Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

I believe this song deserves 5 stars. It is excellent and Pixie's vocals are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I hope it gets to number 1.

Interesting that, when I first heard of this song and listened to it, I never thought much of it; it was very much a dry, emotionless, vacuum of a song with a simplistic simile for a title so all Pixie fans could pretend it was 'cleverly written' with 'beautiful metaphors'. Nothing that exceeded her previous outputs at all.

First impressions? Negative.

A few days later, the opportunity of looking up the video without actually going to YouTube and typing in the address came upon me once more, so I clicked on a link, as you do, but this time, I was under the impression I hadn't actually heard it before. And once listening to it, it was only at 0:30 that I realise I actually had listened to it before. Meaning I'd listened to it first, then, two days later, I'd completely forgotten the song, or that I ever listened to it.

Second impressions? Not very different from the first, to tell you the truth.

On closer inspection, 'Broken Arrow' is all it should be, a soft rock/pop ballad, with heart-broken, typical "If only"-type lyrics, and a twinkling piano to sweeten up proceedings. It's doesn't argue with the fact it's pretty much a bog-standard, bargain bin re-release single either: it's almost like it’s accepting the fact that it's only there to make extra money; not to be any good. It plods along, like a lost donkey, through the production; the odd hi-hat hopelessly trying to spruce up to otherwise very bland beat, a mix of drum machine and live drum kit.

The thing with ballads is, you've only got about three major conceptual fundamentals that can make it that amazing song you heard off the radio this morning and can't wait to buy: Option #1 is out of the question because it wasn't written by Gary Barlow, Option #2 is to go the favoured-by-boybands route and have a massive key-change and gospel choir about two thirds in, and Option #3 is to chuck away the commerciality and have those lyrics, that induce those tears and that lump in your throat.

'Broken Arrow' has neither of those qualities, and if you've got no key change and it's not written by the God of Ballads, you can't just put out something that has lyrics as... ignorable as 'Broken Arrow's. The lyrics say nothing that hasn’t already been said this year alone (a year where ballads are as popular as gout), and Pixie tries no vocal flourish to tart them up, unless you count her "I'll be all soulful if I sing through gritted teeth" ploy. It's like she just sung them from a piece of paper she hadn't even seen until she got to the studio that morning. It's emotionally hollow.

The video isn't great either, but if my eyes are not deceiving me, it seems Pixie's record label may have realised this is a bit naff, and so may not get so much return on the song, hence why they've product pacement-ified it all. HEY SAMSUNG. HEY CITREON. NOT TOO OBVIOUS THERE, ARE YOU? She wears the worst hat since Katie Melua's 'SMart' moment in her 'A Happy Place' video, I’ll think you’ll find.

Yet again we're denied to chance to find out who Pixie really is, what's her niche in the industry? Everything she's released so far sounds like it could've been sung by five other female solo artists all sharing her Top 10 success; she hasn't ever put her stamp on anything; nothing jumps out and makes you say "That's typically Pixie", except for the incessant warbling that makes her sound like her vocals are attached to a an automata.

To me, she is the most manufactured artist in the industry right now.

I know I may have been harsh, but that's Pixie's fault for making me stop a HURTS song halfway through so I could listen to this regurgitated rubbish.

2 stars.

When I went to watch the video I was suprised I didn't have to sit through a load of adverts before, because Vevo are evil like that, then I realised the whole thing was one big advert. Disappointing.

It's so middle of the road, just like the rest of her songs.

Pixie's success baffles me really, there's nothing remarkable about her at all, and she hasn't released any great songs. I know she has had a few #1's but neither of them are really that good, I think they charted well because of her ultra-commercialness than anything else if I'm being honest. And they won't be remembered.

It's interesting that, in a time when album sales are at a shocking low, Pixie has managed to enjoy considerable success with her debut album in this country, ahead of the more critically talked-about pop singers like Ellie and Marina, for example.

I think much of Pixie's success is down to her being extremely commercial in every way - her songs are very radio and chart-friendly, she's a young pretty-faced girl so the tabloids, magazines and tv shows love her, and because of that she's become almost a household name, is constantly in the spotlight, and is getting job offers from every direction (fashion, film roles, X Factor stand-in judge etc).

In that sense, I think she is a good example of what is needed these days to be a successful mainstream popstar, especially in the uk. I know a lot of singers these days tick many of those boxes, but I think it's interesting how Pixie hasn't really had any amazing songs yet has seen all this commercial success over the past year. I wouldn't be saying any of this if Pixie had released some top quality pop tunes, but she hasn't.