My prediction for the rest:
4 Break Up Song
3 Move
2 Touch
1 Sweet Melody
4 Break Up Song
3 Move
2 Touch
1 Sweet Melody
Little Mix: The Last Discography Rate (For Now...)
- Thread starter RainOnFire
- Start date
RainOnFire
Staff member
4
MOVE
AVERAGE: 9.581
HIGHEST SCORE: 11 x2 (@CC91, @Crisp X), 10 x22 (@RainOnFire, @Joe., @boombazookajoe, @soratami, @Dijah., @tylerc, @Sally_Harper, @GimmeWork, @TwistedInnocence, @cleggar, @munro, @Purple, @Epic Chocolat, @-SNS-, @Robsolete, @Holly Something, @FabbyWabby, @RMK, @TéléDex, @YourLeadSinger, @Remorque, @Music Is Death)
LOWEST SCORE: 6 x1 (@Xander)
MY SCORE: 10
2019 RATE: 4/83
In the only instance of this happening across the entire rate so far, "Move" ends up in the exact same spot as it did in the 2019 rate!
You might notice the significant increase in average from our #5 track "Wasabi" (9.315), as well as the number of 10s (20+ for the first time), so our Top 4 was pretty much locked from the start.
"Move" was released as the lead single from Salute. It was co-written by all four girls and produced by Nathan Duvall, and I just found out today that his only other production credit in Little Mix's discography is... "A.D.I.D.A.S.", which let me remind you, left at #99. Christ.
"Move" debuted and peaked at #3 in the UK and went Platinum for sales of 711,000 units as of November 2021 making it their 14th biggest single. In the US, it peaked at #22 on the Bubbling Under chart, and is probably more known there as the song that made Wendy stop dancing fffff:
I wish I was more articulate so I could explain the brilliance of "Move", but I'll try. It's weird, and legitimately weird, not whatever they thought they were doing with Get Weird. There's a pretty standard structure to the song but you'd never know it given the way it's produced - the chorus is there but you don't realize it's there till much later in the song, and so the entire thing just feels like it's a bunch of hooks flying at you at a mile a minute.
It's just effortlessly catchy in such a discreet way, I've rarely heard anything like it to be honest. It doesn't bang you over the head like most of their songs (which isn't a bad thing of course), but rather it slinks in, taps its foot in the corner, and waits for you to notice it. And by the end of it, it's the most lively, energetic, exuberant thing in the room.
The way it handles subtlety and ultimately payoff is just genius. The beats that sound like tongue-pops, the cowbell, the grinding riff that bursts its way through in the pre-chorus only to completely disappear for the chorus. Leigh-Anne's addictive middle-8 which sounds like a taunt to me ("oh you thought this couldn't get any catchier?") and then lo and behold, a completely different hook/chorus that blows the entire roof off the place and then gets re-used as the perfect outro.
It is a glorious pop song. And it's even wilder that a girl group from the X Factor on their second album managed to deliver it the way they did. I still don't feel like it gets the credit it deserves outside of pop circles, but I guess it doesn't help that it's not one of their bigger smashes. I think "Salute" might be the more recognizable single from the album, and the girls have even left "Move" off of some of their setlists which is frustrating, most noticeably from the LM5 Tour.
I've read over the years that their performance on the UK X Factor is one of their best, but I have never been able to find it anywhere aside from someone recording the performance on their TV which... no thanks. It's so bizarre to me that in 2022, there are still performances that are completely absent from the Internet. They also performed in on the US and Australia versions of X Factor, and those are great.
MOVE
AVERAGE: 9.581
HIGHEST SCORE: 11 x2 (@CC91, @Crisp X), 10 x22 (@RainOnFire, @Joe., @boombazookajoe, @soratami, @Dijah., @tylerc, @Sally_Harper, @GimmeWork, @TwistedInnocence, @cleggar, @munro, @Purple, @Epic Chocolat, @-SNS-, @Robsolete, @Holly Something, @FabbyWabby, @RMK, @TéléDex, @YourLeadSinger, @Remorque, @Music Is Death)
LOWEST SCORE: 6 x1 (@Xander)
MY SCORE: 10
2019 RATE: 4/83
In the only instance of this happening across the entire rate so far, "Move" ends up in the exact same spot as it did in the 2019 rate!
