#also every single one of these songs i love singing to. thats a big factor in how much i love a song

[wolfwarrior142]

🎶✨when u get this, list 5 songs u like to listen to, publish. then, send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (positivity is cool)🎶✨

Ooohhh thank you friend!! I had a very hard time picking just 5 songs, so to spread the love and good beats I'll post the songs on my fave playlist in random order.

Lucky- Jason Mraz

Self Love- Metro Boomin (Across the Spiderverse)

Hummingbird- Metro Boomin (Across the Spiderverse)

I Love Me- Demi Lovato

Wish I Knew You- The Revivalists

Hey, Soul Sister- Train

Both of Us- B.o.B

Walk Me Home- Pink

Riptide- Vance Joy

I Will Wait- Mumford & Sons

Candy Paint- Post Malone

Have It All- Jason Mraz

Super Far- Lany

Little Talks- Of Monsters and Men

The Fighter- Gym Class Heros

Gone Gone Gone- Phillip Phillips

All Time Low- Jon Bellion

Ophelia- The Lumineers

Carry On- Fun

Sunflower- Post Malone

Powerful- Major Lazer

To The Sky- Owl City

Bang!- AJR

[mushiewrites]

Hi Mushie! <3

I saw you rb'd a post about anons sending you questions so I am sending you some questions... except Im not on anon :P

If you don't feel like answering (all of) these thats completely fine too!! These were just off the top of my head! (Btw sorry for how long this ask is, you can't put readmore's in asks sadly)

1. What would you say is your fav color/ are your top three fav colors?

2. Sunrises or sunsets?

3. Fav animals as a kid vs now?

4. Current fav song if you have one atm/ how often do you listen to music?

5. Do you like to sing?

6. What do you like most about your art? What got you into drawing?

7. Whats the best season/weather?

8. Do you like thunderstorms? Do you like snow?

9. Do you have plants? If yes, how many?

10. Did you drink enough water today? If no, drink some rn this is a threath!

Juno 💗🥺 I love long asks so no need to apologize! For whatever reason mobile also doesn’t ever let me do the “read more” thingy so, I’m used to it 😂 The questions are a welcoming distraction so thank you, I appreciate you so much 😭

1. Okay my all time favorite color is like a teal blue-green? Like if you look up “blue green crayola crayon” that’s my favorite 😂 But second and third favs would have to be probably lavender and mint green maybe? Black also tbh

2. I am literally obsessed with the sky at any time of day, but I prefer evening / nights. I love cotton candy sunsets and starry nights ✨

3. When I was little I think it went in order from giraffe to elephants to wolves to cows to sharks to orcas….I still love all of them now but I’d say cats, orcas and sharks are my top 3. I have tattoos of an orca and a cat, I’m gonna get one of a shark too! (*an extra bit of mushie lore: I have a half sleeve on my left forearm that’s just all animals so rn I have the cat and orca, a moth, and a snake! My next one is gonna be the shark for sure)

4. OOF music related questions. More ~mushie lore~, I was a music nerd. I was in band, choir, advanced choir, music theory, marching band, theatre…..etc. I also was a music major in college 😬 So you can imagine how often I’m surrounded by music. I listen to it every single day, I don’t know how people go without it. I’d say right now, I’m currently just listening to Sabrina Carpenters new album “emails I can’t send” on repeat. But from THAT album, I’d say “because I liked a boy” OR “how many things” are the two I listen to the most! All time fav song…..that is genuinely so hard to pick but maybe “I love you” by Billie Eilish bc it always hurts me in the best way

5. I do be singing literally daily 😂 I used to get leads in musicals and stuff but I also don’t think I’m very good. BUT that being said I’ve had multiple people try and make me audition for shows like the x factor lmfao so do whatever you’d like with that information

6. So at the moment I’m not really sure there’s anything I like about my art. I’m kind of in a funk where I think everything I do just isn’t really that good. Which is dumb and not true! Because I know that I’ve been proud of things I’ve made. But yeah…I’m not sure. How I got into art was actually through my dad. He would always have canvases at his house and he would always encourage me to create stuff. So when I was younger and throughout like grade school I was really good, I was in advanced art classes and groups and in art shows and all that. But I kind of got out of it for a bit and just started up again in 2020. And I’m definitely more of a painter now, although I have been mainly drawing to try and get skill back

7. best season hands down is autumn. My favorite weather is stormy and cloudy, a little chilly so I can just wear a big sweater or hoodie and feel nice and cozy

8. Oop, I kind of answered the thunderstorm question. As for snow…..not really. I think it’s beautiful to look at and I love when it’s cold outside, but I don’t like being outside in it or driving in it

9. I have HELLA plants. Except they’re all fake 😎 I have probably around 20-30 in my room, I have an issue

10. It’s 9AM but I haven’t slept in like 36 hours so I don’t know what counts as today and what doesn’t….I have coffee currently and I have water!

Juno you are a lovely human and I am so grateful to have you in my inbox 💗

[mobvla]

hewwo dawn!! how are you my dear?? i hope you’re well!! i was listening to disenchanted by mcr (and thinking of you!) and oh boy that song Hits and i realized i’ve barely listening to mcr’s discography and since i trust your music taste and i know you like them,,, i was wondering if you had any song recs? 👉🏽👈🏽🥺 doesn’t have to be mcr but maybe similar vibes? yeah anyway i love you!! mwahh 💞💞

HSKDJSKS THIS MADE ME SO HAPPY OH GOD SUMAYA 🥺🥺 im so honoured you thought of me while listening mcr and that you //trust// my music taste like..... that's some big responsibility but i'll bear it!!! dhdjsjdjs ANYWAYS soooo song recs!!! yes yes i have a few for you!!

from mcr

honestly the whole three cheers for sweet revenge SLAPS. it's my favourite mcr album and Every Single Song HITS you no matter What you are going thru bUT

you know what they do to guys like us in prison? the gayness of it all?? the pained screams???? THE FUNKY BEGINNING OF THE SONG???? Yes.

the ghost of you simply because, in my humble opinion, it's mcr's best song in terms of the melody and song composition. of course the lyrics are amazing too but just. when you listen to only the instrumental is like im ascending EVERYTIME. not to mention that music video like WOW

thank you for your venom and i feel like i don't even need to explain this one

i never told you what i do for a living...... god..... this is just so. visceral. so raw. like you can feel every scream and every plead gerard sings and. god it makes my hair stand up just thinking about it. also i blame this for my crippling addition to bfu unsolved true crime lmaooo

now moving on to bullets: VAMPIRES WILL NEVER HURT YOU!!!!! bc i will grasp onto every vamp content i CAN. the play with words and all the vamp elements contrasting with the religious ones....... a work of art

early sunsets over monroeville. this. just makes me so sad i dont even have words to explain at this song does to me. also lowkey about murder and vamps but tbh what mcr song doesnt talk about those things amirite hfjfjfkdjf

