i leave you alone for one day and look what travesties ensue

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Poptimists. We need to talk.

You really let me down yesterday.

Ciara’s ‘Goodies’ is a poptimist touchstone, and Miss Ciara Princess Harris a poptimist heroine on a par with Kelis, Britney, Xtina, Aaliyah, Rachel and Kylie. Yet you did not give her the respect she deserved as the first lady of crunk’n’b. To add insult to injury, she appears to have been beaten by both past-it Chemical Brothers and dreadful indie Killers.

I’m disappointed in you.

Explain yourselves please.

Comments

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

it was a terrible NOW. that i find ciara, not uninteresting, but a bit boring, will not suprise you.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Post-Verbalicious it was all dreadful.

Ciara is not boring AT ALL!

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

i did not tick chems or killers. but don't look to see what i did tick. you will choke.

[hoshuteki.livejournal.com]

Never heard it. MP3s plz. Kthxbye.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

It got to no 1! It was a massive massive ubiquitous hit at the time! I don't have an mp3 on this computer but someone else will probably provide.

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

LOL! I can't comment because I can't remember the song, if in fact I ever heard it.

I do wonder, however, to what extent the environment affects perceptions. As far as my tastes go, we are now (in NOW terms) well beyond those golden few years when it seemed like every time someone swung a racket, they hit in the sweet spot (bad tennis metaphor, there). I firmly believe that true music lovers will come around to a lot of music, if they listen more often. And because there are fewer smashes, we listen less, and therefore we also like less. Was this Now really that bad, or was there just not enough good to it?

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I don't understand all these people who've never heard the song. It got to no 1! It was everywhere! It's like saying you haven't heard 'Toxic' or 'Milkshake'.

This Now is really that bad after the first section, but even in the "golden years" there was an awful lot of dross - and surely the growth of dross means that shining examples of greatness stand out more? It didn't stop people ticking Gwen or Kylie...

TRUE POPTIMISTS...

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

...only listen to the radio.

Re: TRUE POPTIMISTS...

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Or the poptimismcast :-)

[jel-bugle.livejournal.com]

Ciara is on the Box all the time, though not Goodies, but the other one that sounds like Goodies.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

The new Ciara is on TMF all the blimmin' time. And it's rubbish.

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

I think your question has been answered, judging by the comments below. It seems to have totally passed most Poptimists by (myself included). I bet it didn't get anywhere near as much airplay/coverage as Toxic or Milkshake, hence it got outvoted by songs like The Killers that everyone knows and many people liked.

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

Having downloaded it now I can't see what the fuss is about. It's quite a dull record.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Remember Lex, the Now polls favour the "above average" songs as they are given the same weighting by each voter as the "truly excellent" songs. So eg more ppl will find the Killers "acceptable" than will find eg Ciara "astounding", even though I am sure Ciara >>>> Killers.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

How come "everybody knows" dreadfulness like the Killers (lower end of the top 10? I have no idea where it got to) rather than a NUMBER ONE from Ciara which got loads of press?!

[http://users.livejournal.com/xyzzzz__/]

Wasn't it no1 in january? no one listens to music in january..

I liked the guest rap better and the backing track is fine (like tuning an old radio?) but the formula wore itself out (Amerie's 'Touch' is totally out of place on her record).

Ciara does this annoying thing with her lip, too.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

'Touch' is muy under-rated i feel.

[http://users.livejournal.com/xyzzzz__/]

As I recall it wsn't Ciara that got the the press but the type of production being introduced/crunk/the south, etc. and Ciara ws the 'hook' needed to introduce this music to us teh Britishes.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but wasn't this also broadly true of Kelis, Aaliyah et al being presented as the "muses" of the Neptunes and Timbaland respectively?

'Touch' is my favourite song on the Amerie album! totally brilliant, really ravey.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

As I said on the other thread - and I still think this is right - crunk was a bit of a dealbreaker. "Goodies" is great but it's harsher, cruder, more repetitive than the big pop'n'B hits of the early 00s.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I'm saying this based partly on the responses of pop fans/indie kids on the Poptimism/Club FT dancefloor. "Goodies" got decent reception when it was given a run-out but it was never a monster.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

But it's totally softened-up crunk, it doesn't have Lil Jon bellowing over it. I'm definitely curious as to why Lil Jon was never embraced as a producer/auteur like Timbaland and the Neptunes were...obviously his signature sound is different but it's in the same field, and with the other two losing ground around this time it should have been the ideal time for the crunk sound to step into the breach (fronted by Ciara, Brooke Valentine, Nivea et al).

[mippy.livejournal.com]

I have never heard this record, so I plead ignorance.

UNLESS! It's the one that goes 'automatic-supersonic-hypnotic-funkyfresh', in which case it's the best thing ever.

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

It would never stoop to being that ridiculous. Its loss.

[dansette.livejournal.com]

I've also never heard it! Gulp. Just trying to get the comments into triple figures.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Somewhere in the tangled mess of comments there is an mp3 link!

[anatol-merklich.livejournal.com]

I agree less than 50% is total travesty! I gave it a best-in-show nod if that helps. It's still only my 3rd fav Ciara single, though. "1, 2 Step" wins partly because of that FANTASTIC kraftwerky percussion thwak thing that swishes madly between the L and R channels (too bad I don't "do" clubs and can have it happen ALL AROUND ME), and "Oh" is v sexily slinky with fun Luda rap as well (yes these two things are mutually exclusive but that doesn't matter).

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

'Oh' is my favourite - there was a FOURTH amazing Ciara banger which never got released as a single called 'Hotline' as well, amazing high-end and pounding drums. I will YSI at some point. Have you heard her new one 'Get Up'? That's brilliant too.