Ellie Goulding, Sixteen | Track Review

Ellie Goulding reminisces back to days of innocent, pure love on her enthusiastic, highly-enjoyable, and relatable single, “Sixteen.”

“Let’s take the move that we found / And give it back to ourselves / Sometimes these things don’t work out / Sometimes there’ll be no one else.” Sigh, it’s been four years since Ellie Goulding (“Lights”, “Anything Could Happen”, and “Love Me Like You Do”) released an album! That’s right – last we heard from Goulding was Delirium, which was released in 2015.  Thankfully, Goulding makes her return in 2019. “Sixteen” arrives as the third advance single from her forthcoming album.

“Sixteen” has its fair share of pros.  For one, the groove is absolutely infectious, supporting the warm, major-key-propelled vibes.  In addition to the groove itself, the production is a selling point, led by the bass line, keyboard, and synths.  Adding to the goodness are the vocals.  Ellie Goulding has always had a distinct voice and once more, those pipes shines like a beacon. “Sixteen” is an enthusiastic joint, where Goulding superbly sells her desire for her man to “focus on me / Like we were sixteen.” It’s reminiscent, yet very much in the present.  The bridge, excerpted earlier, continues:

“They said we’d never even make it this far

But here we are

And we’re still counting stars

Like we were sixteen.”

Of course, prior to that, there’s the up-beat, innocent, love-centric chorus, in all it’s glory.

Final Thoughts 

All in all, Ellie Goulding delivers on “Sixteen.” How so? Strong vocals, excellent production, and relatable theme and songwriting.  Is this a game changer? No, but it’s a great addition to any playlist.

Ellie Goulding • Sixteen [Single] • Polydor • Release: 4.12.19

Photo Credit: Polydor