BPG 2019 - THE END
- Thread starter RJF
- Start date
Hey hunties, heard this is ending. Lemme get a post right before the result.
2
SCORE: 9.541
11 x 19 (@Blond, @allyshone, @BeingNormal, @Petty Mayonnaise, @djmakemewet, @Mushroom, @pop3blow2, @RainOnFire, @Bangers&Bops, @sapnu puas, @Jacques, @RMK, @Mr Blonde, @askew, @BTG, @Subwaykid, @Diet Pop!, @Sail On, @Beautiful Child 2)
HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 55 (@RJF, @CorgiCorgiCorgi, @Dijah., @Music Is Life, @ufint, @Dangerous Maknae, @AllGagaLike, @aux, @dylanaber, @eccentricsimply, @theelusivechanteuse, @maverick_79, @Sanctuary, @Vitamin, @2014, @sexercise, @ohnostalgia, @GimmeWork, @Laura Vanderbooben, @soratami, @klow, @joe_alouder, @Slice of Life, @AlmightyAloud, @Cutlery, @Babyface, @Jonathan27, @Ashling92, @Aester, @Seventeen Days, @Mirwais Ahmadzaï, @Gabeee9292, @aaronhansome, @inevitable, @Solenciennes, @Petit nain des Îles, @myblood, @Lindsay Lohan, @savilizabeths, @Remorque, @BEST FICTION, @that boy is a monster, @Trinu 3.0, @K94, @Weslicious, @godspeed, @KingBruno, @tylerc904, @reputation., @Laurence, @Butterfly, @Rem, @LA Hallucinations, @PushyBakerFriend, @japanbonustrack)
LOWEST SCORE: 4.5 x 1 (@MrMannacroix)
I know what you're thinking, and it's a reasonable assumption, but let me be clear: this was very close to winning the whole thing and gave Miss Dua a real run for her money. In fact, it was winning for several rounds of voting, and wound up placing second by only a tenth of a point. @RJF and I were gagged watching these two polar opposite songs duke it out. 'ghostin' really was the little non-single that could, and it's wild to think that if this were a no-extras year, this would've won handily. It still got more 11s than 'Don't Start Now,' but the seven fewer 10s look to have been the main differentiator.
As has been said, seeing 'ghostin' fare so well here really was a surprise. It isn't the traditional BPG catnip. It's astonishingly sad, like...Ingmar Bergman sad, where you know nothing has gone well and the ending is even worse. The Nickelodeon girl with the big poofy dresses is now singing about the guilt she feels from sobbing over her deceased ex while in bed with her fiance. Jesus. Even Pete's goofnugget manchild ass won't go there jokingly: "I was like, listen, I get it...I literally said 'I'll be here until you don't want me to be here.' I pretty much knew it was over after that. That was really horrible. I can't imagine what that shit is like. All I do know is, she really loved the shit out of him...that was fucked up. It's still fucking everybody up." In an industry that currently prioritizes relatability over all - and from a performer who built a huge part of her brand on her accessibility - it takes genuine bravery to say, I am so sad, and you actually cannot understand, because almost no one has gone through what I've gone through.
And then, the words run out, and the tears come - the kinds of tears where you can't talk, you can only wail, until you finally are out of noise at all. Ariana could've gone for the obvious gut punch of ending this with an audio clip, a personal voicemail...but instead the song swirls and glitches out into the cosmos. You don't hear him, but you know he's there.
A breathtaking achievement.
"He just comes to visit me when I'm dreaming, every now and then." Fuck.
I highly encourage you to read the commentary that was submitted for this. Y'all went all in.
@allyshone: "A certain pop album released at the beginning of 2020 was marketed as 'confessional pop done right' and I was both confused and bemused... so I actually ended up revisiting 'thank u, next' before even getting involved in this rate. now this was confessional pop done right and that sentiment is perfectly encapsulated in this gorgeous track. not only is the song guilty of being an effortless tearjerker, it is also fucking bewitching and on the flipside, almost uncomfortable to listen to unless you're alone with headphones. a one of a kind song that will always go down as one of Ari's best ever to me and truly... the last minute outro is when we all ascend."
@BeingNormal: "I'm torn between giving my 11 to this, NRO, Billie's before I let go or Bey's Bigger, but I decide to give it to this.A tragically beautiful and melancholic electronic ballad, that felt so personal to her while also relatable enough to the masses / sad gheys (like me). A masterpiece."
@djmakemewet: "ghostin would be an 11 contender based on its production and instrumental alone. The way the song builds and builds through its runtime is masterful, as more layers of vocals enter the mix and the strings add some momentum (thank u, next in general uses string sounds really well - see also; bad idea, needy).
But then there's the lyrics. I don't think I've ever heard another song that examines this perspective and it demonstrates a huge amount of emotional maturity. But above and beyond that, it's just heartbreaking. When Ari sings 'we'll get through this' you really want to believe her."
@pop3blow2, busting out the music theory! "This song is some next level shit. It's like some sort of avant garde/modern classical music filtered through a eerie lost movie soundtrack & with a vocal sung by a broken angel.
