D
Deleted member 29256
The relatableness of it all.
20GAYTeen the Rate: WINNER!!
- Thread starter Trouble in Paradise
- Start date
Beautiful writeup @Trouble in Paradise! I was in love with this song the minute I heard it but the music video really does elevate it.
I wish a song like this would have come out when I was a teen. Definitely would have helped me figure out things a lot quicker.
I wish a song like this would have come out when I was a teen. Definitely would have helped me figure out things a lot quicker.
ohnostalgia
Staff member
She/her
ohnostalgia
Staff member
She/her
This was the song I mentioned really under rating. :(
If it's any consolation, it grew on me and is probs my fave Kiyoko track in the rate now dddd.
she/her
ohnostalgia
Staff member
She/her
Girl, I had one sleepover in my entire life because of my social anxiety. Still gave the track a 9.75
she/her
I had one sleepover at sixteen and never wanted to be put in that position again. I left before the rest even woke up. Three girls in one bed is an overkill when you get mortified at the thought of touching somebody by accident.
Wow I'm truly shocked and disgusted. I won't be extra if I say Sleepover (and the rest of the album) had a major part in my coming out experience last year. It would definitely get my 11 if I'd voted.
she/her
I'm so disgusted right now I can't even form an eloquent response.
He/Him
YA'LL FUCKING SUCK.
He/Him
Today we lose a true leader of contemporary queer music so it's only fitting that one of the leaders of the contemporary LGBT Rights movement introduces this cut. Sylvia Rivera was one of the founders of the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) and was a commanding voice for those on the margin. She pushed for the rights of those she felt were left behind such as LBGT people who were homeless or in prison.
44. "Karaoke"
By Big Freedia featuring Lizzo
7.583
Highest Scores: 10 x 5(@Ana Raquel @dylanaber @Cutlery @Riiiiiiiii @Remorque) 9 x 4(@Music Is Life @ohnostalgia @yuuurei @soratami
Lowest Scores: 4.5 x 1 (@KingBruno) 5 x 4 ( @Empty Shoebox @happiestgirl @Reboot @ufint @Sanctuary)
My Score: 9.75
Why the fuck would I throw shade
With all the sunshine?
DUN DA DUHHH! Y'ALL HAVE NO TASTE!! Big Freedia is an ICON. Lizzo is an ICON. This song is ICONIC. And I don't throw that word around loosely. I don't know why I didn't give it full points cause it still goes so hard. It's endlessly quotable and easily the most danceable song of the whole rate. I'm not gonna give y'all a full history of Bounce music or Big Freedia cause I got things to do and let's be honest, most of you won't read it anyway. Instead, I want to give you the highlights of an amazing interview between Lizzo and Big Freedia from Paper:
On why Big Freedia had Lizzo work on this song with her:
Thank you! I wanted to ask you about that because you sent me the song and you were like, "Yo, she's gotta be on this one." Why did you choose to have me on that song and why did you make it the first track?
Well, when creating the song, it was like, "Who fits the personality of 'Karaoke?'" And you know, us both being artists, we're always on stage and we know how to deliver in such a great way. I was like, "Lizzo would be perfect for this song." It was just all right timing, right idea, perfect song. It was inspiring to have you on that one. Something moved the spirit, honey.
On how Big Freedia revolutionized Bounce music:
I love that song! Let's talk about New Orleans and bounce. What you are doing is revolutionary because when I think of bounce, I think of popular songs put on top of a beat with somebody hyping up the track. But you are a bounce artist.
I have to keep inspiring kids and letting them know that you can go further than just using someone else's track and putting a bounce beat on top of it. You can do so much more and create your own sounds. And that's what I've been doing — standing in my own lane and creating my own sound. I want to be able to have my song cleared with no problems and no sample. I have been working really hard on all of my projects over the years to become the first bounce artist to be able to have worldwide albums and EPs and tracks that are cleared and freed of anybody else's work.
On how Big Freedia got her start:
How did you get from singing in the choir to twerking in the clubs?
Yeah, that was a transition. I started to help Katey Red, my friend, who was the first transsexual person to come out with bounce music in 1998. That's how I got in the game. And then, maybe a year or a year and a half later, everybody was like, "Oh my god! I love your voice. I love the sound." Because I was always howling in the hallways somewhere in high school or walking in the neighborhood and people heard me coming from around the corner hitting this choir boy or choir girl note.
