#26:47 for people in the UK

[whisconsun]

Bless you. Thank you so much, That's so kind of you. When you gave me that little thing. It was just so precious. How am i ever going to repay you? But we will think of something

I'm sure that this has already been shared, but people from the UK are saying that according to Doctor Who Unleashed (a UK-only show), that this is the translation of what Scary Lady is signing.

[heyidkyay]

And I'm petrified of being alone, now |

Part Fourteen

Matty Healy x reader

Summary: She’s just trying to get by, really. What with being a single parent to her four year old son whilst simultaneously trying to kick start a successful career as a radio presenter. She’s got everything she’s ever wanted though, friends close by, a mum who’s merely a phone call away, and of course her baby boy. What else is there to wish for? But then, it’s not long before her relatively normal life gets upended and turned on its head, and she’s suddenly forced to deal with situations she’s never even thought to imagine.

What happens when one mention of a certain controversial singer on her show sends a flood of unexpected challenges her way? 

Authors Note: First bit is a lil messy! BUT it's just a way of moving through time whilst letting you know what's going on. Apologising anyway, tried to make it as simple as possible! Idk how I’m really feeling about this series atm ngl, hopefully I’ll find some more inspiration soon x

> Just a reminder! We left the last update with Mouse and her mum talking about Matty:) You can look back here if you'd like!

Masterlist

Mirror

14:04, 26 Dec 2023

For Christmas Denise Welch reunites with..

LOOSE Women star Denise Welch had a fun-filled Christmas this year with her two sons and...

*picture: family gathering featuring Matty Healy in red beanie*

comments:

@/user1  Glasses and beanie combo>>> @/user2 He was wearing that yesterday too @/user3 I wish my family was chill enough to take a xmas pic😭

[HOMESCREEN] 11:12

Facetime now Matty:)!! Incoming Call

Messages 4m Finnleyyy So will I be seeing my best mate this nye??

Instagram 11m Trumanblack mentioned you in a private story

TWITTER: ‘75 updates @/75updateacc Matty spotted out in Manchester!  *picture: long trench and red beanie*

Ugh! @/user1 Matty on new years! *with old friends // red beanie tucked into a jacket pocket* > Loveme @/user2 The beanie is spotted again.. >> Saidhello @/user3 @/user2 Been all over his ig stories too 👀 friends? @/user4 I'm sort of obsessed w it and the fact it's stirring up so many questions💀 ppl, @/user5 it's so nice to see him actually happy!! lemmebepartoftheband @/user6 WAITING ON THE NEXT ALBUMMMM

Instagram

Trumanblack Story today

The Sun

23:47, 31 Dec 2023

MATTY HEALY SPOTTED OUT FOR NEW YEARS CELEBRATIONS AFTER 'SUPPOSED' SOBRIETY

The 1975 frontman was seen out in London this evening with friends and other members of the band celebrating a...

*picture: Matty Healy all dressed up and sporting a red beanie*

comments:

@/user1  shit like this ruins people @/user2 That hat again! Was it a Christmas present? @/user3 another celeb trying at sobriety, another bullshit article @/user4 Where in London even was this?

TWITTER: ‘75 updates @/75updateacc Band's interview with Variety today, click here for the video! Will be updating later on today:) *boys all pictured: George/shades, Matty/beanie&longtee, Ross/hairdown, Adam/leatherjacket*

[HOMESCREEN] 13:52

Messages 3m Matty:)!! Just wrapping up now, should be able to call in 10 x

Youtube 9m Recommended: The 1975 - Talks of tour? | VM Radio Uk

Instagram 21m Trumanblack just added to his story

AdelineWells sent you a direct message

23 New Notifications click to open

TWITTER: Partoftheband @/user1 Talks of tour??? Are they trying to kill me? Gotabf @/user2 The beanie!! It's back!! Milk @/user3 You reckon he's washed it? People! @/user4 He wears so much designer shit, why's he wearing a hat that looks like it was knitted by my nan??

--

With January, came sleet and heavy rain. Forcing us all indoors and making quick regrets over arduous New Year’s resolutions.

I had half a dozen interviews lined up in the first month alone, which was a promising start to the year but also incredibly nerve wracking. I’d spent the majority of the wavering days between Christmas and the 31st fretting over each and every detail, beyond thankful that my mum had stuck around a little longer after the festivities to help keep Teddy preoccupied.

Adi, thankfully, was stuck in the exact same boat, which meant that we could both bear the burden together. Leading to a whole lot of time being spent on the phone, making plans, or down at the studio, where Teddy could roam free. We were moving up in the world, as Matty now liked to claim, and so that meant more of our time being taken up by mundane tasks such as asking Hozier’s PA what kind of drink he preferred and avoiding a couple of Podcaster's sudden opinions on us.

Still, we were forever grateful.

Though it wasn’t just the radio show getting shafted with a shit ton of toil either, it appeared that work had Finn headed off to the States for a few gallery openings, and Matty pulled in all sorts of directions whilst the band sorted out their upcoming album.

I hadn’t heard a word of it, although the singer kept on endlessly chattering away about how much he loved the songs they were now producing, suddenly leased with a newfound life. Which always left me feeling happy, even if I did have to wait alongside the rest of the world to listen in. It was nice knowing that he was enjoying it all once more. Seeing as, music made Matty and Matty made music. And all that.

So anyway, what I’d been getting at there was that the last few weeks had been all too trying. Enough so that Matty and I had hardly seen hide nor hair of each other, and our Facetime calls had been fair and few. Which was something that didn’t just sadden me, but Teddy too it seemed, who’d come to quite like the musician and all of his odd quirks.

That fact in itself had almost sent me running, in truth.

And maybe that was silly of me, but Teddy was my everything and it killed me to see him upset over someone he barely even knew. But then again, I supposed he did know Matty in a way. Whenever Matty called, Teddy was there to tell the man about his day, whenever Matty texted he never failed to ask after Teds, whenever he sent pictures and videos of the studio and whatever else he was doing they were usually for Teddy to see. 

I didn’t think Teddy had ever attached himself to a person so quickly. Which really did surprise me. Though oddly enough, what surprised me much more was the fact that Matty had just soldiered on and stuck with it, instead of running for the hills the first chance he’d gotten, like I’d expected. 

Which was perhaps a bit of an unfair assumption on my part, but it was something I didn’t feel too guilty over- I’d made that clear to Matty the very first day the two of them had met after all.

Saying that though, I was left to eat my words as I watched that same man galavant his way around a London Zoo with a four year old plopped atop his shoulders. Doing so without complaint, and thoroughly enjoying it too.

“There! There, Matty! You see?” I heard Teddy call out in loud excitement as I trailed my way on after them, his little fingers holding onto the red beanie Matty now often favoured. Something I relentlessly teased him about but which left me feeling all warm every time I saw it.

“Oh yeah! I do now. Wow monster, how’d you even spot him over there?” Matty replied, feigning obvious awe and grinning madly when Teddy leaned over the top of his head to poke his face into view.

“I eat carrots.”

I snorted at the simple answer Teddy gave and Matty, forever charmed by my toddler’s antics, nodded around a low chuckle of his own. “I’ll make sure to buy a couple on my way home then.”

Stepping closer, I found it strange to be in a zoo so lifeless. Which probably sounded even more peculiar, but then again, it hadn’t been my idea to go ahead and rent the entire place out just so that we could have a nose around at all the wildlife without Matty getting mobbed. What a diva, hey?

“I still can’t believe you did all this.” I murmured to him once Matty had set Teddy back down on the ground, leaving my son to run on over towards one of the caged fences, calling out to the languid lions that laid beyond it.

“It’s sick.” 

That had been Matty’s only defence since having arrived and me figuring this all out, it was as endearing as it was bewildering. 

“It’s mental is what it is, you idiot.”

He glanced over at me, hands tucked up in his pockets, a smug grin now painted on his face. I crossed my arms over my chest, refusing to be charmed by him and his inane antics. 

“Admit it, you’re loving this. Not having to worry about losing the kid and actually being able to get a look in at this lot.” Matty argued, and if he were anyone else he’d be swaying back and forth in utter delight- Wilmslow’s very own Willy Wonka- but all he did was simply look back at Teddy with a prideful grin, who was now currently trying to lure a lioness in closer.

Thing is, he wasn’t wrong. And Matty was enough of a git to know it too.

I didn’t grant him a reply though and instead wandered over to drag my son away from the ever nearing lion. “Did you see, mama? She likes me!”

I had to grin and bite back my sudden hysteria, although Matty snorted from his place now back beside us. “I did see, lovely! How about we go look at the snakes though now, hey?” And with that, Teddy was eager to part from us (and thankfully the lion) , sprinting ahead in the direction of a lizard sign that stood not too far away, leaving Matty and I to trail behind.

“Where all the animals are locked behind glass, yeah?” Matty piped up after and I narrowed my eyes at him in return, refraining from giving him a right good shove.

“Shut it.”

He merely cackled and looped an arm around my shoulders.

–

“They should just get back together. I mean- the money alone!”

I chuckled quietly to myself, moving about the tiny kitchenette at the studio and rolling my eyes at the man propped up between a Guinness World Records book we had and the sugar tin.

“I’m not saying that they shouldn’t! I’m just saying that they won’t.” I argued back, still rifling my way through a drawer in search of a sharp enough knife. “Those are two completely different things.”

“So what?” Matty scoffed, his displeasure with the whole debate managing to seep its way through the phone. “Fucking pair of pillocks, can’t even imagine how the world would react, the industry alone!”

I smiled, all too familiar with the daily rants of one Matthew Healy. This particular tirade of his had been spurred on by a comment I’d made on today’s show, it seemed he’d been listening in.

“Oo, is there a brew going for me?”

I glanced behind me just in time to spot Adi making her way into the studio, a large duffle bag for tomorrow's shoot thrown over her left shoulder. 

“Who else?” I quipped back, grinning victoriously when I finally found the trusty blade I’d brought over from mine so many years ago now that laid between a wooden spoon and a jar opener.

“What are you even doing?” She asked me next, having already tossed the bag down onto the sofa and made her way over. She waved when she spotted Matty’s familiar face upon opening the fridge, used to his presence cropping up here and there by now, “Alright, Healy? Thought you had big meetings today.”

“We do. I’m currently hiding out in a bin.”

Adi paused to blink at the absurd reply and then shrugged, not seeing the point in questioning it any further. “And you?” She prompted me, plucking a pint of milk from the fridge and slamming it closed.

“So full of questions today, high inquisitor.” I sang, already moving to slice into the whole watermelon I’d brought on my way in, having right fancied it when I’d passed by the fruit & veg stall up on the high street. “And what do you think, Ads? Exactly what it looks like.”

“Yeah, but why?”

I just shook my head in answer and Adi seemed to take that for what it was, a blatant dismissal. Matty though, ever so sweet, must’ve felt a bit bad because I heard him pipe up again, “She’s gone and brought a whole watermelon. Paid five quid for the thing, you believe that?”

“Five quid! Did he ask if he could spit in your face too?” Adi all but exclaimed, eyes as wide as saucers as she looked over at me.

“Yes, five quid.” I stressed, having already heard enough of it from Matty, who didn’t have a leg to stand on here. “Now leave off, or I won't share.” I wielded the knife between the pair of them jokingly and Adi relented easily enough, already moving to skim a piece I’d just cut from off the counter. I cast a shrewd glance towards my phone, “And besides you can’t talk, Mr. Millionaire.”

Matty snorted.

“Is it really that much?” Adi wondered out loud, sweeping over to get a better glimpse at my screen and the man hidden within it.

I rolled my eyes and smirked, already figuring that she’d try her luck with just that thought alone. 

“Piss off, Wells.” Matty laughed, amused by the ever so sweet smile Adi had suddenly conjured up for him and the way she was now batting her lashes, “How the fuck did we go from watermelon to my networth anyway?”

“Extortion.”

“Nepotism.”

I stopped slicing to taste test a chunk of watermelon and heard Matty heave a heavy sigh.

Adi, though, just moved to ask, “Did you threaten the fruit & veg man then?”

“Fucking should’ve.” I muttered, but couldn't quite bring myself to regret the wasted fiver then, not when the fruit was almost heavenly.

“Can you stop eating? I’m in a crisis you know, and fucking starving.” I heard Matty complain, his voice practically petulant.

“Actually, you’re in a bin.” I corrected, taking another chunk, “So don’t be a drama queen. If you’re hungry, order a Deliveroo or fuck off home.”

Matty was almost pouting when I slid on over to join Adi by the phone, a plate overwhelmed with watermelon now towering between us. His frown deepened. “You’re proper evil, you know that?”

I simply grinned, “You love it.”

Only Adi noticed the faint hue that bloomed across the singer’s cheeks then. Seeing as I was already rambling away once again, talking about the weekend get-together we’d planned now we all had some time to spare.

“You’re still coming, right?” I then asked Adi, who was now smirking for some reason. I raised a brow.

She merely hummed around her next slice and dipped her head at me, “Wouldn’t miss it for the world, babe.”

Matty’s eyes narrowed at that but I deemed it better to ignore whatever the two of them had going on, I found life to be much simpler that way.

