supaspaz: "Rather decent until that middle eight, when all of Evanescence’s worst post-grunge instincts reemerge. Oh my god, remember when we all bought Fallen?! It’s nearly unlistenable now."
Tom Vercetti: "Errrmm nope. Not a fan of this particular song"
My Thoughts: Even back in the day, I didn't think this was one of Evanescence's best. Nowadays, I just think to myself, "Oh, yeah, that song, it was alright, I guess...wasn't 'Lithium' wonderful, though?"
NEXT UP: Man, this guy REALLY doesn't like love songs...
supaspaz: "Baby Ne-Yo! He tries so hard now, but what makes this debut single so effective is how sparse, simple, even casual it is. On the back of those lovely synth strings, the breakup slides right down the gullet."
Tom Vercetti: "Another radio song I remembered. A bit Cliche but it's nice R&B"
My Thoughts: Actually, my thoughts are kind of in line with supa. This is funny, because I think that I used to hate this song at one point. Go figure.
NEXT UP: Oh...oh god, I forgot how bad this song was...OH GOD...
supaspaz: "I felt such a sense of triumph when this became Beyoncé’s first single to miss the top ten. Those blaring sirens have promise, but it spirals into something aggressively ugly. I find it very off-putting."
6 Apple St: "Meh"
Tom Vercetti: "Loud at times and not much of an event"
Ace Reject: "Ring the Alarm is still massive, in a questionably feminist way!"
My Thoughts: I gave this song a 2. I should have given it a lower rating.
NEXT UP: Get ready for the biggest controversy of the entire rate.
supaspaz: "'To the left, to the left!' is iconic. Not ATRL iconic. Like, actually iconic. I love how the song combines such a sassy dismissal with such a pretty, melodic instrumental. (The acoustic guitar!) There’s a genius to that dissonance."
Tom Vercetti: "To the left, To the Left. Only thing I care about"
Ace Reject: "The arrangement Beyoncé gave Irreplaceable (might be the second best musical moment of 2006). Fully deserved her writing credit for it!"
My Thoughts: I re-calculated the score for "Irreplaceable" over and over to make sure that the rating was accurate. I re-calculated many, MANY times. The rating was not wrong. Under no circumstances should this song be this low. I mean, seriously. And I'm not even a HUGE fan of the song. Come on.
supaspaz: "'At times, the beat nearly sounds like one of the old monophonic right tones, but it’s got enough inspiring swell to feel triumphant. T.I.’s swaggering flow is also one of my favorites in hip-hop."
Tom Vercetti: "I'm not a big T.I fan but this is a throwback banger. Love it."
My Thoughts: I'll give T.I. one thing: That chorus beat is something special.
NEXT UP: Just one more year...just one more year, and it will all get better...
supaspaz: "'Yes, bring me back to season two of “Grey’s Anatomy”! That was great television. The train episode! Denny dying! I used to cry so hard. It was like my weekly emotional cleanse."
6 Apple St: "B O R I N G."
Tom Vercetti: "Never heard of this song before the rate. Doesn't do anything for me"
My Thoughts: YTT strikes again...okay, actually, that's not fair to "Chasing Cars". It was a top five hit in the US, so it wasn't like this was just a YTT phenomenon or anything. On a side note, this song makes me verklempt every time I listen to it. I'm such a big softie in my older age. *sniff*
NEXT TIME: We see the final appearances of not one, not two, but THREE different artists who have already appeared in the first two sets, we see one of my least favorite songs of all time, we see a bunch of rock songs, and we see the answer to the question, "What song has Red done a complete 180 on since the rate?" I'll tell you right now: If you're a long-time ATRL member, the answer will surprise you.
at how divisive it was.
On with the show!
That's navy member for you! 