Janelle Monáe - Dirty Computer

I know we’re all suffering from Marvel movie fatigue, but I want to highlight two very underrated things about the first Doctor Strange movie. First, director Scott Derrickson didn’t use guns in the movie because he said that guns were the least magical thing ever. Listen, I’m no prude when it comes to movie violence, but this aversion to firearms translated into the movie having an ending that wasn’t just Benedict Cumberbatch blasting his way to save the day. If you’ll recall (and spoilers if you don’t), the big bad was defeated with an exhaustive time loop that Strange just repeated over and over and over. I take this MCU detour because getting stuck in a time loop is how I most appreciate and adore Janelle Monáe’s track, “Dirty Computer,” featuring Brian Wilson.

The first fourteen seconds of the song is just Monáe signing with Wilson’s angelic harmonies in the background. It is perfect. I mean, the remaining one minute and forty five seconds of the song, with its laid back groove, and wonderfully modern but timeless lyrical concept at its core, is great too! Really. The rest of the song just can’t compete with the intro. And I dare you to find something that can.

I don’t know what the cut-off is when a song counts as a full play on Spotify or Apple Music. So my sincere apologies to Ms. Monáe and Mr. Wilson if they’re losing money every time I click back at the 14 second mark to the beginning of the song. I can’t help it, and, if we’re being honest — I won’t help it, and I’m not going to stop. I’m happily stuck in my own blissful time loop, reliving the transcendent vocal intro over, and over, and over. Listen to “Dirty Computer” loud or with headphones on to cut out the rest of the world. It’s the most magical thing you’ll ever hear.