–

It was almost gone nine and still no sign of her. 

She had texted almost half an hour ago now, saying she was headed out, but Matty still kept his phone in hand, spinning it this way and that, just in case she tried messaging again.

“You’re driving me mad with that, man.” George suddenly announced, drawing Matty’s attention back to the table at the overcrowded club they’d picked out. “Stop it.” He added, swatting at Matty’s forearm when he’d barely acknowledged him the first time round.

Matty’s brow pinched but he let the mobile go with a clatter to the tabletop, “Happy?”

George exaggerated his smile in the same sense Matty just had whilst he clasped his hands in mock prayer before him, “Incredibly.” Then he relaxed back in his chair once more, face softening as Matty’s eyes shot out across the floor for the umpteenth time, “God, you’re really fucking strung up on this one.”

“Eh?” Matty immediately asked him, his head spinning back around to spare a glance at his mate.

“Just,” George began with a slow shrug, his chin dipped against his chest now in the way that he’d leaned back making his eyes appear all the more solemn. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you so invested, is all.”

“Invested, fuck’s that meant to mean?”

Goerge just huffed. “I don’t know, Matty. Just, you’re not usually the type to get so caught up on a girl you’re chasing.”

“I’m not chasing her. We’re mates.” Matty hastily defended and could feel the way his face had instantly scrunched up with the force of it.

He was gifted a short snort in return, “Yeah man, sure, and I can fly a shitting plane.” At Matty’s ever darkening expression, George sighed once more and moved to prop himself up on his knees, “Look yeah? I didn’t mean nothing by it, only curious. It’s weird seeing you all moody and pent up about somebody. Been a while.”

It had been a while since he’d last seen someone properly, but that didn’t suddenly mean that he and Mouse currently had anything going on. He’d been too focused on staying clean, working on the album, and trying to forget the last year and a half had ever happened. And Mouse… well, she had a kid and didn’t seem the type to take to anyone so easily. They were mates. Just, mates.

Matty must’ve been quiet a little too long though because when George spoke again his voice had softened, as had his face. It almost looked pitiful now, enough that Matty wanted to force him away from his line of sight. But he didn’t, only glanced back out towards the floor.

“Matty, mate. I really didn’t mean to piss you off, you know that. I’m just saying it how I see it.” Matty rolled his eyes but George only continued to talk, “It’s obvious that you like her, man. Whether it’s just as friends or something more. But do me a favour and just have a long think about it, yeah? She’s nice and all, but I don’t wanna see you hurt.”

Matty bit back the scoff that lodged itself in his throat, “If anything, G, it’d be me hurting her. Wouldn’t be that unexpected though, would it?”

George’s hand came to grasp his shoulder at that and with a firm but gentle grip he forced Matty to better face him, he leaned in so his voice would carry over the music, his forehead now furrowed. “You’re not a bad person, man. Not everyone’s expecting you to fuck up all the time.”

Didn’t that feel like a fucking lie.

The hand pressed further and George shook Matty a tad, wanting him to comprehend his words. Take them in. “You’re doing good, mate. Really good. And we’re proud, alright? We are. All I’m saying is, have a think about what you want. Make sure you’re happier for it, make sure… that you can deal with everything that comes along with it. Understand?”

Matty’s mouth felt a little dry as he stared up into George’s eyes, seeing the genuine care held within them. Almost immediately Matty felt his walls crumble down around him and he struggled to find the right words to respond with. They were proud. So instead, he just nodded and George’s hand clapped the back of his neck with a winning grin.

“Good. Now, go get her, yeah?”

Matty frowned at the words but before he could think to question it the table was moving to welcome in a couple of newcomers and he turned in his seat to meet the eyes of a smiling Squeaks.

“Hey you.”

“You made it!”

She grinned back at him, beamed actually, and Matty felt his eyes flicker down to her lips for a second, then down further to the lovely little dress she’d decided on. He hastily stood up to greet her, wrapping her up in a hug- something that had come more and more naturally to them in the last few weeks- and rocked slightly. “Get all dressed up for me, did you?”

Mouse pulled away with a laugh, her head thrown back a tad before her glistening eyes set themselves back on him, she squeezed his arm, “You wish.”

He did wish. But he didn’t voice that passing thought out loud, filing it away to stress about later, and instead shuffled nearer to whisper, “You do look gorgeous though.”

The skin by her ear prickled with goosebumps and Matty pulled away before he could get too caught up in what that might have meant. He graced her with a slow smile, “Drinks?”

She let go of a breath, then smiled brightly back at him with a dip of her chin, “Drinks.”

–

“I haven't heard a word of it!” I said, pushing my drink down onto the table. I was currently on my fifth of the night, but the guys were forever getting new rounds in and so I knew it wouldn’t take me long before I was handed another. 

“You said you didn’t like our stuff!” Matty immediately answered back, his voice a tad bit higher now.

I gaped at the claim, “I did not!”

“Yes, you fuckin’ did!”

The rest of the table was watching on in ever growing amusement, Ross’s eyes were dancing back and forth between Matty and I, whilst Adi wore a grin that could probably help power Blackpool Tower. 

“I said I loved your earlier work. I didn’t say I hated the newer stuff!” I rebuked, desperately trying to think back to that first show I’d mentioned Matty in. Had I really said that?

Matty went to speak but Hann cut in before he could, “You two are mental. All I asked was whether she’d heard anything we’d been working on.”

George snorted, managing to drag his eyes away from his fiance to smirk at the pair of us. “Remember she claimed the band looked spent.”

Matty jumped to point in George’s direction, pleased, whilst my eyes widened, “I wouldn’t!”

“You did, love.” George laughed, looking more amused than hurt which was the only thing keeping me from being physically sick. “It’s alright, no harm done.”

I fish-mouthed, but even with that having been said, Matty was still grinning victoriously. “Fucking told you.”

Wrinkling my nose, I turned to neck the rest of my drink. “Yeah, well. I do love your songs, alright?”

Matty’s brows upturned, as if he was about to deny the claim and accuse me of lying, but Adi cut in, “No it’s true, she's been listening to your shit nonstop since you two met. Like it’s grating at this point.”

“Harsh.” Ross dragged out and Adi gave him a coy smile when she went to pat his chest, “You try listening to his gob on repeat and then we’ll talk, yeah?” She retorted easily, dipping her head towards Matty, whose face scrunched up unhappily.

“Careful, Wells. Starting to sound like you might not like me.”

Adi flashed him a toothy smile, “Who claimed I ever did?”

I was quick to reach out and grab Matty’s wrist when he frowned, ready to open his mouth once more. The motion seemed to grab most, if not all, of his attention because he wavered in his stance before letting himself be pulled over.

“He’s fragile, Ads.” I chuckled to her, hand cradling the back of Matty’s head when he leaned in to press his face against my shoulder. “All the big rockstars have delicate egos.”

Adi snorted and I watched as she let Ross drape an arm over her shoulders, her hand finding his.

“Not fucking fragile.” Matty said, but the heat of it was lost in the mumble against my skin, I laughed.

“Sure, babe.” I murmured fondly, smiling when I felt the curve of his grin against my neck. I started to run my hand through his hair almost unconsciously, letting the alcohol dim the anxious worries that would typically cloud my mind. “You’re a real man.”

“A real fuckin’ man.”

I rolled my eyes with a shake of my head that must've disrupted Matty’s newfound peace because he pulled away slightly, hands falling to rest on my hips, keeping us close.

“You’re proper nice, you know?” He mumbled in contradiction to our previous argument, his head falling forward to press his forehead to mine. His eyes appeared so much darker in this light, the little space between us had me holding my breath. “So nice.”

Instantly I was reminded of one of the first conversations I’d had with Adi about Matty, he’d been nice then too. “Thanks.” I chuckled before swallowing, eyes trailing between his before I voiced the thought. “You’re nice too.”

He smiled, one of those lazy ones where his eyelids drooped and the skin around his mouth wrinkled. His stare dropped ever so slightly and my mouth parted on instinct.

Matty licked at his lower lip, teeth grazing it ever so slightly. “I’m glad I met you.”

My heart stuttered in my chest, squeezing in on itself so tightly that I thought it might just give out, before it finally let go. “I don’t think I’ve ever been told that before.”

Matty tilted his head at me causing the tip of his nose to brush against mine, I struggled to remember to keep breathing. “I’m glad I met you, Squeaks.” He repeated with an air of finality, either unaware or uncaring for the reaction it drew from me as he raised a hand to drag his thumb across my jaw.

I looked up into his eyes, unblinking. Aware that I’d never felt quite like anything this before.

“I’m glad I met you too.”

–

Metro News

Feb 2024 06:21

SETTLING DOWN? | ‘75 SINGER CAUGHT IN CLUB WITH SINGLE MUM

Last night it seems our local heartthrob was back out on the town again after a few weeks of silence, only this time he wasn't alone! Read more...

[HOMESCREEN] 07:59

Facetime now Finnleyyy Incoming Call

Messages 7m Adi x Babe wake up, shits going down over on twitter!! Also (very much related) did you shag Healy last night???

Twitter 11m You now have 378 notifications

TWITTER: ‘75 updates @/75updateacc The Band spotted out in London last night with the MouseOnAMic girls! *picture: a story from Adelinewells instagram//blurred group photo*

backofmyvan @/user1 Is this real?? *picture: blurred Matty and Mouse in a dark club* Funnyface @/user2 Is that the radio host? she has a kid?? Saidhello! @/user3 I woke up to chaos. On another note, how are my matty girlies doing today?

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Ryan Burge

Published: Oct 3, 2024

Generating a graph that helps us understand the religious composition of just 18 countries is a Herculean task, as I found when trying to do just that with the Global Attitudes Project from Pew. In the United States, it’s pretty simple to throw together four or five categories that encompass almost all of our religious diversity - Protestant, Catholic, atheist, agnostic, or nothing in particular. Those five labels will fit at least 80-90% of the residents of most parts of the United States. Of course, there are outliers like Utah and its significant Latter-day Saint population. Yet, despite the fact that we have Lutherans in some parts and Southern Baptists in other areas - American religion falls into just a handful of broad categories.

When I went to try and visualize the religiosity of the countries that were included in this recent dataset that was published on the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA), I had to rethink how many categories were necessary and how many groups could just be combined into a “all others” category. This is my best attempt at that after writing about four hundred lines of computer code.

There is a lot going on in the world of religion when you compare just this dozen and a half countries. Of course there are many that are dominated by Protestants and Catholics. For instance, 96% of Poles say that they are members of the Roman Catholic Church, as do 67% of Italians and 61% of Hungarians. But there are also lots of Catholics in Spain (54%), Belgium (51%) and France (41%). On the other hand there is not a single majority Protestant country in this group of eighteen. Sweden comes the closest at 45%, and there are a few clustered around 25-30% (UK, Germany, Australia).

What about non-religious places? What is striking to me is how few of them have a big chunk of atheists - France leads the way at 26%, followed by the Netherlands at 22%. Yet, there are a lot that fall between 10% and 20% - UK, Sweden, Spain, South Korea, Italy, Germany, Canada, Belgium, and Australia. The number of agnostics in a country tend to be strongly related to the share who are atheists, too.

But then there are the outlier countries. For instance, 68% of Malaysians say they are Muslim. Nearly 90% of the country of Greece are part of the Orthodox Christian faith and 38% of the Japanese say they are Buddhists. And I would be remiss to not point out the incredible religious diversity of Singapore, where no religious group makes up more than 30% of the population. It’s 17% Protestant or Catholic, 21% Muslim, 29% Buddhist, and 23% non-religious. That’s a whole lot of larger religious groups at relative parity in terms of size.

But I wanted to move a step beyond that and focus on some other really intriguing questions about the role that religion plays in the personal lives of each respondent. And also how important they think religion is in terms of a well-functioning society. Let me start by showing you how people responded to the question, “How important is religion in your life?”

From this angle, Australia is the least religious country in the dataset. Nearly half of folks say that religion is “not at all important” (47%), but don’t miss out on Japan. While only 30% say that religion is not important at all, another 37% chose the “not too important” option. That puts it on par with Australia. Almost all the European countries fall between 30% and 40% on this metric. The country that is easily the most religious from this data is Malaysia with 84% of folks living there saying that religion is “very important” to them. That’s double the rate of the next country - Singapore where just 42% chose the ‘most important’ response option.

Of the eighteen countries in total, seven of them are more likely to say “somewhat” or “very important” than they are to choose the bottom two response options. There’s a nice mix of regions there, though. You have Italy and Greece, but also Israel, Singapore and Malaysia. It’s just not so simple to say that one region of the world is really religious - it very much matters what country we are talking about.

Let’s take this a step further by looking at this religious importance question through the lens of age groups. What I am really interested in is tracking how quickly religion will continue to decline in the future in countries outside the United States. So, I calculated the share of each age group in each country that said that religion was not important all.

One thing I can say without a doubt - older people put a higher value on religion compared to younger folks. You can see that by looking at the 65 and older group. In most countries, less than 20% of those people say religion is not important at all. When you look at the younger age group, you can see the overall percentages are a whole lot higher. Religion is clearly fading in a macro-level sense.