NOW THE BLACK PARADE. BEHOLD. THE. ALBUM.

yes yes yesssss disenchanted just. hurts. i relate to so many parts of it and the way they write music..... Yeah.

my two all time faves from tbp are the sharpest lives because bro...... EVERYTHING about that song hits me a certain way and i DIE everytime i listen to it but in a good way u kno

and famous last words. that song is. literally me. i cry every single time i listen to it no exception. i become a sobbing mess just hearing the beginning of the song help

but same as three cheers, the entirety of this album is perfection i can't choose just a few songs u need to listen to EVERYTHING bc it tells a story and uuuugh thats so amazing

bonus: my way home is through you which is a bside to tbp and they didnt release it in the album because they Know the POWER this song holds and that the world isn't ready for it

bonus pt2: boy division for the headbanging factor (AND THE NANANANA) and the world is ugly bc It Is

now songs that have mcr vibe mhmmm

the day i left the womb and cellar door by escape the fate give off the same vibe as mcr imo (but even more emo gdjhfkshd) tbh this whole album (dying is your latest fashion) is a Big Fave and i recommend u listen to all of the songs!!!

heart in a cage by the strokes (bc i had to put them here somewhere djshdjsjs) but fr this has the same raw pained vibes from mcr

strangers by the rose and room no. 303 by the vane are both songs from the strangers from hell ost (btw if u haven't watched this kdrama GO WATCH IT PLS I BEG U SUMSUM IT'S AMAZING MIND-BLOWING INCREDIBLE) anddddd the creepy uneasy vibe from them is. Perfect. (room no. 303 is the best of korean emo ive ever listened to tbh)

we're all to blame by sum41 tho this has the same angry vibe, sum41 is punk rock so the composition is v v different

i think this is all i have to offer for now, if i remember any other songs/artists i'll dm u!!!! i hope i could help and that you enjoy the music!!! love uuuuuuuu bby 💓 have a great day today and stay safe!

[hellopromusic]

Itoshima Distance 

Lyrics: Mari-Joe Composition: Hoshibe Sho  Arrangement, Keyboard, Programming: Okubo Kaoru  Violin, Viola: Muroya Kouichiro  Alto and Tenor Saxophone: Takegami Yoshinari  Chorus: ANGERME, M!ho  

I'm using the another version because I feel it evokes the feel of the song better. Its very date like and has imagery from Kyushuuu, including a lot of things mentioned in the lyrics. Read the lyrics, then watch the video... this really is great stuff.

History

This song was in the the debut single of 4th generation member Kamikokuryo Moe and the last single to feature 2nd generation member Tamura Meimi.

As Itoshima is a city in Fukuoka Prefecture, the lyrics "suitou to" (好いとうと) and "yaken" (やけん) in "Itoshima Distance" are of the local Hakata dialect.

Some Landmarks in the Song

Kego Park 

Cosmos are Autumn flowers that bloom at Nokoshima Island 

Tenjin is a busy downtown section of Fukuoka City 

This is a song that came out when I had gone back to school and was not hardcore into H!P. I first heard it like a year ago. The outfits for the video and the music really cemented this song as one I would love forever. It was also one of the songs that helped relieve my "Tsunku stepping down" tension as I discovered Sho could make great songs as well. He can not replicate that "Tsunku" flavor, but Sho's songs were really good. Sho has blessed Angerme with some great songs, between him and Takui Angerme's post "Exclusively - Tsunku" discography is very nice.

Anyways this song makes me nostalgic for a place I've never been. Making me long to do activities I've never done, and drive in my car with a lover I've yet to meet. This could have been a super sexy kayokyoku song if it were slowed down a bit and they switched up the instrumentation. Mari-Joe's lyrics are great, but to get that kayo feel, there needs to be less words, but that’s neither here nor there... my pipe dreams, lol.

Song structure

The song is in f minor. The BPM is 120, and the time signature is 4/4. 

Intro Pre-verse 1 - Song's melodic theme Verse A1 - Doushita no Verse B1 - Chotto Matte Pre-Chorus 1 - Itsumo Chorus A1 - Suitou to Chorus B1 - Suitou to Pre-Verse 2 - Slutty Sax solo Verse A2 Verse B2 Pre-chorus 2 Chorus A2 Chorus B2 Bridge - Teasing Sax solo Chorus A3 Chorus B3 Pre-verse 3 - Song's melodic theme Outro

Lyrics

This song embodies too little too late. The protagonist in this song is a girl getting broken up with... Its that kind of sad song. So on a car ride home, the boyfriend breaks up with the protagonist and as they ride home. Her mind is filled with regret and denial. She remembers only the good times and likely has no recollection of the things that made the boyfriend want to break up. She believes in her heart of hearts that if the boyfriend remembers the goodtimes, he will choose her again.

I'm not sure if they live in Fukuoka City and are traveling to Itoshima, or the other way around. But  I, personally, love the image of a country girl being impressed by going to the big city and have a date, a little udon, some karaoke, like its a big deal. Then going home feeling like she was a city slicker and wanting to shake the country life. So I'm voting for them living in Itoshima. However all the Japanse fans seem to say they are on a trip to Itoshima, but in the end, it doesn't matter.

One of my favorite lines is when she talks about how she has looked through the car window so many times, seeing beautiful things, showing the window was a conduit for joy. But now in the reflection of the same window she now sees a person she loves, but doesn't recognize... oh its poetic. Its like, she associates so many good memories with the window, I guess they take trips often. But now, currently, at the moment, the window is a conduit for pain.

Composition and Arrangement

Instruments in the track are the piano, bongos, saxophone, strings, guitar, bass guitar. To paraphrase the great Maa-chan, You should give the instrumentals a listen from time to time. This one is great.

