A Year In Pop: 1

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

A what in who? This is the first of a series of polls replacing the mighty stevem78's monthly Top 40 polls.

The Top 40 polls were an grebt idea because they put the focus on NEW pop, unlike the canons, P&Js, Now polls etc. But they were by all accounts a hassle to do and response was never great, partly because there were SO MANY songs to deal with.

By doing them weekly (hear the method in the madness) we have a much smaller number of songs to pick, so there's more chance of individual songs getting discussion time, and also more chance of people who haven't heard the new goodies hearing them via YSIs or YouTube or what have you. (To save my time and sanity I will leave it up to commenters to hunt these down).

Of course I will be keeping track of the scores on these!

[Poll #904685]

What about teh AMAZING NEW CHART REVOLUTION then? My arbitrary rule is that re-releases will be included but only if they weren't in Steve's polls, which I think rules out all of this week's.

Comments

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

it's not absurd! it's not Ghostface's highest point but it doesn't ruin the song or anything, it's a decent touch.

(nb - I haven’t heard whatever version will actually be the single, just the Ghostface ft Amy Winehouse version which is on his album – he basically removes her verses to do his own, but keeps the beat and the chorus. He namedrops Kelly Clarkson!)

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

On the single version, it sounds like separately or more integrated into the song, the rap would be good but it just sounds kind of pointless in the middle of Amy's singing, like some contrived afterthought they had to try and make it 'down with the kids' or something. Maybe they should have put the Ghostface version as the B-Side or something, rather than lessening the appeal of both versions by just gluing it onto Amy's.

I just looked up the mostly-Ghostface version and I agree, that is good. The single mix is not.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Maybe, I just think guest raps get, um, an unfair rap a lot of the time in pop communities. Even if they're bad they hardly ever RUIN the song! There are loads which work wonderfully, only a few which make the song unlistenable, most are just...there. I def like the idea of Amy W having a guest rap, especially in a song where her own narrative is classically unreliable.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I am almost always in favour of guest raps. They also have a massive pedigree in pop - all those eurodance hits with a rap bit in the middle.

DON'T BE AFRAID OF YOUR FREEDOM!

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

yeah yeah, eurodance mate, obv. no other previous musical form ;)

Re: DON'T BE AFRAID OF YOUR FREEDOM!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

That was toasting not rapping. Erm.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

I tend to not mind guest raps too much- I'm certainly not anti-rap, although I haven't really bothered to pay attention to rap music in awhile. I think my real problem with this one is that Ghostface's accent somehow totally jars me- if it had been Roots Manuva or someone (I would actually really like to see a Roots Manuva/Amy song) I'd probably like it. I mean, Amy sings with an American accent to a certain extent but the situations in the song (chips and bitter) seem too British for me to find Ghostface plausible as the "other half" -I just can't imagine him down Amy's local pub, really.

Possibly Ghostface lives just around the corner from her and I just embarassed myself but he sounds like he's from the US, to me.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised there HASN'T been a Roots M/Amy W collab so far! That would be awesome. Maybe they're both too fucked all the time to make it happen.

[maura.livejournal.com]

wait, is there only one verse by ghostface on the single edition? does he drop the 'walk away like kelly clarkson' line?