What also stands out to me is that there isn’t a huge jump from one age bucket to the next, it’s just a really incremental slide away from religious importance. For instance, in the Netherlands, the percentages go like this: 47% → 42% → 36% → 29%. Every successive age category is five or six points less likely to place no importance on religion. Generally speaking, the trend is maintained in this data. Inside each country, younger people are less religious than older people. It's just that the baseline tends to be different based on the overall religiosity of the country.

But to simplify this analysis, I wanted to show you the share who said religion is not important at all in the youngest age group and the oldest age group side by side per country. This really illustrates how much religion is declining across generations in some places.

One interesting observation: there are two countries in which the younger generation is actually more religious than the older generation. In Belgium, 32% of retired folks say religion is not important at all. It’s only 27% of people between the ages of 18-29 years old. Maybe there’s a religious resurgence in Belgium. That’s not something I have seen reported on by any outlets. Also, young Israelis are slightly more religious than the oldest Israelis. The difference here is just two percentage points, but it’s also worth noting that the country of Israel is a whole lot more religious than the average country in this dataset.

Which countries are experiencing huge drops? We have to talk about South Korea. Among South Koreans who are at least 65 years old, just 10% say religion is not important at all. Among the youngest adults in that country a whopping 42% place no importance on religion. That 32-point gap is the largest in the dataset. The other countries that have a huge generational gap are Japan at 25 points while Hungary and Spain are at 23 points.

What strikes me also is looking at the countries that are the least religious in the aggregate. Take note of Australia and Sweden. In both those cases, young adults are incredibly irreligious. But it’s not like the older generations in those countries are highly devout, though. For instance, 38% of Australians who are 65 years old or more say religion is not at all important. If you compared just the oldest Australians to the entire sample from every other country, they would only trail Sweden and the Netherlands for the mantle of ‘least religious.’ It’s quite stunning just how irreligious Australia is when looking at this data.

There’s another battery of questions in this data that I thought were incredibly telling about how people in these countries see the importance of religion to a functioning society. Respondents were asked how important a bunch of issues were to being good members of a society. There were questions about voting, reducing climate change, joining demonstrations, paying attention to current events, and getting the COVID-19 vaccine. I am showing you the share who said that each activity was very important across all 18 countries.

The activity that clearly scores at the top in most countries is voting. But there are others that also tend to do well. For instance, reducing climate change was seen as very important by huge chunks of folks in European countries like Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, and Italy. It’s fascinating to see which countries don’t put a ton of emphasis on environmental concerns. In Israel, just 28% of respondents said it was very important. There was also significant positive sentiment toward getting the COVID-19 vaccine. In most countries, a majority of folks said that being vaccinated was very important to being a good member of a society.

Where does regular religious attendance rank across these countries? In short - very low. There is a total of one country where it scores in the top 3 activities and that’s Malaysia, which as you can recall, was easily the most religious country in this survey. In many countries, the share who say church attendance is a vital part of being a good citizen is below 20%. In Japan it’s the absolute lowest at just 5%, followed by Sweden at 6% and Australia at 7%. It’s fair to say that they really don’t value religious service attendance in those countries.

Let me just zero in on that question about the role of church attendance in being a good member of society. This time I calculated the share of each country who said that religious attendance was not important at all. What we find here is pretty similar to the prior graph. Over half of Australians say that attending church is not at all important to being a good member of society, it’s 50% of Swedes and 45% of Spaniards. In fact, most European countries in this data score at least 40% on this metric.

The countries at the bottom of the graph are Malaysia and Singapore. I think it’s interesting to compare them to the country of Japan, which scores in the top five. Just because these countries come from the same broad region of the world doesn’t mean that they have the same general approach to religion. That’s also true when comparing a country like Poland to most of its European neighbors. Poland is still a strongly religious country - which stands in stark contrast to other countries in the region.

It’s always nice to broaden our perspective and try to understand the contours of religion outside the United States. There’s a clear sentiment in a lot of these countries that religion is just not an essential pillar to a functioning society. It ranks near the bottom when compared to things like staying abreast of current events or tackling climate change in a lot of countries in this dataset.

This data clearly points to the conclusion that in the case of almost all of these countries in the survey that they will continue to move away from religion in the decades to come. Young adults are much less religious than their parents and grandparents and generational replacement will continue to secularize these countries for the rest of the 21st century. Whether Belgium is just an outlier or represents a reversal of this trend, it is too early to tell.

==

Reminder: an "agnostic" is an atheist who won't admit they're an atheist.

[laromp3]

hiya everyone! it's spotify wrapped day and ofc little old me cannot shut up about it, so i'm gonna make something i call "laro charts", which is just my top 100 songs playlist of this year compared to the last year.

songs marked with + or - went up or down the list compared to last year. the numbers represent how many positions have changed. songs marked with (new) were not on last year's list. songs marked with * are in my favorites playlist (at least until today).

here's the top 10! (the rest will be under the cut)

Vicious Sensitive Robot by The Marías* (new)

Strict Machine by Goldfrapp* (new)

Who? by Rina Sawayama* (new)

Pale Shelter by Tears for Fears* (new)

Playground Love by Air* (new)

Aqua Regia by Sleep Token* (new)

Reading In Bed by Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton (new)

Business by Dystinct and Naza* (new)

Pearl Diver by Mitski* (new)

Useless by Omar Apolo* (new)

11. Spin Me Around by The Marías* (new) 12. Sunlight by Hozier* (new) 13. Shut Me Up by Mindless Self Indulgence (new) 14. Take A Slice by Glass Animals* (new) 15. Make You Mine by Madison Beer (new) 16. Desperado by Rihanna* (new) 17. Lose You by Bully and Soccer Mommy* (new) 18. Ostavi trag by September* (new) 19. Chokehold by Sleep Token* (new) 20. Prom? by Kid Bloom* -15

21. Ich tu dir weh by Rammstein* (new) 22. You've Seen The Butcher by Deftones* (new) 23. The Summoning by Sleep Token (new) 24. Blue Monday '88 by New Order* -12 25. Écoute Chérie by Vendredi sur Mer* (new) 26. Pork Soda by Glass Animals (new) 27. Sacrifice by The Weeknd* -19 28. Without Me by Hello Yello* -26 29. Mountains At Midnight by Royal Blood* (new) 30. Hands up! by 6arelyhuman, kets4eki and Pixel Hood (new)

31. 80 by Son Feci Bisiklet* (new) 32. Lujon by Henry Mancini (new) 33. Francesca by Hozier* (new) 34. Reptilia by The Strokes* (new) 35. Body Favors by Jae Stephens (new) 36. Is Everybody Going Crazy? by Nothing But Thieves* (new) 37. Real Life by The Marías* (new) 38. Deceptacon by Le Tigre* (new) 39. What Went Down by Foals* (new) 40. Bécane by Yamê (the colors version)* (new)

41. First Light by Hozier* (new) 42. Rapture by Declan McKenna* (new) 43. Love Me More by Mitski (new) 44. Sweet About Me by Gabriela Climi* -34 45. Care For You by The Marías (new) 46. Shut up My Moms Calling by Hotel Ugly (new) 47. So Anxious by Ginuwine (new) 48. Bleed It Out by Linkin Park (new) 49. Home To Another One by Madison Beer +11 50. Taker by DIIV (new)

51. 1 Thing by Amerie* (new) 52. Miss Murder by AFI (new) 53. Heads Will Roll by Yeah Yeah Yeahs* +1 54. Codinome Exagerado by Hodari and Urias* (new) 55. Let Me Think About It by Ida Corr and Fedde Le Grand (new) 56. Revival by Deerhunter* -24 57. Inhaler by Foals* (new) 58. Dr. Feelgood by Motley Crue (new) 59. bitches by Tove Lo* -29 60. I Want Your Video by Djo (new)

61. Judith by A Perfect Circle (new) 62. Killshot by Magdalena Bay* (new) 63. Destiny by Neovaii (new) 64. Voracity by Myth & Roid* -49 65. Blome Swete Lilie Flour by Daniel Hart (new) 66. Tanto Faz by Urias (new) 67. Bling-Bang-Bang-Born by Creepy Nuts (new) 68. Absolution by The Pretty Reckless* (new) 69. Hold It Together by The Marías (new) 70. Belgium To Bordeaux by Canteen* -32

71. Lost In Space by Foster the People (new) 72. Meet Me in the Hallway by Harry Styles* -46 73. Vertigo by Alice Merton* -30 74. My Love by maye* +1 75. Smile by Wolf Alice* -47 76. Empire Now by Hozier* (new) 77. Choose Your Fighter by Ava Max (new) 78. Barracuda by Heart (new) 79. Trash by Suede* (new) 80. Little Dark Age by MGMT* -55

81. Dynasty by MIIA (new) 82. Hung Up by The Mysterines (new) 83. Hymn for a Droid by Psychedelic Porn Crumpets* -26 84. Eclipse (All Yours) by Metric (new) 85. Oh Dove by Men I Trust (new) 86. Creature by Bones UK (new) 87. I'll Keep Coming by Low Roar* (new) 88. Black Roses by Blutengel (new) 89. West Coast by Lana Del Rey* (new) 90. Rose by A Perfect Circle (new)

91. Norton Commander (All We Need) by Men I Trust* -80 92. Violet Stars Happy Hunting!!! by Janelle Monae and The Skunks (new) 93. Kediler Ve Şarkılar by Yaşlı Amca* -84 94. Separate Ways by Eyedress and The Marías (new) 95. Would? by Alice in Chains* -60 96. Show Me How by Men I Trust* -6 97. Panic Station by Muse* (new) 98. Feel That Again by Hello Yello (new) 99. Them Bones by Alice In Chains (new) 100. Çakıl Taşları by Şebnem Ferah* (new)

aditional trivia: songs that made their comeback from the 2022 list

25. Ècoute Chérie by Vendredi sur Mer +53 52. Killshot by Magdalena Bay -15 89. West Coast by Lana Del Rey -70

(i would make one for the songs that vanished from the 2023 list but there are too many...........)

[denimbex1986]

'Alexa Chung caught the eye as she stepped out to the Simone Rocha show during London Fashion Week at St Bartholomew the Great church in the UK capital on Saturday...

She was joined by Andrew Scott who looked dapper in a black suit and a pair of smart shoes to match.

The actor, 47, appeared to go shirtless under his jacket and accessorised with a gold chain.

All of Us Strangers star Andrew was seen sitting on the front row alongside Alexa, who was joined by her boyfriend Tom Sturridge.

Actor Tom, 38, opted for a smart black suit which he teamed with a white shirt, wearing it open at the collar.

Meanwhile, Andrew was seen posing with his actress sister Hannah James-Scott.

Hannah, 39, wore a black dress and she was seen standing arm-in-arm with her older sibling.

She completed her look by wearing a brown leather coat for the event...

It comes after Andrew called for the ban of the phrase 'openly gay' shortly before his LGBTQ romantic fantasy film All of Us Strangers was released.

The Fleabag actor, who is gay, plays grieving screenwriter Adam alongside Normal People actor Paul Mescal, 27, in the flick, which was released on January 26.

The film explores loneliness and grief but is also a love story between Adam and Paul's character Harry.

Andrew said he believes the expression 'openly gay' should be retired as he feels it has negative connotations.

'I’m going to make a pitch for getting rid of the expression openly gay. Hear me out, it’s an expression that we actually only ever hear in the media. You’re never at a party and you say "this is my openly gay friend",' Andrew told The Hollywood Reporter.

'Why do we put openly in front of that adjective? We don’t say "you’re openly Irish". You don’t say "you’re openly left handed."

'There’s something in it. That’s a little near (the word) shamelessly.

'I’d nearly prefer shamelessly. Sometimes I just feel like if you’ve got to say it to understand it just say "out" possibly or, you know what, sometimes don’t say anything at all.

'I just think it's time to park it.''