In this song I have less "oh that part was great" and its just overall a top tier song in my mind. I like all the parts and every section has at least 2 or 3 things I like. I would be here all day listing them. But if I had to pick a crowning moment of awesome, its the melody in the verses. It ebbs and flows like the waves crashing on an Itoshiman beach... That 7th and 8th bar in each of the two verses... just yes... Then they lead to that perfect rhythm on  "Itsumo." These guys are playing for keeps. I'm a huge fan of singing naturals in melodies, they give this sort tension that I love prolonging. Well in this melody they sprinkle a couple in for the music wotas like me. Probably my favorite use of it is in the chorus when they are singing the natural 3rd on Omoidashite (the "i") and Ano Machi parts (the "ma"). This is an example of "if the song was slower and had less lyrics" I would have loved it more. That natural 3rd could have been so much more satisfying, but instead its just (a very welcome) part of a vocal movement in the melody.

The song is sonically spacious. It feels as if there are only like 3 instruments playing at a time, so its not over crowded with musical ideas. The most prominent feature is the bassline that is just throbbing with sass. Sometimes there is more, but it just feel open like a trio and I appreciate that openess.

I don't think I've ever really talked about my musical foundation, but I come to music from (largely) Jazz and Video Game Music. My Jazz roots give me an affinity for live musicians in both performance and recording. I love lots of programmed stuff (ie. VGM), but a composition really shines when its played by live musicians. Which is why contemporary VGM is at a kind of apex for me (but that’s a conversation for another time). Anyways, whenever a Hello!Project song uses live musicians to record a part, it really makes me stand up and listen. In this song, Takegami Yoshinari came and laid down some sax solos for the song and it really shines because of it. It might be the most distinguishing sonic factor of the song. I heard other fans complain when Tsunku uses the same "sax riff" in multiple songs, well this one is all original and bespoke for the song. I'm sure H!P usually shys away from live musicians because its more expensive to tour with musicians and playing tracks for the girls lets them get used to the same musical experience. Anyways, even if its just in recording, I appreciate the live musicians in my pop music. Another reason to love H!P.

The strings are live as well by Muroya Kouichiro. A lot of the string's "emotion" that’s in this song are much better live, as opposed to synthesized. The way the notes are blended and stretched... these are the benefits of live musicians (not decrying programmed music, just highlighting the benefits of live musicians). The harmonies the violin and the viola play could be replicated with a synth (keyboard), but the uniform technique for both parts they play could not be replicated on the keyboard. For example, all throughout the songs the strings have these quick Glissandos to end the phrases where they start on one note and finish like a 3rd or a 5th lower in the span of one beat. In the first verse listen to the strings while Kanonon sings "Oshiyoseru," it does what I'm talking about. That sort of flourish is all throughout the song in the strings and it a bit difficult to synthesize, you only get those flairs from live musicians. The drums are programmed, but having a live percussionist would have pushed this to the max for me. But this is pop music and they are trying to appeal to the masses, not aural slutz like me, lol.

Also a word on M!ho, she has been featured on many a Sho song (not that she works exclusively with him or anything), and she makes an appearance in the background of many parts of this song including the Pre-verse (usually singing the "Ah"s and "Ooh"s). I think tonally, no one could match her in Angerme. In addition, M!ho is a professional, and it was probably MUCH quicker and easier to have her do those other harmonies. M!ho's vocal control is much stronger than any of the girls in the group (save probably Meimei).

Anyways, this review is just more of my fanboy ramblings...  My guilty pleasure...

Omake!

Found this thread on a Matome. DISCLAIMER: I'm no professional translate, if you see I made a mistake instead of ridiculing me, help me get better! I've left the Japanese for those who can read it, and those that can't have to suffer through my translations guwahaha~ Also this was translated after I wrote my review, so any similarities are coincidental.

48: 名無し募集中。。。＠＼(^o^)／

A song about a woman from Kyushuu's countryside (around Kumamoto?) who left Fukuoka city with a guy to go on a date in Itoshima, huh?

I suppose that in old school Enka there was often a situation where a woman from Northern Japan was leaving Tokyo and I wonder if we are in a period where women are leaving Fukuoka City.

九州の田舎（熊本あたり？）から福岡に出てきたな女が彼と糸島にデートしてたという歌だな 昔の演歌は北国から東京に出て来た女と相場が決まってたが 福岡に出て来た女というのが時代かなと思う

87: 名無し募集中。。。＠＼(^o^)／

>>48 At the moment there likely are a lot of Kyushuu women leaving Fukuoka city 今福岡に出てくる九州の女って多いらしいな

________________________________

96: 名無し募集中。。。＠＼(^o^)／

Even though its a song about Itoshima, somehow they didn't say the names of any of Itoshima's places... Kego Park and Nokoshima Island are right by Fukuoka City

糸島の歌なのに同地の地名が出てこないってどういうことだ？ 警固公園や能古島は隣りの福岡市だぞ

115: 名無し募集中。。。＠＼(^o^)／

>>96

This couple lives in Fukuoka and often was driving to Itoshima The protagonist remembered this retrospection of when they were enroute to Kego Park, Nokoshima Island, etc...

このカップルは福岡在住で糸島までよくドライブしていた その回想の途中に警固公園や能古島も行っていたことを思い出した

148: 名無し募集中。。。＠＼(^o^)／

>>115

If thats the case, even though they traveled to Kego park and Nokoshima Island, it would have been good if they would of incorporated Keya no Ooto (in itoshima), Marutaike Park (in itoshima, they also have an illumination event as well), or Meoto Iwa into the song.

だ��たら芥屋の大門、丸田池公園、夫婦岩を盛り込めばいいのに

__________________________

97: 名無し募集中。。。＠＼(^o^)／

Doesn't this song give more the impression of pop from the late 80's early 90's more than what they call Kayokyoku.

歌謡曲というよりは80年代末期から90年代初頭のポップスって印象

____________________________________________

267: 名無し募集中。。。＠＼(^o^)／

As opposed to Akina, isn't this closer to that area before Shouno Mayo, Kubota Saki, etc...? 明菜より前の庄野真代とか久保田早紀とかあの辺じゃないかね？

(Not gonna lie, I'm so excited I found some new Artists to research! Kubota Saki looks like BAE ver. 1.2.0)

[tetsuroutxt]

haikyuu characters + kpop

basically, which haikyuu characters would listen to kpop and and what would they enjoy realistically?

as the kpop industry is kinda saturated with idols, obv i couldnt include every group/artist. also its important to note that kpop would be a really niche interest unless they’re a trending group (eg. twice), regularly promoting in japan (ie. bts, apink, ikon, shinee), have established themselves because of hallyu (eg. dbsk, suju, big bang, snsd). if a artist/group met any or more of those conditions, the more i took them into consideration for this. 