Her voice in 'ghostin' is unreal. Without getting too nerdy, she does something in this song that melts my little pop music mind. On the first verse, when she is singing mainly against the soft synth sweeps, they are being modulated &/or slightly pitch shifted to make them sound kinda creepy or anxious. As such, the chords (G/C/Em/D) & the notes/bars start and end in weird places & bleed into each other in very unnatural non-tonal ways. How she modulates her own voice in those spaces, stays on key, & even matches the drama of the affected synth line is... well, it's genius for lack of a better word. (Even the string swells at the end of the song & Ari's matching background vocals seem to a callback to very modulated synths that start the song, but the sonics here are meant to more epic, rising, & sound like overcoming... rather than be claustrophobic & anxious like in the same sonic concept at the start of the song.)
The production here is flawless. Absolutely flawless. The string sections, the mixing, but most importantly the stacks & stacks of vocals Ariana does here. My gawd. Her voice is tracked so many times with fresh takes, different little bits, & harmonies. This song is just 4 repeating chords, too. That's it. They use every note in that 4 chord range to its full effect. The arrangement is so clever, dramatic, & heartbreaking.
I mean, those lyrics. I love the double play on ghosting someone & also being haunted. How does she top this? Normally, I might not think an artist could. I've learned I've underestimated Ariana Grande one too many times, so I fully anticipate to be wowed again like this sooner than later."
@RainOnFire: "I almost feel uncomfortable that we were allowed to hear "ghostin". It's so intensely private to the point where Ariana didn't owe it to us or anyone to release it, especially to a public that was so quick to judge her for her relationships. Everything about this song is just devastating. The lyrics, the vocals, the outro that starts to glitch and makes it sound like she's falling through space and there’s no landing. It all seems to exist in a dreamlike state, but the reality is that sometimes there is no resolution or happy ending, and I think "ghostin" captures that perfectly. It's a masterstroke of emotional honesty, a brutal showcase of a pop star at the height of her powers while suffering from the most tumultuous period of her life, and Ariana's best song."
And now, the floor to @Mushroom.
"2014; the year Miss Grande-Butera saddled up and properly penetrated the mainstream (raw btw) with a relentless bopfest of an album that tried its hand at every en-vogue style and stunt the year called for. A horn-drenched lead single here, follow-ups featuring Zedd and The Weeknd there, all sandwiched amongst an album that blew every wig off in sight but ultimately left little hints about where she’d eventually head or how this music reflected the girl at its centre.
6 years later and it’s hard to think of another artist whose music so intrinsically speaks to the values, characteristics and struggles of the artist delivering them. That’s not to say nobody’s ever bared their soul or communicated their experiences like this before but… when somebody’s entire persona is played out across the most followed social media account of our time and their world is suddenly rocked by moments that send shockwaves across the planet, they become literally impossible to disconnect.
Immediately, we drew a line through the silliness of the girl posting stories with that (frankly filthy looking) pig in her bed to tracks like ‘sweetener’ or the girl calling-out misogyny in radio interviews with ‘God is a Woman’. We waited with baited breath for ‘no tears left to cry’ to see how she’d respond through her art to the Manchester attacks. Hell, she actively encouraged it by naming a track on her last album after her fiancé’s full name.
Even with all that preceded it, ‘ghostin’ sort of felt like a track she might not have ever made – a situation so innately personal (and yet played out so publically) that you’d forgive her for leaving out this one struggle to keep off-record or at least being opaque about it and letting the listener connect the dots. But what a stunningly intimate offering of her heart and headspace at that exact moment this will always be and one that makes me proud to stan this zealous,
It’s just achingly gorgeous even outside of its subject matter. Existing within that same tripped-out, ethereal soundscape that first made me laminate my stan-card five years earlier on My Everything’s ‘Intro’, everything from the barely there instrumental to the outro vocal arrangement literally sounding like ascension into heaven is just carried out with the sort of reverence and grace that leaves every contemporary her age in the absolute dust.
It feels in many ways akin to ‘Heaven’ by Beyoncé – another track about mourning - where you’re so disarmed at what’s being shared that you feel a little… invasive and you just don’t want to hit that replay button and enjoy the track in that same manner. But when you do play it and let yourself get immersed in the sheer weight of everything that went into it and how well everything comes together to convey that… it really becomes a once-in-a-career type song and the perfect centerpiece for not only its album but an artist who's used every experience they've faced over the last 5 years to become who they are today."
Ariana has never performed this live. I highly doubt she ever will.
