Pop or Flop?

TechnicLePanther · 07-26-2015, 06:46 PM

This is Pop or Flop! It's the thread all about deciding what popular music of today is any good, and what popular music is the worst thing to ever corrupt the human microphone (a clever way of saying, "ear"). Anyways, I'll post a tiny review of a pop song, and then all of you fancy folk can vote on whether or not you believe the song was a pop success, or a flop success (me and my oxymorons). When the next review comes out, I'll tally up all the votes from the previous one, and reveal the results. Alright, let me get this show on the road.

META THINGS: I'm somehow going to schedule these properly. Maybe once weekly or something? I dunno how I'll continue to do it in the future, but I'll figure it out.

Also, to be eligible for a review, the song should at least crack the Billboard Hot 5 (the top 5 of the Billboard 200 list).

**Goofle** · 07-26-2015, 06:57 PM

So we aren't able to suggest currently popular songs ourselves?

I'll check the thread out regardless.

Trollheart · 07-26-2015, 06:58 PM

The world is more than the USA you know.

What about songs that were big in the UK but never made an impact in the US? Maybe top 10/20 over here might work? Good idea by the way.

TechnicLePanther · 07-26-2015, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goofle

So we aren't able to suggest currently popular songs ourselves?

I'll check the thread out regardless.

Perhaps I'll change the formatting. I just want it to be definitely pop. For the first few, I think I'll do it myself, but I'll remain open to the idea.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

The world is more than the USA you know.

What about songs that were big in the UK but never made an impact in the US? Maybe top 10/20 over here might work? Good idea by the way.

I think for now, anything on the UK Charts has to be at #1. I have to adjust for population differences, and the way I want to do it is so that the songs are equally popular. In my opinion, #1 on the UK Charts equals within the Top 5 on the American charts (in terms of actual popularity). I may change this in the future, but probably not. By the way, I'm not opening this up to non-English speaking countries, as that's not really the point of this thread. That means Asian countries are out of here.

TechnicLePanther · 07-26-2015, 07:59 PM

I might base some picks off of popular suggestion, however they have to be in the Top 5.

As for you, Trollheart, I'll only take the #1 on the UK charts, as I believe (with the population gap), that fairly represents equal amounts of popularity (assuming popularity is how many people recognize the artist).

TechnicLePanther · 07-26-2015, 08:00 PM

Sorry about that last post, I just didn't realize how these worked. You don't have to approve this post or the one I made just before this. Sorry about that!

TechnicLePanther · 07-26-2015, 08:17 PM

Let's get the ball rolling.

OMI - Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix)

This song is annoying and overproduced. The generic african beat that persists throughout is ridiculous, the piano in the verse is strange and out of place, and the vocalist is obviously deprived of any vocal talent. Oh, and the trumpet is the worst part.
I wish I could say that the original version of this song broke into the limelight. It would have been a great success for the reggae community, and a very successful breakthrough for OMI. As confusing as it is, the mellow reggae track was not the breakthrough, but instead the producer-backed deep house disaster that is this song. I seriously recommend you check out the original version of the song, as I love it, and to anyone not voting here, I seriously recommend you spend your three minutes doing something else.

So, for me it's an obvious flop.

What did you think? Pop or Flop?

Vote here: http://www.musicbanter.com/pop/82983...ml#post1619597

Trollheart · 07-27-2015, 06:39 AM

Before I even listen to this, can I make a suggestion? If this gets popular you're going to have a lot of probably one-word posts or at least one line ones that the mods are going to have to approve, and that is going to get tiresome I would assume for them.

Why not make a thread in the general forum, take your votes there and link the results back to your journal here? You could say something like "current selection now in my journal, please vote here" so that people would still read, but the actual votes as such would be outside your journal, avoiding clogging it up with short posts and also allowing people to vote faster and more often, as their posts would not have to be approved. Results could then be posted here, or there, or both places.

I just think doing it this way you open yourself up to a massive amount of small posts, maybe some spam, drama, off-topic chatter, gifs, and so on. Also, for those who never read the journals, it will get you better traction and interest if you carry it beyond your journal and into the main forum space.

TechnicLePanther · 08-02-2015, 08:16 AM

NOTE: I tried to find a version of Bad Blood without the video, because the video is absolutely terrible, and will ruin your impression of the song. There was none. I'm sorry.