I decided to do it one day. I got on the mic at a block party and it was the creation of something new for me. That's when I got my big break and started representing New Orleans at all kinds of block parties and clubs and one-of shows. I was working seven nights a week, sometimes three or four times in one night, bouncing from club to club and doing birthday parties. I also was a decorator, so in between decorating your party and then going back to rap at night, I was doing it all. Multitasking. You got to hustle to make money. Because it was no big money we were making way back then. So I was doing everything possible to make some money.
On how Big Freedia represents for so many groups:
On Big Freedia's big name collaborations yet lack of visual representation within them:
I did see that people in the LGBTQ+ community were a little upset with their representation [in media]. They say, "Our voices are used but not our bodies. You don't put us in videos." And they use you as an example for that, especially in the "Nice For What" video. Do you know how that went down?
Well, not really. But I told people I don't have to be in everything digitally as long as you recognize who the voice is and the check cleared. Over time, things will continue to grow. In this community, things don't just happen overnight. I have had my own TV show. Other people are on all different kinds of TV shows now. They had the gay Queer Eye For The Straight Guy. We are out there visually. We got Laverne Cox, we got RuPaul, and we got Drag Race. Baby, we have come from nothing to way more something than we've ever been, so we have to take what we get and use it to the best of our ability. And keep continuing to grow. Patience is the key.
Oh man, I probably should've just copied and pasted the whole thing cause it is SO GOOD! Also a side note from NPR about my use of pronouns for Big Freedia:
With the same force Freedia uses to command crowds to shake, twerk, wobble and exercise, if you ask the rapper what pronouns are preferred, she'll tell you to pick. (I am using "she/her" here because those are the ones with which Freedia was introduced to me, somewhere around early 2008.) This fluidity sometimes seems less about Freedia's own identity – she usually refers to herself as a gay man, when pressed – than a comment on what such labels mean, and whose problem they are. (If you require one, then it's yours.)
ICONIC.
Now on to y'all:
Londonrain This is so fun but I want the chorus to be more than it is.
Ana Raquel ART
Pop3blow2 Energetic!! (with two exclamation points.)
Reboot A bit noisy.
Yuuurei This is a scream!
Gimmework I know it’s basic but I’m non-stop bopping none-the-less.
The Hot Rock I've heard parts of this song countless times in ads/commercials was surprised by how low the spotify play count was. It's pretty catchy and fun but I feel like this was mildly ruined by overexposure due to the aforementioned ads.
Ufint Bounce music isn’t really my cup of tea, although I do appreciate some of the work she has done with RuPaul. That reminds me, Bounce was such a good song, right? Miss Kelis should not have been number second in the charting. I could not believe it.
Remorque Okay, but I'm living for this. And that's all because of Lizzo's pre-chorus. I'm not playing down Big Freedia's performance, because it's fun, but Lizzo is what made me notice this song initially.
Untitled what a fucking banger wtf
44. "Karaoke"
By Big Freedia featuring Lizzo
7.583
Highest Scores: 10 x 5(@Ana Raquel @dylanaber @Cutlery @Riiiiiiiii @Remorque) 9 x 4(@Music Is Life @ohnostalgia @yuuurei @soratami
Lowest Scores: 4.5 x 1 (@KingBruno) 5 x 4 ( @Empty Shoebox @happiestgirl @Reboot @ufint @Sanctuary)
My Score: 9.75
Why the fuck would I throw shade
With all the sunshine?
On why Big Freedia had Lizzo work on this song with her:
Thank you! I wanted to ask you about that because you sent me the song and you were like, "Yo, she's gotta be on this one." Why did you choose to have me on that song and why did you make it the first track?
Well, when creating the song, it was like, "Who fits the personality of 'Karaoke?'" And you know, us both being artists, we're always on stage and we know how to deliver in such a great way. I was like, "Lizzo would be perfect for this song." It was just all right timing, right idea, perfect song. It was inspiring to have you on that one. Something moved the spirit, honey.
On how Big Freedia revolutionized Bounce music:
I love that song! Let's talk about New Orleans and bounce. What you are doing is revolutionary because when I think of bounce, I think of popular songs put on top of a beat with somebody hyping up the track. But you are a bounce artist.
