You Pick the Singles: Chemistry

[dbhmr]

Lots of talk about this rollout, uh, strategy, so which 3 songs would you prioritize as singles? Bonus points for putting them in order.

[jessayli]

1. rock hudson (but only with the hindsight that “mine” underperformed)

2. magic (I believe in this song’s potential so much, I debated putting this as the first single)

3. down to you (or maybe high road or lighthouse?)

[Deleted]

Any order.

Down to you. Rock Hudson. Lighthouse.

[Ling-Ling]

I don't think this is an album built to go deep, three singles max. I would have went with "Rock Hudson" first, I think it gives you the overall theme of the album, but it's also accessible and gives you those classic Kelly sounds (unlike "me" and "mine"). Unpopular opinion, because I've seem screams of "eh!" thrown at it since day one, but "Favorite Kind Of High" is the one moment on the album that has any crossover potential IMO. An easy choice for second.

And for third, I would go with one of the standouts on the album. I don't think either has much hit potential, but sometimes you release a quality track for the sake of quality. "Magic" or "Lighthouse."

[Focus]

Jul 1, 2023 6:42:37 GMT -5 @mrpink said:

Any order.

Down to you. Rock Hudson. Lighthouse.

Same songs, same order. :)

[dbhmr]

I posed this question but I have no idea.

My first instinct:
I think you release “lighthouse” first as a promo single to clarify the tone and significance of the album and its quality. If the latter is enough for it to latch, cool, run with it. But otherwise quickly use promo to say that the album covers the arc of a relationship and release singles in kind: magic, rock hudson, i hate love.

I get the “favorite kind of high” argument but I think leading with it is impossible without subverting every sonic, lyric, and tonal expectation and with a song that isn’t adventurous enough (/ at all) to justify. Maaaaybe if you co-release it with something deep and sad like “skip this part” or “lighthouse.”

Wouldn’t be mad at an “i hate love” lead—cheeky, catchy, do something fun with Steve.

idk idk

[Chelsea Press 2]

My Mistake
Lighthouse
Down To You

[SoMuchToSay]

The lead singles should have been Down To You (pushed to radio as the "official" single) and Skip This Part (in the same sense that Me was released w/ Mine). Aside from DTY, the only one to me that sounds single worthy would be FKOH and to a much lesser extent Magic.

Side note: I feel like if Mine wasn't release first we would all be singing its praises saying that it should have been the lead single.

[musicfan134]

mine - With a proper push, I think this could've done at least as well as something like MKIA or CMB. I don't think this ever would've been a huge mega smash, but I don't think it would've gone entirely unnoticed.

i hate love (feat. Steve Martin) - I love the idea of this as a lead. The Steve Martin feature would at least give it some attention right off the bat. And it's so different from anything else she's done.

favorite kind of high - I can't deny the catchiness of this song and how much better it flows in the context of the album. A summertime anthem that could've been if it had been released on Stronger or PBP. The fact that Kelly mentions it in like every interview makes me believe this would probably have been a single if Kelly were still commercially relevant on pop radio.

Honorable mentions:

rock hudson - Classic Kelly. But I think this is meant to serve as more of a LMD/IICHY/SW/WLW type of song where everyone thinks it should have been a single after the era ends but never actually became one. Idk I just get that vibe from this song.

down to you - I get the impression Kelly isn't all that attached to this song which is why it's only an honorable mention. But I think it *could* do really well.

red flag collector - Kelly seems to be all about "red flags" this era, and I think this could have been a great sounding board to jump off of. Especially with that TikTok trend. I think they missed a moment.

[franklin]

This is a lot harder to choose even after having listened to the album incessantly. Selfishly I'd want skip this part to be the lead but I'm not sure it would've been the best option commercially. Although, I can't see it doing worse than mine....

Anyway, I would have gone with:

1. down to you - it's undeniable and so catchy. I find myself singing along to it randomly throughout the day. The down you hook to too good.
(skip this part as the dual release/first promo song)

2. magic - this is one of the greatest songs she's ever written, recorded, etc. I think it's perfect for radio/summer and a it's a better representation of the album as a whole compared to the other upbeat songs. If she had written high road I'd be arguing for that but. rock hudson is good (and we love a full circle moment) but I don't think it is strong enough for a single.

3. lighthouse - final single in time for award season. She should be everything, everywhere, all at once on every single stage imaginable singing this with her finale being her acceptance speech for Song of the Year at the grammys.

[Deleted]

“magic” is really growing on me, I understand why a lot of you suggested that one.

“high road” would be another good contender.

Truly a great album. A couple songs, I don’t love like the rest, but Kelly can make anything sound good.