Single Review: Zombie (Acoustic) by Yungblud
By Ollie Connelly“Conquer America next,” Ozzy Osbourne said to Yungblud (Dominic Harrison) just after being gifted a custom-made cross necklace to match the one the young artist had been gifted by the man himself just years before.
“And then the world,” Ozzy’s wife, Sharon, weighed in shortly after.
With a chart-topping fourth album (Idols), a single with Steven Tyler that garnered him a shiny #1 plaque, 4 Grammy nominations, a sold-out U.S. tour, and a show-stopping tribute performance at the VMAs, it’s clear to anyone paying attention that Yungblud took these words to heart. He’s always been a man on the go with a mission and a heart made of gold, but there’s no denying that the blessings given to him by one of his idols (pun entirely intended) were exactly what he needed to spur him forward.
Much to fans’ delight, that “can’t stop, won’t stop” mentality has brought about a seemingly endless stream of music. This time, it’s in the form of a heart-wrenching acoustic version of his previous single, “Zombie”.
The song, having hit the Top 10 on iTunes, was already a fan favorite. Used as a closer to his shows across North America earlier this year, “Zombie” has had Dom’s listeners in a chokehold since its debut as the last single released before Idols took the world by storm.
It came along back in May, accompanied by a music video starring Florence Pugh that follows a young nurse in her behind-the-scenes struggle with the pain that comes along with the profession. If the compelling E Major chord progression isn’t enough to bring tears to one’s eye, the lyrics delivered in Dom’s signature achingly raw vocals certainly will.
https://youtu.be/Yv97b2oPk3w?si=tkdKO12X8FIybSpT
Oh, I know that I can't live without you
But this world will keep turning if you do
Would you even want me looking like a zombie?
Would you even want me, want me, want me?
“The song was written initially about my grandmother going through serious injury and trauma, leading her to become a different person to who she was before. It’s about the feeling of deterioration and ugliness; shutting out the world and the people we love out of the fear of becoming a burden or an embarrassment,” Dom told Rock Sound in an interview recently released.
And what’s the one thing that can take an already highly emotional ballad to an even more emotional level? An acoustic version, naturally. With another music video to boot.
https://youtu.be/QiHDqw4q96c?si=tvoRSAucavJdRClW
Along with Michell Parkman on the cello, we see Dom on an acoustic guitar in a room built to look like an old-fashioned library, fireplace and all. It’s somehow both an odd backdrop to such an emotionally raw song, but then again, sometimes comfort is key. The melancholic tune is cradled expertly by the soft, warm setting, and overall, the entire number takes on the same feeling as staring out a window on a rainy day, watching the drops race down the glass.
It’s a stark contrast from his latest series of releases, a collaborative EP with Aerosmith (My Only Angel), which just went Number One in the US within the first week of December. Upbeat and full of classic rock-n-roll attitude, the 6 tracks bear almost no resemblance to this new toned-down single, showing just how much range one young man can have.
If there’s any takeaway to be had from Dom’s ongoing journey, vocal growth, musical expansion, passion, and sheer unadulterated talent, it is to never underestimate a boy with a dream.
Ozzy said, “Conquer America”. Yungblud’s response, clearly, was simply “I’m already on it.”
https://open.spotify.com/album/0VtyxuBnWiudcU8N1vIHQ7?si=77jUlzKBR9GPQ6XUTKnNIw