I have to keep inspiring kids and letting them know that you can go further than just using someone else's track and putting a bounce beat on top of it. You can do so much more and create your own sounds. And that's what I've been doing — standing in my own lane and creating my own sound. I want to be able to have my song cleared with no problems and no sample. I have been working really hard on all of my projects over the years to become the first bounce artist to be able to have worldwide albums and EPs and tracks that are cleared and freed of anybody else's work.
How did you get from singing in the choir to twerking in the clubs?
Yeah, that was a transition. I started to help Katey Red, my friend, who was the first transsexual person to come out with bounce music in 1998. That's how I got in the game. And then, maybe a year or a year and a half later, everybody was like, "Oh my god! I love your voice. I love the sound." Because I was always howling in the hallways somewhere in high school or walking in the neighborhood and people heard me coming from around the corner hitting this choir boy or choir girl note.
I decided to do it one day. I got on the mic at a block party and it was the creation of something new for me. That's when I got my big break and started representing New Orleans at all kinds of block parties and clubs and one-of shows. I was working seven nights a week, sometimes three or four times in one night, bouncing from club to club and doing birthday parties. I also was a decorator, so in between decorating your party and then going back to rap at night, I was doing it all. Multitasking. You got to hustle to make money. Because it was no big money we were making way back then. So I was doing everything possible to make some money.
You're simultaneously representing bounce and the LGBTQ+ community. Both of those things haven't had the opportunity to be mainstream, especially the black side of all of those things. Not to make this a black or white issue, but you know, I'm calling it like it is. Do you feel like that sometimes makes it a little more difficult? Do you face more obstacles?
Well, in the beginning, I felt like, "Oh my God I'm a black artist trying to get out there, and I'm gay. I may be limited." and then, once I kept on pushing through and knocking down doors and breaking barriers, there was no turning back and no looking back. People started seeing that my work speaks for itself and my dedication to my music speaks for itself. I continued to work hard, and people started booking me more, and my name started getting bigger, and my agents and my managers and my staff started working even harder. Things have been rising. I'm very blessed and humbled to continue my journey of setting the foundation for other artists that are coming under me.
Well, in the beginning, I felt like, "Oh my God I'm a black artist trying to get out there, and I'm gay. I may be limited." and then, once I kept on pushing through and knocking down doors and breaking barriers, there was no turning back and no looking back. People started seeing that my work speaks for itself and my dedication to my music speaks for itself. I continued to work hard, and people started booking me more, and my name started getting bigger, and my agents and my managers and my staff started working even harder. Things have been rising. I'm very blessed and humbled to continue my journey of setting the foundation for other artists that are coming under me.
On Big Freedia's big name collaborations yet lack of visual representation within them:
I did see that people in the LGBTQ+ community were a little upset with their representation [in media]. They say, "Our voices are used but not our bodies. You don't put us in videos." And they use you as an example for that, especially in the "Nice For What" video. Do you know how that went down?
Well, not really. But I told people I don't have to be in everything digitally as long as you recognize who the voice is and the check cleared. Over time, things will continue to grow. In this community, things don't just happen overnight. I have had my own TV show. Other people are on all different kinds of TV shows now. They had the gay Queer Eye For The Straight Guy. We are out there visually. We got Laverne Cox, we got RuPaul, and we got Drag Race. Baby, we have come from nothing to way more something than we've ever been, so we have to take what we get and use it to the best of our ability. And keep continuing to grow. Patience is the key.
With the same force Freedia uses to command crowds to shake, twerk, wobble and exercise, if you ask the rapper what pronouns are preferred, she'll tell you to pick. (I am using "she/her" here because those are the ones with which Freedia was introduced to me, somewhere around early 2008.) This fluidity sometimes seems less about Freedia's own identity – she usually refers to herself as a gay man, when pressed – than a comment on what such labels mean, and whose problem they are. (If you require one, then it's yours.)
Now on to y'all:
Londonrain This is so fun but I want the chorus to be more than it is.
Ana Raquel ART
Pop3blow2 Energetic!! (with two exclamation points.)
Reboot A bit noisy.
Yuuurei This is a scream!
