Rate Danes: 20 Years of Denmark's Best Music (according to me)

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#50
Fyr og Flamme – “Øve os på hinanden”
Average: 8.0818

Charts: DK #1 (1 week)

Winner of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2021
Eurovision 2021: 11th place in Semi-final 2
Popjustice History: 21st in Popjustice 12 Points Eurovision 2021

@DJHazey
Hints at being a dancefloor bop, yet remains meh throughout.

@unnameable
More 80s than “Top Gun: Maverick” and that’s extremely 80s indeed

@daninternational
I like the 80s vibe, but as a song I never enjoyed it

@berserkboi
My 11 without Paw here!

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#49
Aqua – “Back To The 80s”
Average: 8.0917

Charts: DK #1 (6 weeks); NO #3; FR #20; SE #25
Popjustice History: #38 in @Doodvid and @Ezz Mixed Pop Groups & Duos

@DJHazey
This has just never clicked for me.

@Sprockrooster
I forgot how much I stanned this.

@unnameable
Nostalgic bop! They actually namecheck things people remember from the 80s, which is more than 50% of nostalgia songs

@daninternational
Nice concept, but Bowling For Soup did it better

@berserkboi
Grown to love this over the years!

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#48
Medina – “Happening” / “Kl. 10”
Average: 8.1083

Charts: “Kl. 10”: DK #1 (5 weeks)

@DJHazey
Doesn’t really do anything to distinguish itself from the rest of the pack. Passer-byers are going to get crushed on a songlist like this.

@daninternational
Ooh I used to get the train home everyday from that platform! I don’t know what she’s singing about, but it’s beautiful.

@berserkboi
Nice but passes by

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#47
Burhan G – “Jeg vil ha’ dig for mig selv”
Average: 8.1636

Charts: DK #8

@DJHazey
The opening monotone had me searching for reasons to hate it, which I can’t find.

@unnameable
Interpolating Milli Vanilli - not sure if that’s genius or a terrible idea

@daninternational
Danish soul. It sounded quite dated at the time already, but I have a soft spot for it and his Kevin Lyttle vocals.

@berserkboi
Oooh - he is cute!! I love when we get that along with a nice song!​

 

I was tempted, but in the end decided against including this on the songlist purely for the music video

 

Also I'm going to toss this one in because we have a 3-way tie at #43 and a tie at #41 so the embeds are going to be off the charts.

#46
Rasmus Seebach – “Calling (Nighthawk)” / “Natteravn”
Average: 8.1667

Charts: “Natteravn”: SE #4; NO #5; DK #14
Popjustice History: 16th in PJSC EASY (PJ XTRA 14 bonus round)

@DJHazey
I like to call it being a night owl, but either way the lyrics weirdly connected.

@daninternational
I gave this my 12 in the PJXtra PJSC round, it’s just a great song, though I prefer the Danish version

@berserkboi
Nice stuff!​

 

Aqua songs gone before top 40? I mean, I understand their songs in the rate are not prime Aqua, but damn

 

Having Rasmus just beat out Whigfield with any song is a crime.

 

Of course the worst Aqua song, by some margin, does the best.

"Heart Attack" and "I'm Not Alone" deserved to beat some of the main act songs that are over-staying.

At least two or three Infernal songs should be out too.

 

My 11 leaves within the next 10 eliminations.

 

Paw says no, but if you ask nicely, he’ll take off his pants!

 

I knew it was only a matter of time before the Paw Patrol dropped that photo

 

I'll go with this instead:

 

'Back To The 80's' is my favourite Aqua song in the rate. It's got a lovely melody, although the chorus bares a similarity to Janis Ian's 'At Seventeen.'

I love that in the 'Jeg Vil Ha’ Dig For Mig Selv' video, Burhan is seen travelling on the Piccadilly Line, and walking through what is colloquially known as 'Porn Alley!'

 

PS after this rate I was pondering a similar style rate but for Belgium. ~15 each of Ian van Dahl/Annagrace, Sylver, Kate Ryan, Lasgo, and Milk Inc. and then a hodgepodge of various others. Yay or super yay?

 

Looking back, I should have included Like A Robot.

I vaguely recall some press at the time insinuating that they were going to release this as a collaboration with an “international superstar” and that obviously never came to fruition… but the fact that René seems to be doing his best Taio Cruz impression always made me think that was the plan.

 

Time for a three-way!

#43 (TIE)
Emmelie De Forest – “Rainmaker”
Average: 8.1833

Charts: DK #1 (1 week)

@DJHazey
Power pop schtick at an average level.

