Pitchfork

Cue Rorschach: "Heard a joke once: Man goes to the doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Doctor says, 'Treatment is simple. Great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up.' Man bursts into tears. He says, 'But doctor, I am Pagliacci.' Good joke. Everybody laughs. Roll on snare drum. Curtains."

Annie wants us to dance and be happy. She wants us to forget all our shit and laugh and dance and smile. "Heartbeat" is quite a gift-- it's the best song this year, and probably next year, too-- and I'd be lying if I said there weren't several weeks in a row this summer when it was the only thing I wanted to listen to. The gimmick-free R?ksopp rock beat, the icy Kylie-petite melody, that fluke empty downbeat at the beginning of the second verse-- I mean, yes, the song picks me up, on command and without fail. I've never abused a song like I have "Heartbeat".

In Disneyworld, in the old "It's a Small World" ride, all the mechanical puppets are from different countries and have huge smiles on their faces. At the end of the ride, a hot air balloon floats above you, holding a puppet with "X"’s for tear-stained eyes and a "HELP!" sign in its hands-- it's the sorriest sight in the whole park. It seems unfair, and that same sudden rush of grief comes to me at the end of this song. It's partly the music itself, and it's partly Annie's backstory: The Nord's debut, Anniemal, is self-described "happy music" that conceals three years of anguish over the death of a close friend. "Heartbeat" is not a sad song, and Anniemal is hardly a sad album-- this grief thing is more of a passing feeling I get, and then I'm back to smiling and dancing. I just hope that Annie's not bursting into tears while the rest of us are totally blissed out.