[manitat]

The 100 greatest TV series of the 21st Century

BBC Culture polled 206 TV experts from 43 countries in order to find the greatest TV of the 21st Century – here’s the top 100

01 The Wire (2002-2008) 02 Mad Men (2007-2015) 03 Breaking Bad (2008-2013) 04 Fleabag (2016-2019) 05 Game Of Thrones (2011-2019) 06 I May Destroy You (2020) 07 The Leftovers (2014-2017) 08 The Americans (2013-2018) 09 The Office (UK) (2001-2003) 10 Succession (2018-) 11 BoJack Horseman (2014-2020) 12 Six Feet Under (2001-2005) 13 Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) 14 Atlanta (2016-) 15 Chernobyl (2019) 16 The Crown (2016-) 17 30 Rock (2006-2013) 18 Deadwood (2004-2006) 19 Lost (2004-2010) 20 The Thick Of It (2005-2012) 21 Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-) 22 Black Mirror (2011-) 23 Better Call Saul (2015-2022) 24 Veep (2012-2019) 25 Sherlock (2010-2017) 26 Watchmen (2019) 27 Line Of Duty (2012-2021) 28 Friday Night Lights (2006-2011) 29 Parks And Recreation (2009-2015) 30 Girls (2012-2017) 31 True Detective (2014-2019) 32 Arrested Development (2003-2019) 33 The Good Wife (2009-2016) 34 The Bridge (2011-2018) 35 Fargo (2014-) 36 Downton Abbey (2010-2015) 37 Band Of Brothers (2001) 38 The Handmaid's Tale (2017-) 39 The Office (US) (2005-2013) 40 Borgen (2010-2022) 41 Schitt's Creek (2015-2020) 42 Peep Show (2003-2015) 43 Money Heist (2017-2021) 44 Community (2009-2015) 45 The Good Fight (2017-) 46 Homeland (2011-2020) 47 Grey's Anatomy (2005-) 48 Inside No 9 (2014-) 49 The Bureau (2015-) 50 Halt And Catch Fire (2014-2017) 51 Small Axe (2020) 52 This Is England 86, 88, 90 (2010-2015) 53 Call My Agent! (2015-2020) 54 Happy Valley (2014-) 55 The Shield (2002-2008) 56 The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019) 57 The Young Pope (2016) 58 Dark (2017-2020) 59 The Underground Railroad (2021) 60 House Of Cards (2013-2018) 61 Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008) 62 The Good Place (2016-2020) 63 Pose (2018-2021) 64 Detectorists (2014-2017) 65 Orange Is The New Black (2013-2019) 66 Mare Of Easttown (2021) 67 RuPaul's Drag Race (2009-) 68 Stranger Things (2016-) 69 24 (2001-2010) 70 Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009) 71 Enlightened (2011-2013) 72 Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) 73 Planet Earth (2006) 74 Utopia (2013-2014) 75 Babylon Berlin (2017-) 76 Rick And Morty (2013-) 77 American Crime Story (2016-) 78 The Killing (Denmark) (2007-2012) 79 Mindhunter (2017-2019) 80 House (2004-2012) 81 OJ: Made In America (2016) 82 Big Little Lies (2017-2019) 83 Insecure (2016-2021) 84 Normal People (2020) 85 Narcos (2015-2017) 86 How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014) 87 The Comeback (2005-2014) 88 The OA (2016-2019) 89 Dexter (2006-2013) 90 It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (2005-) 91 Westworld (2016-) 92 Show Me A Hero (2015) 93 Treme (2010-2013) 94 Louie (2010-2015) 95 Luther (2010-2019) 96 Catastrophe (2015-2019) 97 Hannibal (2013-2015) 98 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015-2019) 99 Steven Universe (2013-2020) 100 The Queen's Gambit (2020)

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 27/01/2024 (Noah Kahan/Sam Fender, Benson Boone, Becky Hill/Sonny Fodera)

I think it’s this week that I’ve realised Noah Kahan might be a bonafide star. We’ll get more to it later, but “Stick Season” spends a fourth week at #1 - welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

As always, we start with our notable dropouts, which I define as songs exiting the UK Top 75 (read the FAQ) after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40, and this week wasn’t too busy but it did come with some fair losses. Therefore, we bid adieu to “When We Were Young (The Logical Song)” by David Guetta and Kim Petras, “Stop Giving Me Advice” by Lyrical Lemonade, Jack Harlow and Dave (might be back next week given the album), “Won’t Forget You” by Jax Jones, D.O.D and Ina Wroldsen, assisted by a (bizarrely, credited) “donk” edit featuring The Blackout Crew, “One of Your Girls” by Troye Sivan, “Me & U” by Tems and FINALLY, “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift. It feels like it’s been there forever.

When it comes to our returns, we see the oddity of Sam Fender returning to #35 assumingly because of a boost to “Seventeen Going Under” that resulted from… well, you’ll see, but otherwise, we only have a handful of notable gains that, during a pretty dreadful-looking week, show some promise, and no, I don’t mean “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi somehow still here at #59, more so “Praise Jah in the Moonlight” by YG Marley at #51, “Scared to Start” by Michael Marcagi at #47, kind of grew on me, and “Nothing Matters” by The Last Dinner Party at #41… and less so “Toxic” by Songer at #32, please, let’s not do this, and on that same pleading note, “Alibi” by Ella Henderson featuring Rudimental at #26… why?! I suppose on a good note, Flo Milli is up to #17 with “Never Lose Me” and I can’t really complain about Natasha Bedingfield’s second wind at #13 with “Unwritten”, but it is majorly a mixed bag over here.

Our biggest story, however, rests in our top five, as “Homesick” by Noah Kahan debuts at #5, thanks to a version with Sam Fender who, surprisingly enough, is actually credited by the Official Charts Company, probably because, well, it would have no reason to as high as this without him. More on that later, but for now, it’s pretty standard elsewhere - Jack Harlow’s “Lovin’ on Me” at #4, “yes, and?” by Ariana Grande at #3, “Murder on the Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor at #2 and of course, Mr. Kahan still sitting at the very top. Now we have a… considerably unpromising set of new songs to discuss, so I guess we’ve just got to trek through that, and our starting point is…

New Entries

#75 - “Coal” - Dylan Gossett

Produced by Dylan Gossett

There aren’t that many new arrivals this week but the songs apart from one all fall into being either by singer-songwriter types or working as faceless EDM, and if you’ve been following this blog at all, you’d know those two styles really aren’t my thing, but hey, an independent folk singer racking up a streaming giant with a song from last year, notching him licensing with Republic, it could be promising in the same way I like Zach Bryan or even Oliver Anthony, who I assume we will never see again but appears as a recommended song in Mr. Gossett’s Spotify search terms. One has to wonder why and how but first of all, the elephant in the room: Diamonds aren’t made from coal.

I found several articles, both from sustainable energy advocacy outlets like TreeHugger and the people selling diamonds like With Clarity, clarifying that diamonds cannot really be made from coal. Coal is an impure carbon whilst diamonds are purer and whilst pressure is involved in the process, it is not a simple “one equals the other” sum, since coal has too much organic matter to be made into crystalline diamonds, especially since you can see vividly in the colour of rarer diamonds to what other chemicals may be found in them. Now I’m tempted to believe these articles as they’re backed by science, but if I’m wrong and these articles are just using words I don’t understand to spread a mythical debunking of an already existing myth that diamonds originate from coal, which is actually true all this time, then I’ll stand corrected. For now, the main conceit of this song, asking why under all this pressure, how the Hell he’s still “coal”, doesn’t really make much sense, and the rest of the song reads like listing off proverbs and sayings that fit the part but he doesn’t fully understand them or tie them together. Singer-songwriters are supposed to weave stories, when this feels like playing word association with common and universal wisdoms. For all of Oliver Anthony’s imperfect wording, at least you can tie them together to refer to a specific viewpoint, seeing where those views align, without becoming vague “woe is me” platitudes that don’t hold much reason for said pity, or really any narrative detail. You might see this as nitpicking but when it’s just a guy with a guitar, he opens himself up for interpretation and autopsy, possibilities he seems to willingly flail away by displaying disappointingly little to even work with, and as the song fills itself up with non-verses, as tightly as this kind of song can be produced without a particularly impressive vocal performance, one starts to wonder what the appeal in this even is. It’s a non-song, let’s move on.

#71 - “Incredible Sauce” - Giggs featuring Dave

Produced by Payday and David Morse

The #1 album this week was Green Day’s best album in decades. I have a full first-impressions review of Saviors on my RateYourMusic listening log (exclusivelytopostown) and whilst I understand that sales factor in here, I’d have loved for the only song here that bucks the categorical trends I laid out earlier to be a cut from that record. Instead, we have a Giggs song from last year that I’m honestly surprised has yet to chart already, given the Dave feature and that it was released in August of last year. Apart from the… choice of a name, I still don’t really know what level of quality to expect from Giggs, outside of a comical menace that emerges largely from his attempt to be “laidback” that can more accurately be described as an active  coveting of his natural voice to sound much more relaxed than he really is, considering he’s never sounded comfortable with a flow he picks out, which becomes especially clear with Dave on the hook as he actually pulls off sounding effortless. Giggs’ delivery honestly reminds me of Dean Blunt’s satirical British rap project Babyfather more than anything, especially with the half-asleep cadences leaving so much dead air in this eerie, stagnant trap beat. The song doesn’t end with a piece of classic Dave wordplay, though he’s not on his A-game here comparing himself to Sonic the Hedgehog, it just ends with “Lingerie on a special occasion”… okay. That’s barely even a flex, why does it punctuate the track’s final moments? This is just another ugly showing of substanceless pretence from Dave over a pretty minimal beat with an absolutely worthless performance from Giggs, whose verses feel double the length and really halt any possible fun that could be had from Dave’s bite-size verse. Somehow, this ends up much like “Coal” - there’s just nothing here.

#39 - “Whatever” - Kygo and Ava Max

Produced by, well, Kygo

Speaking of nothingness, welcome back, Kygo and Ava Max… Jesus Christ. Okay, well, if anything is the saving grace this week outside of #5, it will be this.

I have just checked the sample credits, I have bad news. To delay the suffering, I will say that I kind of like the production here, the acoustics remind me of Avicii’s pretty seamless blend of folk pop with the anthemic festival house that defined much of his catalogue. Kygo has always been a detailed producer who pays much attention to ensuring his songs are as easy as possible on the ears, and he succeeds in the sense of this being a very pretty little tune with depths of cute synth pads, guitar rolicks and plucky percussion. Ava Max herself actually impresses me a tad here vocally, mostly because since this is a Kygo song, she can belt without clipping unnecessarily in the mix for once. However, and this is a big however, the main hook of the song, its crux, if you will, is a direct interpolation and rewording of the iconic melody to Shakira’s “Whenever, Wherever”, a 2001 single that debuted and peaked at #2 for two weeks in 2002 here in the UK, being kept off the top spot by Will Young’s double A-side of “Anything is Possible” and “Evergreen”. I can’t believe such a classic was blocked by not even Westlife, but a Westlife COVER, yet I digress, this is just a lazy and frankly obnoxious way of using the song’s chorus. Kygo is clearly dipping into the David Guetta pool of reskinning prior hits, and I will give it to him that he’s not just redoing a classic EDM track, this is largely a unique house single, but that may make the last-resort hook that much more disappointing. I’m disappointed in you, Kygo. Not you, Ava Max, you can just do whatever. Albania forever.

#36 - “Skin and Bones” - David Kushner

Produced by Rob Kirwin

Oh, we’re actually making David Kushner a thing, fantastic, that other song just had so much to offer, didn’t it? I feel like I can very quickly summarise this melodramatic, uber-serious noir piano ballad, deepened by some of the ugliest froggy-sounding snaps I’ve heard in pop music and only plunged further into sludge by Kushner’s insufferable lyrics, by just a stray observation. When I clicked on the Genius annotation for the first verse of this song, it was completely empty. At least to the first verse, there’s literally nothing there: an empty annotation box. It may just be a glitch on my part, or it was deleted for whatever reason, but regardless, I think this exemplifies how little this song has to offer: someone attempted to just touch upon the pretty self-explanatory first verse, attempted to offer some wisdom or deeper analysis that seems granted with the cinematic grandeur of it all, and couldn’t cough anything up. Once again, there’s just nothing here.

#34 - “Never be Alone” - Becky Hill and Sonny Fodera

Produced by Sonny Fodera

I mean… it has a pulse at least. In fact, this is much more interesting than I expected for Becky, and not necessarily in a lyrical front, simply because she does not need to do much more than recite boardroom word association over four-on-the-floor, but moreso with her vicious delivery, going into an attack that sounds like it was overpowering the mix before being blended a bit more clearly into the nostalgic breakbeat hardcore rhythm that punctuates a surprisingly long build-up into a… surprisingly unique drop. This is really just a flex show for Sonny Fodera here, but Becky stepped up to the plate to match his passion and energy, bringing more of a rough instinct to the trickling alien synth critter that grounds the 90s pads and rock-solid breakbeats into a killer pre-drop that genuinely took me aback, as did this drop, which completely ditches the breakbeats for a tense hardcore kick and more atmospheric, glitching pads that run through the mix like a spiralling staircase, as Becky’s vocalising becomes little more than an inhuman drone until it’s removed altogether. The intensity of the track, filling up the mix with padded quirks even when the breakbeats are relegated to simple fills, is genuinely unprecedented for Becky Hill, and I’m actually really glad that she is not only on hopping on much more effective and unique production, but stepping out of her comfort zone to riff and meander in a way that she never really lets herself do, even in her looser songs. I am honestly quite shocked, but this is fantastic. If this doesn’t smash like much of Becky’s tighter, more restrictive cuts have in the past few years, I will be immensely disappointed.