I also took into consideration characters who are more likely to enjoy browsing the internet. those who put in a good amount of effort to look for music are very much more likely to come across it!

bokuto koutarou: only aware of kpop songs that go viral. often the very high-energy & catchy songs.

really really loves bts:  DOPE / war of hormone (HELLO HELLO)

he just really loves their intense choreography & how energetic their music is

just imagine him finding dope for the first time.

always attempts to learn the choreography, maybe just parts of it that he thought was the coolest

favourite korean songs thats not bts:

call me baby (he LOVES every single part of this song..)

RHYTHM TA the dance is simple & the song is his style

sugawara koushi: generally an open-minded individual... has the ability to appreciate many kinds of music

likes surfing through various mvs on youtube when he's bored, so he’s prob seen like most of ur favs, and surprisingly keeps tabs on the ones he likes.

likes shinee’s releases because enjoys the harmony of all their voices blending, very smooth and light. 

replay / your number / dont let me go

also likes charting/trending korean songs that aren't necessarily idol/kpop based like this

good vocals and songs with warm tones are a must 

azumane asahi, yamaguchi tadashi, yachi hitoka: the three of them enjoy cute & soft music

yamaguchi & yachi are both huge huge fans of iu. they love you & i, as well as good day!

peach is another strong favourite!

asahi loves how sweet kissing you sounds. he also likes nonono because the lyrics (its there in the vid!) are always super encouraging and comforting.

while they like mainstream songs, its not far-fetched to imagine them surfing the internet, due to their introverted natures, and uncovering sweet sounding korean indie music like rainy day and how do you think. yachi and yamaguchi like to share songs with each other since they trust each other’s taste.

tsukishima kei, akaashi keiji, ennoshita chikara: anything that’s layered and made with artistry. 

akaashi was almost a kpop anti (hates rhythm ta so fucking much lol) but then he found this and thought otherwise

just once you hit that part of youtube, the same type of music fills the entire sidebar. its a whole new world of music which is exactly what tsukki, akaashi, and ennoshita are after.

part of ennoshita's fascination of this music is the cinematography also he likes being unique for the music vids. its undeniable how high quality kpop music videos are... the camera-work, the selection of sets and props & lighting to create certain moods such as across the universe

tsukki is just an avid listener of music and enjoys being informed and up to date on all kinds of music. very attracted to tracks that are very well produced and well crafted such as bawling

akaashi is naturally thorough and doesnt like to settle for music readily available around him, he truly loves the meeting new sounds and styles, especially anything thats a clever/creative hybrid of genres such as neon bunny’s romance in seoul (jazz + electro) 

oikawa tooru: open-minded, but mostly he loves anything feel-good and cute.

enjoys often very catchy and upbeat hits:

cheer up - twice /  very nice - seventeen / party - snsd 

usually a pleasant hummer and has a nice soft voice when singing. knows how to be obnoxious though

he cant help it because the songs are so FUN iwa-chan, 

also songs that make him feel nostalgic and longing, especially if the vocalist is good at conveying emotion

like taeyeon’s rain ... also loves why though. dbsk’s why did i fall in love with you?

though updated with some trends (twice, seventeen), only truly familiar with older generation of idols.

hanamaki & mattsun: always looking for entertainment, yall know how they’re like lmfao.

they know kpop thanks to oikawa who showed them cheer up... found it cute and rly love dancing to the “sha sha sha” and chorus.

both curious, they did their own research and exploring and came out with their own likes and dislikes.

prefer sexier/non-cute groups: mini skirt -aoa

also ring ding dong (started liking it ironically to piss off hajime but now finds genuine enjoyment in it. they know the chorus dance)

it g ma because kohh features (they were shook) but also because of its meme factor. listen to it please oh my god [TW: lots of BRIGHT flashes in that mv..] the squawking and yelling annoys hajime so much wtf which may or may not contribute to why they both like this song so much. oikawa doesnt like it either ("its so ugly!")

generally prefers k-hip hop scene over kpop 

sunshine - verbal jint feat chancelor / jet lag - paloalto

kuroo & yaku: idol fanboys confirmed (see ch 200.)

as confirmed in ch 200. they are both huge fans of perfume, an electropop girl band, even to the point where they are familiar with the names of the members

thus i think its fair to say out of all the hq characters, its these two who are most likely to get to know their idol groups & not just be passive listeners.

upbeat, quirky electronic groups... the nu abo album by f(x) basically embodies this...

kuroo didnt care about kpop until he decided to give super junior’s hero album a listen during the time it was just released and very hot and popular on the charts. unexpectedly really loved the tracks & shared with yaku and kai. kai likes it too but isnt into idol stuff (more into rock) as much as yaku and kuroo. this was gateway into kpop for them. they’re mostly familiar with idols from sm ent.

iwaizumi hajime:

kpop anti

with oikawa being relentless singing the same repetitive hook choruses over & over ("cheer up baby! cheer up baby!" "gee gee gee gee baby baby~") & hanamatsu joining in because they’re hanamatsu

he hates it 

like A Lot

(needs better company)

(would probably like baby baby & winner's rock influenced music tbh)

give him time

[mysisterclaire]

Claire’s everlasting bucket of kindness.

Apologies in advance for not sticking to either past or present tense, my brain is fried. I’m not entirely sure I can read it & edit it again... 

I try hard not to dwell on what I am missing out on, not having Claire around. What her interactions would be as Judy has gotten older & the relationship she would have had with Ada (For the record, she would have snorted gleefully at Ada’s cheekiness, egging it on & making my eyes roll - they would have got up to terrible fun together.) It’s a pointless heart wrenching exercise.

And whilst I find it easy to write about Claire’s bravado & gusto. Her sunshine energy, some silly funny story, what I struggle to write about is her innate kindness & softness. Because this is where I feel her loss the most. This is what kills me about her not being here. And to give time contemplating that, I tend to have to hold my breath to stop myself from hyperventilating. 

I need to write this particular blogpost. It is important I post it. I need everyone & Claire to know how much I needed her too, and how I wish I had said it when she was here. 