You might notice the significant increase in average from our #5 track "Wasabi" (9.315), as well as the number of 10s (20+ for the first time), so our Top 4 was pretty much locked from the start.
"Move" was released as the lead single from Salute. It was co-written by all four girls and produced by Nathan Duvall, and I just found out today that his only other production credit in Little Mix's discography is... "A.D.I.D.A.S.", which let me remind you, left at #99. Christ.
"Move" debuted and peaked at #3 in the UK and went Platinum for sales of 711,000 units as of November 2021 making it their 14th biggest single. In the US, it peaked at #22 on the Bubbling Under chart, and is probably more known there as the song that made Wendy stop dancing fffff:
I wish I was more articulate so I could explain the brilliance of "Move", but I'll try. It's weird, and legitimately weird, not whatever they thought they were doing with Get Weird. There's a pretty standard structure to the song but you'd never know it given the way it's produced - the chorus is there but you don't realize it's there till much later in the song, and so the entire thing just feels like it's a bunch of hooks flying at you at a mile a minute.
It's just effortlessly catchy in such a discreet way, I've rarely heard anything like it to be honest. It doesn't bang you over the head like most of their songs (which isn't a bad thing of course), but rather it slinks in, taps its foot in the corner, and waits for you to notice it. And by the end of it, it's the most lively, energetic, exuberant thing in the room.
The way it handles subtlety and ultimately payoff is just genius. The beats that sound like tongue-pops, the cowbell, the grinding riff that bursts its way through in the pre-chorus only to completely disappear for the chorus. Leigh-Anne's addictive middle-8 which sounds like a taunt to me ("oh you thought this couldn't get any catchier?") and then lo and behold, a completely different hook/chorus that blows the entire roof off the place and then gets re-used as the perfect outro.
It is a glorious pop song. And it's even wilder that a girl group from the X Factor on their second album managed to deliver it the way they did. I still don't feel like it gets the credit it deserves outside of pop circles, but I guess it doesn't help that it's not one of their bigger smashes. I think "Salute" might be the more recognizable single from the album, and the girls have even left "Move" off of some of their setlists which is frustrating, most noticeably from the LM5 Tour.
I've read over the years that their performance on the UK X Factor is one of their best, but I have never been able to find it anywhere aside from someone recording the performance on their TV which... no thanks. It's so bizarre to me that in 2022, there are still performances that are completely absent from the Internet. They also performed in on the US and Australia versions of X Factor, and those are great.
RainOnFire
Staff member
4. Move – 9.581
11. Salute – 8.794
27. Boy – 8.251
30. About the Boy – 8.212
31. Nothing Feels Like You – 8.150
32. Towers – 8.147
36. Competition – 8.037
50. Good Enough – 7.743
55. They Just Don’t Know You – 7.557
58. These Four Walls – 7.494
59. A Different Beat – 7.419
60. Mr. Loverboy – 7.385
64. See Me Now – 7.269
69. Little Me – 7.026
70. Stand Down – 7.004
AVERAGE: 7.871
Most 10s: Move (22)
11s: Move (@CC91, @Crisp X), Towers (@Holly Something), These Four Walls (@tylerc)
I had a feeling “Move” was gonna get chopped next but didn’t want to jinx it, nn.
I love this song a lot. It was honestly the song that made me really take notice of them as a band and not just another reality show act. It’s fun, flirty, quirky (in the real sense), and just all around a standout pop song (especially for when it came out). Should’ve been another #1 for them.
