popbox
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Post by popbox on Jan 25, 2015 15:00:36 GMT -5
I have to admit the melody is infectious. This is just so, so unpolished, like has been previously mentioned.
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Post by KeepDeanWeird on Jan 25, 2015 15:02:13 GMT -5
Dead @ all the responses on Twitter that McCartney "sold out". Girl, don't you know he do what he wants? The same Paul who released such gems as "Silly Love Songs," disco "Goodnight Tonight," "The Girl is Mine!" and "Spies Like Us." After the mid-70s, Paul was constantly chasing everything he could do to stay 'relevant.' He was constantly, and rightly so, trashed as being a "sell-out."
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2015 15:03:31 GMT -5
I like this. It would sound a lot better if it had a full production behind it but I always appreciate when a major star tries to do something different, irregardless of how well they succeed. Excited to see how well this does.
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popbox
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Post by popbox on Jan 25, 2015 15:04:39 GMT -5
Paul has always been all about hooks and pop music. He had one of the best ear ever for pop hooks back in the day, and still occasionally does. So to suggest that he's a "sellout" for working with another pop artist is hilariously ironic and dumb. He is, always has been, and always will be a pop artist.
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MOWE
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Post by MOWE on Jan 25, 2015 15:13:44 GMT -5
Wow... this was very surprising indeed. On the one hand, I applaud Rihanna for trying something different. I like that she takes risks and switches things up from time to time. For me, though, the risk simply did not pay off. I am greatly underwhelmed by this song. To me, it isn't very catchy and her vocals sound "off". I predict a chart run similar to Russian Roulette where the song shoots up quickly due to initial buzz, then stalls as it hits the top 20 and crashes. (And I loved Russian Roulette).
Additionally, I feel like the timing of this was poor. Rihanna fans have been waiting over 2 years for her first solo lead single. I know she's had a few collaborations, and that's helped to tide us over, but I love Rihanna's solo stuff. I wish she had come back with a solo track rather than a collaboration with Kanye and Paul McCartney. Maybe this would have been a better sell as a third or fourth single.
Time will tell. I'm glad Rihanna's back and I look forward to hearing some new SOLO tracks from her :)
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popbox
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Post by popbox on Jan 25, 2015 15:20:00 GMT -5
Still not convinced this is even supposed to be a proper single. It screams "buzz" single.
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xykes
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Post by xykes on Jan 25, 2015 15:27:08 GMT -5
You can't be sure about a song's performance in less than 24 hours of its release. Of course Rihanna's brand new single along with Paul and Kanye would receive a lot of initial attention. I wasn't talking about radio chart performance. I was talking about opinion of the song itself. Pulse reaction seems to be WAY different from the world at large.
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hitseeker.
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Post by hitseeker. on Jan 25, 2015 15:30:43 GMT -5
I wasn't talking about radio chart performance. I was talking about opinion of the song itself. Pulse reaction seems to be WAY different from the world at large. Rihanna's lead singles tend to have some initial negative reactions here on Pulse, ranging from it's bland, generic, she doesn't sound good, it will flop, etc.
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bitchplease
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Post by bitchplease on Jan 25, 2015 15:31:22 GMT -5
rihanna's post on instagram confirmed this IS the first single!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2015 15:37:02 GMT -5
Can we please retire the term "sell-out" though? I've always thought it was kind of silly to berate someone for that sort of thing when they're in the business for it.
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Fancy
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Post by Fancy on Jan 25, 2015 15:44:22 GMT -5
You can't be sure about a song's performance in less than 24 hours of its release. Of course Rihanna's brand new single along with Paul and Kanye would receive a lot of initial attention. Pulse reaction seems to be WAY different from the world at large. see: all about that bass
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Libra
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My Charts
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Post by Libra on Jan 25, 2015 15:49:33 GMT -5
I really love this. It's such a fresh feel-good song. I can see it being huge. I completely agree. It doesn't sound like a conventional produced sound that would be on Top 40 right now, but the melody is an absolute earworm. Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if this ended up being huge for her if it is in fact the first single from her next release. LOL. "Uptown Funk" isn't exactly 'conventional'. Look where that is now. :)
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hitseeker.
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Post by hitseeker. on Jan 25, 2015 15:54:43 GMT -5
Right now #1 on 11 countries: Azerbeijan, Barbados, Belize, Bulgaria, Nigeria, Slovenia, Sweden, The Bahamas, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine and Top10 in 37 countries!
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Snowbeast
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Post by Snowbeast on Jan 25, 2015 16:00:09 GMT -5
She takes risks. Nobody can say otherwise.
I like it.
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Envoirment
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Post by Envoirment on Jan 25, 2015 16:07:53 GMT -5
Aparrantley this is a single for Kanye's upcoming album, but it'll also feature on Rihanna's 8th album. So this is likely a "Buzz single" for her and a real single for him - as I can't see Rihanna releasing her album when she has a soundtrack album coming? Expecting her real lead single later this year.