The place I want to go to is hers. I want to sit in her light green living room, take my shoes off, sit on my feet on her couch & be surrounded by the scent of green fig (’Smell it Sarah, SMELL IT, It’s green fig, its frigging green friggidy fig it smells amazing. I fucking love it. Look I’ve got the candle, the pot pourri, the sticks. Do you love it?’ Shaking each item with excitement & then forcefully sticking that shit so far into my face I can taste it.). I want her to ask me what brand of wanky tea do I want today. (She had a load of tea samples especially for wanky old me in her cupboard). I want her to make me Heinz Mushroom soup and fat sliced white bread or the egg mayo she had prepared in advance because she knew I was coming. She understatedly made a fuss of me. She always made my sandwiches. From when we were in secondary school, even when we both worked out in the big wide world. And I would always eat them at first break or by 10am because I couldn’t wait. She had put the love into them and a multitude of gooood ingredients. They were proper amazing full sandwiches not just a wafer thin slice of ham stuffed between two slices of dry bread because I couldn’t be bothered. I want to sit all cosy in her living room or loiter in the doorway of her kitchen & chitter chatter or tell her my current issues & for her to look at me with her huge empathic brown eyes, as she felt what I was going through & knowing that if she couldn’t make it better she could make me laugh just by saying something ridiculous or belching (she could sing ’Its all about the money, its all about the dum dum diddy dum dum’ in one burp). Hers would be the one place I could go to to make everything better. It is kind of where I need to go. But she isn’t there anymore.

I miss having her place to go, where I could fully be relaxed & myself, not care about offending, but perhaps even purposefully doing so. Just going somewhere to irritate someone. You can get away with that when it is your sister. And I miss being able to give that to Claire too. I miss her frequent pop ins, with the 10 minutes it took her to park her car & her silly faces at the window met with my silly faces walking to answer the door to her. The ability to talk about absolute boring weird shit or just sit in comfortable silence watching a film, legs entwined on the sofa, slapping her hand out of the sweets. I miss retelling a story & adding ‘and then I called BULLSHIT on everything they said & left’ and her face lighting up, asking ‘NO! Really?!?’ & me responding ‘No, but I wanted to.’ and we’d laugh and laugh and laugh. And then, in practisced synchronicity, we’d add a funny line from Todd in Neighbours from when we were 11/12 that made us laugh hysterically -  ‘Cos thats the kind of guy I am’ & dramatically turn on our heels. She just had to look at me & we’d laugh.

I miss the unedited unfiltered texts & messages. I miss the ‘tling tling tling’ of her sending me direct messages on facebook - her not writing paragraphs, she’d irritatingly press send after every fricking line - oh god it was annoying - especially at 6am when she was out walking Banjo & I was snuggled & rejoicing that Judy was sleeping in. But I miss it. I have wanted to tell her about Judy’s disappearing, reappearing outtie belly button - I’m not entirely sure why were so obsessed with belly buttons... but they always made us giggle, especially as Claire’s was so cavernous. I wanted to text her after giving birth to Ada ‘Ive done my first poo & haven’t frank & beans’ed my stitches - hooray!’. I mean - you can’t put that on Facebook (and there you were thinking I didn’t have a filter - I really really do!!) & you definitely shouldn’t tell your husband - but I did, because I didn’t have Claire - sorry Jamie! Songs, film quotes & impressions, shared memories just aren’t the same with out her. Its just another blow, huge emptyness washes over me. It’s shit. 

I am a little socially awkward & don’t really know what to say at parties etc - I always relied on Claire to balance that out. Always. I felt confident knowing she was there & I could call her over as soon as I started internally panicking with the conversation She was always so bubbly with something funny to say. I didn’t realise how much I relied on that. At her funeral talking to her friends & getting a bit tongue tied I was scanning the room for Claire. The amount of times I almost said ‘Claire will be here soon’ & had to stop myself whilst smuggling a gut kick was laughable. Perhaps with every single person I spoke to. I didn’t wise up to the permanence of it. Even when the subject was her loss. 

I miss the confidence of having someone who always has your back. Who will not give a shit & contraversially or not - go up to the person who had been subtley been making my life hell & have it out with them because I couldn’t do it. Even if its at my wedding party, under the radar, with a smile on her face - attack like for bloody like. POW! She was amazing. You can pretty much guarantee if anyone has a bad word to say about Claire, its because she’s had it out with them & they know they deserved it & they didn’t like it. Its a good feeling having someone who will stick up for you when you are down. Who will not let you take shit. Its actually great feeling & Claire was brilliant. She was Scrappy Doo.

It’s also the small things, like me being so concerned with sunscreen & sun hats for Judy, I forgot my own & that’s particularly stupid, being ginger & all. Claire turns up with a Factor 50 for me that won’t make me feel like I’m wearing a jumper as she has heard me complain about this all my life. She sees I’m constantly in a quandry about the baby’s dummy falling on the floor & whether I need to steralise it, so she gets a clip for it & now it won’t fall- I never even knew those existed. Every time she visits she brings me my favourite sweets & every couple of months she comes with a pink pen & the newest photos of Judy printed to put in her Baby Book. I get frustrated by the constant questions like who was the best sportsperson of 2012 but simultaneously there is so much love & thought & effort being put in. I feel ungrateful, I was ungrateful & took everything for granted. She had paid attention to every little passing comment & one especially where I had said the smell a particular handwash/handcream reminds me of my nan & I can’t stop sniffing my hands, it makes me feel nice. Months later that is what I unwrap as a birthday present. I gushed with tears at the time & again, now, recalling it. Practically, emotionally, spiritually, she was there for me. It was impossible to be incompetent with Claire catching the balls I regularly dropped.

Coming up to Judy’s birthday I’m reminded of my time in hospital being induced. Claire had turned up with bags of stuff for Jamie & I. Her brilliant sandwiches in her own home made soda bread. My favourite sweets, lucozade for energy, chocolate of every description, an ipod with a playlist she had put together especially for me giving birth. ‘Listen to this one Sarah, it has a lot of energy for pushing’ handing me an ear phone, everything had turned to zigzags & I strain ‘fuck off’ mid contraction. I quickly apologise after. She had put in some pretty crap womens weeklies which were there to remind me that no matter how shit I feel during childbirth at least I’m not in a sexual relationship with the family dog. (I mean what the hell with these magazines? hahahaha). Making Jamie & I a weeks worth of food to put into the oven once we are home with the baby. Fantastic stews, pasta bakes, breads. She was right there all the time with support & fun.

Our wedding party night. She got Jamie & I a nights stay in a posh hotel. My mum & aunt looked after Judy. Claire had made us a picnic for the hotel. Again, home made sandwiches with homemade bread, crisps, champagne, wine, chocolate, coke for our hangovers. She was always treating us, always looking after us. Always there to make everything 100% better. 