I love this song a lot. It was honestly the song that made me really take notice of them as a band and not just another reality show act. It’s fun, flirty, quirky (in the real sense), and just all around a standout pop song (especially for when it came out). Should’ve been another #1 for them.
RainOnFire
Staff member
3
BREAK UP SONG
AVERAGE: 9.615
HIGHEST SCORE: 11 x2 (@Joe., @Sally_Harper), 10 x20 (@RainOnFire, @boombazookajoe, @tomba, @soratami, @DJHazey, @GimmeWork, @TwistedInnocence, @cleggar, @munro, @Purple, @Primrose, @Epic Chocolat, @-SNS-, @Robsolete, @Florencia., @Robert, @Remorque, @Mvnl, @Music Is Death, @Serg.)
LOWEST SCORE: 7 x1 (@Sprockrooster)
MY SCORE: 10
2019 RATE: N/A
"Break Up Song" makes a huge splash, landing at #3 in our rate!
It was released as Confetti's lead single on March 27, 2020. Jade, Perrie, and Leigh-Anne co-wrote the song, and it was a last-minute decision to make this the lead single according to them (one of the contenders was "Not a Pop Song"... the way we dodged bullet after bullet with this group, I tell you).
"Break Up Song" debuted and peaked at #9. It spent a while hanging onto the charts, and about a year and a half later was certified Platinum for sales of 600,000 units, making it their 17th biggest hit as of November 2021 (which sounds unimportant I suppose, but some of their other high debuts like "Word Up!" and "Bounce Back" went nowhere, so it feels significant).
The video was unfortunately a casualty of the pandemic, being filmed at their respective homes while also making use of felt fabric animation. I actually think it's a pretty cute video, and I appreciate that there's a storyline, but at the same time, it's hard not to yearn for the ultra glitzy and glamorous affair we should've gotten instead.
Pop perfection sums up "Break Up Song" pretty nicely I think. The production first and foremost sounds so lush and expensive, bouncing and gliding and maintaining the perfect '80s pop sheen. Their gloriously produced vocals are used to maximum effect to heighten the drama of the song (there's a part in the post-chorus where Jesy sings a very slightly different melody from the others that just makes the whole thing pop, it's such a standout moment for me). Leigh-Anne also gets a fantastic solo ad-lib that leads into the final chorus, showcasing just how much she had grown as a vocalist (no growling here!).
The structure of the song is another thing - it was 2020 and there was a real chance this could've had a whole minute chopped off it for streaming purposes. Instead, it lasts nearly 3 and a half minutes, complete with a bridge, a post-chorus, a middle-8, and an outro!
Speaking of which, the middle-8 is a stunner on its own with the beat completely dropping out and Jade taking centre stage. And then what makes it absolutely spectacular is that it gets re-used as the outro, this time with the full blast of the '80s pop production taking it home. I'm running out of adjectives here but it's such a dazzling moment that takes the song from a 10 to a 12, there's something so triumphant about it that I just adore.
On a random note, I remember this song came out the same week as Dua Lipa's "Break My Heart", and I much preferred "Break My Heart" while giving "Break Up Song" a spin here and there. I'm not sure when the switch flipped but I became absolutely obsessed with "Break Up Song" at some point in the year, playing it nonstop all throughout 2021 as well. It was one of the easiest 10s I gave in this rate.
@Sally_Harper awards this their 11 and says: "I don’t have a deep reason for this choice, I just love everything about it and wanted to pick a different song from last time, so here we are. In a way I’m surprising myself with this choice, because while I’ve loved it since the release and thought it was amazing that the girls looked at Covid etc and thought “you know what, we’re going to put out an absolute fucking banger so for three minutes people can forget how shit everything is”, and even gave us a video… I didn’t realise quite how much I loved it until a couple of months ago when I was drawing and listening to music. I put this on, intending to listen to it once, and ended up listening to it for something like twenty times in a row because every time it ended, it didn’t feel like I’d heard enough. And every time I listen to music at the moment it’s my first (and sometimes only!) choice of song. The eighties vibes! The twinkly instrumental! The vocals! Jade’s raw middle eight going into Leigh’s Big Note! Perrie’s “ain’t no more tears, ain’t gonna cry…” section with the little “oh-oh” flourishes in the background! Just absolute pop heaven from start to finish."
