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deadcactuswalking · 7 months ago

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 25/05/2024 (Billie Eilish's HIT ME HARD AND SOFT)

Once again, despite hot competition, Sabrina Carpenter sticks to that #1 spot on the UK Singles Chart for a fourth week. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

content warning: lesbian sex references, death

Rundown

As always, we start the episode with the notable dropouts, which are songs exiting the UK Top 75 - that’s what I cover on this show - after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This week, we have quite a few arguably predictable leavers as well as song longer runs. Overall, we bid adieu to, unless I’m missing anything: “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” by Baby Lasagna, “meet the grahams” by Kendrick Lamar, “Cry No More” by Headie One featuring Stormzy and Tay Keith (I expect a resurgence when the album comes), “Push Ups” by Drake, “Never be Lonely” by Jax Jones and Zoe Wees, “Saturn” by SZA and “Whatever She Wants” by Bryson Tiller.

As for our notable gains and returns, we have quite a few in the latter category, with Fleetwood Mac’s “Everywhere” at #75, “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers at #72, “Thank You (Not So Bad)” by way too many people back yet again at #64, really a lot of bottom-feeders blossoming pro-Eurovision. There are even more returns though, with Becky Hill seeing both “Outside of Love” at #74 and “Right Here” at #65, as well as a bit of a unique one: the hi-NRG classic “Smalltown Boy”, an anthem of queer persecution and liberation by the somewhat forgotten Bronski Beat is back at #63 - you might know their former lead singer Jimmy Somerville a bit better for his second band The Communards. “Smalltown Boy”, their debut single, peaked at #3 in 1984, blocked from #1 by two just as iconic tracks of the British 80s, “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” by Wham! at #2, and “Two Tribes” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood at #1. It’s returned to low peaks before in 2013, but a viral TikTok dance seems to be what spiked this one up this time around. The band would reach the #3 peak several times again but they did not last past the 1980s. Their last top 40 hit was a 1991 remix of “Smalltown Boy” credited doubly to Bronski Beat and Sommerville, though sampling of the track has also bred some success, particularly in EDM. Of those who sampled it for hits, Real McCoy’s “Automatic Lover (Call for Love)” hit #58 in 1995, Steve Angello and Axwell of Swedish House Mafia hit #13 in 2006 with “Tell Me Why” under the name Supermode and even Killers frontman Brandon Flowers tried his hand with “I Can Change”, reaching #52 in 2015. None of them touch the original’s catharsis.

We also have yet another TikTok viral hit return this week, this one a bit more inexplicable because the song is no way near as iconic or good, but it’s “The Man Who Can’t be Moved” by The Script at #48. Now this one has actually been more of an intermittently successful since it peaked at #2 in 2009 - pipped at the post by Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” - having returned to the charts in every successive year until 2014, even reaching the top 20 again after a performance on The Voice in 2012. I can’t find much concrete on why this is back, there’s less media coverage than Bronski Beat because… well, frankly, it’s just not a very interesting song, is it? The Script tried to sue James Arthur for similarities between this song and his three-week #1 “Say You Won’t Let Go” from 2016, and gained a writing credit, as if they couldn’t easily have been sued by Keane if we’re validating small musical differences as actual plagiarism. The fact that not a single one of those songs is actually good shows you that these guys are fighting in court over scraps of dull piano ballad melodies, it’s really delightful.

Now after that, we have the healthy amount of gains: “greedy” by Tate McRae at #67, “Addicted” by Zerb, The Chainsmokers and Ink at #66, “Miles on It” by Marshmello and Kane Brown at #57 (kill me), “on one tonight” and “one of wun” by Gunna at #52 and #32 (postpone the killing), “Evergreen” by Richy Mitch & the Coal Miners at #49, “obsessed” by Olivia Rodrigo at #47, “The Door” by Teddy Swims at #45, “The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed and its brand-spanking-new and terrible remix at #39 (Jesus Christ), and finally, a song actually worth being happy for: “Love Me JeJe” by Tems at #36.

