Overall Rating: 6.783
Original Position: #3 (-21)
Highest Rating: 10 (MP2K, theus, popstar, supaspaz, Bloomers, Tom Vercetti)
Lowest Rating: 0 (6 Apple St, conatus)
COMMENTS
supaspaz: "Timbaland simultaneously constructs and deconstructs a new dance classic. (“Take it to chorus!”) It’s debased, atonal, may even kind of dumb—but damn if it doesn’t take over your body."
Tom Vercetti: "It's a classic."
Ace Reject: "Sexyback has really not (held up), however. So 2000 and late."
My Thoughts: Yeah...you're crazy, Ace. This is still fire. The pop scene of 2016 WISHES it was this good.
supaspaz: "As someone who defiantly held his nose through the emo explosion, I can’t say I was really looking forward to revisiting this one. But I’ll be damned if it didn’t totally blow me away! A propulsive pep rally for imminent death that jumps from one over-the-top set piece to the next and back again—it’s almost like a “Bohemian Rhapsody” for a new generation."
6 Apple St: "Wow, I went through an emo hair phase but mever got into MCR. They were just really lame to me, I love this though. Nananananana or w/e it's called is better though!"
Tom Vercetti: "I don't like the band nor most of their material. Black Parade is a bit tolerable"
My Thoughts: I revisited the MCR discog recently. Some songs held up well ("The Ghost of You" is still great), others...less so (I'm looking at you, "I'm Not OK"). I was shocked by how well "Black Parade" held up, though. It's not my favorite MCR song or anything like that, but it's going to stand the test of time.
NEXT UP: The highest Beyonce song. At least it wasn't "Ring the Alarm".
Overall Rating: 6.804
Original Position: #37 (+15)
Highest Rating: 10 (Kool_Aid_King, Bloomers, 6 Apple St)
Lowest Rating: 0 (feelslikeadream)
COMMENTS
supaspaz: "Bey and Jay’s fifth-best collaboration."
6 Apple St: "I've always loved this. There was a specific remix of of Deja Vu that I absolutely love more though. This is still an amazing song nonetheless and hope it atleast goes top 10."
Tom Vercetti: "A great uptempo song. She gave a lot energy here. Jay delivered as well."
My Thoughts: Switch this with "Irreplaceable", and I can live with the result for "Irreplaceable"...even if I still wouldn't feel comfortable with it. This is better than "Ring the Alarm", though that's not saying much...
NEXT TIME: We enter the top 20! Some artists will finally show up for the first time, but will Nelly Furtado be among them? Can she get all four of her songs into the top ten? Meanwhile, a couple of artists make their final appearance in the next set of ten, and rock continues to represent this late into the rate. At least one of the songs in this set will make a certain member very, very happy. (Spoiler: It's me.)
"Bones" and "SOS" definitely could have been a bit higher.
I am shocked (shocked!) about how low "Hips Don't Lie" is. But I'm honestly not mad about it.
I'm almost equally surprised that "Deja Vu" is Bey's top track in this rate (and she didn't even make the top twenty?!). It still knocks, but it feels so forgotten.
I still kind of can't believe I enjoyed a My Chemical Romance song.
The last couple of weeks have been pretty hard on me, personally. I won't go much more in depth than that, but when it's bad enough to make me not want to update the YECA...just trust me, I haven't had a good time lately. But, more than anything else, we need to finish this top 50. Let's do it.
Oh, and Merry Christmas, of course. And **** you for taking George Michael, 2016.
Overall Rating: 6.957
Original Position: #39 (+19)
Highest Rating: 10 (superben, 6 Apple St, Tom Vercetti)
Lowest Rating: 1 (Kool_Aid_King)
COMMENTS
supaspaz: "Woo, was I mad when this won the VMA for Video of the Year! I didn’t get it then and ten years haven’t much revealed its appeal to me. What the hell are they on about?"
6 Apple St: "(PLEASE LET THIS WIN)...OR THIS"
Tom Vercetti: "I was obsessed with this back in my MMO days. The ***** line still gets me XD"
My Thoughts: Panic have better.
NEXT UP: The only real challenger for "London Bridge" in the "Red's Least Favorite Song of This Rate" competition...
Also, this is the first song to finish with an average better than 7...
Overall Rating: 7.022
Original Position: #5 (-14)
Highest Rating: 10 (MP2K, Dark Miracles, Kool_Aid_King, Mark Rih, Bloomers, Dylobs)
Lowest Rating: 0 (Red, feelslikeadream)
COMMENTS
supaspaz: "I can’t listen to Melody’s runs in the background anymore without thinking of that iconic AMAs performance and then laughing my ass off."
Mark Rih: "Their best song. The video is amazing too! This better go top 10 at least."
