Oh baby, baby... 90s Pop Princesses Rate WINNER WINNER

Not groaning!

 

I have some high scores I swear!

 

Let Me Be the One is great! I wonder why they left it off the UK edition of I Wanna Be With You. That, Love Shot and Not Too Young deserved to be on there over the likes of I Like It. (I thought I Like It might be been out earlier).

 

Oh no oh no oh no!!! I'm soooo mad I missed it. Damn.

 

37



Not Too Young

Average : 6.51
Highest score : 9.5 x 1 (@CasuallyCrazed) 9 x 2 (@Angeleyes, @Robert)
Lowest score : 3 x 1 (@GimmeWork) 4 x 2 (@dancingwithmyself, @PushyBakerFriend)


Our Mandy cull continues, I'm sure some of y'all will be happy about that!


@berserkboi finds it, "A little too musical theatre in its over-enunciation" and @Angeleyes shares, "Some intense synths there". The thunderstorm effects had some fans, "Wait at this rate having more than one song with a rainstorm intro", says @iheartpoptarts, "Some of the choices made with voice layering in the chorus just don't work at all, which is kind of derails a pretty good thing this song had going for it. I like the thunderstorm opening leading into Mandy's very dramatic voice in the verses like she's some kind of Disney-movie villain delivering her anthem", reveals @DJHazey and @PushyBakerFriend adds, "A point for the thunder, but honestly, NO-ONE is too young to know to not record this…'song'". However, the lyrics freaked out a few voters, "These lyrics are kinda creepy" says @vague, @WowWowWowWow adds, "I'm uncomfortable" and @unnameable shares, "Like the song, but is it just me finding all the lyrics referencing Mandy’s age and older boys a bit “it was acceptable in the 90s”?".
​

We'll find out which song this ties with...soon. I'll give you a hint- its not one of Mandy's.

 

This Mandy cut is getting worrying but it was due I guess. Hopefully she tied with Jessica!

 

And tying with Not Too Young is...

37



Woman In Me

Average : 6.51
Highest score : 9 x 1 (@Robert) 8 x 4 (@RUNAWAY, @soratami, @vague, @GimmeWork)
Lowest score : 3 x 1 (@DJHazey) 3.4 x 1 (@berserkboi)


Jessica's slightly bizarre duet with Destiny's Child bows out of the race. Were they on the same label, or something? I mean, its definitely one of the standouts on the album, so lets celebrate that!


"This is such a random collaboration and should have been so much better than it actually is", says @londonrain, while @DJHazey adds, "Yes let's do something even more R&B and see how that works for me" and @berserkboi cringes, "Embarrassing, truly". "Even Destiny’s Child can’t lift this above average" reveals @unnameable and @Sprockrooster agrees, "I expected more from this feature making it slightly disappointing now". @PushyBakerFriend says, "You just know all parties concerned here have buried this memory deep down. That moment where B and Jessica trade lines at 2:20 onwards is pretty good though" and @ThisIsRogue adds, "I guess the Beyonce that we have today had to start somewhere. Talent always wins".

"Trying but I can't get past the hilarity of Destiny's Child being a featured artist. If only we knew what was coming 20 years later. Although I guess Jessica can cry into her $100 million fashion empire that she didn't headline Coachella this year. As for the song, it plods along nicely enough" says @WowWowWowWow, while @Angeleyes shares, "Wish Jessica & DC had come up with something a bit more interesting, though it's cute. I have a fond memory of when my sister just had the "I Wanna Love You Forever" single before we got the full album and she played me this snippet because I loved Destiny's Child" and @iheartpoptarts is asking the most important question, "Did they ever do this live? It’d be so much fun to watch Beyonce singing backup for Jessica Simpson".

"I love this groovy jam. To think there is a song where Beyoncé sings back up to Jessica Simpson" says @tylerc904, and @vague feels, "This is probably too corny to be an actual Destiny's Child track, but it would be about 1000% better with Beyoncé singing lead (when isn't that tru, tho?) but it's still a cute lil bop" and @A$AP Robbie is confused, "It seems weird this happened now, but what’s weirder is that it still doesn’t really have that certain something even with DC involved". @GimmeWork finishes us up with, "Can we all just agree that a Destiny’s Child collab is the best thing that will ever happen for Jessica? I know it’s a song for her album but in what world is it ok for Jessica to out sing Queen Bey?". ​

​

 

This is in contention as the worst duet I have ever heard! Glad it's out!

 

Jessica and the Destiny's Child girls are all from Texas. Maybe they knew each other that way? It is a weird collaboration.

 

I imagine the collab came about due to them being labelmates.

 

Not Too Young was the bside to Candy in the UK, so it was the second Mandy song I knew. It still holds a special place for that, but I also think it’s a great song. I wonder if it’s a bit low in this rate because it wasn’t on the UK album so people might be less familiar with it.

 

36



Thinkin' About You

Average : 6.55
Highest score : 10 x 2 (@GimmeWork, @iheartpoptarts) 9.5 x 1 (@Angeleyes)
Lowest score : 2 x 1 (@Robsolete) 2.5 x 1 (@DJHazey)

Well this seems about right, cute enough, but its never been a real standout on the album to me.