SCORE: 9.541
11 x 19 (@Blond, @allyshone, @BeingNormal, @Petty Mayonnaise, @djmakemewet, @Mushroom, @pop3blow2, @RainOnFire, @Bangers&Bops, @sapnu puas, @Jacques, @RMK, @Mr Blonde, @askew, @BTG, @Subwaykid, @Diet Pop!, @Sail On, @Beautiful Child 2)
HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 55 (@RJF, @CorgiCorgiCorgi, @Dijah., @Music Is Life, @ufint, @Dangerous Maknae, @AllGagaLike, @aux, @dylanaber, @eccentricsimply, @theelusivechanteuse, @maverick_79, @Sanctuary, @Vitamin, @2014, @sexercise, @ohnostalgia, @GimmeWork, @Laura Vanderbooben, @soratami, @klow, @joe_alouder, @Slice of Life, @AlmightyAloud, @Cutlery, @Babyface, @Jonathan27, @Ashling92, @Aester, @Seventeen Days, @Mirwais Ahmadzaï, @Gabeee9292, @aaronhansome, @inevitable, @Solenciennes, @Petit nain des Îles, @myblood, @Lindsay Lohan, @savilizabeths, @Remorque, @BEST FICTION, @that boy is a monster, @Trinu 3.0, @K94, @Weslicious, @godspeed, @KingBruno, @tylerc904, @reputation., @Laurence, @Butterfly, @Rem, @LA Hallucinations, @PushyBakerFriend, @japanbonustrack)
LOWEST SCORE: 4.5 x 1 (@MrMannacroix)
I know what you're thinking, and it's a reasonable assumption, but let me be clear: this was very close to winning the whole thing and gave Miss Dua a real run for her money. In fact, it was winning for several rounds of voting, and wound up placing second by only a tenth of a point. @RJF and I were gagged watching these two polar opposite songs duke it out. 'ghostin' really was the little non-single that could, and it's wild to think that if this were a no-extras year, this would've won handily. It still got more 11s than 'Don't Start Now,' but the seven fewer 10s look to have been the main differentiator.
As has been said, seeing 'ghostin' fare so well here really was a surprise. It isn't the traditional BPG catnip. It's astonishingly sad, like...Ingmar Bergman sad, where you know nothing has gone well and the ending is even worse. The Nickelodeon girl with the big poofy dresses is now singing about the guilt she feels from sobbing over her deceased ex while in bed with her fiance. Jesus. Even Pete's goofnugget manchild ass won't go there jokingly: "I was like, listen, I get it...I literally said 'I'll be here until you don't want me to be here.' I pretty much knew it was over after that. That was really horrible. I can't imagine what that shit is like. All I do know is, she really loved the shit out of him...that was fucked up. It's still fucking everybody up." In an industry that currently prioritizes relatability over all - and from a performer who built a huge part of her brand on her accessibility - it takes genuine bravery to say, I am so sad, and you actually cannot understand, because almost no one has gone through what I've gone through.
And then, the words run out, and the tears come - the kinds of tears where you can't talk, you can only wail, until you finally are out of noise at all. Ariana could've gone for the obvious gut punch of ending this with an audio clip, a personal voicemail...but instead the song swirls and glitches out into the cosmos. You don't hear him, but you know he's there.
A breathtaking achievement.
"He just comes to visit me when I'm dreaming, every now and then." Fuck.
I highly encourage you to read the commentary that was submitted for this. Y'all went all in.
@allyshone: "A certain pop album released at the beginning of 2020 was marketed as 'confessional pop done right' and I was both confused and bemused... so I actually ended up revisiting 'thank u, next' before even getting involved in this rate. now this was confessional pop done right and that sentiment is perfectly encapsulated in this gorgeous track. not only is the song guilty of being an effortless tearjerker, it is also fucking bewitching and on the flipside, almost uncomfortable to listen to unless you're alone with headphones. a one of a kind song that will always go down as one of Ari's best ever to me and truly... the last minute outro is when we all ascend."
@BeingNormal: "I'm torn between giving my 11 to this, NRO, Billie's before I let go or Bey's Bigger, but I decide to give it to this.A tragically beautiful and melancholic electronic ballad, that felt so personal to her while also relatable enough to the masses / sad gheys (like me). A masterpiece."
@djmakemewet: "ghostin would be an 11 contender based on its production and instrumental alone. The way the song builds and builds through its runtime is masterful, as more layers of vocals enter the mix and the strings add some momentum (thank u, next in general uses string sounds really well - see also; bad idea, needy).
But then there's the lyrics. I don't think I've ever heard another song that examines this perspective and it demonstrates a huge amount of emotional maturity. But above and beyond that, it's just heartbreaking. When Ari sings 'we'll get through this' you really want to believe her."
@pop3blow2, busting out the music theory! "This song is some next level shit. It's like some sort of avant garde/modern classical music filtered through a eerie lost movie soundtrack & with a vocal sung by a broken angel.
Her voice in 'ghostin' is unreal. Without getting too nerdy, she does something in this song that melts my little pop music mind. On the first verse, when she is singing mainly against the soft synth sweeps, they are being modulated &/or slightly pitch shifted to make them sound kinda creepy or anxious. As such, the chords (G/C/Em/D) & the notes/bars start and end in weird places & bleed into each other in very unnatural non-tonal ways. How she modulates her own voice in those spaces, stays on key, & even matches the drama of the affected synth line is... well, it's genius for lack of a better word. (Even the string swells at the end of the song & Ari's matching background vocals seem to a callback to very modulated synths that start the song, but the sonics here are meant to more epic, rising, & sound like overcoming... rather than be claustrophobic & anxious like in the same sonic concept at the start of the song.)
The production here is flawless. Absolutely flawless. The string sections, the mixing, but most importantly the stacks & stacks of vocals Ariana does here. My gawd. Her voice is tracked so many times with fresh takes, different little bits, & harmonies. This song is just 4 repeating chords, too. That's it. They use every note in that 4 chord range to its full effect. The arrangement is so clever, dramatic, & heartbreaking.