Tom Vercetti: "Their best song. Nicole Scherzinger <3"
Ace Reject: "Like I said, Scherzinger is demo singer number one. No Something Kinda Oooh but two PCD songs? **** OFF YOUR TOP TENers. The worst taste ever."
My Thoughts: The only positive thing I can say for this song is that it's not "London Bridge".
NEXT UP: So, up next is...*double checks the list*...lol, there's going to be no easy way to segue to this...
Overall Rating: 7.109
Original Position: #21 (+3)
Highest Rating: 10 (Kool_Aid_King, 6 Apple St, Ant, Tom Vercetti)
Lowest Rating: 1 (Ace Reject)
COMMENTS
supaspaz: "It’s interesting that this song pushed the Red Hot Chili Peppers back in the zeitgeist, because it’s also the moment that they officially transitioned into elder statesmen of rock, favoring a wearily nostalgic storytelling indicative of the middle-aged men they had become."
6 Apple St: "Oh! I remember this! Did this have the horrible ****** music video when they're game charactets running in a city? (Red: No, that's "Californication". ) Yeah, that video sucked ass. But this song is amazing and I love it. I would hope this goes top 10."
Tom Vercetti: "It's Red Hot Chilli Peppers. The song is bound to be good"
Ace Reject: "Dani California still stinks. Even its appearance in The Big Short didn't change that fact!"
My Thoughts: I would say that I have more nostalgic feelings for this song than just about any other song in this top 50. The memories this song inspires...damn. Actually, having said that, I kind of have to concur with supa's take on the song. Spot on.
NEXT UP: The statement song that took the Grammys by storm...
supaspaz: "Attention Lady Gaga fans: THIS is what a risky comeback single sounds like. Dark bordering on baroque, unapologetic veering into angry, and utterly defiant in every way ladies aren’t supposed to be, the Dixie Chicks spit right back in the eye of the country community that built their stardom and then yanked it away. Their simmering rage is stunning, matched by Rick Rubin’s gorgeous wall of sound, an ominous dirge that exhales into orchestral majesty as the Chicks come to terms with their rebellion. It’s a force-of-nature performance that proves Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. And if it’s not in the top five of this rate, then ATRL really has no clue what it’s doing."
6 Apple St: "Lame."
Tom Vercetti: "I'm not a fan of these girl's delivery together"
My Thoughts: Looking back, I think that the Grammys made the right choice with "Not Ready To Make Nice" winning Record and Song of the Year. This was the comeback single to end all comeback singles, a song that gave hte middle finger to the establishment and, not-so-coincidentally, wound up being their biggest hit. People know quality when they hear it.
Thanks, Tom. It's nothing I haven't handled before, so I'm hopeful to get through it, as I always do.
Overall Rating: 7.152
Original Position: #15 (-1)
Highest Rating: 9.5 (supaspaz)
Lowest Rating: 2 (6 Apple St)
COMMENTS
supaspaz: "Much like Whitney, another big-voiced diva whose taste ran to the overwrought, I prefer my Christina sassy to sappy. I love when she’s channeling her immense power into the emotions of the song rather than vocal theatrics."
Tom Vercetti: "That first "heyyyyyyyyy" is undeniable"
Ace Reject: "That vocal is unbearable, ten years on. DJ Premier's work on the intro did give me shivers, tho!"
My Thoughts: This song is the definition of "meh" for me. It's just kind of...there.
NEXT UP: The song with the second biggest move up the top 50...
supaspaz: "I can still spit this whole jam word for word—in fact, I just did it at karaoke last week. There are too many great lines, but “I be up in the gym just working on my fitness” deserves special mention, as it probably makes its way into my life at least one a month."
6 Apple St: "Kill V. Maim is basically this decades Fergalicious, but infinitely better."
Tom Vercetti: "It's so fun spelling out the name of this song"
Ace Reject: "Fergie's stuff has really held up well! Quelle surprise."
My Thoughts: Dare I say it...I think Apple St hit it on the head here.
NEXT UP: She may not have done all that well in the actual top 50, but, in this rate...she destroyed souls.
supaspaz: "With love kept at a hopeful distance, the song probably isn’t explosive enough to ever have succeeded as a single. But that shimmering house instrumental—fuzzy and warm—remains one of the highlights of the magnificent Confessions on a Dance Floor."
Mark Rih: "The best song on COAD imo, the productions is just amazing. It was such a hit here , such a shame that it didn't charted on the Hot 100."
6 Apple St: "Sorry" (heh, I see what you did there. )
Tom Vercetti: "One of my favorites pop songs from the album."
Ace Reject: "Get Together is heaven on earth. Brittle, just exposing the beating heart underneath."
My Thoughts: Wait...I gave this a 5? This isn't a song that I would describe as "meh". I'm so silly sometimes. This is more of a 7. At least.