"Break Up Song" got its first and only televised performance on Strictly, the night before Jesy announced her departure. It says so much that they don't move from their podiums for the entirety of the performance, and yet I think it's one of their best showings ever.
The three of them sound absolutely magnificent, and Leigh-Anne nails her note. There's no intense choreography but even the little movements they do still feel like they're putting on a show. And the three of them look like total superstars. It was essentially the confirmation people needed that Little Mix would thrive as a three-piece when the news broke the next day.
BREAK UP SONG
AVERAGE: 9.615
HIGHEST SCORE: 11 x2 (@Joe., @Sally_Harper), 10 x20 (@RainOnFire, @boombazookajoe, @tomba, @soratami, @DJHazey, @GimmeWork, @TwistedInnocence, @cleggar, @munro, @Purple, @Primrose, @Epic Chocolat, @-SNS-, @Robsolete, @Florencia., @Robert, @Remorque, @Mvnl, @Music Is Death, @Serg.)
LOWEST SCORE: 7 x1 (@Sprockrooster)
MY SCORE: 10
2019 RATE: N/A
"Break Up Song" makes a huge splash, landing at #3 in our rate!
It was released as Confetti's lead single on March 27, 2020. Jade, Perrie, and Leigh-Anne co-wrote the song, and it was a last-minute decision to make this the lead single according to them (one of the contenders was "Not a Pop Song"... the way we dodged bullet after bullet with this group, I tell you).
"Break Up Song" debuted and peaked at #9. It spent a while hanging onto the charts, and about a year and a half later was certified Platinum for sales of 600,000 units, making it their 17th biggest hit as of November 2021 (which sounds unimportant I suppose, but some of their other high debuts like "Word Up!" and "Bounce Back" went nowhere, so it feels significant).
The video was unfortunately a casualty of the pandemic, being filmed at their respective homes while also making use of felt fabric animation. I actually think it's a pretty cute video, and I appreciate that there's a storyline, but at the same time, it's hard not to yearn for the ultra glitzy and glamorous affair we should've gotten instead.
Pop perfection sums up "Break Up Song" pretty nicely I think. The production first and foremost sounds so lush and expensive, bouncing and gliding and maintaining the perfect '80s pop sheen. Their gloriously produced vocals are used to maximum effect to heighten the drama of the song (there's a part in the post-chorus where Jesy sings a very slightly different melody from the others that just makes the whole thing pop, it's such a standout moment for me). Leigh-Anne also gets a fantastic solo ad-lib that leads into the final chorus, showcasing just how much she had grown as a vocalist (no growling here!).
The structure of the song is another thing - it was 2020 and there was a real chance this could've had a whole minute chopped off it for streaming purposes. Instead, it lasts nearly 3 and a half minutes, complete with a bridge, a post-chorus, a middle-8, and an outro!
Speaking of which, the middle-8 is a stunner on its own with the beat completely dropping out and Jade taking centre stage. And then what makes it absolutely spectacular is that it gets re-used as the outro, this time with the full blast of the '80s pop production taking it home. I'm running out of adjectives here but it's such a dazzling moment that takes the song from a 10 to a 12, there's something so triumphant about it that I just adore.
On a random note, I remember this song came out the same week as Dua Lipa's "Break My Heart", and I much preferred "Break My Heart" while giving "Break Up Song" a spin here and there. I'm not sure when the switch flipped but I became absolutely obsessed with "Break Up Song" at some point in the year, playing it nonstop all throughout 2021 as well. It was one of the easiest 10s I gave in this rate.