Taylor Swift - Bad Blood

Many things about this song are incredibly generic. The song takes the generic pop structure from every other hit of the day, so it has to be good because of its flairs. Kendrick Lamar's rapping absolutely saved this song in my eyes. The bridge is alright, and in my opinion much better than the chorus. The chorus, which is the same as the original album version, is alright, but nothing hit-single worthy. It's generic lyrics, including the frustrating "vowel rhyming", rather than sucking it up and writing lyrics around the consonants. Besides that, the melody is repeated over for every lyric in the chorus, and by the end of the song, it gets a bit frustrating. The "hey!" that ends every chorus is my least favorite part of the song. Other than that, the instrumentation isn't that bad, and I think Lamar's rapping really brings this song up into Pop territory.

Therefore, this one is pop for me.

What did you think? Pop or flop?

Vote here: http://www.musicbanter.com/pop/82983...ml#post1621511

TechnicLePanther · 08-09-2015, 07:22 PM

Wiz Khalifa - See You Again

Do I think this song gained some of its fame off of the Fast and Furious? Of course it does. Do I think this song used Paul Walker's death as a monetary ploy? Maybe. But that doesn't make it any worse of a song. To me, everything about this song is pretty great. The quiet intro is great, and Charlie Puth's vocals are pretty cool as well. I really respect Wiz Khalifa as a rapper, and I love the fact that there's a rap song that isn't about b****es and sex, because that stuff is really stupid. As much as I'd love to rail on this song, I can't, because it's not a bad song. The instrumentation is great, the lyrics are great, the vocals are great, and I really have nothing bad to say about it.

Of course it's pop.

What did you think? Pop or flop?

Vote here: http://www.musicbanter.com/pop/82983...ml#post1623874

07-26-2015, 06:46 PM	#1 (permalink)
TechnicLePanther and the livin' is easy... Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: New York Posts: 1,997	Pop or Flop? This is Pop or Flop! It's the thread all about deciding what popular music of today is any good, and what popular music is the worst thing to ever corrupt the human microphone (a clever way of saying, "ear"). Anyways, I'll post a tiny review of a pop song, and then all of you fancy folk can vote on whether or not you believe the song was a pop success, or a flop success (me and my oxymorons). When the next review comes out, I'll tally up all the votes from the previous one, and reveal the results. Alright, let me get this show on the road. META THINGS: I'm somehow going to schedule these properly. Maybe once weekly or something? I dunno how I'll continue to do it in the future, but I'll figure it out. Also, to be eligible for a review, the song should at least crack the Billboard Hot 5 (the top 5 of the Billboard 200 list). __________________ Many have tried to destroy it... but... true evil never dies. It is only... REBORN *SUGGEST ME AN ALBUM* - I'm probably not going to listen to it but I will if you bother me enough.

07-26-2015, 06:58 PM	#3 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	The world is more than the USA you know. What about songs that were big in the UK but never made an impact in the US? Maybe top 10/20 over here might work? Good idea by the way. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

07-26-2015, 07:59 PM	#5 (permalink)
TechnicLePanther and the livin' is easy... Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: New York Posts: 1,997	I might base some picks off of popular suggestion, however they have to be in the Top 5. As for you, Trollheart, I'll only take the #1 on the UK charts, as I believe (with the population gap), that fairly represents equal amounts of popularity (assuming popularity is how many people recognize the artist). __________________ Many have tried to destroy it... but... true evil never dies. It is only... REBORN *SUGGEST ME AN ALBUM* - I'm probably not going to listen to it but I will if you bother me enough.

07-26-2015, 08:00 PM	#6 (permalink)
TechnicLePanther and the livin' is easy... Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: New York Posts: 1,997	Sorry about that last post, I just didn't realize how these worked. You don't have to approve this post or the one I made just before this. Sorry about that! __________________ Many have tried to destroy it... but... true evil never dies. It is only... REBORN *SUGGEST ME AN ALBUM* - I'm probably not going to listen to it but I will if you bother me enough.