@daninternational
Fun fact, this is the most played song on my iTunes that is on my playlist of songs that don’t fit into ‘chill’ or ‘going out’. It’s a tune and perfectly delivers that Eurovision interval act vibe - only eclipsed since last year by Sweet Water

@berserkboi
Hidden somewhere in all the echoing yoddling is a nice melody!

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#43 (TIE)
Private – “My Secret Lover (UK Radio Edit)” / Original
Average: 8.1833

Charts: DK #2
Popjustice History: #637 in Ultimate Popjustice

@DJHazey
“What I neeeed” over that beat? Instantageous.

@daninternational
New to me, it’s of its time but it has nice vocals and a decent tune

@berserkboi
Blipping banger!

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#43 (TIE)
Stine Hjelm – “Fallen”
Average: 8.1833

Popjustice History: 10th in PJSC 25

@DJHazey
A grand indie pop moment. That’s it, that’s the comment.

@Sprockrooster
In this sea of bops this really stands out well.

@daninternational
I’ve always loved this one, but didn’t realise she was the ELL vocalist. Makes complete sense

@berserkboi
Nice but passes you by​

 

already more than the jury score <3

 

The best part of 'Rainmaker' is definitely its chorus and the drums.

'My Secret Lover' has a great melody but suffers from becoming a bit gimmicky. I could do without all the speaking moments. The reason 'We Got Some Breaking Up To Do' is my favourite Private song is that it's
the least gimmicky with the simplest production.

'Fallen' grew on me over time, gaining about two points from first listen to become a 9.4. Listening to the lyrics more deeply certainly helped, and the production has a great build. Love that the video was shot at the English seaside town of Worthing, West Sussex!

 

#41 (TIE)
Ida Corr – “Let Me Think About It (Fedde Le Grand Remix)” / Original
Average: 8.1917

Charts: UK #2; DK #12; NZ #12; AT #13; DE #14; AU #14; BE/VL: #21; CH #23; FR #29; IT #36
Popjustice History: #58 in my UK #2’s of the 2000s rate

As I always love to point out, the male vocalist here is our very own Burhan G!​

Billboard in 2018:

Before he even took the ice in Pyeongchang, South Korea, U.S. figure skating sensation Adam Rippon told Billboard that a rule change after the last Winter Olympics that allowed skaters to perform to music with lyrics had totally liberated him and opened up his routines to a galaxy of possibilities. His unchained spirit was on display again on Thursday night (Feb. 15) when the 28-year-old bronze medalist in the team competition lit up the rink with a performance cued to a hit remix of Danish singer Ida Corr’s 2008 single “Let Me Think About It.”

Not only was Rippon clearly motivated to do his best by the Eddie Thoneick remix of “Let Me Think” featuring Fedde Le Grand, but Corr herself tells Billboard that she was ecstatic that the whole world got to see the American favorite work it out to her song. “I felt proud and excited! As a songwriter it’s such a pleasure knowing that people all around the world are introduced to your music,” she tells Billboard in an email.

Corr says she watched the skate — which briefly pushed Rippon into first place before he dropped down to 9th — on YouTube on Friday morning and she called the skater simply “amazing!!” The singer was not aware that this was the first Olympics where skaters could use songs with lyrics, which made her even more honored that Rippon chose her song. “That only makes it bigger,” she says.

Rippon told Billboard that he’s been using the song in his routines for quite a while and though Corr has not heard from the skater or had any contact with him so far, she wished him “ALL the best” in the rest of his Olympic journey. “I can only imagine the level of hard work he must put in every day to be this good!!” she says. “But He seems to be loving every second spent on the ice and that love and passion for the things you do in life is the biggest gift! So keep loving fiercely!! ; )”

@DJHazey
Something one would hear stumbling onto a amateur DJ in Twitch’s Music channels, late at night. I would throw her a sub because it goes hard.

@daninternational
Takes me right back to Monday student nights, a shot of sambucca followed by an Apple Sourz and then to the dancefloor for the FLG version of this bop

@berserkboi
That hot guy from Love Don’t Let Me Go needs to hook up with Paw and hit record!

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#41 (TIE)
Medina – “Gutter”
Average: 8.1917

Charts: DK #8

@DJHazey
This is like a professional bowler throwing a rare gutter ball. She sounds bored.

@daninternational
She just does this stuff so well. Never has a gutter sounded so beautiful

@berserkboi
This is a bit of a Wow Moment from Medina!​

 

Let Me Think About It not even being top 15 at worst??????????? we truly did it wrong

 

Not Medina's best song missing the Top 40! Oi Oi Oi!

 

The wild part is the scores are so tightly packed that just a mere 0.5 more points than Ida and Medina would find you in

Spoiler

12th place