bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Mar 26, 2023 21:51:44 GMT -5
Fortunately austin didn't have to spend too much time alone in the #1-loss club, as now he is joined by taylor with the loss of "Weather"! This song was pretty much our most common contender for #11, and the 13-point lead it put up against "Fallin'" meant it wasn't in much danger of finishing lower. In fact, in the end it only misses the top 10 by one point... I think "Weather" has a really interesting arrangement. I love the overall groove tbh, with the nice crisp snare drum hits on 2 and 4 in the chorus. Especially since that snare disappears in some places throughout the song and then comes back. It just helps give the song a cool shape.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Mar 26, 2023 21:54:34 GMT -5
Recap So Far: 15. UNIVERSE (246)
14. WALK IN THE PARK (219) 13. DOIN' MY BEST (215) 12. I GUESS THEY CALL IT FALLIN' (212) 11. WEATHER (199)
THE TOP 10!!! HEARTFIRST I CAN’T HELP MYSELF IF YOU GO DOWN (I’M GOIN’ DOWN TOO) LOVE IS A COWBOY MARILYN MUSCLE MEMORY SUBJECT TO CHANGE THE LITTLE THINGS WHAT I HAVE YOU’RE DRUNK, GO HOME
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SabrinaFan
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Post by SabrinaFan on Mar 26, 2023 22:04:49 GMT -5
Aww, I'm bummed about "I Guess They Call It Fallin'" and "Weather" being out so soon! I really enjoyed those and they were among my favorites of the album. Happy to see "Doin' My Best" out. It's not a horrible song, but I agree with everything bboat11 said about it being oddly specific and the production feeling cluttered. I am not particularly into the idea of throwing too much drama into songs. A little bit can be enjoyable or intriguing, but the Halsey call-out felt unnecessary and even a little petty, despite that I don't really have a side in that debate. Had it fit in better with the rest of the song, I don't think I would have minded it, but it felt out of place and left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. This is extremely niche so I'm sure nobody else felt this way, but the song was co-written by Alysa Vanderhym, who wrote quite a few songs for the now-defunct country band Avenue Beat (they had a song, "Ruin That for Me," on the country charts in 2020, and folks might also know of them from their viral TikTok hit "F2020"). The odd specificity of the song is quite reminiscent of Avenue Beat's style and the songs Alysa wrote for them, so this song has the added oddness of feeling more like an Avenue Beat reject to me, since the odd specificity of the lyrics doesn't really fit with Kelsea's normal style but fits perfectly with theirs.
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taylor
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Post by taylor on Mar 26, 2023 22:16:26 GMT -5
“WEATHER” leaving now is criminal. Rankdown canceled!
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austin
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Post by austin on Mar 26, 2023 23:13:20 GMT -5
I love “Doin’ My Best” and don’t mind that everyone else doesn’t. I definitely listen to it the most from the record.
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.indulgecountry
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Post by .indulgecountry on Mar 26, 2023 23:34:06 GMT -5
Off to a good start! These are all definitely among the least-impressive tracks on the record, but none of them are by any means bad songs. This is just a STACKED record of bops and powerful ballads, and this set of songs just kinda fall into a bit of a middle ground. "Weather" is the catchiest of the group we just lost and wouldn't have mind seeing it sneak into the top 10 here. It's one of the bigger growers from the record for me. The chorus is very catchy.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Mar 27, 2023 21:24:03 GMT -5
Getting a slightly later start than yesterday, but let's go ahead and try to get down to the top 5!!!!
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Post by bboat11 on Mar 27, 2023 21:27:26 GMT -5
10. "MARILYN"
Total: 198
Average: 9.9
Std Dev: 4.09
{Songs Remaining}HEARTFIRST I CAN’T HELP MYSELF IF YOU GO DOWN (I’M GOIN’ DOWN TOO) LOVE IS A COWBOY MUSCLE MEMORY SUBJECT TO CHANGE THE LITTLE THINGS WHAT I HAVE YOU’RE DRUNK, GO HOME
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🌺CountryLineDancer
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Post by 🌺CountryLineDancer on Mar 27, 2023 21:28:38 GMT -5
So far going really well. I lost my bottom 6 just in different orders. These are the songs that are not bad, but did not stand out, compared with some stronger materials in this album.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Mar 27, 2023 21:30:22 GMT -5
Basically copy/paste all my thoughts on "Universe" and "Walk in the Park". "Marilyn" is just one of the few songs that slips through the cracks for me on a really strong album! I will say, the whole angle of "you're famous, but are you happy?" makes for a really compelling songwriting perspective!