I mean, those lyrics. I love the double play on ghosting someone & also being haunted. How does she top this? Normally, I might not think an artist could. I've learned I've underestimated Ariana Grande one too many times, so I fully anticipate to be wowed again like this sooner than later."
@RainOnFire: "I almost feel uncomfortable that we were allowed to hear "ghostin". It's so intensely private to the point where Ariana didn't owe it to us or anyone to release it, especially to a public that was so quick to judge her for her relationships. Everything about this song is just devastating. The lyrics, the vocals, the outro that starts to glitch and makes it sound like she's falling through space and there’s no landing. It all seems to exist in a dreamlike state, but the reality is that sometimes there is no resolution or happy ending, and I think "ghostin" captures that perfectly. It's a masterstroke of emotional honesty, a brutal showcase of a pop star at the height of her powers while suffering from the most tumultuous period of her life, and Ariana's best song."
And now, the floor to @Mushroom.
"2014; the year Miss Grande-Butera saddled up and properly penetrated the mainstream (raw btw) with a relentless bopfest of an album that tried its hand at every en-vogue style and stunt the year called for. A horn-drenched lead single here, follow-ups featuring Zedd and The Weeknd there, all sandwiched amongst an album that blew every wig off in sight but ultimately left little hints about where she’d eventually head or how this music reflected the girl at its centre.
6 years later and it’s hard to think of another artist whose music so intrinsically speaks to the values, characteristics and struggles of the artist delivering them. That’s not to say nobody’s ever bared their soul or communicated their experiences like this before but… when somebody’s entire persona is played out across the most followed social media account of our time and their world is suddenly rocked by moments that send shockwaves across the planet, they become literally impossible to disconnect.
Immediately, we drew a line through the silliness of the girl posting stories with that (frankly filthy looking) pig in her bed to tracks like ‘sweetener’ or the girl calling-out misogyny in radio interviews with ‘God is a Woman’. We waited with baited breath for ‘no tears left to cry’ to see how she’d respond through her art to the Manchester attacks. Hell, she actively encouraged it by naming a track on her last album after her fiancé’s full name.
Even with all that preceded it, ‘ghostin’ sort of felt like a track she might not have ever made – a situation so innately personal (and yet played out so publically) that you’d forgive her for leaving out this one struggle to keep off-record or at least being opaque about it and letting the listener connect the dots. But what a stunningly intimate offering of her heart and headspace at that exact moment this will always be and one that makes me proud to stan this zealous,
It’s just achingly gorgeous even outside of its subject matter. Existing within that same tripped-out, ethereal soundscape that first made me laminate my stan-card five years earlier on My Everything’s ‘Intro’, everything from the barely there instrumental to the outro vocal arrangement literally sounding like ascension into heaven is just carried out with the sort of reverence and grace that leaves every contemporary her age in the absolute dust.
It feels in many ways akin to ‘Heaven’ by Beyoncé – another track about mourning - where you’re so disarmed at what’s being shared that you feel a little… invasive and you just don’t want to hit that replay button and enjoy the track in that same manner. But when you do play it and let yourself get immersed in the sheer weight of everything that went into it and how well everything comes together to convey that… it really becomes a once-in-a-career type song and the perfect centerpiece for not only its album but an artist who's used every experience they've faced over the last 5 years to become who they are today."
Ariana has never performed this live. I highly doubt she ever will.
WINNER
SCORE: 9.673
11 x 17 (@ufint @2014 @Ana Raquel @klow @joe_alouder @Slice of Life @sesita @AdzBrown @Mirwais Ahmadzaï @Solenciennes @Remorque @BEST FICTION @Trinu 3.0 @K94 @MrMannacroix @Laurence @PushyBakerFriend)
HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 62 (@RJF @strangekin @CorgiCorgiCorgi @Dijah. @Music Is Life @Joe. @aux @dylanaber @eccentricsimply @DJHazey @maverick_79 @citoig @UncleDeSeanAli @Phloo @Blond @sexercise @happiestgirl @GimmeWork @funkyg @BeingNormal @Jwentz @Trouble in Paradise @soratami @AlmightyAloud @Petty Mayonnaise @Cutlery @Babyface @djmakemewet @Jonathan27 @Conan @Ashling92 @RainOnFire @Seventeen Days @Fuchsia @constantino @Bolton @Gabeee9292 @aaronhansome @Hurricane Drunk @inevitable @Bangers&Bops @OspreyQueen @sapnu puas @Petit nain des Îles @Jacques @Phonetics Boy @myblood @Mr Blonde @eliminathan @BTG @that boy is a monster @Subwaykid @Serg. @tylerc904 @reputation. @Butterfly @Rem @Diet Pop! @TéléDex @Sail On @LA Hallucinations @japanbonustrack)
LOWEST SCORE: 5 x 1 (@Beautiful Child 2)
Dua Lipa came, saw, and conquered. Not only was this her first rate win after "New Rules" narrowly missed out in 2017, she's also the first winner not to come from one of the marquee albums of the rate. Although something tells me she's not going to be in the extras section any more.
