Terri Clark Album Series: Classic/Raising The Bar (Due NOW)

[ClevelandRox]

I was just too disappointed that it wasn't a hot Easton Corbin cover! 😭

No but seriously, this album was just so consistent it was hard putting anything in last place.

[castleoblivion26]

I only have my Top 4 ranks left so I think I'm doing alright. That being said I'm surprised that there are any last placers left, none of these 4 songs deserve last place ranks.

[ClevelandRox]

I'm thinking it's Bad Car and these tankers have only been driven around by their moms and can't relate. :sip2:

[bboat11]

I know it’s a bad car.

 I know it’s a piece of junk.

 I know the best tire on it 

Is in the trunk. 

Just when you start to pass,

 It always starts to shake,

 ‘Cause over fifty-five, it’s a bitch to drive 

On the Interstate. 

It’s broke-down more than it runs,

 But I’m broke down knowin’ that it’s done.

4. "Bad Car"

Track 9

Runtime: 3:00

Songwriters: Brandy Clark, Jason Saenz






Total: 72
Average: 5.14
Std Dev: 3.39 (Largest!!!)


.indulgecountry - 1
BackwoodsBarbie - 1
Kanenrá:ke - 2
someguy - 2
George Strait Junkie - 2
castleoblivion26 - 4
LBTrocks - 4
codyj100 - 5
ClevelandRox - 6
Cody Wants Out... - 7
fearlessarrow - 8
taylor is terrified - 10
bboat11 - 10
tim - 10

SPOILER: Click to show

{Songs Remaining}
I Cheated On You
Longer
Some Songs

[LBTrocks]

"Bad Car" is a great song, glad it is in the top 5 where it belongs.

[bboat11]

Not everybody is a car person, but everybody can relate to the sentiment of growing attached to their car because of all the memories that happen with it!! You can hate it for its problems in the day-to-day grind, but when it comes time to actually get rid of it, it can be like losing a family member... This song is a lyrical masterpiece that captures those emotions perfectly. So I can totally understand why people love it so much!

My big problem with it is that it is easily one of the worst vocal performances of Terri's entire career. As she's gotten older, she's picked up a bad habit of sometimes closing her vowels too much while going super nasally, resulting in a Kermit-the-frog sort of sound that is on full display on lines like "it witnessed all those tears nobody ever saw me cry". This is one of those songs that would have been much better on one of her earlier albums, when she tended to keep a more powerful edge on her higher vocals.

[someguy]

Brandy Clark is such a phenomenal songwriter. I agree that Terri’s vocal performance isn’t amazing here, which is probably why I much prefer Brandy’s own version of the song.

[bboat11]

Alright, now that myself, tim , and taylor is terrified have lost our #10s in one fell swoop, George Strait Junkie is the only one whose last place remains

Meanwhile, we have arrived at the top 3, which of course consists of our three singles!!!! How is this going to play out?!

[taylor is terrified]

Nov 1, 2020 18:29:33 GMT -5 ClevelandRox said:

I'm thinking it's Bad Car and these tankers have only been driven around by their moms and can't relate.

I mean you're not wrong there 

[bboat11]

Nov 1, 2020 19:06:57 GMT -5 taylor is terrified said:

Nov 1, 2020 18:29:33 GMT -5 ClevelandRox said:

I'm thinking it's Bad Car and these tankers have only been driven around by their moms and can't relate.

I mean you're not wrong there 

But Tim and I's moms are dead

Edit: So he is mostly wrong ;)

[bboat11]

There’s no such thing as time wasted; 

It all works out somehow. 

Sometimes I understand, sometimes I hate,

 That I didn’t have you ’til now.