As part of my hen do celebrations, where it is becoming maybe customary to provide a photo & memories of time spent (or misspent in youth!) with the hen or indeedy some marriage advice, Claire had decided instead, to ask people for poo stories for me!!! Ask some of you for poo stories, some of you she didn’t know too well & asked anyway with no filter or hesitation. Imagine getting an email out of the blue from your mates sister asking for an embarrassing personal poo story!!! She asked family too, including my 85 year old nan in Ireland! ‘Nan, Sarah LOVES poo stories, c’mon you MUST have one’ All the stories collated & put with photos of my friends & family & presented to me at the most amazing Hen do ever! I could barely read it for tears, tears of laughter but also tears of recognising how much work had gone into this & how much Claire knew how much I’d love this! It was amazing! I had won the lottery with this gift.

I’ve described my tantrums in a previous post where dealing with the frustrations of Claire’s illness was the cause of some of them. There was one caused by work exhaustion. It was 2010 I was senior designer to a new music festival. The pressure was crazy, other members of the team had broken down already, left entirely, the hours were crazy, the sheer amount of work for months in advance of the event was horrendous (16 hour days 7 days a week in those last weeks) but it was also perhaps one of my greatest achievements. I am surprised I held it together - well I did until we were physically in the throes of the festival having fun. I couldn’t find Jamie & that was it, the straw that broke the camels back - the panic that induced was enough to send me over the edge. There I was in my red rain coat and wellies, wobbling forwards & backwards whilst simultaneously gathering pitch to a scream. I threw myself on the floor just outside of the crowd of the main stage (!!) & was pounding & kicking the ground. My brother picked me up, I was a sobbing mess. Claire, who ran to look for Jamie came running over & said she had found him, she was giggling & beckoning to me with her finger. I follow her with those loud hiccupy gasps & she leads me to this, humungous black guy - nothing like Jamie! He opens his arms & smiles this huge smile & tells me ‘I am your Jamie, come, give me a hug’. My sobs turn to uncontrolled laughter - It was a great hug - I can’t imagine the amount of snot I put on this guy! Finally, a very happy smily oblivious Jamie came bounding over & everything was grand. And this, just another funny mad story about how great Claire was. Below is the photo of the gang trying to cheer me up & me all soppy.

The hole she has left is indescribably immense. We were spoiled by having such a giving selfless person in our lives & I was lucky to have been so close for her 31 years. I have to tell myself that her love was so huge & generous that the effect will touch me forever more. And our relationship is something that I can only encourage my own two girls to have with each other. 

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS - CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: 9th December 2018

Geez, today was a busy week. Before we talk about the top 10, however, let’s just get the massive elephants out of the way.

CHRISTMAS NONSENSE

It’s the festive season and one way people celebrate the holidays is by listening to its music – usually, Christmas music, of course, and since I review all returning entries that I haven’t talked about yet, sigh... There are seven of these so I’m going to go as quick as possible, but just bear with me throughout this section because I really don’t like Christmas music all that much. Let’s just get it over with.

#39 – “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” – Brenda Lee

This is “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, a song written by Johnny Marks and released in 1958 in the US, being left on the shelf for four years until its release in the UK in 1962. In 1963, it peaked at number-six and has since re-entered due to digital downloads, with one of its highest recent peaks being number-seven last year. It’s pretty inoffensive rockabilly, with some nice very-50s guitar licks coming in throughout, and some decently-sounding production, but really it’s not anything of internet until that sax solo. That solo is freaking gorgeous, and I’m glad it’s there, because otherwise this would just kind of fall to the wayside. Not sure I like Lee’s voice on here, it comes off as a bit nasal, but it’s not a big deal. It’s alright, I guess. I expected to say RIP here since she was popular such a long time ago, but no, she’s still alive and kicking. Good for her.

#36 – “Merry Christmas Everyone” – Shakin’ Stevens

Now this is where it all breaks down into dread. This song by Shakin’ Stevens is Godawful, mostly because of how painfully manufactured the whole thing is. It’s overproduced Christmas music that is just jolly feelings and nothing else. Those horns that kick in after the first verse are pretty cool, but Stevens doesn’t sound great here – or at least I can’t tell because he’s drowned in reverb – and the choir might as well be a computer for all I care. Also, the sax solo was cool the first time in Brenda Lee’s track, but here it’s just trite, especially when you add those shooby-doo-wops over it. This track was initially the Christmas number-one for 1985, and I understand why, but does it really have to come back every year since 2007 – for over 60 weeks in total? Oh, it peaked last year at #10 too. Let’s hope this upwards trend doesn’t continue.

#35 – “Santa Tell Me” – Ariana Grande

Now for a more recent one from arguably the biggest popstar in the world right now, with her 2014 song that actually failed to chart in the Top 40 initially until last year at #29, and that’s its peak so far... whilst I’ve never been a fan of the cleaner, refined Ariana Grande records, I do have a soft spot for this one. That melody is infectious and the sleigh bells complement the synth bass in a way I didn’t think they would, and it’s not like the drums are all that overpowering here, although a trap skitter would have worked better here (yeah, I know, not something I say often). It’s surprisingly romantic and sensual for a song with Santa in the title, actually, although it’s about men who have wronged her. Anyway, Ariana kills it but what else do you expect from a song from her at this point? It’s a good track, although the final chorus with the choir is really cluttered, just saying, it’s messy.

#30 – “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” – Michael Bublé

This here is Michael Bublé’s cover of traditional Christmas classic written in 1951 by Meredith Wilson, and it’s not great. Obviously, I mean, it’s Michael Bublé, ever since “Haven’t Met You Yet” he’s been utterly useless seasonal radio fodder. Bublé never really sounds bad but he never sounds interesting, and this production isn’t doing him any favours. It’s sickly sweet strings and brass for the most part, with some piano added in there for good measure, after what seems to be way too long of just airy synth, string and guitar noise – that’s really out of place, guys, why is this on the single edit? Ah, what else to say? Oh, right, nothing.

#26 – “Do They Know it’s Christmas?” – Band Aid

Oh, I know it’s Christmas time, alright, this song won’t let me forget it. I could ramble on about how preachy and awful this charity single is but other people have done it better. I just have four short things to say – 1.) this was the most popular song in the UK of the entire 80s. Yikes. 2.) This is the worst thing the Boomtown Rats have had any involvement in. They’re such a great band, hell so are Culture Club. How do Boy George, the Boomtown Rats, Ultravox, Phil Collins, U2, Kool & the Gang, Sting and Duran Duran make something this awful? They’re all absolutely fantastic musicians in their own right. 3.) That synth that kicks in after a while is pretty ugly, not gonna lie, and is unfitting for the condescending Christmas charity single angle they’re going for here – mostly because that’s what it really is. 4.) We’ve remade and reissued and re-entered this song too many times. Let it go, Britain. Please. We’re begging you. It’s for a good cause, and I appreciate how much money it’s raised, but it’s also garbage.

