singingrulebritannia
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Post by singingrulebritannia on Feb 6, 2020 21:20:41 GMT -5
I don't know anything about the song selection process but I'm confused as to why this is the Sly Stone song
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nickd
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Post by nickd on Feb 6, 2020 21:59:11 GMT -5
I don't know anything about the song selection process but I'm confused as to why this is the Sly Stone song I meant to include Everyday People as well to see if the original or the song that samples it ranks higher but forgot. I'll include Everyday People in the next round and if it ranks higher, it'll count towards his average instead.
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nickd
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Post by nickd on Feb 6, 2020 22:06:54 GMT -5
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singingrulebritannia
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Post by singingrulebritannia on Feb 6, 2020 22:12:01 GMT -5
with these participants I'm just hoping my 19 doesn't win
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nickd
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Post by nickd on Feb 6, 2020 22:42:44 GMT -5
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singingrulebritannia
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Post by singingrulebritannia on Feb 6, 2020 22:47:30 GMT -5
the taste is not jumping out
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nickd
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Post by nickd on Feb 6, 2020 23:07:23 GMT -5
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.indulgecountry
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Post by .indulgecountry on Feb 6, 2020 23:14:42 GMT -5
Well, we were off to a good start until that last one.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2020 2:37:42 GMT -5
This rankdown series is probably the most intriguing one that I've seen because of the concept it is based on. Usually with ranking I just do it according to personal taste, but because this one is centered around the songwriters (not necessarily the artists) I found myself focusing a lot more on said songwriting (and to an extent the composition) than my feelings about the songs as a whole. I have a feeling I'm the only weirdo who put this much thought into it, lol. But either way I found this a lot more mentally stimulating than 'normal' rankdowns. So, with that in mind my opinion on the songs revealed thus far:
- She's a Lady: the lyrics are so terribly outdated that I really should have ranked this #19 or #20 just based on how badly they've aged. The subject matter as a whole veers into moderately condescending and misogynistic territory with choice winners like "she's the kind I like to flaunt and take to dinner/but she always knows her place" and "well, she's never in the way." Ah yes, just how every modern woman wants to be described! But the song is a product of its time* and within that respect, it's aiight. The lyrics are simple but avoid cliches, and the arrangement is well laid out. Tom Jones is a big ball of cheese so his delivery leaves something to be desired, but had this song gone to a different performer I think it wouldn't feel so damn goofy.
*This is kind of an interesting point to consider bc She's Always A Woman came just a few years later but is light years better at getting a similar message across without the condescension. The times changed rather quickly, I guess. SAL does kind of feel more like a remnant of the '60s than an early '70s song.
- People Everyday: even when I was a kid Arrested Development felt like that group that you convinced yourself you liked much more than you actually did because you cared way too much about other people believing you were 'keepin' it real' (the '90s version of 'stay woke'), and this need to keep it real kept you from admitting that just because a song is socially conscious doesn't mean it's good. Now that I'm an adult...I knew I was being a bit oversensitive when I plopped this at the bottom of my ranks, but good God the hotep-ing and respectability politics that are just oozing out of every pore of this song's body are too much for adult me to deal with. I'm not usually one to flinch at the n-word in rap songs, but the way it's used repeatedly here to distinguish the 'bad' minorities from the 'model' minorities is 100% cringeworthy for more than one reason. Good intentions, highly problematic execution that unlike SAL I can't even excuse with 'product of its time' because if I do manage to get past all that, the song just...isn't good. It doesn't do anything particularly creative with the sample; in fact it brings it down some by plunking the original hook down over a watered down arrangement. Far too much great hip-hop came out of the '90s for anyone to settle for this.
- The Way I Am: I went into this expecting to rank Eminem higher, but I realized TWIA is not one of his better efforts. The verses kind of duck in and out of solidness (in fairness, this might be more of an issue with his cadence, which technically isn't a songwriting matter) and things fall apart completely at the hook, which goes beyond being merely simple and falls into childish territory. Also, Dr. Dre has put together better beats than this. It probably still shouldn't have been bottom five based on lyrical content, but I let my subjective opinion kick in for my bottom 5 rank because frankly this song just isn't enjoyable to me.
- Roll Over Beethoven/Alexander's Ragtime Band - I'll put these two together because I put them both in my bottom five for the same reason. These are compositional wonders, but lyrically very, very simple. That's understandable given the time periods they come from, but they come in with an unfairly insurmountable disadvantage compared to the rest because songwriting evolved rather quickly once the rock 'n roll era started. I think, in retrospect, I should have given more credit to ROB, but it probably still would not have cracked my top 10.
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rockgolf
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Post by rockgolf on Feb 7, 2020 8:52:52 GMT -5
Different strokes for different folks. And so on and so on.