The top five on the UK Singles Chart this week starts with “MILLION DOLLAR BABY” by Tommy Richman at #5, “Too Sweet” by Hozier at #4, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey up to #3 and our big story, the highest of Billie Eilish’s three tracks, “LUNCH” at #2. Obviously, “Espresso” is #1, more on Billie later, for now, let’s hear the new entries lower down the rank… or, really, just the one.

New Entries

#62 - “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” - Luke Combs

Produced by Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton and Luke Combs

Yeah, so again, unless I’m really badly missing something, which is possible, we only have one non-Billie debut and it’s from Luke Combs of all people. It’s not even a lead single, it’s just a cut from the soundtrack to an upcoming disaster film Twisters about, well, take a wild guess. Combs provides a heavy country rock rolick with a great lead riff even if a bit too cleanly produced against the drums to hit the exact smoky edge it should. His delivery feels just slightly off - he’s giving it his all, but it doesn’t fully function the melodies, especially the transition between the verses and pre-chorus, and that chorus is awkwardly unresolved-feeling, which absolutely is thematically on point given the natural disaster theme of the film and its use as an analogy in this song. The adrenaline-chaser in Combs gets to shine here and in a pretty simple, relatively heavy track, with an admittedly mostly boring guitar solo, it does its job, I suppose? I’m glad something that sounds like this is charting, and I imagine that build-up to the final chorus and the way it picks up the pace near the end absolutely hits in the context of whatever rural Southern US chase scene it’s used for in the film, but as a separate entity, I’m not really too impressed.

#9 - “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” - Billie Eilish

Produced by FINNEAS

So I haven’t actually listened to the new Billie Eilish album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, yet. I know, I know, I’m a chart reviewer, I should be paying more attention, I should be analysing the intricacies of Ms. Eilish’s new record instead of crying to Black Dresses or listening drunkenly to the new Sexyy Red mixtape - clearly a priority of mine - but that’s just the way it goes, sometimes I’m late to these things, and I won’t be able to fully comprehend these songs within their album’s entire context. It does help, however, that the songs debuting this week come one after the other in the tracklisting. This is the fourth track, “LUNCH” at #2 is the second, so this ship should run quite smoothly. This is a groovy track about everlasting love that seems to preoccupy so much of this lifelong relationship with her inevitable death, which is an interesting approach, especially since it’s almost a given in her lyrics that she’s dying first… or even soon, which makes it a bit harrowing and almost undermines that passion: it’s easier to love until the day you die if you know your death isn’t far away. The subtle wavy synths that decorate the flickering drums take that unique feeling into a slight uncanny valley that the sincerity of the flourishing dream pop guitars can’t really fully mask. Eilish’s performance is gorgeous and really convincingly emotive as always, especially in that second verse and pre-chorus which serve as a reassurance of their love to her partner having doubts. FINNEAS’ production here is absolutely killer in those final moments, with the screech in the right channel firstly adding to the blurry blend of vocal layers before they vanish and it becomes used to pre-empt both flashy synth blasts in the back of the mix and a careening “woo” vocal, I know this is a bit of a nerdy fixation but it really is genius production. I’m sure with the added context of the album’s narrative this hits even harder but even without, it’s fantastic.