#18 – “Fairytale of New York” – The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl

They use the word because it was the 80s, it’s not meant to mean homosexual and it’s not used in that context – albeit still a negative one – and the climate of Ireland, especially the Celtic punk scene, wasn’t exactly going to care about dropping that slur in their Christmas single. It should still be censored, though, I mean, black rappers saying the N-word is morally okay, but we still mute those, right? Anyway, this is one of the best songs I’ve ever heard. It starts with a beautifully elegant piano melody, with the lead singer of the Pogues, Shane MacGowan, mumbling his way through his verse, but instead of people like Future or Lil Baby, there’s still a lot of sincerity there, I feel, and a lot of soul is put into expressing the lyrics here in the raspy tone that I absolutely love. I’m not going to talk much about the story here mostly because I’m not going to go in-depth, but it’s about a typical love story going awry at some point due to a betrayal. Oh, and the moment the Celtic traditional instruments come in is one of the best moments in music – ever. Kirsty MacColl sounds so lovely here, and the harmonisations in the chorus are fantastic. That flute solo is gorgeous, and the juxtaposition between “you’re a bum, you’re a punk, you’re an old s--- on junk, lying there almost dead as a drip on that bed” and the cheerful instrumental is just hilarious to me, especially since right after “Happy Christmas your a---, I thank God it’s our last” is immediately followed by the bombastic drunk sing-a-long chorus. The third verse is also such a great back-and-forth, man, I can’t even bring to words how much I admire and adore this piece of music. This is the best song I think I’ve ever talked about on this show, by far, but it could have easily not been close if “2000 Miles” by the Pretenders returned this week. We’ll just hope for next week, I guess. Rest in peace to Kirsty MacColl, gone much too young.

#14 – “Last Christmas” – WHAM!

Finally, we have our last Christmas song for this week’s holiday REVIEWING THE CHARTS special. It’s an anti-climactic end, to be honest, because I’m pretty indifferent to this song. It’s pretty 80s, to be fair, so I’ve got to like some of the cheesy falsetto vocalisations from the late George Michael at the start, as well as those repetitive synths that keep themselves from sounding awful by having those sleigh bells and pretty damn nice keys covering them. That chorus is iconic, but the rest of the lyrics are just forgettable. Honestly, it’s a good background song and it’s a well-written, catchy pop track with Michael putting in some good vocals throughout, but, it’s nothing special. Nothing but respect to George Michael, though, rest in peace, he’s a pop legend over here.

Christmas Conclusion

The best Christmas song on the charts right now is easily “Fairytale of New York” by the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, but an Honourable Mention goes to Mariah Carey for “All I Want for Christmas is You”. Yup, that’s still here, we’ll get to that in a second. Worst of the Week goes to Band Aid for “Do They Know it’s Christmas?” You should be ashamed, Bob. Dishonourable Mention is going to Shakin’ Stevens for “Merry Christmas Everyone”. Other Christmas songs you should check out are “Christmas in Harlem” by Kanye West, Teyana Taylor and CyHi tha Prynce featuring Musiq Soulchild (heck, check out the longer version if you wish), “2000 Miles” by the Pretenders, “Stop the Cavalry” by Jona Lewie, “Christmas Lights” by Coldplay, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” by Tyler, the Creator and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by DMX. Yes, those last two actually exist. Now, this Christmas section has taken longer and is longer to read than about half of my normal episodes, so I think we should get straight into...

Top 10

Well, this all feels a bit more familiar. “thank u, next” by Ariana Grande is still at the top of the charts five weeks in, and it doesn’t really seem to have much competition.

Ava Max, however, is making a surprise run for the top, up four spots to number-two, with “Sweet but Psycho”. I wouldn’t exactly be complaining if this hit the top either.

“Without Me” by Halsey is up a spot to number-three.

We have a new entry from the most recent X Factor winner, Dalton Harris, with a cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Christmas classic “The Power of Love”, featuring James Arthur. I guess awful Christmas songs aren’t going away for that long, huh? Obviously this is Dalton’s first top 10, and Arthur’s fifth.

“Thursday” by Jess Glynne is down two spaces to number-three.

Up a whopping 28 spaces this week to number-six is, you guessed it, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You”. This isn’t its first top 10 turn, and it’s not its peak, but still impressive to reach here nonetheless.

This means “Woman Like Me” by Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj is down five spaces to number-seven.

“Rewrite the Stars” by James Arthur and Anne-Marie has actually gained nine spaces, surprisingly, and to my dismay, to number-eight, becoming Arthur’s sixth and Anne-Marie’s fifth.

Oh, and if you wanted even worse news, up an even larger 29 spaces is “KIKA” by 6ix9ine featuring Tory Lanez, becoming both their first (and hopefully for 6ix9ine, only) top 10 hit at number-nine. I like the song, but I don’t like Tekashi, to say the least.

We have another new entry at #10 this week with “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart” by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus. This is Ronson’s sixth top 10 hit and Cyrus’ fourth (yeah, I thought she had more too).

Now, instead of separating what happened on the charts into Dropouts, Climbers, Returning Entries, Fallers and such, let’s separate into two sections: “What Survived” and “What Suffered”.

What Survived

What survived means essentially everything that still managed to chart this week, and I’m actually surprised by how much power some of these songs have. Going in reverse order, I have no idea how “Arms Around You” by XXXTENTACION, Lil Pump, Swae Lee and Maluma managed to cling on despite a 17-space fall to #40. “Promises” by Calvin Harris and Sam Smith is down 16 to #38, “Baby Shark” by Pinkfong is down four to #37, “Empty Space” by James Arthur is down 10 to #34 (why did James Arthur of all people have the strength to stay during the avalanche?), “Hold My Girl” by George Ezra is down eight to #33, “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper is down 27 to #32 (considering both streaming cuts and Christmas bloodbath), “Leave a Light On” by Tom Walker has returned to #31 for some reason, “when the party’s over” by Billie Eilish is down seven to #28 (again, surprised this one’s still here), “Taki Taki” by DJ Snake, Ozuna, Cardi B and Selena Gomez is down eight to #27, “1999” by Charli XCX and Troye Sivan is down 11 to #24, “Polaroid” by James Blue, Liam Payne and Lennon Stella is down 11 to #23, “Let You Love Me” by Rita Ora is down eight to #22, “Better” by Khalid is down five to #20, “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee is down seven to #16, as is “ZEZE” by Kodak Black featuring Travis Scott and Offset right next to it at #15, “Funky Friday” by Dave and Fredo is down five to #12, and everything else that’s currently charting is either simply not notable (a drop or climb less than four spaces), in the top 10, a new arrival, a Christmas re-entry or in the top 10. Jesus. Now, what’s gone?

