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Christina… P!nk… Lil’ Kim… Mýa
BIG POP GIRLS 2024
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Wait why is this exactly correct.
Anything For Love was one of my highest scores for Radical Optimism. The truth is that I adore the snippet of actual song we received, and had it been a full song, it would have been my favorite on the album. And I’m co-signing the breakdown in the write up, they really used runtime to share that Danny was eating salted licorice…? Paste that shit as the intro to slop like Illusion or Maria instead… Infuriating.
Gleeks like me keeping Kurtchel's legacy alive.
HIGHEST:
10 x 2 (@Vasilios @eliminathan)
LOWEST:
0.5 x 1 (@Plethorya)
Beyoncé finds her Cowboy Carter bouquet withering a step further, as My Rose bows out at #133 - not a terrible position for a track under a minute long, having fended off a fair few meatier tracks in the process. That's not to say that My Rose doesn't pack a pretty substantial amount into 53s, tailing off the incredibly earnest and vulnerable opening phase of its parent album that draws upon deeply classic elements of country and its various tropes.
Unless you're like me, who's fully willing to throw money into Mrs. Carter's pockets for unfinished products, many of you may not be aware that My Rose was originally entitled Mr. Sir, and can sensibly be deduced as an ode to her only son (following on from Rumi's inclusion on the previous track, Protector). I feel like I've lived around 608 different lives since Beyoncé posted this photo (which harks back to an oddly simpler time on social media where such a photo really had insane visibility, algorithms be damned), so it's surprising that many of the tracks on Cowboy Carter were likely some of the first she'll have written for a mainline album since given birth to her twins - particularly when you consider that this album was primed to be the first instalment of the trilogy back in 2022.
If you follow the relatively minute scraps of personal life Beyoncé now shares with the plebians of the planet, you'll likely have noticed by this point that she very, very rarely shows Sir to the world, whilst Rumi and the Grand Heiress Herself, Blue Ivy, have very much assimilated with the limelight. My Rose appears to shed a bit of light as to why, as Beyoncé comforts and reassures her son that he need not be hard on himself, and to embrace his flaws and all - the perfectionism trait appears to run in the family.
Whilst it was difficult to rate this track beyond the cap of around a 6, purely from the standpoint of being short and relatively simplistic (albeit stacked with the usual beauty and flair one can expect from a Beyoncé effort), it's an affecting 1-2-3 punch with 16 Carriages and Protector, where you really gain a strong insight into her priorities as a mother, a provider, and a protector. Sir may be in the incredibly fortunate position to grow up with the world's biggest star as his mother, and all of which that entails, but goodness knows the world is definitely not oversaturated with songs uplifting young Black boys, and Cowboy Carter is very much all the better for its inclusion, as is my music library. Unfinished vinyls and all.
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Ooh some of these girls are so scared of singers they just can’t HANDLE those stacked harmonies.
I gave Anything for Love a 9.5, because despite it being shortened for no reason, the parts that remain are amazing. I knew she'd be the earliest out, but I don't expect taste from most of you anyway <3
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As mentioned earlier to explain Radical Optimism coming out on top of my ballot, I was lucky enough to see the Radical Optimism Tour twice, once in KL with my best friend and no alcohol (where the crowd was so sober sedate that she even called out the four of us who were dancing), and in Bangkok with Deleted User 1415 (and plenty of alcohol).
In both, Anything For Love was truly a moment, in a concert of practically non-stop moments, it really stood out and conveyed the beauty, depth and realised potential of a song hidden behind the 'oh look what FUN we have in the studio'. She then also released the Royal Albert Hall recordings and it meant that I could recreate that concert moment in my own shower. It's the most played from that live album for me by a mile, and therefore more than earned its 10 from me.
Was I supposed to rate based on a live version? No.
In both, Anything For Love was truly a moment, in a concert of practically non-stop moments, it really stood out and conveyed the beauty, depth and realised potential of a song hidden behind the 'oh look what FUN we have in the studio'. She then also released the Royal Albert Hall recordings and it meant that I could recreate that concert moment in my own shower. It's the most played from that live album for me by a mile, and therefore more than earned its 10 from me.
Was I supposed to rate based on a live version? No.
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Here’s another, wench.
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The way you had me until that last sentence. Maria with her cunty flute solo, Illusion with her vacanza tax write-off Barcelonan extravaganza music video. They’re both undeniable classics!! Should’ve been huge! World conquering!!
My Rose would have got a higher score from me if not for the ‘la la la’ bit. Before that, the harmonies are sumptuous but that bit is particularly corny and saccharine. The modulations grate on my ears and the lyrics after the la la’s don’t help, even if the sentiment expressed is sweet. It’s all just a bit on the nose.
But the opening lines are gorgeous, I wish she’d kept to that style.
But the opening lines are gorgeous, I wish she’d kept to that style.
I’m sad to see Anything for Love out. I didn’t expect it to last but something about the chorus melody is like candy to my ears. I revisit it for a quick sugar hit more regularly than I would have expected to.
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A very close friend has a brother with a disability, and when she told me how much she had connected to My Rose, I found deeper meaning and appreciation to this song.
Similar to what she did on The Gift, I love that Beyoncé's leaving these tangible, eternal capsules of love to her children in form of songs. A song they can always go back to for guidance and warmth. I just find that so, deeply beautiful.
Similar to what she did on The Gift, I love that Beyoncé's leaving these tangible, eternal capsules of love to her children in form of songs. A song they can always go back to for guidance and warmth. I just find that so, deeply beautiful.
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I actually prefer My Rose to Protector in all its interlude glory (literally a .25 difference in scores)
LOVE when an interlude is better than the song it's attached to @BEST FICTION
LOVE when an interlude is better than the song it's attached to @BEST FICTION