The History Of Jop Part 26 aka You leave me broken shattered I lie

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

2004 is now THREE YEARS AGO (sort of) - our possibly penultimate pazz and jop ponderations will let you relive that golden or otherwise era. You get THIRTEEN from thirty-eight picks: Alicia Keys "You Don't Know My Name" and the Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Maps" turned up last time so are omitted this.


[Poll #902705]


Poptimism Of Times Past - 2003 Edition

1. Crazy In Love (43 votes)
2. Milkshake (37)
3. Cry Me A River (35)
4=. Ignition (Remix) (31)
4=. Hey Ya! (31)
6. Move Your Feet (30)
7=. Hurt (27)
7=. I Luv U (27)
9=. In Da Club (24)
9=. Danger High Voltage (24)
9=. Rock Your Body (24)
9=. Pass That Dutch (24)

This scientifically confirms my empirical findings at the work Xmas party viz that "Crazy In Love" is much loved again but that people are bored of "Hey Ya". This one will run and run.

Comments

This was the hardest yet by far

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Other years have maybe had higher highs, or more concentrated paths of genius, but in terms of VOLUME - I've never been stuck on 18 ticks without any way to cut it down before. That was TOUGH.

I mean I never dreamt I would end up NOT ticking:

Toxic
Slow Jamz
Chewing Gum
Through The Wire
If I Ain't Got You

Re: This was the hardest yet by far

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

'If I Ain't Got You' I always remember as the song which OLYMPIC HEROINE Kelly Holmes used to inspire her on her way to winning those gold medals - a lovely anecdote in itself but also evidence of something Alicia Keys does very well, which is to tap into very vague universal sentiments of "longing" or "melancholy" and imbue them with a great deal of non-specific soul, which makes it very easy for the listener to feel a sense of identification with her songs and apply them to their own life circumstances, whatever they may be.

I love Alicia!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

My main memories from this year - when I was disillusioned enough to not even bother voting in P&J - were "Some Girls" and "Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)". Also I think "Cobrastyle" was originally '04 (maybe it was even '03, seems like it's been around forever).

In fact most of my music memories center on a certain couple of days at Glastonbury when I was the drunkest I have ever been in my whole life.

Personally I was having a good time though - new job, just married, great holiday in Greece, enjoying myself. It was just the music that wasn't matching up.

can't you see that you must be a part...of that beat in my heart

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

The lineage of cool, restrained, understated r&b summer hits which 'Move Ya Body' belongs to is probably my favourite music of this decade.

Never Leave You
Move Ya Body
Pon De Replay
Me & U

Remind me...

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

"Mosh" was the anti-Bush election single, right? Which was why it placed so high? I'm not sure I ever heard it!

Re: Remind me...

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

it was really effective w/ the video - cartoon eminem leading "the people" to storm the white house, lots of actually v moving scenes ft a war widow, a black man getting beaten up by the police, both of them joining him - the final scene is absolutely brilliant, they storm the building and the doors swing open to reveal...a voting booth.

OH MY GOD STOP TICKING FRANZ FVCKING FERDINAND

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

AND START TICKING CIARA!!!!!!

jaysus.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

do we have any idea as to why no one wants to talk about this year?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

- Too soon after?
- End of year 2006 lists have glutted everyone?
- Resurgent ILX eating up Poptimist time?
- Nobody has much to say?
- January blues?
- Poptimists as a community is still suck in a vision of pop based on a 2001-3 golden era and so gets bored beyond that?

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

it's been done to death already i guess?

Re: Remind me...

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

too bad it seemed to get held back until after the election results >:(

Re: OH MY GOD STOP TICKING FRANZ FVCKING FERDINAND

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

i want to live in a world where Ciara gets 1 more tick than Franz.

General Thoughts on this Poll

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

Not as good a poll as 2003 and definitely not as good a year for music as 2003. "Take Me Out" is the best song that this current era of indie rock has produced and nearly justifies the entire existence of the genre. "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" one of the best country-rock singles of all time, off of one of the best country-rock albums of all time. "Through the Wire" is still my favorite Kanye single. "99 Problems" the best Jay Z single (I like "Bonnie and Clyde 03" a lot too). And sorry Lex, but Ciara was a late untick.

Ones that I like a lot but are missing include Sara Evans and Hilary Duff, not that I would expect them to be on a poll like this. "Suds in the Bucket" also an amazing fun country song. Great year for country music.