Let's kick off with @ufint, shall we? "Dua really did a full 180, didn’t she?" SIS SHUT UP. Ugh. "From being void of charisma on stage and dancing as lazy as Selena Gomez’ singing - in the end it really came down to either this or ‘Never Really Over’ getting my 11 as they are the songs that I will remember ten years down the line when I think of 2019. Such a defining moment in her career and a definite moment in 2019. Her singing is amazing, production is impeccable, the video is magnificent and most of her performances of it have been flawless. We love to see it." Next up is @klow, who maybe puts it better than anyone I've seen, "Structured in a manner so precise as to optimise the listener's dopamine level. The paradigm of Dua Lipa's majestic, "female alpha" lordliness, but at the same time, a left turn for her, into looseness and liberation. One of the few radio singles of the last however-many years that seemed to become more gratifying with repeated exposure. Self-actualisation, cowbell, chair dancing, disco strings, gay rights. What a song." Yes, you better stan.
@joe_alouder surprisingly did not give his 11/10 to Ariana, something I'm sure @Laura Vanderbooben will be dealing with in private very soon, "Confidence personified in a time when it seems that stars and labels seem to have the least amount of faith in their own material. As someone who was rarely checking for her outside using her debut a little it was a blast of a popstar announcing her second coming. The success being unadulterated and huge was the cherry on the cake. Shoutout to the production on the pre chorus where it sounds like fans opening on every beat, gay rights!" while @Slice of Life is already getting started on their ballot for next year, "It's so nice to see Miss Duo Lingo ascend to Big Pop Girl status in just her second era. And she did that with her best song yet. Can't wait for her to sweep the 2020 BPG Rate too." nn I wonder if this will even be included next year after it won here.
"What a comeback." declares @sesita, "If there were any doubters left of the sheer hunger this girl has for pop stardom, they sure did a full 180. Relentless, delicious, such an euphoric rush. Of course the chorus is absolutely massive, but her delivery on the verses is so lush, it's like butter. And there's of course those live performances (and extended, UNAVAILABLE YET ON STREAMING, Live in LA version) that made this 10 song become the clear 11 of this rate. She's clearly placing 2020 in a chokehold and I, for one, couldn't be happier." What a lovely thing that the Live In LA mix is actually now available on Spotify! Isn't it nice when things have changed for the better since you did commentary? @Mirwais Ahmadzaï has a confession to make, "As much as I loved blaring Ariana throughout the year, there was only one natural choice for my 11. In the Forum Reader’s Poll, I voted it for Best Pop Single, and I commented that I voted for a song that grabbed me in a way only a Big Pop Single could. Ms. Dua Lipa steered clear away from a sophomore slump with a blockbuster Q4 release that made me feel like a big little gay again. The other girls ran from a hypothetical Adele release and the Queen of Christmas, but Dua said 'fuck that' and cemented her status as one of the most exciting prospects in pop with this effortless, immaculate rush of a track. It’s also just refreshing (perhaps slightly less thrilling in my gay-old age) to re-experience a breakout pop girl in a burgeoning imperial phase – one whose career has yet to take her down the path of make-up ranges, fragrances, box office flops (or Oscars!), cancelled tours, Vegas residencies, and GP pandering when the well's dried up. And she CARES. She CARES!!! She performed this song excellently at the drop of a hat while some of these girls barely sound excited to be alive on a good day!" Ugh, I completely forgot that Dua was basically the only girl to not flee at the mere threat of Adele and saved us. Literally every other popstar would never.
Let's finish the commentary with two maniacs: @Solenciennes and @Trinu 3.0
"Couldn’t quite decide whether to gift my 11 to Never Really Over or Don’t Start Now but made my decision based on the numerous life affirming live performances Dua has given versus the nothing that Katy bothered to do. Joyous, vibrant and cool kiss off to an ex that thinks they’re all that, so many catchy one liners... definitely one of the best pop songs of the year, brilliant lead single from what I’m sure will be a better album rollout for Dua this time around." Hmm. Not as crazy or full 180 as I was expecting, but work.
But what does @Trinu 3.0 have to say?
"I gave my 11 to Don’t Start Now because it’s the musical equivalent of turning an omelette over and seeing it’s perfection."
...
@Laura Vanderbooben we're banning commentary altogether if we do this again.
...and the final word has to come from me, of course.
"Don't Start Now" is just an immaculate pop song. My biggest reservations with Dua a few years ago when she became the inaugural "release seven tracks until releasing an album is a farce" girl was that there was maybe not a lot of ambition to carve out a sound. It's something that British pop girls really seem to struggle with doing; defining artistic identity while also having success. As a nation the UK does better launching indie girls than it does pop girls. Rita Ora's about to release some focus grouped mess penned by my personal national disgrace, Ellie Goulding has imploded to say the least, Cheryl is nothing but a plaything for maybe thirty plus thirty-plus-homosexuals trying to remember a time when their hairline didn't begin and end on the back of their necks, Jessie J popped up on a Spotify gym playlist today and terrified me, Jess Glynne is one self-help cushion of a song away from me thinking that she's actually the one crying out for help, and Anne-Marie would collaborate with Satan himself to get on Hot Hits UK. So while Dua had bops, and I had been in love since "Be The One" came out in late 2015 (DEAR GOD) I was... cautious. We so rarely ever do right by these girls. How could she be different?