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Wavey✨️
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Post by Wavey✨️ on Jan 25, 2015 16:10:16 GMT -5
Aparrantley this is a single for Kanye's upcoming album, but it'll also feature on Rihanna's 8th album. So this is likely a "Buzz single" for her and a real single for him - as I can't see Rihanna releasing her album when she has a soundtrack album coming? Expecting her real lead single later this year. She confirmed this is the official 1st single.
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jjose712
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Post by jjose712 on Jan 25, 2015 16:16:55 GMT -5
Pulse reaction seems to be WAY different from the world at large. see: all about that bass Oh yes, that was a big one. Nobody knew back then what Meghan has prepared in a near future. To be fair the only Rihanna's song that wasn't bashed out of the gate was We found love. Stay which is a perfect song for her (it's in her range, doens't push the limits of her voice and puts light in what make her sound so recognizable) was received bad with the usual this is boring crap (what is boring is reading the same tired comments everytime a good ballad is charting) Anyway, it's Rihanna, the song will rise like a rocket, if it has to flop it will flop after reaching top 20 and it won't matter because nobody survives a flop releasing a big hit like her
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divasummer
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Post by divasummer on Jan 25, 2015 16:30:14 GMT -5
With all these collaborators on this one track. Perhaps another version will drop Very soon. Imagine if on Mon they did a deal with Rythmic and Urban with a more polished production.
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Envoirment
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Post by Envoirment on Jan 25, 2015 16:31:00 GMT -5
Aparrantley this is a single for Kanye's upcoming album, but it'll also feature on Rihanna's 8th album. So this is likely a "Buzz single" for her and a real single for him - as I can't see Rihanna releasing her album when she has a soundtrack album coming? Expecting her real lead single later this year. She confirmed this is the official 1st single. Eh rather disappointed then, it's quite a weak track. I think it would be better had Kanye been left off it. Also, I don't believe this is going to be the single that promotes the album. Afterall, it's going to be apart of Kanye's album and is a single for his album too. I expect Rihanna to come hard with a second single and can't wait for that.
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The Upper Hand
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Post by The Upper Hand on Jan 25, 2015 16:36:56 GMT -5
You can't be sure about a song's performance in less than 24 hours of its release. Of course Rihanna's brand new single along with Paul and Kanye would receive a lot of initial attention. I wasn't talking about radio chart performance. I was talking about opinion of the song itself. Pulse reaction seems to be WAY different from the world at large. Slant Magazine, for example, isn't a Pulse member, though: "The Loveeeeeee Song" singer has often thrived outside of her usual dance-pop pigeonhole, particularly on reggae-tinged tracks like "Man Down" and understated ballads like "Stay," but the stripped-down format of "FourFiveSeconds" only serves to highlight her vocal shortcomings. "I think I've had enough/Might get a little drunk," she sings, with a raw, off-kilter, Tuesday Night Music Club quality. But rather than charmingly rootsy, her voice is scratchy and strained; belting has never been Rihanna's forte, and it's as painful as it's ever been here." www.slantmagazine.com/house/article/single-review-rihanna-featuring-kanye-west-paul-mccartney-fourfiveseconds
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Hefty Hanna
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Post by Hefty Hanna on Jan 25, 2015 16:37:14 GMT -5
Dull.
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Post by Love Plastic Love on Jan 25, 2015 16:39:10 GMT -5
I think this will end up like a Russian Roulette. Now, mind you when I say that I argue that Russian Roulette had more impact than even some of her singles that peaked higher and that it was exactly what her career needed at that particular moment over a generic dance-pop track about throwing her arms in the air. So, when we look at the airplay numbers and peaks of FourFiveSeconds, on paper, it will look like an under-performer. However, it will be bigger and leave more of an impression than the numbers indicate. The hype and attention will be unreal. However, ultimately the real radio hit will be the second and/or third singles which will be a bit more geared toward radio longevity.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2015 16:55:39 GMT -5
I think this will end up like a Russian Roulette. Now, mind you when I say that I argue that Russian Roulette had more impact than even some of her singles that peaked higher and that it was exactly what her career needed at that particular moment over a generic dance-pop track about throwing her arms in the air News to me. The song came and went outside of the very small circle of people who were paying close enough enough attention to her (or the charts) at the time. Iirc people were rooting for her after the Chris Brown beating, so for it to underperform like that felt odd. Now, Rated R as an album served to reshape her image into something of a "real" artist, but I don't think 'Russian Roulette' did her any favors all said and done.