@Sally_Harper awards this their 11 and says: "I don’t have a deep reason for this choice, I just love everything about it and wanted to pick a different song from last time, so here we are. In a way I’m surprising myself with this choice, because while I’ve loved it since the release and thought it was amazing that the girls looked at Covid etc and thought “you know what, we’re going to put out an absolute fucking banger so for three minutes people can forget how shit everything is”, and even gave us a video… I didn’t realise quite how much I loved it until a couple of months ago when I was drawing and listening to music. I put this on, intending to listen to it once, and ended up listening to it for something like twenty times in a row because every time it ended, it didn’t feel like I’d heard enough. And every time I listen to music at the moment it’s my first (and sometimes only!) choice of song. The eighties vibes! The twinkly instrumental! The vocals! Jade’s raw middle eight going into Leigh’s Big Note! Perrie’s “ain’t no more tears, ain’t gonna cry…” section with the little “oh-oh” flourishes in the background! Just absolute pop heaven from start to finish."
"Break Up Song" got its first and only televised performance on Strictly, the night before Jesy announced her departure. It says so much that they don't move from their podiums for the entirety of the performance, and yet I think it's one of their best showings ever.
The three of them sound absolutely magnificent, and Leigh-Anne nails her note. There's no intense choreography but even the little movements they do still feel like they're putting on a show. And the three of them look like total superstars. It was essentially the confirmation people needed that Little Mix would thrive as a three-piece when the news broke the next day.
RainOnFire
Staff member
If the Rate deadline was a months later I would’ve given “Break Up Song” a solid 10 but it came at a time when it was just creeping up on me (so it’s at 9.75) and now I full on adore this song. The video used to be the only thing I loved about it (I really appreciate the animated bits making it look like the opening to some quirky 80s romcom). It finally clicked one night when I was feeling pretty bummed out and had my music on shuffle. Jade’s middle-8 literally healed me that night (and that bit is one of my favorite segment in any song).
I had no idea Break Up Song was so highly regarded! I thought it would go out in the mid-20s and I'd be happy it got so far.
4
MOVE
AVERAGE: 9.581
HIGHEST SCORE: 11 x2 (@CC91, @Crisp X), 10 x22 (@RainOnFire, @Joe., @boombazookajoe, @soratami, @Dijah., @tylerc, @Sally_Harper, @GimmeWork, @TwistedInnocence, @cleggar, @munro, @Purple, @Epic Chocolat, @-SNS-, @Robsolete, @Holly Something, @FabbyWabby, @RMK, @TéléDex, @YourLeadSinger, @Remorque, @Music Is Death)
LOWEST SCORE: 6 x1 (@Xander)
MY SCORE: 10
2019 RATE: 4/83
In the only instance of this happening across the entire rate so far, "Move" ends up in the exact same spot as it did in the 2019 rate!
You might notice the significant increase in average from our #5 track "Wasabi" (9.315), as well as the number of 10s (20+ for the first time), so our Top 4 was pretty much locked from the start.
"Move" was released as the lead single from Salute. It was co-written by all four girls and produced by Nathan Duvall, and I just found out today that his only other production credit in Little Mix's discography is... "A.D.I.D.A.S.", which let me remind you, left at #99. Christ.
"Move" debuted and peaked at #3 in the UK and went Platinum for sales of 711,000 units as of November 2021 making it their 14th biggest single. In the US, it peaked at #22 on the Bubbling Under chart, and is probably more known there as the song that made Wendy stop dancing fffff:
I wish I was more articulate so I could explain the brilliance of "Move", but I'll try. It's weird, and legitimately weird, not whatever they thought they were doing with Get Weird. There's a pretty standard structure to the song but you'd never know it given the way it's produced - the chorus is there but you don't realize it's there till much later in the song, and so the entire thing just feels like it's a bunch of hooks flying at you at a mile a minute.