#7 - “CHIHIRO” - Billie Eilish

Produced by FINNEAS

The third track on the record is in reference to Studio Ghibli’s classic anime film Spirited Away, and a lot of the content on this track, particularly Billie’s need for her partner to open up to them, an almost desperate need that she feels is suffocating her on the chorus if you take it in combination with the album cover. The No Face spirit wants to be let into the bathhouse by the main character, Chihiro, because of its admiration for her, and the doors of settings in the film overall hold a lot of meaning in regards to how the idea of freedom is approached in the film. This is not a film analysis blog so I will stop there but believe me, Billie and FINNEAS get nerdy songwriting-wise, especially with the “forget my name” motif - listen, it’s a liberal arts student’s dream, truly, but as far as it is sonically, this is also excellent. The murky funk groove leaves itself slightly unresolved-sounding with how bass heavy it is and how the tennis racquet-sounding percussion just flops into the rhythm, with meandering melodic loops and patterns, much of which is Billie’s own vocal improvising, patterned across the track but never leading to a true climax. The refrain where Billie’s voice gets into breathy, back-and-forth territory before landing in a really fantastic vocal performance and harmony that sounds damn impressive, is such a great moment because it comes as a result of such anxiety-inducing detail, yet doesn’t temper any of it - the vocal mixing and layering just gets more complex and echoing after, with glitching, cascading vintage synths arising in the distance over whispery vocals. By the time she’s belting, she’s so drowned out by the synths that it feels like nothing’s changed, she’s still just as muffled. Now I’m not fully convinced on the song once it fully gets into the rhythm of things, I would probably prefer if it ended with the second refrain on a pure sonic level even if narratively, that conclusion is necessary, I just don’t find the military march of the 70s synth anxiety as captivating the second time around. It’s still a brilliantly written and largely well-executed song though, so I can’t complain. Given its length, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the one that gets replaced by a fan favourite in the coming weeks, thanks to the arbitrary three-song stipulation.

#2 - “LUNCH” - Billie Eilish

Produced by FINNEAS

And this is the single, I guess and I think, because from what I’m hearing about the record and the two other songs here, it seems like a smash hit is both hard to find and not in this album’s wheelhouse. This is the most lighthearted of the three, however, and largely because it’s about casual oral sex. Lyrically, it’s pretty straightforward: she has a crush on a friend and wants to turn that friendship into if not fully a relationship, at least allowing for some benefits along the way. Musically, it feels pretty simple too, with its post-punk riffs over a bassy groove and drums that, admittedly, don’t really hit for me, they feel a bit rote and factorial for something so primal and human as… well, eating a girl out, I guess. Unless there’s some kind of industry producing conveyor-belt cunnilingus out there, and if there is, I stand corrected, and where can I email them? Jokes aside, it’s a fun song, not meant to be taken massively seriously, but has a lot of cool atmosphere regardless, a charmingly funny performance from Billie, and the obvious implementation of sensual breathing into the beat is obvious but works. I’m not wowed by it but if this is the single, whilst it’s far from great, it’s probably the only one that’ll work out as an actual pop tune for the summer, so beggars can’t really be choosers. I really need to listen to that album.

Conclusion

Well, there’s not much to choose from, is there? I think all of these songs are at least decent, I’d be insincere giving a Worst of the Week - my least favourite is probably “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma”, but it’s not at all by much. Consider that Worst of the Week if you want, but I’d rather say that Billie Eilish, of course, takes both the Honourable Mention for “CHIHIRO” and the absolute Best of the Week for “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”. What a brilliant song. As for what’s on the horizon, PinkPantheress, twenty one pilots and RM of BTS are all lined up to have some chart impact, I’m sure, but for now, thank you for reading, long live Cola Boyy and I’ll see you next week!

#pop music #uk singles chart #song review #billie eilish #hit me hard and soft #luke combs

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partyanimalshu · 1 year ago

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Dupla szerepben Nicki Minaj, különdíjat kap Shakira

