The Historiography Of Pop Part 7 aka The Great Eight

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Eight songs. Four to advance to the final votes. Here's how we do it:

You pick your favourite FOUR of the songs - no more, no less. The four highest scorers go through. It's easy! To help you decide, Poptimists members have written a short blurb for each of the songs explaining why it's awesome and should win.


"All The Things She Said": runaways waif-rock backstory (girlteens use exploitation as portal), pellmell frankie-ish backdrop (outsiders use BIG BOLD SOUND as self-announcement); obsessive worry-cycle on lip of VAST DECISION subtext: "can i trust you? will this work?"); in hazard EVERY LAYER, right up to manufactured meta-context and your respondent solidarity. (dubdobdee)

"Always On My Mind": Not for nothing was the first PSBs comp. called ‘Disco-graphy’: beneath their deadpan exteriors pump the hearts of boshin’ rave mentalists. Elvis sounded like he was just making excuses; jacking the melody to a Hi-NRG beat handbags self-pity to reconcile pop future with pop past. Best apology EVER! (byebyepride)

"...Baby One More Time": Though her first major hit, it has all we expect from Spears. The husky, honeysuckle voice, the hard rhythms of the opening minute, the few quick seconds of florid piano, and melancholic teenage heartbreak collapsing into the post Freudian eroticism of a not so innocent Lolita, who knows her history. (anthonyeaston)

"Can't Get You Out Of My Head": The year is 1986. A beautiful new face arrives on Ramsey Street. Fast forward 20 years, and through Charlene & Scott, 'I Should Be So Lucky', the indie 90s, playing at the Sydney Olympics and winning her fight with breast cancer, the pint-sized pop princess is still at the top of the game. Europop songs don't come much better, much catchier than 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head'. #1 in 40 countries. The world needs more Kylie, and Poptimists must surely vote for everyone's favourite Aussie. Also, she's tonnes better than Danni! (bengraham)

"Common People": A single mix, where your drunken aloof friend tells the room about the one thing that they really care about, and they're beautiful and impressive and they've obviously prepared this beforehand, and the longer one, where they reach out and grab your sleeve, and say no, this is IMPORTANT. (braisedbywolves)

"Pump Up The Volume": Silly samples galore, spooky space atmos, a punchy beat you can really feel plus that bouncy bassline that sounds as if you're being chased by Michelin Men in an inflatable roller disco. One of the oddest, controversial #1s in pop history so show this forward-thinking triumph of the dancefloor love. (stevem78)

"Running Up That Hill": VOTE K8. She is a National Treasure, everyone else left in put together: pop and rave and goth, all at the same time. 'Running Up That Hill' has beats which sound like galloping hooves, and is simultaneously a ballad, a banger and everything in between. She embodies pop. VOTE K8. (alexmacpherson)

"Toxic": Everyone had cruelly written off Britters after her Madge-snogging antics and dodgy Kabblah tattoos, but this song propelled her right back to the top of the pop mountain. Inescapable Bollywood string hooks and that killer chord-change chorus send Toxic veering between rave surrealism and classic Bond theme, which gave pop a well-needed kick up the charts. (katstevens)


[Poll #802785]

Thanks to all the blurbers, and may the best pop win! (or at least qualify)

Comments

Old School Tie

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I made exactly the same picks as byebyepride - well done that man. (Tho my last choice was v.hard)

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

"She embodies pop."

LOL

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Haha it was touch and go whether I would pick the song I blurbed about!

Britney votes will get split :(

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I ticked three straight away but the fourth one (tAtu) took what felt like an AGE to decide. 2 from the 80s, 2 from the 00s...oh 90spaws :(

OH FFS

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

WILL I NEVER BE RID OF BLOODY PULP. SURELY NOW OF ALL TIMES IS THE TIME THEY GET KICKED OUT.

AGJ,JHSKDAAJK.AVK.VK.VJK.VV

Ain't no other Common People

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

You're only making the next Poptimism DJ's jobs easier!

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

So far only myself, Greg and Ewan have voted double-Britney!

[hoshuteki.livejournal.com]

Carsmile did as well, and now there's a further 8...

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

Of all of this lot, Pump Up The Volume is the worst still in the running. Listened to it again recently and it sounds a bit flat these days.

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

Why was it controversial? Was it just "This isn't music!"?

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

controversy = they didn't pay for the samples!!

i think my blurb has hobbled my team

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

i loved your blurb and am very sad that the best song it accompanies is not in the running whereas the WORST AND ALSO INDIEST song is!

MY POOR RUSSIAN LESBIANS :(((

Can I just say....