#18 - “Beautiful Things” - Benson Boone

Produced by Evan Blair

Sigh… one of my first thoughts when Kushner had success with “Daylight” was how much he seemed cut from the same cloth as Mr. Boone over here, and to be completely honest, the concept of the two charting the same week chased me in my worst of nightmares. Hey, at least my dreams have become reality! To be fair to Booner Boy here, he has what Khrushchev and Gossamer lacked: genuine lyrical detail in the verses. There is a certain dichotomy between the universalities of the choruses and pre-chorus compared to the pretty niche and incredibly lucky situation he’s found himself in during the verses, it almost reminds me of Tom Odell’s “Black Friday” given its wordy mundanity, but that’s only lyrically, as I don’t hear much here connecting the two sonically, especially given the faint bass and reliance on soaring guitars on “Beautiful Things” that makes it almost more of a pop rock tune, one that is surprisingly willing to ditch much of its initial build-up for a desperate screech over stop-and-start staccato guitar rhythms that go way harder than I expected. This is what I’ve been saying Lewis Capaldi should be doing for years, if these moan and drone singer-songwriter sadboys are going to have their voice fit over anything, it’s not basic adult contemporary swells, it’s melodramatic, no-holds-barred pop rock, and this honestly becomes pretty killer by that first chorus. The guy can let out a desperate cry, and I’ll be damned if he’s not convincing as he airs out his paranoia about this perfect relationship breaking down. The second chorus could use some deviation, but I’m a sucker for radio rock that takes itself way too seriously and considering his dire earlier material, this may as well be Mr. Boone: The Animated Series. I really want to hear more of this from this guy, and it seems that these last few songs may be the light at the end of the tunnel for an unpromising week.

#5 - “Homesick” - Noah Kahan and Sam Fender

Produced by Noah Kahan and Gabe Simon

Okay, it’s Noah Kahan: there is a base level of quality here and I am actually always excited to hear a new song from him because at least there’s always a lot to uncover and appreciate even if the song isn’t great or has some grating element throwing a spanner in the cogs. This is especially true with Sam Fender in play, as this raises the standard of quality to at least bearable and at its worst, it’s going to be an interesting and perhaps powerful narrative… and if we’re talking about lyrical detail, I mean, Kahan’s your man, almost too much so given some of the awkward wording in that original version from his Stick Season album. On hearing those church organs sliding just slightly off the careening heartland rock groove, I knew exactly why Mr. Fender ended up on this specific song, and this actually lets Kahan let out a little, have a little more fun as he vocalises playfully about his frustrations, delivered largely in the form of punchlines, about his slow small town, with the chorus being him breaking down and basically begging for a reason to grab him out of that place, even if it’s where he grew up, using an on-the-nose but still fun play on words with the term “homesick”. I do wish there was a bit more to its mid-section, it feels like it stagnates a bit once we reach the chorus for the first time, mostly structurally. I want to hear more of Kahan’s stray, funny observations, but we don’t really get more of that even with the ramped-up intensity and a guitar solo way too Weezer-coded for me to not get a stupid grin on my face.

As for the Fender version, well, this is the best-implemented anyone has been in these Kahan duets yet, given Fender brings a new verse giving a unique and personal story about the background of riots in northern England that informed his town, injecting further reason to why one may be Kahan’s form of “homesick”, but also, despite being more strikingly intimate and less darkly comic in his observations, finding a valid and heartfelt reason to live his life outside of that home town: the dreams his father set out for him lay far away from where they were instilled. It adds a lot of depth to the song, and whilst Kahan and Fender don’t play off each other incredibly well, they have a decent chemistry that from interviews with Dork and People seem to have arisen from very similar hapless upbringings and recurring topics in both catalogues. Additionally, I like Fender’s voice more than Kahan’s, and the harmonies fill out the  mix so it’s a tad more impactful, so I think this new version actually beats out the original. I’m also pretty happy that this week, starting off with a lot of mediocrity and not exactly a promising set of artists for me, personally, ended up surprising me with that three-track run by the end, and trailing off with two killer rock songs is the best way to make me feel a lot happier about a week as a whole.

Conclusion

I’m relatively predictable, especially when we get alt-rock on the charts, so I feel like despite how much I liked the Becky Hill song, it’s no surprise that Benson Boone ends up snabbing an insanely close Best of the Week for “Beautiful Things”. It was pretty much neck-and-neck with “Homesick” by Noah Kahan and Sam Fender, which is of course the Honourable Mention, and whilst I think that it is lyrically more insightful, there’s an instinctual raucousness to the emotion in The Booney One’s track that just hits that bit harder. As for the worst, I mean David Kushner obviously gets Worst of the Week pretty much effortlessly with “Skin and Bones”, but I do think I was just frustrated enough with Dylan Gossett to grant his song “Coal” with the Dishonourable Mention. At least Giggs wasn’t trying to say anything profound, and if he was, then I sincerely worry for him.

What’s on the horizon next? God knows, it’s January, but Justin Timberlake has a comeback single, Tom Odell has an album, it may be the week of even more whiny white dudes. Story of my life. Thank you for reading and I’ll see you perhaps a bit earlier than next week.

[black-paraphernalia]

 Fifty things NOT to say to black people by Odessa s. Hamilton

Black people are habitually exposed to harmful discourse, even by those who by all other intents and purposes are anti-racist. Odessa Hamilton developed an informal online poll to hear from black people the kinds of comments they have heard first-hand from non-blacks. 

She captured 101 distinct comments and here presents the 50 most heinous or recurring ones. She says that, although painful on both sides, honest conversations are necessary.

Although some tropes may resonate with other ethnic communities, this is a small step toward making clear what things are not appropriate to say to black people (even in satire).

Irrespective of race, most will have the human capacity to appreciate the absurdity, and, to some degree, the farcicality of this terrain of insults that black people are forced to traverse. Some readers may be alarmed by what is yet to come, so take a deep breath, relax… then imagine living it daily!

 (The above excerpt taken ) please read the entire article click the above title link. We will just list the 50 points here. Although, written in the UK it still apply everywhere - you are encouraged to read the article in full.

Appearance

1. You’re really pretty for a black girl.

2.  Are you lips real?

3. You’re like black black!

4. Can I touch your hair? (OR they lunge in without asking).

5. You’re so lucky to have a natural tan.

6. I didn’t realise black people could grow real eyebrows.

7. You’re not black, you must be mixed with something, because you’re so light-skinned.

8. Any “coloured” descriptor (I’m not a box of crayons).

Education

9. You speak so articulately.

10. You’re actually really smart.

11. Who taught you how to speak English?

12. You know so many words?

13. Wow, you got into Oxford, were you a diversity candidate?

14. Don’t research race; you’ll end your career before it’s even started.

15. Are you first in your family to be educated?

16. You don’t sound black AT ALL.

17. Teach me some slang.

Work

18. We can’t attract or keep black employees, it’s like they don’t wanna work.

19.  I’m SO sorry, I didn’t think you worked here (after calling security).

20. You should meet X, you’ll REALLY get on (both being black).

21. I love your hair straight; it looks so much more professional.

22. How do you make your money? (I work like everyone else).

23. We’ll address it, but just be careful not to play the ‘Race Card’ (after reporting a racial incident).

24. I like you! You’re surprisingly professional.

25. You could definitely pass as one of ‘us’.

26. You must be struggling through COVID (responding to inequality statistics).

Identity

27. Do you have a Mum AND a Dad?

28. Are you from Africa or Jamaica?

29. You’re a good mix (like a cockerpoo or labradoodle).

30. Do you snack on dry bones?

31. Where are you really from?

32. Can black people really be Muslim?

33. Do you eat with your hands at home?

34. Can we just use your initials?

35. That smells funny… What are you eating?

36. I was so shocked to see black Jews on TV.

37. (Siobhan, Saoirse and Leigh get to keep their names but…) Your name is too hard to pronounce, so I’m going to call you X (typically a Westernised adaptation).

Bizarre

38. Do you have any weed?

39. Why can’t black people swim?

40. Have you been to jail, even for a little while?

41. What colour is your blood?

42. How can I be racist, my X is black?

43. Yo my G/N*****! (or other attempts at Ebonics).

44. I’m sorry for my ancestors (when you just wanted a coffee).

45. Do have cars where you’re from?

46. What’s happening in Africa? (I’m not a newscaster)

47. I’ve always wondered what it would be like in black skin.

48. I think black people are really cool. (All black people, everywhere?).

49. I don’t see colour.

50. Why do “black Lives Matter” – don’t all lives matter? (Are all lives undervalued?)

Having made it through to the end – mostly unscathed – try to unravel those comments from egregiously racist slurs. It is uncomfortable and not straightforward. 

There is no expectation of an espousal of views, but rather an attunement to these common experiences, as we take preliminary steps toward honest and respectful dialogues that challenge such benighted messaging. (excerpt)

BLACK PARAPHERNALIA DISCLAIMER - PLEASE READ

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Many Jews Believed in Jesus

45 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. 46 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.

47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. 48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. 49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, 50 nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. 51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; 52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. 53 Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death. 54 Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.

55 And the Jews’ passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves. 56 Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye, that he will not come to the feast? 57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him. — John 11:45-57 | Authorized King James Version (AKJV) The Holy Bible: Authorized King James Version; Cambridge University Press, the Crown’s patentee in the UK. All rights reserved. Cross References: Genesis 37:18; Exodus 14:31; Numbers 9:10; 2 Chronicles 13:19; 2 Chronicles 30:17; Matthew 5:22; Matthew 5:29; Matthew 12:14; Matthew 22:9; Matthew 24:15; Matthew 26:3; John 1:12; John 2:23; John 7:1; John 7:11; John 7:32; John 7:45; John 10:16; John 18:13-14; 1 John 2:2; 1 John 3:10

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Friday, September 29

VAMP WILLOW: (to Willow, sadly) This world's no fun. WILLOW: (surprised, empathetically) You noticed that, too?

~~Dopplegangland~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

California Sunshine by badly_knitted (Giles, PG)

California Sunshine by badly_knitted (Giles, G)

It Never Rains in Southern California by naoa-ao3 (Wesley, unrated)

Last Night by holetoledo (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Chaptered Fiction]

We Don't Know What's Around the Corner - Ch. 1-2 by the_widow_twankey (Angel/Spike, M)

streetlights in the dark blue - Ch. 2-3 by stargirltv (Buffy/Spike, Scoobies, Not Rated) COMPLETE!

Surprise, Surprise, the Unexpected Hits You Between the Eyes - Ch. 8 by the_widow_twankey (Angel/Spike, M) COMPLETE!

Forgetting Your Love - Ch. 3 by Jess_Ann_Perreault (Jenny, T)

The Bad Penny - Ch. 4 by OffYourBird (Buffy/Spike, E) COMPLETE!

A Marriage of Inconvenience - Ch. 2 by all_choseny (Buffy/Spike, R)

Destiny or Choices Made? - Ch. 4 by charmed4lifekaren (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Because I could not stop death - Ch. 19 by Desicat (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

A Place in the Sun - Ch. 31 by honeygirl51885 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

We're Going to be Friends - Ch. 11 by scratchmeout (Buffy/Spike, R)

The Neighbor's Point of View - Ch. 47 by the_big_bad (Buffy/Spike, PG)

From Hell with Love - Ch. 28 by temporarytitle (Buffy/Spike, R)

To All We Guard - Ch. 9 by Simmony (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Supporting Natasha Romanoff (And Iron Man too) - Ch. 75 by NobodyAtAll (Avengers xover, FR18)

Wraith - Ch. 1 by simmony (Buffy/Spike, R)

A Marriage of Inconvenience - Ch. 2 by all_choseny (Buffy/Spike, R)

What the Drabble? - Ch. 11 by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, R)

Because I could not stop death - Ch. 19 by Desicat (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

From Hell with Love - Ch. 26-27 by temporarytitle (Buffy/Spike, R)

A Place in the Sun - Ch. 23 by honeygirl51885 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

We're Going to be Friends - Ch. 11 by scratchmeout (Buffy/Spike, R)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: buffy the vampire slayer painting done in procreate :) by tarajaws (Buffy, worksafe)

Artwork: Dru and the pixies by isevery0nehereverystoned (Drusilla, worksafe)

[Reviews & Recaps]

I finished Angel for the first time. *Long post ahead * by Impossible_Raisin926

[Recs & In Search Of]

Top 10 Spuffy fics I’ve read (Sept 2023) recced by mcgnagallsarmy [Buffy/Spike, various ratings]

The Moral Failings of Melvil Dewey and Other... by aliceinwonderbra recced by lupines-slash-recs (Isabelle Disraeli) [Buffy/Faith, T]

ISO: rhymeswithmonet seeks A Willow magic watch through [which episodes to watch?]