@berserkboi agrees, "Nah! A come down from the couple of tracks before", meanwhile @WowWowWowWow feels "Ambivalent", and @vague says "The verses are fine, but the chorus is really obnoxious and annoying to me". @DJHazey is, "Not feeling this 'honky tonk' production at all", @Angeleyes thinks "The way she sings the song, specially the "thinkinabout you" line, is very quirky, which I like" and @unnameable says "An excellent song on the topic of being obsessed with someone". @iheartpoptarts shares, "Two words: Pink Bubblegum. Did that ever take me ages to find in my Kazaa/WinMX days", and @GimmeWork is also a fan, "The Pink Bubble Gum Mix should have been a single".

​

 

About fucking time.

That Pink Bubblegum mix is so much better though.

 

35



When You Put Your Hands On Me

Average : 6.76
Highest score : 10 x 2 (@vague, @soratami) 9.5 (@CasuallyCrazed)
Lowest score : 1 x 1 (@Robert) 3 x 1 (@Sprockrooster)

Written and produced by Robin Thicke, I always found the Cher-like vocoder trickery going on kind of funny ddd.


"Weirdly this seems to have aged really well for me. I didn’t love it at the time but now the minor chord modulations and the little twists and turns in the song somehow click better. Perhaps I got used to the vocoder in the meanwhile" shares @londonrain, but @Sprockrooster ain't a fan, "That autotune is horrible. If all people, who doesn't need it she must sit at the top?!". @iheartpoptarts SAYs, "This sound so naughty when you’re, like, 12", while @DJHazey is still dirrty, "The odd way she sings "sexy" in the chorus is the only thing I can point out in this one". "Robin Ick can write a solid bop every now and then" reveals @tylerc904, but @WowWowWowWow thinks, "Production is fine, but Robin Thicke is always a no". "'I don't know if a doll can unwind' Really, could you pick any more mundane examples. I mean, really. Really. *Shakes head aggressively*" adds @PushyBakerFriend but high scorer, @vague shares "The "I haven't used a particular noun very much, then we touched" line always makes me scream ddd like sure, Xtina. those vocodered ad-libs were so fuckin' cool to me back in the day, too (lowkey still kinda are ddd). This is definitely one of my fave cuts from her ever".
​

 

Yes for Mandy and Jessica getting a break.

 

Sorry...





























but you might be too upset about this cut, anyway, @Robert...

34



I Like It

Average : 6.79
Highest score : 10 x 2 (@Angeleyes, @soratami) 8.5 x 2 (@Sprockrooster, @vague)
Lowest score : 4 x 3 (@londonrain, @Robert, @CasuallyCrazed)


Back to trimming the So Real album cuts, with this slightly dirrty song.

"I like it!" shares @berserkboi, "Well, I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either" reveals @WowWowWowWow, and @unnameable adds "I like, but don’t love it as much as some of Mandy’s other songs". "I really like this ddd. It's a nice lil midtempo bop" says @vague, meanwhile @Angeleyes reveals "A recent discovery of mine! Nice little disco bop". Professor of Pop @iheartpoptarts provides us with more trivia, "I wonder if this would’ve made the album if not for Howie from BSB. Love the middle 8 though!" and @DJHazey says "I'm starting to realize why I have this CD but haven't listened to it in like 8 years or something when I first got it. It sounds like a boring Janet song but since it's Mandy's voice it's a tad better".
​

​

 

33



I'm So Curious

Average : 6.83
Highest score : 9.5 x 1 (@CasuallyCrazed) 9 x 2 (@A$AP Robbie, @GimmeWork)
Lowest score : 3 x 1 (@londonrain) 4 x 2 (@ThisIsRogue, @Robert)


We say goodbye to the b-side for Sometimes now, which was co-written by Britney herself.

"This is better than a couple of the album tracks, but i can totally see why this is just a b-side or w/e" shares @vague, "I’m curious why this filler got recorded" ponders @unnameable, while @WowWowWowWow says, "Sometimes’ little sister, but nowhere near as good. There must be a Jamie Lynn joke in there somewhere". "You’d think they would’ve thrown this on the album for the Britney-helped-write-it novelty of it all. Like, instead of forcing ‘Dear Diary’ on us a year later" says @iheartpoptarts, while @DJHazey mentions "You have to ask why these weren't on the album instead many of the choice tracks that did make the cut" and @berserkboi adds "Good bonus!". Lastly, @Angeleyes shares "My least favorite track from this era, although by no means a bad one. It's cute that this is her first co-write. I didn't quite understand the concept of b-sides as a kid, and I thought that this song might be included on Oops! since it wasn't on any version of ...Baby". ​

Tomorrow we lose our first 11. Will it be yours?

Spoiler

​

 

I’m happy with those two going!
I Like It is alright, but definitely one of Mandy’s weakest and it shouldn’t have made the UK edition of the album. I think part of its appeal was that they could say a Backstreet Boy co-wrote it.

 

I'm so Curious is amazing and should have been in for a while yet.