My Pazz & Jop singles ballot 2004

[koganbot]

1. Don Yute f. Ying Yang Twins "Row Da Boat" (Slip-N-Slide/Capitol)
2. Kardinal Offishall "Bang Bang" (Blackjays)
3. David Banner "Crank It Up" (SRC/Universal)
4. Westside Connection "Gangsta Nation" (Priority)
5. Ying Yang Twins f. Trick Daddy "What's Happnin!" (TVT)
6. Method Man f. Busta Rhymes "What's Happenin'" (Def Jam)
7. Crime Mob "Knuck if You Buck" (Crunk Inc/BME/Warner Bros.)
8. M.I.A. "Galang" (XL)
9. Jay-Z "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" (Def Jam)
10. Miss B. "Bottle Action" (So So Def/Zomba)

The list is all hip-hop and hip-hop-inflected dancehall; does this mean it was an amazing year for hip-hop or that my listening was too narrow? Well both, but I did listen to scads of other stuff. Courtney Love's "Life Despite God" and Big & Rich's "Rollin' (The Ballad Of Big & Rich)" would have beaten anything on here if they'd been singles - at least that's the way I felt at the time - but the latter is hip-hop-inflected country-funk so kind of proves the rule. Hilary Duff's "Fly" would have been my number one if I'd heard it. And Ashlee Simpson's "Shadow" would have placed. And I'm still kicking myself for leaving JoJo's "Leave" off the list. (But now I'm up to 15, and I don't see what five I would take off.)

And I'm with Lex in the amazingness of the Pazz & Jop list, even though there was almost no overlap with mine. I was up to 21 I would have been delighted to tick, despite there being about 10 or so that I either haven't heard or don't remember (OK, like which Scissors Sisters track is this one?). Normally I try to go back and listen to the unheard/unremembered in advance of these polls, but I was immersed in Pazz 'n' Jack 'n' Country ballots and, like, stuff I was getting paid to write, so it didn't happen.

Re: OH MY GOD STOP TICKING FRANZ FVCKING FERDINAND

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

"Take Me Out" isnt as goody as "Goodies" but I can see why people tick it - as with so many tracks I disliked at first ("I Don't Feel Like Dancing" and "Wind It Up" from this year) it's monstrous power to ram a pop dancefloor made me completely re-evaluate it. I still don't think it delivers on the tension in its intro, though.

Re: General Thoughts on this Poll

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

Also missing is "Leave (Get Out)" by Jojo which should be top 10.

Re: OH MY GOD STOP TICKING FRANZ FVCKING FERDINAND

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

The transition between the Strokes intro and the chugga chugga angular rest of it is one of the most clunky, cringey things I've ever heard in pop music? I can see why people like it (though not why the forgive the insufferable vocals) but more than 'Goodies'? No way no way no way.

Re: My Pazz & Jop singles ballot 2004

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

Surprised to see you rank "Crank It Up" over "Cadillac on 22s" which I definitely prefer. This is a weird year (and poll) in that it's weak at the very top, but very strong at the near top. So that there are about 2 or 3 songs that feel like they should be top 5 in most years, but about 30 or 40 songs that feel like they should be top 20 in most year. 2006 was like that as well, incidentally, to me at least.

Re: This was the hardest yet by far

[sbp.livejournal.com]

I only just managed to tick 7.

Re: General Thoughts on this Poll

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I found it a real struggle unticking any of the Kanye singles - 'Through The Wire' is probably my least favourite of the ones here, and I love it! I don't feel the same about '99 Problems' though, I like it but you know about me and guitars.

Re: My Pazz & Jop singles ballot 2004

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

The real gap in this ballot for me (and prob all the other Brits) is Girls Aloud - this was their peak year, I think most people will agree with this. Surprised that 'The Show' or 'Love Machine' didn't force their way into the lower reaches of the list a la Annie.

Re: General Thoughts on this Poll

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I remember liking "Through The Wire" a lot when I heard it and then basically not liking ANYTHING else Kanye did until "Gold Digger" (for which I had the same "relieved DJ epiphany" as Take Me Out). I seem to be a bit Kanyephobic - his big samples tend to really grate on me.

Re: General Thoughts on this Poll

[koganbot]

The thing about "Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)" is that it's blatantly a '70s funk groove with nominal country accouterments - and as such helped redefine country. As far as I know, it and "Redneck Woman" - both co-written by John Rich - are the first mainstream country (rather than alt-country or Cash dying breaths or Loretta duetting indie) to place strong in P&J: 21st and 15th respectively. ("Goodbye Earl" scraped the bottom of the top 40 several years earlier.) "Save A Horse" is wonderful, and it's at best my fourth or fifth favorite on the album.

Re: General Thoughts on this Poll

[koganbot]

Er, 16th and 21st respectively.

Re: General Thoughts on this Poll

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

"Redneck Woman" even got a BOSH VERSION! on one of the Remixland eurotrance compilations. Have I ever posted that? I will try and remember to tonight.