07-26-2015, 08:17 PM	#7 (permalink)
TechnicLePanther and the livin' is easy... Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: New York Posts: 1,997	Let's get the ball rolling. OMI - Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix) This song is annoying and overproduced. The generic african beat that persists throughout is ridiculous, the piano in the verse is strange and out of place, and the vocalist is obviously deprived of any vocal talent. Oh, and the trumpet is the worst part. I wish I could say that the original version of this song broke into the limelight. It would have been a great success for the reggae community, and a very successful breakthrough for OMI. As confusing as it is, the mellow reggae track was not the breakthrough, but instead the producer-backed deep house disaster that is this song. I seriously recommend you check out the original version of the song, as I love it, and to anyone not voting here, I seriously recommend you spend your three minutes doing something else. So, for me it's an obvious flop. What did you think? Pop or Flop? Vote here: http://www.musicbanter.com/pop/82983...ml#post1619597 __________________ Many have tried to destroy it... but... true evil never dies. It is only... REBORN *SUGGEST ME AN ALBUM* - I'm probably not going to listen to it but I will if you bother me enough. Last edited by TechnicLePanther; 07-27-2015 at 05:10 PM.

07-27-2015, 06:39 AM	#8 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	Before I even listen to this, can I make a suggestion? If this gets popular you're going to have a lot of probably one-word posts or at least one line ones that the mods are going to have to approve, and that is going to get tiresome I would assume for them. Why not make a thread in the general forum, take your votes there and link the results back to your journal here? You could say something like "current selection now in my journal, please vote here" so that people would still read, but the actual votes as such would be outside your journal, avoiding clogging it up with short posts and also allowing people to vote faster and more often, as their posts would not have to be approved. Results could then be posted here, or there, or both places. I just think doing it this way you open yourself up to a massive amount of small posts, maybe some spam, drama, off-topic chatter, gifs, and so on. Also, for those who never read the journals, it will get you better traction and interest if you carry it beyond your journal and into the main forum space. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

08-02-2015, 08:16 AM	#9 (permalink)
TechnicLePanther and the livin' is easy... Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: New York Posts: 1,997	NOTE: I tried to find a version of Bad Blood without the video, because the video is absolutely terrible, and will ruin your impression of the song. There was none. I'm sorry. Taylor Swift - Bad Blood Many things about this song are incredibly generic. The song takes the generic pop structure from every other hit of the day, so it has to be good because of its flairs. Kendrick Lamar's rapping absolutely saved this song in my eyes. The bridge is alright, and in my opinion much better than the chorus. The chorus, which is the same as the original album version, is alright, but nothing hit-single worthy. It's generic lyrics, including the frustrating "vowel rhyming", rather than sucking it up and writing lyrics around the consonants. Besides that, the melody is repeated over for every lyric in the chorus, and by the end of the song, it gets a bit frustrating. The "hey!" that ends every chorus is my least favorite part of the song. Other than that, the instrumentation isn't that bad, and I think Lamar's rapping really brings this song up into Pop territory. Therefore, this one is pop for me. What did you think? Pop or flop? Vote here: http://www.musicbanter.com/pop/82983...ml#post1621511 __________________ Many have tried to destroy it... but... true evil never dies. It is only... REBORN *SUGGEST ME AN ALBUM* - I'm probably not going to listen to it but I will if you bother me enough. Last edited by TechnicLePanther; 08-02-2015 at 12:59 PM.

08-09-2015, 07:22 PM	#10 (permalink)
TechnicLePanther and the livin' is easy... Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: New York Posts: 1,997	Wiz Khalifa - See You Again Do I think this song gained some of its fame off of the Fast and Furious? Of course it does. Do I think this song used Paul Walker's death as a monetary ploy? Maybe. But that doesn't make it any worse of a song. To me, everything about this song is pretty great. The quiet intro is great, and Charlie Puth's vocals are pretty cool as well. I really respect Wiz Khalifa as a rapper, and I love the fact that there's a rap song that isn't about b**es and sex, because that stuff is really stupid. As much as I'd love to rail on this song, I can't, because it's not a bad song. The instrumentation is great, the lyrics are great, the vocals are great, and I really have nothing bad to say about it. Of course it's pop. What did you think? Pop or flop? Vote here: http://www.musicbanter.com/pop/82983...ml#post1623874 __________________ Many have tried to destroy it... but... true evil never dies. It is only... REBORN SUGGEST ME AN ALBUM** - I'm probably not going to listen to it but I will if you bother me enough.