[Fandom Discussions]

POLL: Best Anya Centric Episode? by Khalesssi_Slayer1 [and other similar polls]

Are the Buffyverse Novels worth it? by themostbluejay

If Buffy had a theme song with lyrics, what song from the 90s [works] best? by GoblinQueenForever

Weird edits [on Disney+ streaming but not Hulu] by Hydr0Buzz

Potential Slayers in s7, opinions? by DovaP33n

A normal life? [for Buffy] by ClassieLadyk

Should I continue after season 5? by Lasareo

... how does buffy know which dead people will rise out of their graves as vampires at the cemetery? by Tsole96

Name some real sadistic monsters..!! [demon discussion, no Big Bads] by diegzs

Coffee Thought I had… [the monks and the key] by Seer77887

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

EVENT: Con Schedule: New York Comic Con 2023 Schedule [NYC starts Oct 12, includes James, Juliet, Charisma, Amber, Emma] via dontkillspike

EVENT: Sunnydale Homecoming '23: a Buffy Night To Die For [in metro LA, USA, Oct 14] by Fandom Charities

EVENT: Buffy Revamped > Alexandra Palace [in London UK, Oct 27]

PHOTOS: Sarah Michelle Gellar posted on Instagram: My daughter... [with Seth Green and Emma Caulfield]

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[hits1000]

Top Songs of 1983 - Hits of 1983

Top Songs of 1983 - Hits of 1983 Top Songs of 1983 including: 1983 AC/DC - Guns For Hire, Air Supply - Making Love Out Of Nothing At All, Billy Joel - Uptown Girl, Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart, Bryan Adams - Straight From The Heart, Elton John - I'm Still Standing, Michael Jackson – Thriller and many more! Subscribe to our channel to see more of our content! 1. 1983 AC/DC - Guns For Hire 2. 1983 Air Supply - Making Love Out Of Nothing At All 3. 1983 Alaska y Dinarama - Perlas Ensangrentadas 4. 1983 Bananarama - Cruel Summer 5. 1983 Barón Rojo - Casi Me Mato 6. 1983 Billy Joel - Uptown Girl 7. 1983 Bob Marley & The Wailers - Buffalo Soldier 8. 1983 Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart 9. 1983 Bryan Adams - Straight From The Heart 10. 1983 Corinne Hermès - Si La Vie Est Cadeau 11. 1983 Culture Club - Karma Chameleon 12. 1983 Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Want To Have Fun 13. 1983 David Bowie - Let's Dance 14. 1983 Def Leppard - Photograph 15. 1983 DÖF - Codo (...düse im Sauseschritt) 16. 1983 Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers - Islands In The Stream 17. 1983 Donna Summer - She Works Hard For The Money 18. 1983 Duran Duran - Is There Something I Should Know? 19. 1983 Eddy Grant - Electric Avenue 20. 1983 Electric Light Orchestra - Rock 'N' Roll Is King 21. 1983 Elton John - I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues 22. 1983 Elton John - I'm Still Standing 23. 1983 Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) 24. 1983 Frank Stallone - Far From Over 25. 1983 Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax 26. 1983 Freeez - IOU 27. 1983 Gazebo - I Like Chopin 28. 1983 Gonzalo - Quién Piensa En Ti 29. 1983 Irene Cara - What A Feeling (Flashdance) 30. 1983 Jimmy Cliff - Reggae Night 31. 1983 John Mellencamp - Pink Houses 32. 1983 José Cid - Portuguesa Bonita 33. 1983 Journey - Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) 34. 1983 Kajagoogoo - Too Shy 35. 1983 KC & The Sunshine Band - Give It Up 36. 1983 Laid Back - Sunshine Reggae 37. 1983 Lime - Guilty 38. 1983 Lionel Richie - All Night Long (All Night) 39. 1983 Madonna - Holiday 40. 1983 Masquerade - Guardian Angel 41. 1983 Matthew Wilder - Break My Stride 42. 1983 Mecano - Barco A Venus 43. 1983 Men Without Hats - The Safety Dance 44. 1983 Michael Jackson - Beat It 45. 1983 Michael Jackson - Billie Jean 46. 1983 Michael Jackson - Thriller 47. 1983 Michael Sembello - Maniac 48. 1983 Mike Oldfield & Maggie Reilly - Moonlight Shadow 49. 1983 NEA - 989 Luftbalons 50. 1983 Nino De Angelo - Jenseits von Eden 51. 1983 Pat Benatar - Love Is A Battlefield 52. 1983 Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson - Say Say Say 53. 1983 Paul Young - Come Back And Stay 54. 1983 Paul Young - Love of the Common People 55. 1983 Real Life - Send Me An Angel 56. 1983 Righeira - Vamos A La Playa 57. 1983 Robin Gibb - Juliet 58. 1983 Rod Stewart - Baby Jane 59. 1983 Rod Stewart - What Am I Gonna Do (I'm So In Love With You) 60. 1983 Ryan Paris - Dolce Vita 61. 1983 Slade - My Oh My 62. 1983 Spandau Ballet - Gold 63. 1983 Spandau Ballet - True 64. 1983 The Flying Pickets - Only You 65. 1983 The Kinks - Come Dancing 66. 1983 The Police - Every Breath You Take 67. 1983 The Romantics - Talking In Your Sleep 68. 1983 The Smiths - This Charming Man 69. 1983 Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now 70. 1983 Thompson Twins - Lies 71. 1983 Tino Casal – Embrujada 72. 1983 Toto Cutugno - L'Italiano 73. 1983 Tracey Ullman - They Don't Know 74. 1983 Trans-X - Living On Video 75. 1983 U2 - New Year's Day 76. 1983 U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday 77. 1983 UB40 - Red Red Wine 78. 1983 Vídeo - La Noche No Es Para Mí 79. 1983 Wham! - Club Tropicana 80. 1983 Yes - Owner Of A Lonely Heart Related Searches: Greatest Hits of 1983, Best Jukebox 1983 Playlist, Late 1983 Non Stop , Top 1983 Non Stop, Mix 1983 Compilation, Best 1983 List, Late 1983 UK, Best 1983 Playlist, Best 1983 Non Stop, Best 1983 Video, Greatest 1983 Non Stop, Mix 1983 Playlist, Best Jukebox 1983 List, List of 1983 Mix, Top 1983 USA, Best Songs of 1983, Top Music 1983, Hits of 1983 Relate Hashtags: #songsof1983 #hits1983 #songs1983 #listof1983mix #hits1983 #bestsongs1983 #classic1983playlist #greatest1983nonstop #best1983list #best1983video #top1983mix #greatest1983video #mix1983playlist #top1983nonstop #mix1983compilation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzT6er00YIM

[that-dam-heartstopper-fan]

Be nosy 

1. What’s your sexual orientation?  Asexual

2. What are you obsessed with right now? Heartstopper(anything Alice oseman) and cavetown 

3. Ever done any drugs?no! 

4. What piercings do you want? Second ear piercing 

5. How many people have you kissed? 0

6. Describe your dream home. Colorful 

7. Who are you jealous of? Idk, there is someone I just can’t think rn lol

8. What’s your favorite show to binge? Heartstopper 

9. Do you watch porn? No! 

10. Do you have a secret sideblog? No

11. If you could teleport anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?  London or Kent as long as it is in the UK

12. What’s one of your fantasies? Like my future? To live with my friends or live next to th

13. Do you have/would you get your nipples pierced? No

14. How would you spend a million dollars? Save most, help pay bills and travel 

15. Are you in a relationship? (I’m going to go with romantically) sadly no

16. Do you follow porn blogs? No, never

17. Are you angry with anyone right now? Yea my friend 

18. What tattoos do you want? Something for asexual and a different one for pride in general and more I dont know 

19. If you could change your name, would you? What would you change it to? Probably not

20. What is something you’re obsessed with? Tumblr

21. Describe your best friend. She is amazing! She has long curly blond hair. She makes me laugh so much! We have so much fun together 

22. Tag someone you think is hot. ummmm! 

23. Who are five of your favorite bands/musical artists? Cavetown, baby queen, wasia project, Conan Gray, and Bailey Spinn

24. What are three places you want to travel? London, Paris, and Kent (mainly basic lol) 

25. Describe your perfect Friday night. With friends idc what just with friends 

26. What’s your favorite season? I dont know 

27. What’s your pet peeve? My brother 

28. Who is the funniest person you know? My best friend 

29. What’s the most overrated movie? Barbie 

30. Tag someone you want to talk to but have been too shy to message.  @aloof-isayla

31. Do you like paper books or ebooks better? Paper

32. If you could live in a fictional world, what world would you pick? OSEMAN UNIVERSE!!!!

33. If money was no object, what would your wardrobe be like? Everything, I can’t pick 

34. What’s your coffee order? I don’t drink coffee

35. Do you have a crush on anyone? I dont know, it’s complicated 

36. Do you still have feelings for any of your exes?no I don’t have exes 

37. Have any tattoos? No

38. Do you drink? Water, yea (lol I don’t drink) 

39. Are you a virgin? Yes, hopefully forever

40. Do you have a crush on any of your mutuals? No

41. How many followers do you have? 46

42. Describe the hottest person you know. Ummmm!!! Ahhh! like know know or in general?! I dont know sorry

43. What’s your guilty pleasure? Minecraft by myself

44. Do you read erotica? What is that

45. What’s the worst date you’ve ever been on? Never been on one

46. How many people do you follow?  120

47. If you could marry any celebrity, who would you pick? Sebastian Croft

48. Describe your ideal partner. Someone who listens and understands and loves me just as much as I love them. 

49. Who do you text the most? My friend from a camp 

50. What’s your favorite kind of weather? Sunny and a bit windy just enough for a jacket but a light jacket 

Be nosy

1. What’s your sexual orientation?

2. What are you obsessed with right now?

3. Ever done any drugs?

4. What piercings do you want?

5. How many people have you kissed?

6. Describe your dream home.

7. Who are you jealous of?

8. What’s your favorite show to binge?

9. Do you watch porn?

10. Do you have a secret sideblog?

11. If you could teleport anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?

12. What’s one of your fantasies?

13. Do you have/would you get your nipples pierced?

14. How would you spend a million dollars?

15. Are you in a relationship?

16. Do you follow porn blogs?

17. Are you angry with anyone right now?

18. What tattoos do you want?

19. If you could change your name, would you? What would you change it to?

20. What is something you’re obsessed with?

21. Describe your best friend.

22. Tag someone you think is hot.

23. Who are five of your favorite bands/musical artists?

24. What are three places you want to travel?

25. Describe your perfect Friday night.

26. What’s your favorite season?

27. What’s your pet peeve?

28. Who is the funniest person you know?

29. What’s the most overrated movie?

30. Tag someone you want to talk to but have been too shy to message.

31. Do you like paper books or ebooks better?

32. If you could live in a fictional world, what world would you pick?

33. If money was no object, what would your wardrobe be like?

34. What’s your coffee order?

35. Do you have a crush on anyone?

36. Do you still have feelings for any of your exes?

37. Have any tattoos?

38. Do you drink?

39. Are you a virgin?

40. Do you have a crush on any of your mutuals?

41. How many followers do you have?

42. Describe the hottest person you know.

43. What’s your guilty pleasure?

44. Do you read erotica?

45. What’s the worst date you’ve ever been on?

46. How many people do you follow?

47. If you could marry any celebrity, who would you pick?

48. Describe your ideal partner.

49. Who do you text the most?

50. What’s your favorite kind of weather?

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Theo Merz

Published: Feb 26, 2015

“Some victims of domestic abuse are not identified as regularly,” reads a line several pages into a new report from a UK domestic violence charity. “Particular groups of victims may be less visible to services or be given less priority.”

Along with people from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds, “male victims” form one of these neglected groups, according to the SafeLives study, which was published on Wednesday.

Perhaps this is unsurprising, given that the vast majority of SafeLives’ 35,000-strong database of survivors is female. When we think of domestic abuse it is generally as a women’s issue, while most high profile awareness drives, such as The White Ribbon Campaign, are aimed at reducing male violence against women.

But domestic violence against men is far from a niche concern. The most recent Crime Survey for England and Wales estimated that around 800,000 men – five per cent of the male population – had experienced domestic abuse in 2011-12, compared to 1.2 million women – or seven per cent of the female population. Since about 2005, around 40 per cent of domestic violence victims have been male.

And when these victims are not identified in time, the results can be disastrous. In this week’s SafeLives report, titled Getting It Right First Time, the charity claims: “The impact of domestic abuse on the victim and on children – even once they have achieved safety – is severe and long-lasting.”

'I didn't think of it as domestic violence'

Simon* is one man who understands the consequences of abuse better than most. For most of his 17-year marriage, this 47-year-old was subjected to domestic abuse from his wife, from having hot drinks poured over him to dinner plates smashed over his head.

While his wife was never physically violent towards their three children, she would often attack him in front of them.

“I didn’t think of it as domestic violence and I think that’s often true for male victims,” he says now. “You put it down to mood swings. There was also the pressure of thinking that if I walked away, I might get a raw deal when it came to custody of the children.

“One day, though, my youngest child replicated her behaviour. They came into the kitchen and smashed a plate over my head – I got really angry, shouted and I remember them looking so shocked. They didn’t realise it was wrong because this is what they had seen their parents doing. I wondered whether I was really protecting any of them.”

He reached breaking point one night after his wife threw him out of the house – something she had done several times before. Simon, who was then working for the church and had never talked to anyone about the abuse he had suffered, went to speak with a superior in the church hierarchy.

“They said, go back to your wife and nobody will be any the wiser, but I knew I could never do that.”

Since leaving the marriage, Simon has become involved with charities like the Mankind Initiative, which provides support for male survivors of domestic abuse.

“It’s a long battle to change people’s perception,” he says. “People are used to the idea of domestic violence being something men do to women, but when it happens the other way round, they can’t get their heads round it.

“Going for the authorities was never an option for me. I thought, who would believe me – a big, strapping bloke? I can look after myself in that sense.

“But as a boy, growing up, I was always told that boys don’t hit girls. That was the most important thing. It didn’t matter how I was provoked, I would just never do that. So I would let her anger burn out rather than ever retaliate.”

He says that men in similar situations should remember they are not alone and – if they feel unable to talk to anyone about the abuse – keep a journal and read it back, so they can get a more objective view of what is happening to them.