[juror8.livejournal.com]

The PSB version of "Always On My Mind" is about a fiftieth as good as Willie Nelson's version, which may actually be the best song ever.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

That fourth slot is wide open!

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

well it looks like the first three spots are pretty guaranteed for always in on my house mind, ocmmon people and running up t'hill, but the fourth spot COULD BE ANY OF THE OTHERS!!!

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

C'mon Toxic! Do me proud!

Kate Bush as an inspiration for other artists

[juror8.livejournal.com]

Bush has been noted as an influence and inspiration by artists as diverse as Milla Jovovich, Polly Jean Harvey, Charlotte Martin, Jane Siberry, Kele Okereke, KT Tunstall, Placebo, Fiona Apple, Liv Kristine, Jewel, Emilie Simon, Coldplay, Stevie Nicks, Madonna, Mylène Farmer, Tori Amos (who has covered "Running up that Hill" and "And Dream Of Sheep" in live performances), Björk, Sarah McLachlan, Suede, Paula Cole, Sinéad O'Connor (who covered "Don't Give Up" with Willie Nelson), Pat Benatar, Happy Rhodes (who covered "And Dream Of Sheep" in live performances), Maxwell, The Utah Saints, Utada Hikaru, Andre 3000 and Big Boi of OutKast, Tupac Shakur, The Futureheads, Goldfrapp, The Decemberists, Antony and the Johnsons, Rufus Wainwright, Terry Taylor, Prince, Ariel Pink and others. In fact, in the 1980s and 1990s it became almost standard for individualistic female singer-songwriters to be compared to Bush by the media. The trip hop artist Tricky has stated her work has been a significant influence on him and that she should be treasured more than the Beatles. Though many outside Europe remain unfamiliar with her work and its profound intensity, others in her profession are willing to declare her works as those of great genius. Even the iconoclastic punk rocker John Lydon (Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols) has declared her work to be "fucking brilliant" and has labelled her "a true original." Suede front-man Brett Anderson has stated that "Wuthering Heights" was the first single he ever bought.

Re: Kate Bush as an inspiration for other artists

[juror8.livejournal.com]

Pop!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

All of the top three songs are more than 10 years old.

[juror8.livejournal.com]

Average age of songs in the final 8: 11 years.

Only song in the poll that is 11 years old: Common People

QED.

[epicharmus.livejournal.com]

Do you all realize the only American in the running is a Brit?

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

we stick to our own round these parts

To the wire

[koganbot]

M/A/R/R/S the only one who is out of it so far.

Re: To the wire

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

weird how the voting for this track dropped off completely. i blame Matt and his damning judgement.

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

Clearly my blurb wasn't nearly as convincing as I'd hoped it would be. Come on Kylie fans! Let's nab that fourth and final spot!

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

You are obviously being penalised for hitting nearly twice the word-count.

That's right this has got to be the greatest record on the air/of the year...

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

Why HAS 'Pump Up The Volume' fallen as far behind as it has? I don't see why it shouldn't be keeping up with the four tracks on 20 or so each, regardless of whatever arguments you can make for why it is better or worse. Having got this far it's strange to see such a backlash on it.

Re: That's right this has got to be the greatest record on the air/of the year...

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Because a lot of people here still don't like dance music as much as song-y music?

Find me a cliff to hang from

[koganbot]

Three of my four choices are hanging by their fingernails, while simultaneously managing to stomp on each other's hands. Gruesome to watch.

Re: Find me a cliff to hang from

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

three of my four look like getting through, and, if it remains this way, all four will!

[koganbot]

I have just friended bleeding_elf, pot80, and billycorgan1979. The four of us and the already friended skyecaptain constitue antimatter to Tom, Alex, et al's matter, which means that Poptimists is in danger of annihilation.

[koganbot]

constitue = constitute

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I predict 'Common People' will actually win the whole thing and this will be the final straw for Lex who will depart Poptimists to launch new LJ group JUNG PARISIANS and woe betide anyone who enters within sans extensive knowledge of what's on teenage tennis bitch Sonja Diasporova's iPod.

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

I think a change of format is required for the semis. We need two pairs of tracks going HEAD TO HEAD.

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

It seems quite clear now that PSB will win this (potentially in a head to head with Pulp?!)

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

Eh. PUTV's votes alone could send the last track to tie with the leader </proportional-voting-fan>

[koganbot]

While we were distracted by PUTV, Pulp started sneaking up on the PSBs.

[koganbot]

And Kate could fall to fifth. 'Taint over 'til it's over.