Well, by coming out with this, the perfect lead single to what has been a brilliantly run campaign with not only a fantastic visual identity, but a great aural one too. Retro futurism with just enough contemporary brilliance to seem timeless. That was it. As simple a concept as that. And what we appear to be getting out of it is wonderful. Potentially an "I Will Survive" of the 2020s (don't @ me @Beautiful Child 2) that does that thing all songs that gays love do: take heartbreak and disappointment, carve them into a set of seven inch heels, and dance in them. Dua's warm vocals poured over production that flips between funky guitar licks and massive disco piano riffs, giving life to those celestial verses before oozing into that breathtaking bridge, which then leads us into that wonderful kiss-off of a chorus. If you didn't want to see me having fun with someone else then you should have fucking realised what you had when you had it. A pop tale as old as time, but we never get tired of hearing it, do we girls? And Dua seems to never get tired of performing it either; taking it round the world and seemingly having more fun with it each time.
I cannot wait for the album next month. This is your Big Pop Girl 2019 Rate winner, and this has been the Big Pop Girl 2019 Rate. OUT.
SCORE: 9.673
11 x 17 (@ufint @2014 @Ana Raquel @klow @joe_alouder @Slice of Life @sesita @AdzBrown @Mirwais Ahmadzaï @Solenciennes @Remorque @BEST FICTION @Trinu 3.0 @K94 @MrMannacroix @Laurence @PushyBakerFriend)
HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 62 (@RJF @strangekin @CorgiCorgiCorgi @Dijah. @Music Is Life @Joe. @aux @dylanaber @eccentricsimply @DJHazey @maverick_79 @citoig @UncleDeSeanAli @Phloo @Blond @sexercise @happiestgirl @GimmeWork @funkyg @BeingNormal @Jwentz @Trouble in Paradise @soratami @AlmightyAloud @Petty Mayonnaise @Cutlery @Babyface @djmakemewet @Jonathan27 @Conan @Ashling92 @RainOnFire @Seventeen Days @Fuchsia @constantino @Bolton @Gabeee9292 @aaronhansome @Hurricane Drunk @inevitable @Bangers&Bops @OspreyQueen @sapnu puas @Petit nain des Îles @Jacques @Phonetics Boy @myblood @Mr Blonde @eliminathan @BTG @that boy is a monster @Subwaykid @Serg. @tylerc904 @reputation. @Butterfly @Rem @Diet Pop! @TéléDex @Sail On @LA Hallucinations @japanbonustrack)
LOWEST SCORE: 5 x 1 (@Beautiful Child 2)
Dua Lipa came, saw, and conquered. Not only was this her first rate win after "New Rules" narrowly missed out in 2017, she's also the first winner not to come from one of the marquee albums of the rate. Although something tells me she's not going to be in the extras section any more.
Let's kick off with @ufint, shall we? "Dua really did a full 180, didn’t she?" SIS SHUT UP. Ugh. "From being void of charisma on stage and dancing as lazy as Selena Gomez’ singing - in the end it really came down to either this or ‘Never Really Over’ getting my 11 as they are the songs that I will remember ten years down the line when I think of 2019. Such a defining moment in her career and a definite moment in 2019. Her singing is amazing, production is impeccable, the video is magnificent and most of her performances of it have been flawless. We love to see it." Next up is @klow, who maybe puts it better than anyone I've seen, "Structured in a manner so precise as to optimise the listener's dopamine level. The paradigm of Dua Lipa's majestic, "female alpha" lordliness, but at the same time, a left turn for her, into looseness and liberation. One of the few radio singles of the last however-many years that seemed to become more gratifying with repeated exposure. Self-actualisation, cowbell, chair dancing, disco strings, gay rights. What a song." Yes, you better stan.
@joe_alouder surprisingly did not give his 11/10 to Ariana, something I'm sure @Laura Vanderbooben will be dealing with in private very soon, "Confidence personified in a time when it seems that stars and labels seem to have the least amount of faith in their own material. As someone who was rarely checking for her outside using her debut a little it was a blast of a popstar announcing her second coming. The success being unadulterated and huge was the cherry on the cake. Shoutout to the production on the pre chorus where it sounds like fans opening on every beat, gay rights!" while @Slice of Life is already getting started on their ballot for next year, "It's so nice to see Miss Duo Lingo ascend to Big Pop Girl status in just her second era. And she did that with her best song yet. Can't wait for her to sweep the 2020 BPG Rate too." nn I wonder if this will even be included next year after it won here.