What Suffered

This is a little nicer name for what’s dropped out in the absolute onslaught of Christmas music and new arrivals (all returning and new entries this week total to 12 songs that weren’t on the chart before). This week was an absolute bloodbath, and these are the murder victims. Former #1 “Shotgun” by George Ezra is out from #30, “Advice” by Cadet and Deno Driz is out from #28, “AirForce” by Digdat is out from the #20 debut, “Mo Bamba” by Sheck Wes is out prematurely from #27, “This is Me” by Keala Settle and the Greatest Showman Ensemble is out again from #36, another former #1 “Eastside” by benny blanco, Halsey and Khalid is out from #31, “Happier” by Marshmello and Bastille is out from #32, “I Found You” by benny blanco and Calvin Harris is out from #29, “MIA” by Bad Bunny featuring Drake is out from #35, “Always Remember Us this Way” by Lady Gaga is out from #39, “Goodbye” by Jason Derulo and David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj and Willy William is out from #40 and finally, “Back and Forth” by MK, Jonas Blue and Becky Hill is out from #37. I’d say it’s time to move onto the New Arrivals – but before, I’d like to say that the BBC redesigned their UK Top 40 page, and it looks pretty cool. Anyways:

NEW ARRIVALS

#29 – “MAMA” – 6ix9ine featuring Kanye West and Nicki Minaj

Of course, DUMMY BOY only had a stunted tracking week last week, so we have the effects of the album this week. This is 6ix9ine’s third top 40 hit in the UK, Nicki Minaj’s thirty-seventh (yeah, I know, it’s insane), and Ye’s even crazier forty-third, and to be honest, it’s inoffensive, which is something I’d never thought I’d say about a 6ix9ine song, but, hey, it is what it is. Murda Beatz’s production is pretty cool for what it is, and I do like the eerie synth loop. 6ix9ine’s delivery is lazy and boring – and I still think we shouldn’t let rappers say they kick women out of doors – but he doesn’t last long so when Kanye comes in with that “man, oh my God” refrain it gets so much better. I’m so used to Kanye West’s pop-culture rambling, social media criticism/obsession, somehow relating to women nonsense he brings to nearly every single verse he does recently that I’m used to it, it’s just something I’ve heard before delivered relatively comedically. Nicki’s refrain and verse actually has some work put into it, unlike the dudes’ bars, so yeah, I appreciate that, although her delivery and cadence is exhaustingly blunt and straightforward, to the point where it’s just kind of tiring. There’s some decent wordplay there, I guess. This is okay enough, and pretty much top-tier Tekashi to be honest. “KANGA” also featuring Ye is even better, though.

#17 – “Going Bad” – Meek Mill featuring Drake

Meek Mill and Drake working together is something I expected to happen anyway. Meek and Drake have seemingly squashed their beef and have relaxed after the “Back to Back” situation and their popular 2015/2016 beef that revealed a lot about Drake, specifically his ghostwriting from Quentin Miller, and eventually stressed Meek’s relationship with Nicki enough for them to break up as a result. Oh, and you better believe they mention “back to back” because of course they do, it’s the only funny wordplay they can conjure up, apparently. This is Meek Mill’s first ever top 40 hit in the UK (congratulations) and in stark contrast, Drake’s forty-fifth (yes, even more than Kanye), and his thirteenth just this year (probably and hopefully his last), and it’s mediocre. I didn’t know what to expect because I’ve never really cared enough about Meek to listen to him, but an out-of-tune piano absolutely demolished by some bass while Drake spouts off with stuff like “I got more slaps than the Beatles” isn’t exactly the best first impression. Is there a chorus here, or not? I can’t tell, everything’s just kind of the same until the ad-lib break that’s long enough for Genius to count it as an entirely different section of the song than in Meek’s verse. It was “Interlude” when I looked but it might be “Post-Chorus” now. Yeah, it should be clear I don’t care enough about this song. I do like Drake’s delivery in the hook, though, it’s pretty energetic, but not enough to save it.

#10 – “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart” – Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus

So, yeah, I like this. It starts with some beautiful strings right before Miley Cyrus fades in with her country twang that I’m starting to really appreciate, and those guitars come in to complement her and the deeper bass that I like the addition of, it really contrasts the otherwise pretty light production, that seems to be dramatic but kind of unfitting for the lyrical content about how the world can hurt you but heartbreak is the worst possible thing, because despite the beat’s melodrama it’s too upbeat to really work here, I feel. Ah, well, the hook is pretty memorable, and the orchestral stings is just one little barely-noticeable production quirk that I can talk about, seriously, Mark Ronson puts so much effort into crafting these songs over the years, it’s pretty great. It may be a bit too repetitive and slow for my taste, but, yeah, I can dig this. Good song, just not much to say about it.

#4 – “The Power of Love” – Dalton Harris featuring James Arthur

The girl gets Leona Lewis, the Scouse dude gets Kaiser Chiefs, yet the WINNER gets James Arthur?! Really, James Arthur? Poor dude. You must know you’re an amazingly talented singer when you get James Arthur put on your song and you still make a surprisingly decent winner’s single, hell, even win in the first place. Arthur is such an awful vacuum of talent, I was scared Harris would be affected by this but no, even with my half-bothering with the show this year I can tell he’s been consistently great, and he’s definitely not bad on here either, although the production has no unique charm to it and is just plastic Syco production as you expect, with James Arthur bringing an above-average performance (this means still pretty bad) with his moaning and straining that just pains me to listen to. Seriously, James, let’s have a cactus-to-man talk and let me teach you how to not sound like my dead cat who just popped some Xanax.

Conclusion

Worst of the Week goes to Dalton Harris and James Arthur for “The Power of Love” – at least “Going Bad” has some energy and legitimate soul to it, although Meek Mill and Drake still get Dishonourable Mention. Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus take Best of the Week home for “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart”, and hell Kanye and Nicki made “MAMA” bearable enough for them and 6ix9ine to get Honourable Mentions. See ya next week, where we’ll probably see a few more Christmas songs. Delightful.