Gimmework I know it’s basic but I’m non-stop bopping none-the-less.
The Hot Rock I've heard parts of this song countless times in ads/commercials was surprised by how low the spotify play count was. It's pretty catchy and fun but I feel like this was mildly ruined by overexposure due to the aforementioned ads.
Ufint Bounce music isn’t really my cup of tea, although I do appreciate some of the work she has done with RuPaul. That reminds me, Bounce was such a good song, right? Miss Kelis should not have been number second in the charting. I could not believe it.
Remorque Okay, but I'm living for this. And that's all because of Lizzo's pre-chorus. I'm not playing down Big Freedia's performance, because it's fun, but Lizzo is what made me notice this song initially.
Untitled what a fucking banger wtf
Also the video is increible!
ohnostalgia
Staff member
She/her
Disappointed, but not surprised.
she/her
this blatant fatphobia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He/Him
Well y'all didn't have much to say about the last one but I feel like the next elimination should cause at least some conversation...
D
Deleted member 29256
At this point I just gave up. It will be all those Janelle songs in the top 10, and I'll deal with it...
ohnostalgia
Staff member
She/her
At this point I just gave up. It will be all those Janelle songs in the top 10, and I'll deal with it...
Deal with your poor taste? Good.
He/Him
Our next cut is introduced by Richard LaFortune who is a pioneering Two Spirit activist who has worked to support LGBT Native Americans since the 80's. He's written about his experiences being a Two Spirit individual and appeared on a PBS documentary on the topic alongside his activism.
43. "It's Okay to Cry"
By SOPHIE
7.603
Highest Scores: 11 x 1 (@Riiiiiiiii) 10 x 9 (@CorgiCorgiCorgi @constantino @inevitable @Cutlery @Posh Spears @Remyky22 @Music Is Life @KingBruno @Remorque) 9.5 x 1 (@dylanaber)
Lowest Scores: 3 x 1 (@ufint) 3.5 x 1 (@Reboot)
My Score: 6.5
Was that a tear drop in your eye?
I never thought I'd see you cry
Just know whatever hurts, it's all mine
It's okay to cry
I was convinced this song would be Top 20 easily and I feel like I underscored it just a tad in fear that it would crack Top 10. I realized I was very wrong as the votes started coming in. While she received a fair amount of love in the 10's and 9's area and as expected a whole lot of 7's, I wasn't expecting the amount of sub 6 scores. I've definitely learned that SOPHIE is an acquired taste and some of y'all have not acquired it!
SOPHIE gave a wonderful interview to Interview magazine after the release of "It's Okay to Cry" and it's music video. For those of you unaware, the video was the first time SOPHIE put her face and voice to her music. Prior to the video, she had actually faced criticisms as a assumed male producer using a female surname (in fairness to Grimes, she has since apologized!).
Here's what SOPHIE had to say about "It's Okay to Cry" in Interview:
untitled i wish someone said that to me between 1996-2017
Londonrain This starts beautifully... and then doesn’t go anywhere. This has all the makings of a great song but the potential feels squandered compared to the other songs in this rate.
reboot I can sort of hear that there’s probably a very beautiful, relatable song underneath this, but I can’t get past the AMSR-like vocals. If a song nearly triggers my misophonia then it’s not for me oops
Untouchable Ace Showing off her beautiful soul.
Pop3blow2 My favorite Sophie song here. Dramatic, but still intimate. Also, TBH, it’s an actual song… whereas a lot of her other songs just sound like experimental sonic doodles to me
ufint I too can take two kettles and act like they’re drums and record my voice and lower the pitch about 500%, and make a sample of an elephant that trumpets, but that doesn’t make me an artist. Hahaha, nope, sorry, nayxt.
Ana Raquel The last minute saves it.
Constantino Real talk, this is both awful and beautiful at the same time. There’s something very jarring and uncomfortable going on here sonically, but it’s so brilliant.
Yuuurei Listen ... this song has a nice message, but people whispering a lot makes my skin crawl and the ending was really jarring. It just made me kind of anxious.
Gimmework The ending is impressive but still doesn’t save it from boring a bit.
CorgiCorgiCorgi this is almost Ray Of Light-era Madonna
Kalonite This is the only SOPHIE song I'd say I 'love', but at least I really love it.