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Mar 27, 2023 21:33:56 GMT -5
So far going really well. I lost my bottom 6 just in different orders. These are the songs that are not bad, but did not stand out, compared with some stronger materials in this album. Me too! Imo these were pretty much the obvious lower tier vs upper tier for the album. I know there are individuals who don't love some of the songs that are left, but in terms of mass-appealing fan favorites, potential singles, etc. I feel like we have just reached the turning point where everything that is left could be seen as part of the conversation in a way that the songs we just lost are not!
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Mar 27, 2023 21:37:24 GMT -5
9. "YOU'RE DRUNK, GO HOME" ft. Carly Pearce & Kelly Clarkson
Total: 174
Average: 8.7
Std Dev: 3.51
{Songs Remaining}HEARTFIRST I CAN’T HELP MYSELF IF YOU GO DOWN (I’M GOIN’ DOWN TOO) LOVE IS A COWBOY MUSCLE MEMORY SUBJECT TO CHANGE THE LITTLE THINGS WHAT I HAVE
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🌺CountryLineDancer
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Post by 🌺CountryLineDancer on Mar 27, 2023 21:40:12 GMT -5
I knew this would be polarizing, but it deserved to stay a little longer. I would not consider this to be a good radio single, but it is a fan jam, and the chorus melody is undeniably catchy. I love the collaborators, too.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Mar 27, 2023 21:43:06 GMT -5
"You're Drunk, Go Home" is the country romper of the album! I know that this one has its detractors, but it has its lovers as well, and they pretty much balanced each other out and let this finish right around its average rank.
This one is just intended to be a fun uptempo ditty that allows Kelsea to have fun with two of her good friends, and I'd say it accomplishes just that. There are definitely ones that I would rather hear on the radio over this one, so I am glad that the CMA performance seemed to just be a one-off, but I do enjoy the dose of country jam elements that this brings to the album!
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Post by Willow Rinadoobee Breakfast on Mar 27, 2023 21:44:47 GMT -5
I feel like YDGH would’ve been a major fun song, even ignoring the lyrics, since I like Kelsea on that chorus. The collabs felt like a choice on this though.
Marilyn is surprisingly charming though.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Mar 27, 2023 21:45:58 GMT -5
8. "WHAT I HAVE"
Total: 162
Average: 8.1
Std Dev: 4.09 (3rd largest)
{Songs Remaining}HEARTFIRST I CAN’T HELP MYSELF IF YOU GO DOWN (I’M GOIN’ DOWN TOO) LOVE IS A COWBOY MUSCLE MEMORY SUBJECT TO CHANGE THE LITTLE THINGS
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.indulgecountry
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Post by .indulgecountry on Mar 27, 2023 21:48:31 GMT -5
Now we're starting to make choices. "What I Have" out this early?! That song gives me major "Stay" by Sugarland vibes. Just such a scintillating tune. It's a shame it has no hope of being a single tho since its lyrical content is pretty... at odds with Kelsea's current life story, but man, what a beautiful song this is.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Mar 27, 2023 21:50:44 GMT -5
"What I Have" is our first loss to be a significant top 5 contender! This song held on pretty steadily to that #5 position for much of the rankdown, before gradually stumbling over the course of the last few lists.
I do really enjoy this one overall, but not as much as I did at first. When it came out as a promo track I kinda thought it could be a sleeper hit on this album, with its nuanced performance, its celebratory and mature lyrics, its stripped production, etc. It kinda fills the same niche on this album for me as "l.a." did on the last one. I love when Kelsea hits us with mature introspection!!!!
But after hearing the rest of the album, I want this one near the radio less and less. This album just has too many bangers to waste a slot on this!!!
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Mar 27, 2023 21:57:26 GMT -5
7. "LOVE IS A COWBOY"
Total: 146
Average: 7.3
Std Dev: 4.13 (Largest!!!)