"What a comeback." declares @sesita, "If there were any doubters left of the sheer hunger this girl has for pop stardom, they sure did a full 180. Relentless, delicious, such an euphoric rush. Of course the chorus is absolutely massive, but her delivery on the verses is so lush, it's like butter. And there's of course those live performances (and extended, UNAVAILABLE YET ON STREAMING, Live in LA version) that made this 10 song become the clear 11 of this rate. She's clearly placing 2020 in a chokehold and I, for one, couldn't be happier." What a lovely thing that the Live In LA mix is actually now available on Spotify! Isn't it nice when things have changed for the better since you did commentary? @Mirwais Ahmadzaï has a confession to make, "As much as I loved blaring Ariana throughout the year, there was only one natural choice for my 11. In the Forum Reader’s Poll, I voted it for Best Pop Single, and I commented that I voted for a song that grabbed me in a way only a Big Pop Single could. Ms. Dua Lipa steered clear away from a sophomore slump with a blockbuster Q4 release that made me feel like a big little gay again. The other girls ran from a hypothetical Adele release and the Queen of Christmas, but Dua said 'fuck that' and cemented her status as one of the most exciting prospects in pop with this effortless, immaculate rush of a track. It’s also just refreshing (perhaps slightly less thrilling in my gay-old age) to re-experience a breakout pop girl in a burgeoning imperial phase – one whose career has yet to take her down the path of make-up ranges, fragrances, box office flops (or Oscars!), cancelled tours, Vegas residencies, and GP pandering when the well's dried up. And she CARES. She CARES!!! She performed this song excellently at the drop of a hat while some of these girls barely sound excited to be alive on a good day!" Ugh, I completely forgot that Dua was basically the only girl to not flee at the mere threat of Adele and saved us. Literally every other popstar would never.
Let's finish the commentary with two maniacs: @Solenciennes and @Trinu 3.0
"Couldn’t quite decide whether to gift my 11 to Never Really Over or Don’t Start Now but made my decision based on the numerous life affirming live performances Dua has given versus the nothing that Katy bothered to do. Joyous, vibrant and cool kiss off to an ex that thinks they’re all that, so many catchy one liners... definitely one of the best pop songs of the year, brilliant lead single from what I’m sure will be a better album rollout for Dua this time around." Hmm. Not as crazy or full 180 as I was expecting, but work.
But what does @Trinu 3.0 have to say?
"I gave my 11 to Don’t Start Now because it’s the musical equivalent of turning an omelette over and seeing it’s perfection."
...
@Laura Vanderbooben we're banning commentary altogether if we do this again.
...and the final word has to come from me, of course.
"Don't Start Now" is just an immaculate pop song. My biggest reservations with Dua a few years ago when she became the inaugural "release seven tracks until releasing an album is a farce" girl was that there was maybe not a lot of ambition to carve out a sound. It's something that British pop girls really seem to struggle with doing; defining artistic identity while also having success. As a nation the UK does better launching indie girls than it does pop girls. Rita Ora's about to release some focus grouped mess penned by my personal national disgrace, Ellie Goulding has imploded to say the least, Cheryl is nothing but a plaything for maybe thirty plus thirty-plus-homosexuals trying to remember a time when their hairline didn't begin and end on the back of their necks, Jessie J popped up on a Spotify gym playlist today and terrified me, Jess Glynne is one self-help cushion of a song away from me thinking that she's actually the one crying out for help, and Anne-Marie would collaborate with Satan himself to get on Hot Hits UK. So while Dua had bops, and I had been in love since "Be The One" came out in late 2015 (DEAR GOD) I was... cautious. We so rarely ever do right by these girls. How could she be different?
Well, by coming out with this, the perfect lead single to what has been a brilliantly run campaign with not only a fantastic visual identity, but a great aural one too. Retro futurism with just enough contemporary brilliance to seem timeless. That was it. As simple a concept as that. And what we appear to be getting out of it is wonderful. Potentially an "I Will Survive" of the 2020s (don't @ me @Beautiful Child 2) that does that thing all songs that gays love do: take heartbreak and disappointment, carve them into a set of seven inch heels, and dance in them. Dua's warm vocals poured over production that flips between funky guitar licks and massive disco piano riffs, giving life to those celestial verses before oozing into that breathtaking bridge, which then leads us into that wonderful kiss-off of a chorus. If you didn't want to see me having fun with someone else then you should have fucking realised what you had when you had it. A pop tale as old as time, but we never get tired of hearing it, do we girls? And Dua seems to never get tired of performing it either; taking it round the world and seemingly having more fun with it each time.
I cannot wait for the album next month. This is your Big Pop Girl 2019 Rate winner, and this has been the Big Pop Girl 2019 Rate. OUT.
I would like to officially nominate Don't Start Now to participate in the 2020 BPG rate with the album release.
2014
Staff member
2014
Staff member
Also THANK YOU @RJF @Laura Vanderbooben - dream duo, can't wait for your next joint venture!! xxx
Beautiful job @RJF & @Laura Vanderbooben, sadly I wasn't around for most of it, but I will catch up and give you the likes you deserve x
Also thank you for innovating rates again by removing commentary because as all rate runners know, it is the most annoying part of organising a rate. The minds of masterminds.
Also thank you for innovating rates again by removing commentary because as all rate runners know, it is the most annoying part of organising a rate. The minds of masterminds.
He / Him / His
I'm totally at peace and even happy at this outcome.
My 11 did itself proud and 'Don't Start Now' is an absolute goliath that welcomes into the fold a new girl that's giving them all a fucking good run for their money.
@RJF @Laura Vanderbooben we're not worthy
My 11 did itself proud and 'Don't Start Now' is an absolute goliath that welcomes into the fold a new girl that's giving them all a fucking good run for their money.