“Start thinking about ways out, too. You might hope that things will change but the reality is they never will.”

'Why would you, as a man, put up with that?'

Ian McNicholl, 52, is another male survivor of domestic abuse. He was subjected to a 14-month ordeal by his ex-partner which saw her pour boiling water over him, put out cigarette butts on his face and genitals and attack him with a hammer.

He still bears the physical and psychological scars from that relationship, and needed his septum replaced after his ex assaulted him with a metal bar. The police became involved after McNicholl confided in a neighbour that suicide was the only way he could see out of the relationship.

His girlfriend was found guilty of grievous bodily harm and assault, and was sentenced to seven years prison time, but is now out on licence.

“When I tell people about what happened, some of them still ask: why would you, as a man, put up with that? It’s because they don’t understand how manipulative some people’s behaviour can be – it takes all you have, until you’ve got nothing left.

“I don’t deny that more females are victims of domestic abuse, but it’s a crime that can affect anyone. The media need to give male victims more coverage and a more balanced view of what domestic abuse is.”

*name has been changed

==

Reminder: the idea that "more females are victims" is a cultural meme, not fact. Despite feminist propaganda, such as the Duluth Model, which uses feminist mythology rather than evidence to assert that only men perpetrate violence and women only act in self defence, actual statistics don't back this up at all.

Far and away the most common dynamic in intimate partner violence is bidirectional/symmetrical, while in the minority that are unidirectional or asymmetrical, the most common dynamic is actually female on male. What's termed "severe male on female" is the least common dynamic of all (~5%).

Yet, like the myth of white cops murdering scores of unarmed black men, the least common scenario is the only one anyone pays attention to, and the only one anyone is allowed to talk about.

[denimbex1986]

'Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott were all smiles for the hundreds of starry-eyed fans who braved the bitter cold to catch a glimpse of the duo at the Irish premiere of All of Us Strangers.

The film, which also looks into the grief of Scott's character losing his parents, was nominated for a total of six Baftas, including Best Director for Andrew Haigh, as well as “Outstanding British Film”.

Arriving on the red carpet, amidst family and friends, Haigh said Mescal and Scott both had slightly different processes but were “such good actors”.

“When you work with really good actors, that makes it easy for the director. It’s just about working out what they need and when they need it,” he told the Irish Independent.

The 50-year-old British filmmaker described the filming experience with both actors as “beautiful”.

Mescal and Scott’s on-screen chemistry has been causing quite a stir, leading to numerous five-star reviews and blushes among the pair when the prospect of their parents watching their steamy scenes comes up.

The pair, speaking before entering the screening at Dublin’s Lighthouse Cinema last night, both said having their Irish families watch their sex scenes in the cinema was a difficult prospect to navigate.

Mescal, known for his intimate and revealing scenes in romantic drama series Normal People, stressed that he was “dreading” having his extended family see all there was to see in the movie last night.

“They have seen my bum before but there is a little more going on in this movie, I would say,” Mescal said, while Scott added: "I don't want to be there when my parents watch it."

The Irish actors star in the romantic fantasy drama in which they play neighbours who strike up a relationship.

Speaking on the red carpet, Paul Mescal, draped in a dapper black suit with golden designs, said: “Andrew Scott is an extraordinary human being and anybody that comes into his orbit will probably say very similar things.”

In return, 47-year-old Dubliner Scott described Mescal as the “future of cinema” adding that it was “incredible” to act alongside the Kildare man and strike up a “deep friendship”.

Mescal, who just wrapped up filming for Gladiator 2 in Malta and Morocco, received a Bafta nod for supporting actor on Thursday for All Of Us Strangers.

On why Irish stars are garnering such attention in film and television at the moment, Mr Haigh said it was true that audiences “adore Irish actors”.

“I can’t tell you why. It’s probably like why everyone loves Ireland. Everyone wants to come here and visit here, so there is obviously something about the culture of this country that people love,” he added.

The film, produced by Searchlight Pictures, officially premiered in the United States on December 22 last year and is due for official release across Ireland and the UK on January 26.

Scott said: “It is a hard film to talk about because it sounds nuts, but it is beautiful and very emotional. There is a coming-out story within it and it's about how to love and how to love with courage. It has really been embraced by so many people.

“To see the film is to love the film and we are very proud of it.”'

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 30/12/2023 (Christmas Garbage)

Content warning: Brief references to murder, racism and unlawful sex acts. Merry Christmas!

Yawn, it’s a Christmas episode. It’s not even Christmas anymore - the tracking week included Christmas Day. “Last Christmas” is #1, of course it is. Skip this one is my personal advice. Christmas Christmas Christmas. REVIEWING THE CHARTS.

Rundown

So, there are a few new arrivals today, but it’s also a week of mostly just festive music the week after festive music mattered so I’ll have a bit of a different approach, one I’m sure will be made up for with next week’s: Less than a fifth of this week’s chart are non-Christmas songs, I’m going to be mostly in chart nerd form rather than expressing much of my opinion, which is kind of how this series has been moving towards lately? Next episode will be the rush of new and old songs thanks to the end-of-year gains and Christmas collapse, so that will be more of a classic episode when it comes to dishing out intros and opinions on different genres and artists, the usual. For now, well, let’s just run down what we have here. Rounding out the top five are Brenda at #5, Ed and Elton at #4, Mariah at #3 and Sam bloody Ryder still hogging up #2.

Let’s continue with rounding up the Christmas songs. The songs entering the UK Top 75 for the first time this year in this week, but have already entered the top 75 previously, are “Cozy Little Christmas” by Katy Perry at #70, “Mistletoe and Wine” by Cliff Richard at #69, “Please Come Home for Christmas” by the Eagles at #68, “Santa’s Coming for Us” by Sia at #66, “Santa Baby” by Kylie Minogue at #64, “Christmas Wrapping” by the Waitresses at #62 (one of my personal favourites) and “My Only Wish (This Year)” by Britney Spears at a new peak of #59, “Come on Home for Christmas” by George Ezra at #56, “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas” by Perry Como at #54, “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” by Bruce Springsteen at another new peak of #47, and “Christmas Tree Farm” by Taylor Swift at #46… and speaking of new peaks, “What Christmas Means to Me” by Stevie Wonder at #76, “Jingle Bells” by Meghan Trainor at #48, “Santa Baby” by Eartha Kitt at #44, “Little Saint Nick” by the Beach Boys at #43, “A Holly Jolly Christmas” by Burl Ives at #40, “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole at #34, “Winter Wonderland” by Laufey at #26, “Sleigh Ride” by the Ronettes at #20 and “DJ Play a Christmas Song” by Cher at #18, as well as Jorja Smith’s cover of “Stay Another Day” at #16 and “Let it Snow” (three times) by Dean Martin at #13 and finally, it took a while but “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande reached the top 10 at #8.

I questioned the point in listing the notable dropouts - songs exiting the UK Top 75, which is what I cover, after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40 - since they’ll all be back next week but hey, if I can list a bunch of Christmas songs by dead people in succession, why not secular songs by those very much still with us? With that said, we bid adieu to that terrible cover of “I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday” by “Creator Universe”, and then bid a probably temporary farewell to “Stop Giving Me Advice” by Lyrical Lemonade, Jack Harlow and Dave, “You’re Losing Me” (From the Vault) by Taylor Swift, “Surround Sound” by JID featuring 21 Savage and Baby Tate, “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims, “exes” by Tate McRae, “Northern Attitude” by Noah Kahan with Hozier on the duet version, “Runaway” by Ye featuring Pusha T, “Can’t Catch Me Now” and “vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo, “On My Love” by Zara Larsson and David Guetta, “Water” by Tyla, “Strangers” by Kenya Grace, “I Remember Everything” by Zach Bryan featuring Kacey Musgraves, “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift and finally, “Sprinter” by Dave and Central Cee. So, yeah, big bloodbath this week but one that involves a revival for the next.

So, time to “review”, isn’t it? We have some new arrivals, most of which are Christmas songs, let’s trodge through them.

NEW ARRIVALS

#74 - “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” - Dean Martin

Produced by Lee Gillette

So, firstly: I’m going to be getting the vast majority of my info from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, the Official Charts Company’s archive: it may sometimes be inaccurate or awkward in its formatting but I know charts well enough to notice when something doesn’t seem right - for the most part - or when it contradicts with Wikipedia or other sources. You can find the vast majority of this info elsewhere, I’m not doing intense research, but hey, it’s good to have a little backstory and that’s what most of this episode will be: stories. We start with a fictional one, that of Rudolph’s.

Now he may be a tradition now but he’s more recent than you think, pitched in 1939 by a retailer in New York known as Robert L. May. He’s a newly-created Christmas character that is a bit of wholesome children’s content with a good message, insanely basic character design and therefore incredibly intuitive marketing strategy. The song came 10 years after the character, and whilst Gene Autry probably recorded the most well-known version, it’s never charted in the UK. In fact, Dean Martin’s version, which debuts this year at #74 - it’s its first week in the top 100 even - is the first version to chart, despite American success of versions by Autry, Bing Crosby and even the Chipmunks and the Temptations, both inspiring 60s vocal groups. This 1959 cover from A Winter Romance, the same album with “Let it Snow” on it, is a completely fine, very cliché Christmas-sounding tune with a weird German accent for Santa’s dialogue. Whilst it may be somewhat surprising the song’s not charted, I do understand. I sang “Rudolph” as a child in assemblies at school, sure, but I’m a much later generation than a lot of the people listening to Christmas music this time of year in this country, and it’s always felt like a specifically American export, especially that stop-motion TV special that may have re-popularised the tune. The only other “Rudolph” song to chart is Chuck Berry’s 1958 classic, “Run Rudolph Run”, which peaked at #36 in 1964 and is currently at #49. When it peaked, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles, another rock-and-roll classic, was #1. Mr. Berry of course would later go on to film women peeing, so maybe someone should make a festive rock and roll remix to “Ignition”.

#72 - “Carol of the Bells” - John Williams

Produced by John Williams

Spotify actually credits more than OCC does here: John Williams is listed here as he’s the only performer listed on the chart itself but on streaming services, the lead artist is actually Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych, the Ukrainian composer for the song, originally arranged as a very non-Christmas piece “Shchedryk”, which I guess is still about Winter as when translated, one can read lyrics about how a swallow flies into a home promising wealth for the upcoming spring. It’s connected to a folk holiday in Ukraine celebrated on New Year’s Eve known as “Malanka”, somewhat similar to Christmas in its festivities but with a depth of its own traditions unique to eastern Europe, and it wasn’t even the intended holiday of Leontovych’s original composition, first performed in Kyiv in 1916. An American composer, importantly one descending from the Rusyns of modern-day Ukraine, heard the composition, which made its way to New York in the 1920s, and wrote English lyrics relating to Christmas though, interestingly, Peter J. Wilhousky is nowhere to be seen in the artist credits for this version, being relegated to a writing credit on Spotify.

There are many versions of this song but by far the most popular is the rendition by John Williams, an icon in film scoring who arranged the song alongside a children’s choir performance for the 1990 film Home Alone, which has aged pretty well - mostly because it’s practically just slapstick of a kid torturing these two idiots - and has become a Christmas classic, particularly in eastern Europe, where its release lined up pretty nicely with more lenient restrictions on western films, so it became one of the first western family films seen by many children beyond the Iron Curtain just as it fell, which does make the use of Leontovych’s composition come full circle in a way. Personally, I’ve always found this song a tad eerie and intense, but Williams’ version of “Carol of the Bells” is the only one to have charted in the UK, and it first reached the top 100 in 2018. Additionally, the main theme from Home Alone, “Somewhere in My Memory”, spent one week at #69 in 2019. The #1 that week was “Sweet but Psycho” by Ava Max, and John Williams has charted a few times with singles and many, many other times on the albums chart, for his work in film scoring. Last year, the Home Alone soundtrack made its very first appearance there at #100, and this year, probably assisting with the new peak of this song, the actor who played the boy Kevin McCallister, Macaulay Culkin, received a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the film itself was inducted into the Library of US Congress’ National Film Registry.

#71 - “Entrapreneur” - Central Cee

Produced by Chris Rich and Caleb Bryant

Alright, let’s cut the Christmas crap for a second as we do have a new song from Cench charting, and whilst Jeezy has made that awkward pun before, this is still a completely fine, maybe even pretty good, drill track with a very energetic performance from Cench here and despite some very odd mixing that makes the percussion feel stiff and the bass less present than it should be, I still think it hits hard amidst the soaring strings and keys at the back of the mix that is surprisingly dynamic at times, it almost feels like it’s going for a cloud rap vibe but instead of fully submerging the listener, Cench submerges any need for the instrumental by bringing a lot of charisma, some funny lines and a whole lot of triumphant flexing that given the motivation in his voice here and some genuinely likeable lyrics, actually feels pretty deserved. Sure, he sticks to the same flow, but it’s one that works and seems to serve his best interests lyrically as he can fit all of his wordy bars into it, so I’d say this is ultimately a success.