Sztárparádét és látványos műsort ígér az MTV videós díjátadója A legjobb videoklipeket díjazó MTV VMA szeptember 12-én tér vissza, hogy honorálja a popzene aktuális ikonjait. Az idei gálán az egzotikus szépségű és stílusteremtő énekesnő, Shakira is visszatér, aki 2006 óta először lép a műsor színpadára. A jelöltlistát Taylor Swift vezeti, míg az est házigazdája és egyik legvárósabb fellépője, Nicki Minaj lesz. A műsort az MTV Hungary nézői szeptember 13-án 02:00-tól élőben is megtekinthetik. Egy kultúrákon átívelő legenda, Shakira veheti át szeptember 12-én a Video Vanguard díjat az MTV VMA átadóján. A megtiszteltetést a kolumbiai származású énekesnő egy bombasztikus előadással is megkoronázza, ugyanis 17 év után újból a gála színpadán léphet fel. A Global Icon életműdíjat idén az amerikai rapper Diddy kaphatja meg, akit utoljára 2005-ben láttak az MTV VMA nézői. Az est során továbbá Demi Lovato, Lil Wayne, Olivia Rodrigo, a Måneskin, a Fall Out Boy, Karol G és Doja Cat performanszára is számítani lehet. A díjátadó hat szobrát már hazavitte, a tavalyi gála után pedig újra házigazdaként szerepelhet Nicki Minaj. A show történetében egyedülállóként már négyszer megnyerte a Legjobb hip-hop kategóriát, erre pedig idén esély van Super Freaky Girl című slágerének köszönhetően. Ahogy mindig, úgy idén is a közönség szavazata dönt a győztesekről. Az esélyesek listáját ezúttal a nők dominálják: a 2023-as gálán nagy tarolásra számíthat Taylor Swift, aki nyolc alkalommal jelölt – őt egyedül a hat kategóriában induló SZA szorongathatja meg. Öt szobrot vihet haza idén Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo, Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, illetve Sam Smith is. További információk a http://mtv.com/vma weboldalon elérhetők. MTV VMA felvezető műsor 00:30-tól az MTV Hungary-n és a Comedy Centralon. A gála élő közvetítése 02:00-tól az MTV Hungary, a Paramount Network és a Comedy Central műsorán! Ismétlések az MTV Hungary-n: szeptember 13-án 11:20-kor, 14:50-kor eredeti nyelven, 18:30-kor és 22:00-kor, valamint szeptember 15-én 23:30-kor és szeptember 17-én 10:00-tól magyar felirattal. A 2023-as MTV VMA TELJES JELÖLTLISTÁJA AZ ÉV VIDEOKLIPJE Doja Cat - "Attention" Miley Cyrus - "Flowers" Nicki Minaj - "Super Freaky Girl" Olivia Rodrigo - "Vampire" Sam Smith & Kim Petras - "Unholy" SZA - "Kill Bill" Taylor Swift - "Anti-Hero" AZ ÉV ELŐADÓJA Beyoncé Doja Cat Karol G Nicki Minaj Shakira Taylor Swift AZ ÉV DALA Miley Cyrus - "Flowers" Olivia Rodrigo - "Vampire" Rema & Selena Gomez - "Calm Down" Sam Smith & Kim Petras - "Unholy" Steve Lacy - "Bad Habit" SZA - "Kill Bill" Taylor Swift - "Anti-Hero" LEGJOBB ÚJ ELŐADÓ GloRilla Ice Spice Kaliii Peso Pluma PinkPantheress Reneé Rapp LEGJOBB EGYÜTTMŰKÖDÉS David Guetta & Bebe Rexha - "I'm Good (Blue)" Post Malone & Doja Cat - "I Like You (A Happier Song)" Diddy ft. Bryson Tiller, Ashanti, Yung Miami - "Gotta Move On" KAROL G & Shakira - "TQG" Metro Boomin ft. The Weeknd, 21 Savage, Diddy - "Creepin' (Remix)" Rema & Selena Gomez - "Calm Down" LEGJOBB POP Demi Lovato - "Swine" Dua Lipa - "Dance the Night" Ed Sheeran - "Eyes Closed" Miley Cyrus - "Flowers" Olivia Rodrigo - "Vampire" P!NK - "Trustfall" Taylor Swift - "Anti-Hero" LEGJOBB HIP-HOP Diddy ft. Bryson Tiller, Ashanti, Yung Miami - "Gotta Move On" DJ Khaled ft. Drake & Lil Baby - "STAYING ALIVE" GloRilla & Cardi B - "Tomorrow 2" Lil Uzi Vert - "Just Wanna Rock" Lil Wayne ft. Swizz Beatz & DMX - "Kant Nobody" Metro Boomin ft. Future - "Superhero (Heroes and Villains)" Nicki Minaj - "Super Freaky Girl" LEGJOBB ROCK Foo Fighters - "The Teacher" Linkin Park - "Lost (Original Version)" Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Tippa My Tongue" Måneskin - "The Loneliest" Metallica - "Lux Æterna" Muse - "You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween" LEGJOBB ALTERNATÍV Blink-182 - "Edging" Boygenius - "The Film" Fall Out Boy - "Hold Me Like a Grudge" Lana Del Rey ft. Jon Batiste - "Candy Necklace" Paramore - "This Is Why" Thirty Seconds To Mars - "Stuck" LEGJOBB LATIN Anitta - "Funk Rave" Bad Bunny - "Where She Goes" Eslabon Armado & Peso Pluma - "Ella Baila Sola" Grupo Frontera & Bad Bunny - "un x100to" Karol G & Shakira - "TQG" Rosalía - "Despechá" Shakira - "Acróstico" LEGJOBB R&B Alicia Keys ft. Lucky Daye - "Stay" Chlöe ft. Chris Brown - "How Does It Feel" Metro Boomin ft. The Weeknd, 21 Savage, Diddy - "Creepin' (Remix)" SZA - "Shirt" Toosii - "Favorite Song" Yung Bleu & Nicki Minaj - "Love In The Way" LEGJOBB K-POP Aespa - "Girls" Blackpink - "Pink Venom" Fiffty Fifty Fifty - "Cupido" Seventeen - "Super" Stray Kids - "S-Class" Tomorrow X Together - "Sugar Rush Ride" LEGJOBB AFROBEATS Ayra Starr - "Rush" Burna Boy - "It's Plenty" Davido ft. Musa Keys - "Elérhetetlen" Fireboy DML & Asake - "Bandana" Libianca - "People" Rema & Selena Gomez - "Calm Down" Wizkid ft. Ayra Starr - "2 Sugar" VIDEO FOR GOOD Alicia Keys - "If I Ain't Got You (Orchestral)" Bad Bunny - "El Apagón - Aquí Vive Gente" Demi Lovato - "Swine" Dove Cameron - "Breakfast" Imagine Dragons - "Crushed" Maluma - "La Reina" LEGJOBB KÉP Adele - "I Drink Wine" Ed Sheeran - "Eyes Closed" Janelle Monae - "Lipstick Lover" Kendrick Lamar - "Count Me Out" Miley Cyrus - "Flowers" Olivia Rodrigo - "Vampire" Taylor Swift - "Anti-Hero" LEGJOBB RENDEZÉS Doja Cat - "Attention" Drake - "Falling Back" Kendrick Lamar - "Count Me Out" Megan Thee Stallion - "Her" Sam Smith & Kim Petras - "Unholy" SZA - "Kill Bill" Taylor Swift - "Anti-Hero" LEGJOBB MŰVÉSZETI KONCEPCIÓ Boygenius - "The Film" Blackpink - "Pink Venom" Doja Cat - "Attention" Lana Del Rey ft. Jon Batiste - "Candy Necklace" Megan Thee Stallion - "Her" SZA - "Shirt" LEGJOBB VIZUÁLIS EFFEKTEK Fall Out Boy - "Love From the Other Side" Harry Styles - "Music for a Sushi Restaurant" Melanie Martinez - "Void" Nicki Minaj - "Super Freaky Girl" Sam Smith & Kim Petras - "Unholy" Taylor Swift - "Anti-Hero" LEGJOBB KOREOGRÁFIA Blackpink - "Pink Venom" Dua Lipa - "Dance the Night" Jonas Brothers - "Waffle House" Megan Thee Stallion - "Her" Panic! at the Disco - "Middle of a Breakup" LEGJOBB VÁGÁS Blackpink - "Pink Venom" Kendrick Lamar - "Rich Spirit" Miley Cyrus - "River" Olivia Rodrigo - "Vampire" SZA - "Kill Bill" Taylor Swift - "Anti-Hero" Sam Smith & Kim Petras - "Unholy" Read the full article

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