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Post by Love Plastic Love on Jan 25, 2015 17:04:40 GMT -5
I think this will end up like a Russian Roulette. Now, mind you when I say that I argue that Russian Roulette had more impact than even some of her singles that peaked higher and that it was exactly what her career needed at that particular moment over a generic dance-pop track about throwing her arms in the air News to me. The song came and went outside of the very small circle of people who were paying close enough enough attention to her (or the charts) at the time. Iirc people were rooting for her after the Chris Brown beating, so for it to underperform like that felt odd. Now, Rated R as an album served to reshape her image into something of a "real" artist, but I don't think 'Russian Roulette' did her any favors all said and done. Ha I think the exact opposite-Russian Roulette was THE song that started and signaled the change in fans to stop thinking of her as a fast food generic pop star to being a real artist. In other words, to move from being casual eh who cares fans to being part of the Navy. She is probably one of the most respected pop stars out there and it started with RR. That was when I saw people start calling her edgy, real, and taking her seriously outside of just releasing a few fun pop songs that anyone could sing. I don't think it will ever be thought of as her signature song or that it really reached a more general audience by any means, but I believe it was beyond important for her career to release a song like that at that moment and especially for her connection to a core fan base. It is part of the reason I believe she has been so successful-she has known when it is important to release a song that you need to release even if it won't necessarily be the biggest airplay hit ever. That sometimes the oddball song will do more for you and your connection to a fanbase or keeping the general audience interested than releasing another generic pop-dance song. You absolutely never know what Rihanna might release which is part of her charm and part of her success, in my opinion. She is BRILLIANT in that regard and I can't imagine having Rihanna any other way.
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jdanton2
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Post by jdanton2 on Jan 25, 2015 17:15:53 GMT -5
i like the fact Rihanna is doing something a bit different with this . not among her best songs for sure but i do like it. could do without Kanye's attempt at singing though.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2015 17:16:41 GMT -5
News to me. The song came and went outside of the very small circle of people who were paying close enough enough attention to her (or the charts) at the time. Iirc people were rooting for her after the Chris Brown beating, so for it to underperform like that felt odd. Now, Rated R as an album served to reshape her image into something of a "real" artist, but I don't think 'Russian Roulette' did her any favors all said and done. Ha I think the exact opposite-Russian Roulette was THE song that started and signaled the change in fans to stop thinking of her as a fast food generic pop star to being a real artist. In other words, to move from being casual eh who cares fans to being part of the Navy. She is probably one of the most respected pop stars out there and it started with RR. That was when I saw people start calling her edgy, real, and taking her seriously outside of just releasing a few fun pop songs that anyone could sing. I don't think it will ever be thought of as her signature song or that it really reached a more general audience by any means, but I believe it was beyond important for her career to release a song like that at that moment and especially for her connection to a core fan base. It is part of the reason I believe she has been so successful-she has known when it is important to release a song that you need to release even if it won't necessarily be the biggest airplay hit ever. That sometimes the oddball song will do more for you and your connection to a fanbase or keeping the general audience interested than releasing another generic pop-dance song. You absolutely never know what Rihanna might release which is part of her charm and part of her success, in my opinion. She is BRILLIANT in that regard and I can't imagine having Rihanna any other way. I don't disagree with you when you say that the timing was right, I just don't think the song did as much for her as you say it did. It's possible that it served as the gateway drug to Rated R, but I'd sooner attribute that to 'Hard', or the highly ironic 'Rude Boy'. Either way, the album did more for her than any of its individual parts, most of which the general public has forgotten about. I also don't see the correlation between that and this single. They could follow the same strategy of "artistic" lead followed by a commercial hit (whether or not she does that remains to be seen, although I agree it's likely), but it's not like that strategy guarantees that this will have any impact even if we are to believe 'Russian Roulette' did. Ignoring the fact that she's in a very different position now than she was when 'Russian Roulette' dropped, by that logic 'Diamonds' would've been hugely impactful, and lol, it certainly was not.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2015 17:21:01 GMT -5
I don't think the average American radio listener even remembers "Russian Roulette".
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hitseeker.
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Post by hitseeker. on Jan 25, 2015 17:24:26 GMT -5
Yeah, "Russian Roulette" remains an amazing song, but I also agree it did not have that much of an impact, especially in the US. It came and went and the subsequent singles "Hard", and especially "Rude Boy", completely overshadowed it.
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jma
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Post by jma on Jan 25, 2015 17:25:39 GMT -5
Okay I love this song. Its simple, but catchy at the same time. Obviously probably not the single people expected from her first new album in over 2 years. But, I applaud her for taking the risk every so often with her lead singles. Yes, Russian Roulette wasn't popular, but it still was a nice song. People hated on We Found Love at first, and it became her biggest hit. Just wait and see, this song might surprise everyone.
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hitseeker.
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Post by hitseeker. on Jan 25, 2015 17:27:24 GMT -5
Okay I love this song. Its simple, but catchy at the same time. Obviously probably not the single people expected from her first new album in over 2 years. But, I applaud her for taking the risk every so often with her lead singles. Yes, Russian Roulette wasn't popular, but it still was a nice song. People hated on We Found Love at first, and it became her biggest hit. Just wait and see, this song might surprise everyone. I still remember the, now iconic, post somebody made on here when WFL came out: "They dropped Cheers for this?! LMFAO"
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