KingBruno It’s a power ballad that’s a genuine tearjerker, particularly because her long-awaited vocals make the lyrics covering a personal issue extra special.
The Hot Rock This one really caught me off guard when it premiered but in a good way. The outro is incredible.
Posh Spears I’m suspicious of anyone who doesn’t score this high. A shockingly honest and raw coming out / self-love anthem. The outro is literally some type of next level identity epiphany in audio form. I love her so much. Someone hold me
And lastly, a lovely send off from our 11 giver Riiiiiiiii:
The first time I heard It’s Okay To Cry was because of the youtube suggestions. I had never heard of Sophie but the thumbnail looked fascinating. Watching that video was one of those moments where I was instantly drawn to something. And it only got better when I did my research and found out what those lyrics were all about. Mind. Blown. This song seriously is an anthem for me and the lyrics are just perfection, not only as a metaphor but also if you connect them to her person.
There's a world inside you
I wanna know what it feels like
I wanna go there with you
'Cause we've all got a dark place
Maybe if we shine some light there
It won't be so hard
I want to know those parts of you
This “inner dialogue” is just pure poetry. And considering she’s a trans woman is just too beautiful for words!
This song isn’t two years old yet, but it’s already in my top twenty when it comes to my favorite songs ever.
43. "It's Okay to Cry"
By SOPHIE
7.603
Highest Scores: 11 x 1 (@Riiiiiiiii) 10 x 9 (@CorgiCorgiCorgi @constantino @inevitable @Cutlery @Posh Spears @Remyky22 @Music Is Life @KingBruno @Remorque) 9.5 x 1 (@dylanaber)
Lowest Scores: 3 x 1 (@ufint) 3.5 x 1 (@Reboot)
My Score: 6.5
Was that a tear drop in your eye?
I never thought I'd see you cry
Just know whatever hurts, it's all mine
It's okay to cry
SOPHIE gave a wonderful interview to Interview magazine after the release of "It's Okay to Cry" and it's music video. For those of you unaware, the video was the first time SOPHIE put her face and voice to her music. Prior to the video, she had actually faced criticisms as a assumed male producer using a female surname (in fairness to Grimes, she has since apologized!).
Here's what SOPHIE had to say about "It's Okay to Cry" in Interview:
PASORI: Today your new song and video, “It’s Okay To Cry,” comes out. Was this your plan all along — eventually showing yourself physically to the world?
SOPHIE: I’ve never really thought of it in that way, anyway. The intention has always been to be how I want to be and how I’m comfortable in the world, never to be anonymous. Right now, I’m just going with my instincts, and this is what I feel like doing. I don’t see any difference. It’s just expression. I’m always honest in what I put across.
PASORI: Would you say that “It’s Okay To Cry” is meant to be a departure from the music you’ve previously released as SOPHIE or a continuation of it?
SOPHIE: It’s very much the same. I’m still embodying and communicating the way I’m feeling and living at a given moment. In that sense, it is a continuation, because it’s equally an accurate reflection of the person I am, my interests, and what I want to put across to the world — the questions and ideas I want to express.
PASORI: People may hear the song and think it’s different production-wise from your earlier music, but in tone, and in the message, it does feel like a continuation, especially in its encouraging and reassuring nature.
SOPHIE: In a basic music way, my sense of melody and my style of songwriting and production carry the same thought process into this new music. I’m thinking about machines and electronics, and how they interact with motion, which I’ve touched upon in the past. Those key themes are my main interests, and they are really the foundation for my approach to music.
As for the powerful video SOPHIE had this to say:SOPHIE: I’ve never really thought of it in that way, anyway. The intention has always been to be how I want to be and how I’m comfortable in the world, never to be anonymous. Right now, I’m just going with my instincts, and this is what I feel like doing. I don’t see any difference. It’s just expression. I’m always honest in what I put across.
PASORI: Would you say that “It’s Okay To Cry” is meant to be a departure from the music you’ve previously released as SOPHIE or a continuation of it?
SOPHIE: It’s very much the same. I’m still embodying and communicating the way I’m feeling and living at a given moment. In that sense, it is a continuation, because it’s equally an accurate reflection of the person I am, my interests, and what I want to put across to the world — the questions and ideas I want to express.