3. "Longer"

Track 3

Runtime: 3:02

Songwriters: Terri Clark, Ross Copperman, Tom Shapiro


Placement in the Singles Rankdown: #26 out of 53





Total: 65
Average: 4.64
Std Dev: 3.23 (2nd largest!!)


someguy - 1
codyj100 - 1
castleoblivion26 - 2
Cody Wants Out... - 2
tim - 2
LBTrocks - 3
bboat11 - 3
ClevelandRox - 4
fearlessarrow - 4
.indulgecountry - 8
BackwoodsBarbie - 8
taylor is terrified - 8
Kanenrá:ke - 9
George Strait Junkie - 10

SPOILER: Click to show

{Songs Remaining}
I Cheated On You
Some Songs

[tim]

Nov 1, 2020 19:09:24 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

Nov 1, 2020 19:06:57 GMT -5 taylor is terrified said:

I mean you're not wrong there 

But Tim and I's moms are dead

Edit: So he is mostly wrong

[tim]

Nov 1, 2020 18:50:17 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

My big problem with it is that it is easily one of the worst vocal performances of Terri's entire career.

Exactly this. The reason "Bad Car" ended up last for me is because I personally think her vocals make it unlistenable unfortunately.

[bboat11]

"Longer" was a super strong competitor here! As you can see from the trajectory graph it occupied every position from 1-5, settling in at #3 for much of the submission process aside from the brief blip at the end where "Just Add Water" pushed it back to #4.

This was a marginal hit in Canada, peaking at #28 before falling off the chart. I really like the lyrics to this one! You hear so many songs that talk exclusively about how deep their love is, how strong their love is, how it's constantly getting better over time.... But this song is dedicated to those who do not have the luxury of meeting as soon as they wish they could have. The song asserts that the narrator could not possibly love their partner better, deeper, stronger etc. if they had more time. Their love is already just as strong as everybody else's. The only benefit to meeting sooner would have been that they could have loved each other longer. Which I think is a beautiful sentiment that just about everybody can relate to on some level.

Terri confessed in the live video above that she actually got the idea for this song from a meme about a dog that she saw on social media. It was something along the lines of "if I had found you sooner, I could have loved you longer", and she immediately knew that would make for a good love song that hadn't really been done before.

George Strait Junkie is finally the last person to lose a last place with this reveal, while someguy and codyj100 are the next two to lose their #1s.

[bboat11]

By the way, these live videos keep reminding me of what a freaking hilarious person Terri is in person. Talking about it being so hot you feel like you need a malaria shot, God cooling it down for her just because he knew she was born in the tundra, I mean... I can't with her 😂

[bboat11]

And then there were two!!!!

"I Cheated On You" versus "Some Songs"!!!!

The fan favorite versus the top 20 hit!!!! Which one do you think is gonna take it all?!?

[tim]

I'm going to have to go with the title track for the win!

[bboat11]

Three-and-a-half minutes of magic;

 It’s so good, then it’s gone. 

Melodies and memories, 

Don’t the good ones leave you hangin’ on?

2. "Some Songs"

Track 2

Runtime: 3:12

Songwriters: Tom Douglas, Jaren Johnston, James T. Slater

Placement in the Singles Rankdown: #18 out of 53

Total: 53
Average: 3.79
Std Dev: 2.91 (3rd largest!)


castleoblivion26 - 1
Cody Wants Out... - 1
tim - 1
LBTrocks - 2
bboat11 - 2
fearlessarrow - 2
someguy - 3
ClevelandRox - 3
.indulgecountry - 3
Kanenrá:ke - 3
codyj100 - 7
BackwoodsBarbie - 7
taylor is terrified - 9
George Strait Junkie - 9

---

I could’ve chose wine, but I chose whiskey. 

I could’ve had one, but I got tipsy. 

Why bring a knife when you got a gun?


And I ain’t sorry for what I’ve done. 

When I found out that you were cheatin’, 

I could’ve got mad, but I got even.

 I did what the ticked-off told me to:


I took it downtown and I cheated on you.

1. "I Cheated On You"

Track 5

Runtime: 3:15

Songwriters: Brent Anderson, Brandy Clark, Forest Whitehead

Placement in the Singles Rankdown: #23 out of 53





Total: 39
Average: 2.79
Std Dev: 2.46


LBTrocks - 1
bboat11 - 1
fearlessarrow - 1
ClevelandRox - 1
Kanenrá:ke - 1
taylor is terrified - 1
George Strait Junkie - 1
.indulgecountry - 2
castleoblivion26 - 3
Cody Wants Out... - 3
BackwoodsBarbie - 3
codyj100 - 6
someguy - 7
tim - 8

[tim]

Wow! I was not expecting that outcome at all.

