Hurricane (Bridgit Mendler song)

Composition

A midtempo pop song, "Hurricane" exhibits elements of reggae fusion and R&B. Built on a beat and multi-tracked harmonies, the song's instrumentation includes slow-bouncing keyboard tones, and drums. The song was written by Mendler and American songwriters Emanuel Kiriakou, Evan Kidd Bogart, and Andrew Goldstein, and produced by Kiriakou and Goldstein. Lyrically, the song gives ode to a disaster love, and reconciliation and perseverance in love. Mendler's vocals span from the low note of F₃ to the high note of F₅. In interview for Coup de Main Magazine, Mendler commented about recording a rap song for the first time. She said:

I loved recording... you know the rap in 'Hurricane'? That was pretty fun. It was very experimental for me, I haven’t done much rapping before. It was not a deliberate decision... we had written the song and I had come in to record it and then the guys were like: "Why don’t we just try rapping this part?". So I did and then it kind of just worked and we decided to keep it. So not intentional, but sometimes things just happen in the moment.

Critical reception

The song has received positive critical acclaim from music critics. Tim Sendra of AllMusic said, "[Hurricane] has clever fairy tale lyrics and an impassioned vocal (and a sassy rap section)." Girls' Life magazine stated "[Mendler] brings the beat in 'Hurricane', where she belts out some sweet raps about being in the middle of a stormy relationship." Kai of Embrace You magazine claimed that the track title was "quite ironic when we’re currently experiencing one of mother nature’s conception of the said thing" and later said that "interestingly enough, I love this song. The acoustic opener caught me instantly and I’m addicted to her 'oh, oh, oh…' The singer’s play on natural disasters as metaphors for the way she feels about her love interest once again showcases how witty she is as an artist. The fast paced pop rock driven track is both catchy and substantial."

Music video

The music video for "Hurricane" was directed by Robert Hales and filmed in London in March 2013. It was released on April 12, 2013. Naomi Scott appears as Mendler's best friend in the video. They previously worked together in the 2011 Disney Channel film Lemonade Mouth.

Live performances

The song was performed in all dates of her tour, Bridgit Mendler: Live in Concert. On October 20, 2012, Mendler performed the song on Radio Disney and Disney Channel webshow Total Access. The first television performance was on March 11, 2013 on Live! with Kelly and Michael. On April 27, 2013, Mendler performed "Hurricane" at the 2013 Radio Disney Music Awards, making it her first performance at an award show. On June 5, 2013, she performed the song on Ellen. Mendler performed "Hurricane" on Today and on Nova FM on August 30, 2013. During an exclusive interview with the Grammy Awards website, she performed "Hurricane" along with "Ready or Not".

The Hurricane Sessions

In April 2013, Mendler recorded a series of four videos which were released to Vevo and YouTube entitled The Hurricane Sessions, and are acoustic performances of two songs from Hello My Name Is... and two covers. On May 8, 2013, the first video, "Starry Eyed", and Ellie Goulding cover, was released. It received positive reviews. Sam Lansky of Idolator commented, "[Mendler's] husky voice works nicely with the song, especially toward the end, as it gets a little more emotive." On May 15, 2013, she released the second song, "Locked Out of Heaven", a Bruno Mars cover. Fanlala said that they "might like Bridgit's version just as much as the original." "Hurricane", the third video, was released on May 22, 2013. Two months later, the final video, "Top of the World", was released on July 23, 2013.

1. "Starry Eyed" (Ellie Goulding cover) – 3:03
2. "Locked Out of Heaven" (Bruno Mars cover) – 3:38
3. "Hurricane" – 4:04
4. "Top of the World" – 3:01

Credits and personnel

Credits for the album version of "Hurricane" are obtained from Hello My Name Is... liner notes.