#67 - “Deck the Halls” - Nat King Cole

Produced by Lee Gillette

Another Lee Gillette production in the same week, huh, I guess the guy was the go-to for soulful Christmas tracks. I’m never going to complain about hearing Nat King Cole’s rich voice… except for this song, misspelled as “Deck the Hall” on Spotify, where it feels like everything’s a bit too fast for the guy, I almost feel bad. It’s a very spritzy and string-heavy song that just ends up too chintzy to give Nat King Cole any time. Hell, I’ll be honest - this one sucks, it’s way too busy and barely anyone could pull off this dead-on-arrival fa-la-la-la song anyway unless you’re a cartoon character but I haven’t seen the Animaniacs chart in my lifetime so this is a carol I’ve never preferred. As for this song’s chart history, this is its second week on the chart, and only this version has ever charted to my knowledge, debuting at #84 last year. That’s not to say people haven’t recorded and performed this song that aren’t named Nat King Cole because by God, they have, though not nearly as much as a song we’ll be talking about in a few paragraphs’ time. As for the original composition, it dates back to the traditional Welsh carol “Nos Galan”, which is actually about New Year’s Eve and both its tune and lyrics were written around the 1700s, but English lyrics by Scotsman Thomas Oliphant in 1862 brought us the carol we know today, so this one is a bit more historied than Rudolph, especially with popularising the now universal phrase of “’tis the season”. I don’t even like the slower, original Welsh version of this, it’s just a pestering little song to me. Never done well to my knowledge. Next.

#63 - “This Christmas” - Donny Hathaway

Produced by Ric Powell and Donny Hathaway

This is a pretty weird one because yes, this version of the song has never charted in the UK’s top 100 before. That much is true… but I have reviewed it, and in 2020 in fact, so dig up that old episode, right? Well, maybe not, because the only reason I reviewed it is because a Jess Glynne version charted that year, and it was an Amazon original version, that I ended up comparing to the original, one of my favourite ever Christmas songs, in complete despair and almost disgust. Hathaway has a buttery but unabashedly joyful voice, he came up with that iconic gleeful horn line and that clever, sleek title-drop in the verses, and like I said in 2020, lest we forget the bongos. It’s a detailed, beautiful song that was first released in 1970, with the B-side “Be There”, which is probably why OCC questionably lists this song as “This Christmas Be There”. Said B-side is the other holiday single tacked onto his self-titled album and whilst not as catchy or canonical, it is more of a melodramatic tune with just as many intricacies, it’s really an underrated gem to be honest. It took a while for “This Christmas” to latch on, only really resurging in 1991 when included on a reissued Christmas compilation record. It didn’t chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 until 2020 and has finally made it to the UK’s singles chart in its original form. The malformed Jess Glynne butchering made it to #3 in 2021, and “Last Christmas” was #1 that week too. It briefly returned in 2021 but only peaked at #52 that year and has not appeared again so I’m assuming the UK has come to their senses and made the correct decision about which one to enjoy from this year onward.

#60 - “Jingle Bells” - Frank Sinatra

Produced by Voyle Gilmore

It is a disgrace that Meghan Trainor’s version outcharts Frankie, but there is some solace in knowing Trainor’s version may be like Jess Glynne’s “This Christmas” and end up as a one-year-only success. It’s not like it matters though, “Jingle Bells” may be the most-recorded song in human history, and is definitely at least one of them, even though it was never explicitly about Christmas… though the song was originally titled “This One Horse Open Sleigh” so part of me thinks that James Lord Pierpoint, the song’s writer and Confederate soldier - yikes - had at least Father Christmas in mind when composing the jingle. Pierpoint even wrote music for the losing side in the Civil War and ended up on the opposing side of his father in the Union Army - Jesus, the less we know about the guy who wrote the song, the better, what a loser. Anyway, like 70,000 Goddamn people have dashed through the snow to get to the studio and record this track, so it’s safe to say the song has reached beyond its obscure writer at this point. It’s been broadcast from space, for God’s sake.

Sinatra, or more accurately Gilmore, extends the song with an unnecessary spelling section from a choir, but otherwise the 1948 recording is a lot of fun with a classic, swingin’ performance from Frankie as one would expect, especially when he has some fun with the cadence of the track, even if he doesn’t do it all too much. The song is such a staple that it’s been implemented into other Christmas standards for years, and not just “Jingle Bell Rock”, which I consider so separate to be its own song so I’ll wait for another cover of that next year before I get into that chart history, but also it’s a motif heard in Bing Crosby’s “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas”, the guitar… solo(?) in Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song” and even Joni Mitchell’s “River”. As for the original, I mean, it’s been covered by everybody from Herb Alpert to the Beatles to the Barenaked Ladies to Barney the Dinosaur to Eric Clapton to Gladys Knight to Pearl Jam to the Wiggles to CBeebies’ Goddamn Alphablocks but the versions that charted are as follows.

The first version of the original “Jingle Bells” to chart in the modern chart was… a reggae version by Judge Dread, who if you know anything about him, is not exactly a wholesome Christmas artist, and of course, it’s actually a vulgar, laddish version using the melody to talk about having sex on Christmas with some girl. I’ve talked about Judge Dread on this blog before in my special episode from 2021 about songs banned by the BBC, in which I included a lot more of his story. To be completely honest, his version is a lot of fun, especially with how carelessly he delivers it all, and it peaked at #64 for two weeks in 1978, during which “Mary’s Boy Child / Oh My Lord” by Boney M. was #1. It’s currently at #51. In 1981, a novelty version by the Hysterics that lasts for only less than a minute and a half, peaked at #44 for three weeks. Subtitled “(Laughing All the Way)”, it is simply a guy laughing obnoxiously to the tune of the song as a cartoon-sounding pop-rock version plays under him. It is profoundly stupid. “Don’t You Want Me” by the Human League was #1 during these three very cursed weeks in British history. In 2005, whoever the Hell was behind the Crazy Frog mashed up the song with “U Can’t Touch This”, which apparently warrants it a separate Wikipedia page, and it peaked at #5 whilst Nizlopi’s “JCB”, a personal nostalgic song for me, was #1. Another EDM version by Basshunter peaked at #35 in 2008, when Alexandra Burke’s cover of “Hallelujah” was #1. It’s safe to say that both 2000s Eurodance versions of “Jingle Bells” are cheap and ridiculous. Last year, Sam Ryder’s Amazon-exclusive version from an Amazon-exclusive Christmas film charted at #41 - “Last Christmas” was of course at #1 that week - and this week, we see both versions by Meghan Trainor and Frank Sinatra charting. He originally recorded it in 1948 but it only started charting two weeks ago. Oh, and of course, Batman smells and Robin laid an egg.

#58 - “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” - Mariah Carey

Produced by Walter Afanasieff and Mariah Carey

Mr. President, a second - okay, more accurately, third - Mariah Carey Christmas song has hit the canon… and I have no idea why you’d listen to this slightly-oversung, dull 1994 rendition over the Darlene Love original, which has a slightly similar story to “This Christmas” though arguably more organic. It wasn’t a single when added to Phil Spector’s Christmas compilation album - he would later murder a woman, of course - but the track, released in 1963 and featuring Cher on backing vocals, who would later cover the song as a duet with the surprisingly-still-alive (especially if she knew Spector, sheesh) Ms. Love, 60 years later - yes, that’s this year - on her own Christmas album. Sadly, that one didn’t chart but Carey’s instead. Love’s version gained popularity simply because in the late 80s, talk-show host David Letterman just liked the song and continued to invite her year upon year to perform it on his show, which is adorable.

In the UK, the original version didn’t chart until after Bublé’s - sigh - which didn’t last, peaking at #47 for two weeks in 2011 and briefly coming back in the bottom-feeder region in 2015. When it peaked, the #1 was “Cannonball” by Little Mix, and then “Wherever You Are” by the Military Wives and Gareth Malone, that year’s Christmas #1. Love’s version first charted here in 2017, though her other Christmas song, “All Alone on Christmas”, featured on the Home Alone 2 soundtrack - starring a man who I’m pretty sure James Lord Pierpoint would have voted for - peaked at #31 in 1992, during which the #1 was predictably Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”. “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” would eventually peak at #22 in 2018 and is currently charting at #31, whilst Carey’s version reaches a new peak this year after first charting in 2021, and with that, we are done with 2023’s Christmas episodes of REVIEWING THE CHARTS. Also, did you know U2 had a version of this? …Why?

Conclusion

This wasn’t really a conventional episode, was it? I can’t really fairly give Best of the Week out, or the worst for that matter, because these are songs I hold very few notable opinions on and spent most of the time just talking about their origins and their chart success. With that said, screw “Deck the Halls”, thank you for reading and I’ll see you next… year!

[homelessness-crisis-in-the-uk]

A Homelessness Crisis In The UK | The Hype Economy

There is an ongoing controversy in the UK. One that has political parties picking sides. The brouhaha was created as a result of Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s claim that homelessness is a ‘lifestyle choice’. And because she considers pitching tents on the streets of Britain to be an active choice of the people, she reportedly has plans to uproot the excessive number of rough sleepers. The reason why her comment was translated as an insensitive comment (which it is) is because she did not follow her claim with a suggestion or a solution to address the issue. Therefore she is now the focal point of an ongoing backlash, even by her own party members.

The homelessness issue in the UK

The UK is currently in the midst of a housing crisis. It is a victim of a rising number of  households in temporary accommodation. As of July 2023, the numbers reached its highest level since 1998. In the first quarter of 2023, nearly 105,000 households found themselves in temporary accommodation, marking a 10% increase from the previous year. A figure that represents an all-time high since record-keeping began 25 years ago. Local authorities in England are responsible for providing accommodation to households unintentionally rendered homeless. The data also revealed a 20% increase in the number of households classified as homeless and requiring accommodation as a priority in the first quarter of 2023, compared to the same period in 2022. As mentioned in CNN, Homeless Charity Crisis, the National Housing Federation, and researchers at Heriot-Watt University estimate that 380,000 homes must be built each year across England, Scotland, and Wales to combat the ever-increasing demand. However, only 192,000 homes were constructed in the UK in the year 2022, according to the National House Building Council. In 2019, the UK government had set a target to build 1 million new homes over five years by January 2025. A goal that is clearly not reflected in the rapid increase in the number of people who are rough sleeping. Therefore, when you zoom out and look at the bigger picture, promises as such lack substance and sometimes appear to be made merely for political gain.

Data published by the government in February 2023 indicates that an estimated 3069 individuals were sleeping rough on a single night in England during the autumn of 2022. This marked a 26% rise from the previous year and a 74% surge from 2010 when the snapshot approach was first introduced. The only solace about the figures is that in comparison to data recorded in 2017, the 2022 numbers  represented a decrease of 35%. The data also revealed that rough sleeping increased in every region of England compared to the previous year, with over half of the increase attributed to 15 areas, which make up only 5% of all areas. The largest increase occurred in London, where the number of people sleeping rough rose from 640 to 858. Nearly half (47%) of this number were found in London and the south-east. The demography mainly consisted of males aged over 26 who were permanent citizens of the UK. A snapshot for autumn 2023 is expected to be published in February 2024.

Braverman’s controversial comment 

When all data is taken into consideration, it is evident that homelessness is not a lifestyle choice. A comment as such makes the problem at hand redundant by understating the gravity of it. The home secretary took to X to state that “The British people are compassionate. We will always support those who are genuinely homeless. But we cannot allow our streets to be taken over by rows of tents occupied by people, many of them from abroad, living on the streets as a lifestyle choice”. She further elaborated how unless or otherwise quick measures are not implemented, the UK will fall into the same category in which places like San Francisco and Los Angeles are a part of.  She believes that nobody in Britain should face the fate of living in tents on the streets of Britain. According to her, she wants to eliminate the ones who create a “nuisance and distress to other people by pitching tents in public spaces, aggressively begging, stealing, taking drugs, littering, and blighting [the]communities”.

She also suggested a civil offence to discourage charities from giving tents to homeless people. Under these plans, charities could face fines for donating tents if they are deemed to have caused a disruption of any sort. It is said that the proposed legislation’s aim is to prevent the obstruction of shop doorways  by rough sleepers using tents. Critics, including the Liberal Democrats, have voiced their disapproval of criminalising homeless charities for their efforts to provide shelter for individuals in peril, highlighting the fact that the need of the hour is a more compassionate and effective means to resolve the issue. And not bulldozer through the sliver of hope that homeless individuals are left with. 

The criticism it received

The statement by the UK Home Secretary was met with absolute disdain and criticism from not just individuals with experience of homelessness but from multiple organisations. Her claim downplays the complex and varied reasons behind homelessness, such as falling behind on bills, losing jobs, or being unable to afford housing due to rising rents and evictions. Housing and homelessness charity Shelter made it clear that homelessness is a result of failed government policies, including the exorbitant prices of houses and inflating rates of living costs. Organisations such as Crisis, Centrepoint, St.Mungo’s, and Pathway, released a letter rejecting the notion that sleeping on the streets is a choice. They pointed out that people sleeping rough are often victims of violence, abuse and physical and mental health issues, with an average age of death at 45 for men and 43 for women. Braverman’s plan to demolish tent-pitching urban areas has ruffled quite a few feathers about further marginalising and endangering people who are already vulnerable.