It's just effortlessly catchy in such a discreet way, I've rarely heard anything like it to be honest. It doesn't bang you over the head like most of their songs (which isn't a bad thing of course), but rather it slinks in, taps its foot in the corner, and waits for you to notice it. And by the end of it, it's the most lively, energetic, exuberant thing in the room.
The way it handles subtlety and ultimately payoff is just genius. The beats that sound like tongue-pops, the cowbell, the grinding riff that bursts its way through in the pre-chorus only to completely disappear for the chorus. Leigh-Anne's addictive middle-8 which sounds like a taunt to me ("oh you thought this couldn't get any catchier?") and then lo and behold, a completely different hook/chorus that blows the entire roof off the place and then gets re-used as the perfect outro.
It is a glorious pop song. And it's even wilder that a girl group from the X Factor on their second album managed to deliver it the way they did. I still don't feel like it gets the credit it deserves outside of pop circles, but I guess it doesn't help that it's not one of their bigger smashes. I think "Salute" might be the more recognizable single from the album, and the girls have even left "Move" off of some of their setlists which is frustrating, most noticeably from the LM5 Tour.
I've read over the years that their performance on the UK X Factor is one of their best, but I have never been able to find it anywhere aside from someone recording the performance on their TV which... no thanks. It's so bizarre to me that in 2022, there are still performances that are completely absent from the Internet. They also performed in on the US and Australia versions of X Factor, and those are great.
Robbed of number 1 yet again.
RainOnFire
Staff member
In a whole 'nother life, there was this boy that I knew...
You and I and nobody else, inner feelings I've never felt...
He wrote love songs about me, I wasn't crazy 'bout the words, but the melodies were sweet...
Master of anticipation, don't you keep it all to yourself...
He used to sing me sweet melodies, he made me believe it was real love...
Just a touch of your love is enough to knock me off of my feet all week...
Just a touch of your love...
Just a touch of your love.
2
TOUCH
AVERAGE: 9.700
HIGHEST SCORE: 11 x4 (@tomba, @Purple, @Primrose, @Robsolete), 10 x19 (@Joe., @boombazookajoe, @Dijah., @Sally_Harper, @tylerc, @GimmeWork, @TwistedInnocence, @cleggar, @munro, @-SNS-, @Holly Something, @Robert, @TéléDex, @YourLeadSinger, @Remorque, @Music Is Death, @Mvnl, @Serg., @Xander)
LOWEST SCORE: 7.5 x1 (@CC91)
MY SCORE: 9
2019 RATE: 1/83
Last year's tied winner, "Touch", may have lost its crown but clearly remains a huge favourite, sliding down just 1 spot!
"Touch" was released as the second single from Glory Days. Even though it didn't hit #1 (it peaked at #4), it was a gigantic smash - its sales as of November 2021 sit at 1,600,000, making it their third biggest hit to date and their next single in line to hit 3x Platinum following "Shout Out to My Ex" and "Black Magic".
For its shambled US release, Kid Ink was added to the song following his feature on Fifth Harmony's "Worth It". It did nothing, and for some reason the remix was added to the Platinum Edition of Glory Days over the original. I (along with most people I assume) don't acknowledge that version because it wasn't the official single version.
At the 2018 BRITs, it was nominated for British Single of the Year and Best British Video of the Year. And speaking of the video... it is one of the most iconic(ally ugly) videos of all time! And I don't know how, because they got big names to handle this one: Director X and Parris Goebel, who've worked with pretty much every huge name in the industry.
The video is choreography-based, with the group dancing in a colourful maze. First of all, the positive: the male backup dancers are hot. They're in various states of undress and I may or may not have watched the video multiple times for them alone.
The girls however are dressed hideously, with the neutral/earthy tones clashing majorly with the bright colours of the maze. Perrie's corset-over-the-sweater ensemble went viral for just how bad it looked, which Perrie continues to defend to this day nn.