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nickd
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Post by nickd on Feb 7, 2020 20:59:55 GMT -5
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nickd
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Post by nickd on Feb 7, 2020 21:10:09 GMT -5
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singingrulebritannia
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Post by singingrulebritannia on Feb 7, 2020 21:13:11 GMT -5
Def Leppard is ass
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nickd
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Post by nickd on Feb 7, 2020 21:28:19 GMT -5
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nickd
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Post by nickd on Feb 7, 2020 21:56:40 GMT -5
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nickd
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Post by nickd on Feb 7, 2020 22:05:11 GMT -5
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singingrulebritannia
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Post by singingrulebritannia on Feb 7, 2020 22:07:49 GMT -5
Billy Joel can go die in that fire he didn't start
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jtd Thee Stallion
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Post by jtd Thee Stallion on Feb 7, 2020 22:08:43 GMT -5
Finally
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nickd
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Post by nickd on Feb 7, 2020 22:23:56 GMT -5
The top half
Blackbird - The Beatles (writers: Paul McCartney, John Lennon) Clocks - Coldplay (writers: Chris Martin, Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion) Crazy - Patsy Cline (writers: Willie Nelson) Don't Stop Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson (writers: Michael Jackson) I Second That Emotion - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (writers: Smokey Robinson, Al Cleveland) I Want It That Way - Backstreet Boys (writers: Max Martin, Andreas Carlsson) I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston (writers: Dolly Parton) I Wish - Stevie Wonder (writers: Stevie Wonder) Pride (In The Name of Love) - U2 (writers: Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Lary Mullen Jr.) Rhiannon - Fleetwood Mac (writers: Stevie Nicks)
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willapted33
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Post by willapted33 on Feb 7, 2020 22:55:51 GMT -5
hopefully one of my top 3s can win
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2020 1:04:40 GMT -5
Billy Joel can go die in that fire he didn't start omg why are you so angry tonight everything's gonna be okay i promise
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2020 1:41:16 GMT -5
Dance In The Dark - lyrically and compositionally all over the place. Kind of felt like the musical version of being trapped in a car with a tipsy driver. They may get you home without crashing but it sure as hell doesn't feel like you're gonna make it there.
Pour Some Sugar On Me - I won't even lie, I purposely overranked this because I want Hysteria or Love Bites to have a shot later. Still, PSSOM isn't bad. It definitely doesn't rely on any cliches, and I like the way they handled the key change. The song builds nicely on itself and that final shift really makes the song feel like it's naturally kicking it up a notch.
You Want It Darker - I'm truly shocked at this going out first. Even putting aside my focus on the lyrics, I thought more people were going to upvote this. But look, if we're talking just writing, I don't even know if I can articulate how mind-blowing this is. He is probably in hell now because God didn't appreciate getting verbally dragged and snatched bald like this lol.
Every Time I Close My Eyes - tbh I didn't really know where to put this. It didn't feel right to 'tank' Babyface, and the composition is really, really lovely. I still remember hearing this on the radio for the first time and doing a double-take - 'am I bugging or does that background singer sound like Mariah Carey?' The lyrics are terribly cliche, though.
She's Always A Woman - I don't care a lot about this song overall, but Billy is good at telling a story* without overselling it or making his object of affection feel like, well, an object. (*We Didn't Start The Fire doesn't exist in my universe)
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singingrulebritannia
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Post by singingrulebritannia on Feb 8, 2020 2:17:08 GMT -5
Billy Joel can go die in that fire he didn't start omg why are you so angry tonight everything's gonna be okay i promise Those are the posts of victory, Cynthia, not anguish
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kierz7
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Post by kierz7 on Feb 8, 2020 10:28:54 GMT -5
How did “Pour Some Sugar On Me” (a legendary Rock anthem) and “Everytime I Close My Eyes” (an R&B/Slow-Jam Classic) not make the overall top 10?
This forum is literal TRASH!
💀
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nickd
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Post by nickd on Feb 8, 2020 12:56:11 GMT -5
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kierz7
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Post by kierz7 on Feb 8, 2020 13:16:21 GMT -5
The top half Blackbird - The Beatles (writers: Paul McCartney, John Lennon) Clocks - Coldplay (writers: Chris Martin, Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion) Crazy - Patsy Cline (writers: Willie Nelson) Don't Stop Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson (writers: Michael Jackson) I Second That Emotion - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (writers: Smokey Robinson, Al Cleveland) I Want It That Way - Backstreet Boys (writers: Max Martin, Andreas Carlsson) I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston (writers: Dolly Parton) I Wish - Stevie Wonder (writers: Stevie Wonder) Pride (In The Name of Love) - U2 (writers: Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Lary Mullen Jr.) Rhiannon - Fleetwood Mac (writers: Stevie Nicks) “I Wish”, “Don’t Stop Til’ You Get Enough” & “I Will Always Love You” BETTER be in the top five! 😒
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Post by fearlessarrow on Feb 8, 2020 13:44:26 GMT -5
I was secretly hoping that "You Want It Darker" could make the top 10 - it was almost chill inducing on my first listen. I'm not a fan of the talking (?) over music instead of singing but I think it works here. The songwriting is phenomenal too (even though I had to look up some of it lol).
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nickd
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Post by nickd on Feb 8, 2020 14:12:21 GMT -5
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.indulgecountry
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"You left a mark on my face // And brought a dozen red flags in a vase"
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Post by .indulgecountry on Feb 8, 2020 14:30:05 GMT -5
Glad this made top 10. Probably my favorite BSB song and Max Martin knows how to write a killer pop track.
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nickd
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Post by nickd on Feb 8, 2020 14:46:30 GMT -5
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