PASORI: People may hear the song and think it’s different production-wise from your earlier music, but in tone, and in the message, it does feel like a continuation, especially in its encouraging and reassuring nature.
SOPHIE: In a basic music way, my sense of melody and my style of songwriting and production carry the same thought process into this new music. I’m thinking about machines and electronics, and how they interact with motion, which I’ve touched upon in the past. Those key themes are my main interests, and they are really the foundation for my approach to music.
PASORI: How do these concepts connect to the “It’s Okay To Cry” video? It looks like a single take that wraps you up in these sweeping landscapes.
SOPHIE: I’m really happy that we managed to realize the video exactly how I imagined it. It’s about this idea of the richness and complexity of our inner and outer worlds — the emotional world and the external world, like the planets, the weather, and the universe. Just being overawed by how surreal, mysterious, and confusing the depth of both inner and outer worlds are. The video encapsulates the quiet, internal world flatly on top of or inside these universal, shifting landscapes, and contemplates how they are related. It’s somewhere in there, that feeling, that I wanted to communicate.
Now what did y'all have to say?SOPHIE: I’m really happy that we managed to realize the video exactly how I imagined it. It’s about this idea of the richness and complexity of our inner and outer worlds — the emotional world and the external world, like the planets, the weather, and the universe. Just being overawed by how surreal, mysterious, and confusing the depth of both inner and outer worlds are. The video encapsulates the quiet, internal world flatly on top of or inside these universal, shifting landscapes, and contemplates how they are related. It’s somewhere in there, that feeling, that I wanted to communicate.
untitled i wish someone said that to me between 1996-2017
Londonrain This starts beautifully... and then doesn’t go anywhere. This has all the makings of a great song but the potential feels squandered compared to the other songs in this rate.
reboot I can sort of hear that there’s probably a very beautiful, relatable song underneath this, but I can’t get past the AMSR-like vocals. If a song nearly triggers my misophonia then it’s not for me oops
Untouchable Ace Showing off her beautiful soul.
Pop3blow2 My favorite Sophie song here. Dramatic, but still intimate. Also, TBH, it’s an actual song… whereas a lot of her other songs just sound like experimental sonic doodles to me
ufint I too can take two kettles and act like they’re drums and record my voice and lower the pitch about 500%, and make a sample of an elephant that trumpets, but that doesn’t make me an artist. Hahaha, nope, sorry, nayxt.
Ana Raquel The last minute saves it.
Constantino Real talk, this is both awful and beautiful at the same time. There’s something very jarring and uncomfortable going on here sonically, but it’s so brilliant.
Yuuurei Listen ... this song has a nice message, but people whispering a lot makes my skin crawl and the ending was really jarring. It just made me kind of anxious.
Gimmework The ending is impressive but still doesn’t save it from boring a bit.
CorgiCorgiCorgi this is almost Ray Of Light-era Madonna
Kalonite This is the only SOPHIE song I'd say I 'love', but at least I really love it.
KingBruno It’s a power ballad that’s a genuine tearjerker, particularly because her long-awaited vocals make the lyrics covering a personal issue extra special.
The Hot Rock This one really caught me off guard when it premiered but in a good way. The outro is incredible.
Posh Spears I’m suspicious of anyone who doesn’t score this high. A shockingly honest and raw coming out / self-love anthem. The outro is literally some type of next level identity epiphany in audio form. I love her so much. Someone hold me
And lastly, a lovely send off from our 11 giver Riiiiiiiii:
The first time I heard It’s Okay To Cry was because of the youtube suggestions. I had never heard of Sophie but the thumbnail looked fascinating. Watching that video was one of those moments where I was instantly drawn to something. And it only got better when I did my research and found out what those lyrics were all about. Mind. Blown. This song seriously is an anthem for me and the lyrics are just perfection, not only as a metaphor but also if you connect them to her person.
There's a world inside you
I wanna know what it feels like
I wanna go there with you
'Cause we've all got a dark place
Maybe if we shine some light there
It won't be so hard
I want to know those parts of you
This “inner dialogue” is just pure poetry. And considering she’s a trans woman is just too beautiful for words!
This song isn’t two years old yet, but it’s already in my top twenty when it comes to my favorite songs ever.
D