Then there's the scene at the end where they make it out of the maze and end up in an empty beige room with a stock photo of the sky (seriously, I think someone here Googled it and it was one of the first results ffffff). And you're expecting them to give it to you in those final moments but the choreography has them sitting on the floor awkwardly popping their chests. It's just... a bizarre sequence of events.
(It also unintentionally gave us a look into the future oop)
As for performances, it's been a mainstay on every setlist, and got a major televised moment on the X Factor finale. It's admittedly not one of my favourites. It's first preceded by the crime against humanity that is "Oops" for an excruciating few minutes (it's honestly comical how they get the big dramatic X Factor intro only for it to lead into those ghastly whistles). But even for the "Touch" portion, I think the fact that they're singing along to the instrumental and not a live band/reworking of the song works against it because it sounds like karaoke. The choreography isn't my favourite either.
They also mashed up "Touch" with "Holiday" on Little Mix: The Search, and this performance is a serve. It also happened to be the last time Little Mix would perform as a four-piece. It's weirdly affecting when watching with that lens, despite everything that has happened since.
This is the sort of iron-clad bop that Little Mix know how to sell, and it's thrilling when they manage to get it right and deliver. The only reason I didn't give this a 10 is that I don't have a deeper connection to it the way I do with the other perfect scores I gave in this rate. Which I know sounds a bit silly because a song like "Touch" doesn't require an emotional connection, but that's the only way I differentiate it from the songs I gave perfect scores to like "Move" and "Break Up Song".
@Primrose awards this their 11 and says: "Their best song. Songs that have followed on later albums have come close (Sweet Melody definitely being a notable one) but haven’t beat Touch. I hold fond memories of my life around the time it came out, and you can still find me on every night out shouting at the DJ to play it."
You and I and nobody else, inner feelings I've never felt...
He wrote love songs about me, I wasn't crazy 'bout the words, but the melodies were sweet...
Master of anticipation, don't you keep it all to yourself...
He used to sing me sweet melodies, he made me believe it was real love...
Just a touch of your love is enough to knock me off of my feet all week...
Just a touch of your love...
Just a touch of your love.
2
TOUCH
AVERAGE: 9.700
HIGHEST SCORE: 11 x4 (@tomba, @Purple, @Primrose, @Robsolete), 10 x19 (@Joe., @boombazookajoe, @Dijah., @Sally_Harper, @tylerc, @GimmeWork, @TwistedInnocence, @cleggar, @munro, @-SNS-, @Holly Something, @Robert, @TéléDex, @YourLeadSinger, @Remorque, @Music Is Death, @Mvnl, @Serg., @Xander)
LOWEST SCORE: 7.5 x1 (@CC91)
MY SCORE: 9
2019 RATE: 1/83
Last year's tied winner, "Touch", may have lost its crown but clearly remains a huge favourite, sliding down just 1 spot!
"Touch" was released as the second single from Glory Days. Even though it didn't hit #1 (it peaked at #4), it was a gigantic smash - its sales as of November 2021 sit at 1,600,000, making it their third biggest hit to date and their next single in line to hit 3x Platinum following "Shout Out to My Ex" and "Black Magic".
For its shambled US release, Kid Ink was added to the song following his feature on Fifth Harmony's "Worth It". It did nothing, and for some reason the remix was added to the Platinum Edition of Glory Days over the original. I (along with most people I assume) don't acknowledge that version because it wasn't the official single version.
At the 2018 BRITs, it was nominated for British Single of the Year and Best British Video of the Year. And speaking of the video... it is one of the most iconic(ally ugly) videos of all time! And I don't know how, because they got big names to handle this one: Director X and Parris Goebel, who've worked with pretty much every huge name in the industry.
The video is choreography-based, with the group dancing in a colourful maze. First of all, the positive: the male backup dancers are hot. They're in various states of undress and I may or may not have watched the video multiple times for them alone.
The girls however are dressed hideously, with the neutral/earthy tones clashing majorly with the bright colours of the maze. Perrie's corset-over-the-sweater ensemble went viral for just how bad it looked, which Perrie continues to defend to this day nn.
