The Ting Tings - "That's Not My Name"

It may have taken nearly 2 years, but the Ting Tings masterpiece of pop minimalism is finally climbing the pop singles chart in the US and getting attention from pop radio. The song is an instant classic. It is pop music stripped to the elemental basics with bratty vocals, an absolutely irresistible hook, and a beat you can dance to.

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A bass drum, hand claps, and Katie White's fiery, in-your-face vocals are all that it takes to hook the listener in the first 20 seconds of "That's Not My Name." This is primal pop music. There is something that feels somewhat punkish about the stripped down approach. Perhaps it's the sound of the White Stripes after being locked in a room hearing only Abba for a week.

"That's Not My Name" was first released on the independent label Switchflicker in the UK in May 2007. With a huge buildup through a Glastonbury appearance and strong press support, the single and the debut album We Started Nothing were re-released in May 2008 and "That's Not My Name" topped the UK pop singles chart. With dogged determination Columbia Records has continuously promoted the Ting Tings in the US finally breaking this song into the pop singles chart and on pop radio in March 2009.

Lyrically "That's Not My Name" is an anthem for those who struggle to make enough impact on those around them that someone remembers their name. The song could be packaged as a painful lament but instead comes out as an accusatory howl against those who don't pay attention. The elemental beginning of "That's Not My Name" leaves plenty of room for layered sound as the song progresses but, despite two tracks of vocals in counterpoint, crunchy guitars, and a wall of sound roar to close the track it is always minimalist in its visceral impact. A flat, raw approach to the production keeps the sound punchy and powerful. "That's Not My Name" will still be impressively fresh 20 years from now.