with the spacing and placement of the various sections of the track. For example, the track starts with the chorus and then describes a situation, and because of the manner in which the track is arranged, the chorus takes on new context and meaning due to this situation. The subject matters that he discusses include a love interest he has, which he insists that he will see again, and dance with. The cut also details a situation that seemingly occurred at a party in which there was a mix-up over some out-of-pocket comments and they had to flee; this ties in directly with the love interest situation, as he had to leave her behind, but afterward he calls and apologizes in an attempt to make amends. This may be a reach, but I perceived that the title may also be a double entente, as it refers to the potentiality of that being his last dance with the said love interest, and it could also be referring to the person who made the comments and got rocked, as it could have been his last dance. Nonetheless, the track is raw, authentic, and deeply emotive while simultaneously still being fun and catchy, and maintaining a very high-quality mix and master. Also, it reminds me of Tyler the Creator’s music.
A glimpse of the FAT LLAMA website.
The music video adds a fun spin to the track, giving it a whole new life and making it feel like a cohesive experience that we get to live through with him and his friends, as well as his love interest, which in this video is an inflatable doll. We see him getting ready, and there is one of those rugs with the roads on them (the ones that you can like put toy cars on and play with, I used to have one of those when I was little and I loved it) in his room, which is sick. Then he gets on a bus and sings and performs on it. Shortly afterward he hops out at a party and performs there as well. He also catches up with his friends and talks to his love interest, and then the situation goes down; they knock the impostor (who is wearing a llama mask) with a skateboard, and then quickly dip out. They all run separate ways, and he hides out behind what appears to be a newspaper stand, before going into a phone booth to apologize to his latex lover (sorry about that one), there is a takeout box in there which I assume is unrelated. Then it cuts to a side-by-side shot of them talking on the phone in their bedrooms, in which he has whipped out the durag and she is bopping her head as he serenades her. Then he seemingly has a bad flashback and throws the phone and ends the call. Also, side note, Sally is a recurring character in the FAT LLAMA/JOEJAS world: she is the inflatable doll. This is her fourth appearance (to my knowledge), as she also appears in “SALLY”, “SALLY’S WHEELS”, and “SALLY’S HEARTBREAK PICNIC” Then we get some really nice performance shots with aesthetic backgrounds, such as trees and graffiti. The video ends with the impostor lying on the floor. Overall, it is very well-made, colorful, and creative, with a great story and tons of subtleties, and it adds a lot to the track. I especially like the incorporation of his merch into the video, as he is wearing it, some of his friends are wearing it, and his blow-up babe (sorry again lol) was wearing it, and she had a sticker in her phone case. We also get to see him skateboarding a little bit. Finally, the impostor was wearing a llama head. All of these things tie directly into his brand, FAT LLAMA, which is an independent label where he posts his videos, music, skits, etc. It is also a lifestyle brand that seems to heavily revolve around skating, having fun, and being creative. The brand has a website that includes clothing, events, and a radio station. It’s pretty cool. Overall, the video and the track are fun, thoughtful, and well-made.
EDIT - 6/21/2022 at 9:23 PM: This is actually the finale of the Sally series, and according to doogotouy.com and JOEJAS himself, this song is actually about various elements of multiple relationships that he has had all amalgamated into this one with Sally; it’s a metaphor for his love life.