Then there's the scene at the end where they make it out of the maze and end up in an empty beige room with a stock photo of the sky (seriously, I think someone here Googled it and it was one of the first results ffffff). And you're expecting them to give it to you in those final moments but the choreography has them sitting on the floor awkwardly popping their chests. It's just... a bizarre sequence of events.
(It also unintentionally gave us a look into the future oop)
As for performances, it's been a mainstay on every setlist, and got a major televised moment on the X Factor finale. It's admittedly not one of my favourites. It's first preceded by the crime against humanity that is "Oops" for an excruciating few minutes (it's honestly comical how they get the big dramatic X Factor intro only for it to lead into those ghastly whistles). But even for the "Touch" portion, I think the fact that they're singing along to the instrumental and not a live band/reworking of the song works against it because it sounds like karaoke. The choreography isn't my favourite either.
They also mashed up "Touch" with "Holiday" on Little Mix: The Search, and this performance is a serve. It also happened to be the last time Little Mix would perform as a four-piece. It's weirdly affecting when watching with that lens, despite everything that has happened since.
This is the sort of iron-clad bop that Little Mix know how to sell, and it's thrilling when they manage to get it right and deliver. The only reason I didn't give this a 10 is that I don't have a deeper connection to it the way I do with the other perfect scores I gave in this rate. Which I know sounds a bit silly because a song like "Touch" doesn't require an emotional connection, but that's the only way I differentiate it from the songs I gave perfect scores to like "Move" and "Break Up Song".
@Primrose awards this their 11 and says: "Their best song. Songs that have followed on later albums have come close (Sweet Melody definitely being a notable one) but haven’t beat Touch. I hold fond memories of my life around the time it came out, and you can still find me on every night out shouting at the DJ to play it."
Rarely do I agree this strongly with a rate like this but the entire top 5 is perfect. Pulling for Sweet Melody to win as not only is it also their best video, but few pop moments felt as good or triumphant as the day it hit #1.
RainOnFire
Staff member
2. Touch – 9.700
6. No More Sad Songs / (feat. Machine Gun Kelly) – 9.290
7. Power / (feat. Stormzy) – 9.192
24. Shout Out to My Ex – 8.435
26. Reggaetón Lento (Remix) (with CNCO) – 8.306
28. Is Your Love Enough? – 8.224
37. Nothing Else Matters – 7.991
40. Private Show – 7.950
53. Your Love – 7.672
57. If I Get My Way – 7.510
61. Dear Lover – 7.328
77. Nobody Like You – 6.731
78. Down & Dirty – 6.716
83. F.U. – 6.550
95. Beep Beep – 6.051
97. Freak – 5.956
98. You Gotta Not – 5.937
105. Oops (feat. Charlie Puth) – 5.524
AVERAGE: 7.503
Most 10s: Touch (19)
11s: Shout Out to My Ex (@Mvnl), Touch (@tomba, @Purple, @Primrose, @Robsolete), F.U. (@FabbyWabby), Power (@JakobVision22, @Remorque), No More Sad Songs (@soratami), Reggaetón Lento (Remix) (@Sprockrooster)
@RainOnFire BIIIIIIITCH! The absolute DRAMA of that post. I was on the edge of my seat!
Anyways, good on “Touch”. I didn’t realize just how overrated it is but then again it deserves the praise. Another one that should’ve gone to #1.
Anyways, good on “Touch”. I didn’t realize just how overrated it is but then again it deserves the praise. Another one that should’ve gone to #1.
RainOnFire
Staff member
I forgot to write this earlier - if you gave it a 10, it would've still been #3 if that's any consolation!
RainOnFire
Staff member
Not me just realizing I completely forgot to add this to the "Between Us" elimination post - Little Mix's last ever performance (for now). I went back and edited the post because it felt significant enough.
And now onto our winner!
And now onto our winner!