{Songs Remaining}HEARTFIRST I CAN’T HELP MYSELF IF YOU GO DOWN (I’M GOIN’ DOWN TOO) MUSCLE MEMORY SUBJECT TO CHANGE THE LITTLE THINGS
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.indulgecountry
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Post by .indulgecountry on Mar 27, 2023 21:59:24 GMT -5
"Love Is a Cowboy" is another gorgeous song, but I slightly prefer "What I Have" to it. They're both pretty and have really engaging melodies for ballads that I get down with, couple with being the more traditional-leaning ones on the record, which sets them apart from stuff like "Universe" which is just kinda meh.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Mar 27, 2023 22:02:18 GMT -5
I echo a lot of my same thoughts from "What I Have" for "Love is a Cowboy". One that I immediately loved upon release, and thought it sounded like a potential hit....but I want it to be a single less after hearing everything else on the album!
I do still love this one a lot though, and it is undoubtedly my favorite "slower" song on this album. Just such a great vocal from Kelsea, and a great country song with fiddle and acoustic guitars and steel and all the best instrumentation choices!
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Mar 27, 2023 22:04:29 GMT -5
As awesome as some of the previous songs are, I think we have more or less arrived at the obvious top 6 for this album! These six are pretty much the catchy uptempos that everyone always seems to talk about, at least. When I think about this album, it will always be the catchy uptempos that I think of first, so I feel great about this top 6! But which one is going to miss out on the top 5?!!! Stay tuned!
The Top 6:
HEARTFIRST I CAN’T HELP MYSELF IF YOU GO DOWN (I’M GOIN’ DOWN TOO) MUSCLE MEMORY SUBJECT TO CHANGE THE LITTLE THINGS
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.indulgecountry
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Post by .indulgecountry on Mar 27, 2023 22:05:51 GMT -5
The title track seems like the one likeliest to miss the top 5. It's a catchy af bop, but the other 5 seem to stand out as fan favorites just a bit more.
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🌺CountryLineDancer
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Post by 🌺CountryLineDancer on Mar 27, 2023 22:06:04 GMT -5
I don't hear anything polarizing about "LOVE IS A COWBOY," so surprised to see it having the highest standard deviation. It is actually my fav ballad song from the album.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Mar 27, 2023 22:09:54 GMT -5
6. "SUBJECT TO CHANGE"
Total: 135
Average: 6.75
Std Dev: 3.21
{Songs Remaining}HEARTFIRST I CAN’T HELP MYSELF IF YOU GO DOWN (I’M GOIN’ DOWN TOO) MUSCLE MEMORY THE LITTLE THINGS
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Post by Willow Rinadoobee Breakfast on Mar 27, 2023 22:10:15 GMT -5
I forgot what my problem was with LIAC. I think it might’ve been the length for me.
What I Have though is simple but pretty damn uplifting, mainly about.
Gonna get roasted knowing I have my 15 left intact.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Mar 27, 2023 22:13:19 GMT -5
.indulgecountry nailed it in the prediction about the title track being the most likely to leave next. I agree that out of all the songs in the top 6, this is the one that has the least buzz. Not that it is bad or disliked or anything! This rank speaks very much to a song that is well-loved! But in terms of fan-favorites, it seems like "I Can't Help Myself", "Muscle Memory", "The Little Things", "If You Go Down", etc. all stand out above this one. "Subject To Change" is catchy as hell though, and I am very happy with this placement!
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Mar 27, 2023 22:15:56 GMT -5
Recap So Far:15. UNIVERSE (246) 14. WALK IN THE PARK (219) 13. DOIN' MY BEST (215) 12. I GUESS THEY CALL IT FALLIN' (212) 11. WEATHER (199)
10. MARILYN (198) 09. YOU'RE DRUNK, GO HOME (174) 08. WHAT I HAVE (162) 07. LOVE IS A COWBOY (146) 06. SUBJECT TO CHANGE (135)
The Top 5!!! HEARTFIRST I CAN’T HELP MYSELF IF YOU GO DOWN (I’M GOIN’ DOWN TOO) MUSCLE MEMORY THE LITTLE THINGS
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zaclord 🌈
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Post by zaclord 🌈 on Mar 28, 2023 5:20:28 GMT -5
The fun thing about album rankdowns like this (super strong albums with almost no duds) is that I cannot remember which of these top 5 I actually put where on my list haha. Finding out where I ranked them is as much of a surprise as seeing where they place on the collective list!
Excellent too 5 and I’m happy with any of them winning and have no idea which one I put as my #1 lol
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Post by jamatthews83 on Mar 28, 2023 5:46:44 GMT -5
4 fantastic songs in the Top 5 (and 1 ok song but I'd made my peace with that making the top 5).
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