@RJF @Laura Vanderbooben we're not worthy
A worthy winner. If I had voted I would have voted for this song as my 11. I cannot wait for Dua and Rihanna to fight it out in the 2020 rate.
matthew.
Staff member
He/Him
Thank you for running the rate @RJF and @Laura Vanderbooben now can you two both go die together now x
ghostin
allyshone 11
Blond 11
BeingNormal 11
Petty Mayonnaise 11
djmakemewet 11
Mushroom 11
pop3blow2 11
RainOnFire 11
Bangers&Bops 11
sapnu puas 11
Jacques 11
RMK 11
Mr Blonde 11
askew 11
BTG 11
Subwaykid 11
Diet Pop! 11
Sail On 11
BeautifulChild2 11
RJF 10
CorgiCorgiCorgi 10
Dijah. 10
Music Is Life 10
ufint 10
Dangerous Maknae 10
AllGagaLike 10
aux 10
dylanaber 10
eccentricsimply 10
theelusivechanteuse 10
maverick_79 10
Sanctuary 10
Vitamin 10
2014 10
sexercise 10
ohnostalgia 10
GimmeWork 10
Laura Vanderbooben 10
soratami 10
klow 10
joe_alouder 10
Slice of Life 10
AlmightyAloud
10
Cutlery 10
Babyface 10
Jonathan27 10
Ashling92 10
Aester 10
Seventeen Days 10
Mirwais Ahmadzaï 10
Gabeee9292 10
aaronhansome 10
inevitable 10
Solenciennes 10
Petit nain des Îles 10
myblood 10
Lindsay Lohan 10
savilizabeths 10
Remorque 10
BEST FICTION 10
that boy is a monster 10
Trinu 3.0 10
K94 10
Weslicious 10
godspeed 10
KingBruno 10
tylerc904 10
reputation. 10
Laurence 10
Butterfly 10
Rem 10
LA Hallucinations 10
PushyBakerFriend 10
japanbonustrack 10
citoig 9.5
Conan 9.5
Sprockrooster 9
Phloo 9
Jwentz 9
Trouble In Paradise 9
sesita 9
Fuchsia 9
boombazookajoe 9
Bolton 9
OspreyQueen 9
Robsolete 9
eliminathan 9
Serg. 9
R27 9
strangekin 8.5
EnsnareTheSenses 8.5
Joe. 8
DJHazey 8
happiestgirl 8
funkyg 8
rdp 8
Verandi 8
AdzBrown 8
matthew. 8
Hurricane Drunk 8
evilsin 8
constantino 7.5
TéléDex 7.5
Phonetics Boy 7
Lost Boy 7
Epic Chocolat 7
Guy 7
UncleDeSeanAli 5
Ana Raquel
5
MrMannacroix 4.5
allyshone 11
Blond 11
BeingNormal 11
Petty Mayonnaise 11
djmakemewet 11
Mushroom 11
pop3blow2 11
RainOnFire 11
Bangers&Bops 11
sapnu puas 11
Jacques 11
RMK 11
Mr Blonde 11
askew 11
BTG 11
Subwaykid 11
Diet Pop! 11
Sail On 11
BeautifulChild2 11
RJF 10
CorgiCorgiCorgi 10
Dijah. 10
Music Is Life 10
ufint 10
Dangerous Maknae 10
AllGagaLike 10
aux 10
dylanaber 10
eccentricsimply 10
theelusivechanteuse 10
maverick_79 10
Sanctuary 10
Vitamin 10
2014 10
sexercise 10
ohnostalgia 10
GimmeWork 10
Laura Vanderbooben 10
soratami 10
klow 10
joe_alouder 10
Slice of Life 10
AlmightyAloud
10
Cutlery 10
Babyface 10
Jonathan27 10
Ashling92 10
Aester 10
Seventeen Days 10
Mirwais Ahmadzaï 10
Gabeee9292 10
aaronhansome 10
inevitable 10
Solenciennes 10
Petit nain des Îles 10
myblood 10
Lindsay Lohan 10
savilizabeths 10
Remorque 10
BEST FICTION 10
that boy is a monster 10
Trinu 3.0 10
K94 10
Weslicious 10
godspeed 10
KingBruno 10
tylerc904 10
reputation. 10
Laurence 10
Butterfly 10
Rem 10
LA Hallucinations 10
PushyBakerFriend 10
japanbonustrack 10
citoig 9.5
Conan 9.5
Sprockrooster 9
Phloo 9
Jwentz 9
Trouble In Paradise 9
sesita 9
Fuchsia 9
boombazookajoe 9
Bolton 9
OspreyQueen 9
Robsolete 9
eliminathan 9
Serg. 9
R27 9
strangekin 8.5
EnsnareTheSenses 8.5
Joe. 8
DJHazey 8
happiestgirl 8
funkyg 8
rdp 8
Verandi 8
AdzBrown 8
matthew. 8
Hurricane Drunk 8
evilsin 8
constantino 7.5
TéléDex 7.5
Phonetics Boy 7
Lost Boy 7
Epic Chocolat 7
Guy 7
UncleDeSeanAli 5
Ana Raquel
5
MrMannacroix 4.5