[LBTrocks]

The top 4 played out perfectly!

“I Cheated On You” is just head and shoulders above the rest of the album IMO so to me it was so the only logical choice for 1. Flawless song!

Thanks for hosting bboat11 ☺️

[bboat11]

Both of these songs in the top 2 are sooooo strong, and such perfect additions to Terri's career that are way too often overlooked.

"Some Songs" was the album's "big hit", peaking at #20 in Canada as the lead single for the album. This song is brilliant. A song about songs, how meta! But seriously, I can understand why this one might be a little polarizing. When it came out, it was more modern sounding than anything Terri had released before, with the loud guitars and the "woah"s. I remember it taking a couple listens for me to fully be on board. But it won me over very quickly, and is absolutely deserving of this top 2 finish! The lyrics do a fantastic job of describing the way that different songs work for different occasions, and they become especially poignant when they say things like "Melodies and memories; don't the good ones leave you hanging on?" I just love this one so much, and hope it is able to do well in the Revenge rankdown in the very near future!!!

"I Cheated On You", on the other hand, is such a delightful and delicious little revenge anthem You hear about relationships that end with cheating all the time in country music...but how often do you hear women seizing control of the situation by cheating in return once they find out their man was cheating on them?! It's soooooooo redneck, and spiteful, and sassy, and such a perfect song for Terri's attitude to shine through. She absolutely nails this vocal, and again there are SO many delightful lyrical moments from Brandy Clark's songwriting. "When I found out that you were cheating, I could have got mad, but I got even." "Walk a mile in my shoes while I walk a mile in yours". "It didn't mean a thing. You can take my word. I was just drunk. That's easier said than heard!" It's a modern classic for Terri. It failed to even chart in Canada, but it is a clear hit in the hearts of the fans!

[tim]

"I Cheated On You" has grown on me considerably more and I'd likely rank it a few spots higher if I had a redo. I also had no idea that Brandy Clark co-wrote this but can certainly hear her influence on it now that I think about it. Something still holds back this song for me and I can't quite put my finger on it, however I can see why it'd be such a fan favorite.

[taylor is terrified]

Nov 1, 2020 19:09:24 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

Nov 1, 2020 19:06:57 GMT -5 taylor is terrified said:

I mean you're not wrong there 

But Tim and I's moms are dead

Edit: So he is mostly wrong

I was answering him about myself! 

Also...I'm glad my #9 didn't take this lol. "I Cheated On You" is a clear highlight from this album and it's the correct winner.

[ClevelandRox]

Did no one else hear Gunpowder & Lead in the chorus of I Cheated on You?!!

Really happy with the outcome ☺️ Thanks bboat11!

[.indulgecountry]

At least "Bad Car" rightfully finished as the top album cut from this album! It is easily the gem of this record for me, and it only shines brighter as one of the only deep songs on an album that's mostly made up of uptempo fluff with loud guitars. The lyricism is CUTTING, and I'm gonna disagree with the very vocal minority about this one being a subpar vocal performance from Terri Clark because I think she 100% nailed the song and I vastly prefer her version to Brandy Clark's recent rendition.

And I am very pleased to see the correct single order for the top 3! "Longer" is weak and was a total head-scratcher for me as a single choice from the jump, and I think "Cheated" may have done some damage on the Canadian charts if it had come out second instead. "Some Songs" is a fun jam, but it doesn't hold a candle to "Cheated" in terms of personality, attitude, and delivery. Tackling songs like that is one of her best skills.

[bboat11]

Just gettin’ to see you is almost worth the things you do...

[bboat11]

If only promises could just erase the past, I could open up my heart enough to take you back...

[bboat11]

You took away the walls around me; made me feel safe to share my truth...

[bboat11]

Not knowing where to turn is something I thought I’d never learn...

[bboat11]

While others long to steal the spotlight, you work your magic quietly...