It definitely isn't good in literally any way. And that's the only song in this rate I'd say that about. As for how well it'll do... it's already beaten like 20 better songs, so hopefully that's enough.
#soon! Part Un - The 60s-00s Girl Band Debut Breakthrough Rate
- Thread starter berserkboi
- Start date
It definitely isn't good in literally any way. And that's the only song in this rate I'd say that about. As for how well it'll do... it's already beaten like 20 better songs, so hopefully that's enough.
Stone Cold Grade A Classic.
We can but hope.
ALL OF THIS^^^
I will just leave these WTF lyrics here and say that I respectfully disagree.
“I say, hey boy, sittin' in your tree
Mummy always wants you to come for tea
Don't be shy, straighten up your tie
Get down from your tree house, sittin' in the sky
I want to know just what to do
Is it very big, is there room for two?
I got a house with windows and doors
I'll show you mine if you show me yours”
I mean this is literally aimed at 4 year olds. Can’t remember what I scored it but if it was more than 2 it was too high.
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she/her
When people try to do the whole ~objective~ thing, I just hope their faves all lose to whatever the most ridiculous pop act is.
Was it the Cups' version that got featured at the end of Four Weddings And A Funeral?
he/him
They're clearly using childish lyrics to evoke that their grown up feelings about someone make them feel like they're a kid again. I mean, it's not...that complicated. Going back to when things were simpler, easier, more fun and guess what the song is fun too. Wow, what a concept.
Well, his producer probably wanted to copy the Cyndi Lauper version, who in turn was interpreting the original...
she/her
Heyyyyyy, things are still fun!
Anyway, my take on it is that being targeted at a younger audience doesn't necessarily make something any worse. Why should it?
londonrain
Staff member
I mean, if we’re going to start coming for lyrics, then we’d have to discuss the fact that the Dixie Cups song consists of four notes and these horrendous lyrics (which rhyme “married” with “married”):
So maybe we should just appreciate that things can be fun without being Proust?
So maybe we should just appreciate that things can be fun without being Proust?
He/Him
#soon! Elimination not too far away...
He/Him
From the 60s
to the 00s!
The Dixie Cups!
To The Dixie Chicks!
to the 00s!
The Dixie Cups!
To The Dixie Chicks!
#38
Dixie Chicks – Goodbye Earl
Average Score: 6.784
Highest Score: 10 x 4 (@ohnostalgia, @Sprockrooster, @Trouble in Paradise, @ComeOnGloria)
Lowest Score: 0 x 1 (@iheartpoptarts)
Goodbye our fairy-tale revenge bop! @Petty Mayonnaise will certainly have some opinions about this leaving now. Goodbye Earl actually did very well ending up in the top 40, as other than my 9.6 – it had very low scores from early voters and struggled to make the top 50 for quite a while (barely managing to beat Poison at some points). The later voters and the 10ners above gave it some new lease of life and this position is actually small victory.
Now, what to say about Goodbye Earl or the Dixie Chicks that hasn’t been covered before? I will tell you something in this rate’s context though, the Dixie Chicks (along with The Emotions – more on them soon) have the most innocuous entries representing them in this rate. The Dixie Chicks especially have million selling records that predate this first top 20 hit of theirs, but due to the qualifier we went with Goodbye Earl is what represents them. This was actually a godsend in a way for the girls however, as a good revenge bop that promotes girl power and sisterhood would always do fine with the PopJustice crowd, right?
Originally an unreleased record by Sons of the Desert, Goodbye Earl certainly came great for the Dixie Chicks since they had a character Earl in a lot of their early records (the ladies have always been great storytellers) that they could kill off quite organically. The music video for Goodbye Earl, you will notice, is the most star studded one on the list. It won the best video award at both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association, and placed on CMT’s 100 Greatest Music Videos at #6.
This would be the bit where I give a short rundown on the band, and I will keep it very short since I am sure you don’t need much of an introduction to our Dixie Chicks! The band started out as a 4 piece but didn’t start achieving commercial success until they became a 3 piece and changed musical direction.
As of 2015 they have won 13 Grammy awards and are the top selling all-female band and biggest selling country group of the Nielsen SoundScan era (1991-present) in the US! They met a bit of controversy in 2003 when they criticised President George Bush’s decision to invade Iraq and mentioned being ashamed of him being from Texas. This period saw a decline in the band’s commercial success with a boycott and their albums discarded in public protests. Compare this today to so many celebrities denouncing their President very openly with no backlash, and it also shows the pioneers these ladies inadvertently were for Free Speech!
PopJustice had lots to say about this one:
DJHazey (8) puts on his insightful cap and is mighty impressive in his eloquence! - Well, this is a tough one to score because I love how powerful the story is considering I grew up watching similar abuse happen in front of my eyes as a child and all that, I'll spare everyone the details. I didn't know about this song so this has really caught me off guard. I can't give it a higher score and be honest with myself because I do find the chorus itself to be very abrasive and run against things with how comedic they turn the situation into with the "killing Earl" part. The verses and down-to-Earth storytelling are utterly amazing and I think having become something funny doesn't work for me -- but I'd completely understand anyone who might be able to take a different approach and treat it as comic relief in the face of a totally heartbreaking scenario. 8 points for the story, most of the delivery, and the cut-straight-to-the-heart style of the verse, but I have to take some points away for how it got away from them in the chorus as I've just explained. I hope this makes sense and doesn't offend anyone.
Unnameable (8) tells me something I am not sure I comprehend, can you clarify when you get a chance, my love? – I like the Dixie Chicks, but got into them during their first album because I wanted to hear if they’d desecrated my favourites. They hadn’t. This is where the Iheartpoptarts / DJHazey romance might find a hitch! (0) - I get why we’re supposed to appreciate this, but musically it’s got way too many elements I can’t stand. DominoDancing (3) does not find the message powerful - The pop-country sound never does it for me, and some hick-ish revenge fantasy does not an empowerment song make.
Baby Clyde (4) has a difficult time with the eligibility criteria again, and doesn’t quite love the message - (Their previous album sold 12 million copies but THIS is their breakthrough song??? I've always found this quite jarring. I suppose it's supposed to be a comedy song but the subject matter isn't remotely funny and the video is super inappropriate.)
Sprockrooster (10) connects profoundly - A tragic story, but told so damn well, with so much conviction. Empty Shoebox (7) has trouble dissociating message and delivery - I'm not sure this is a subject matter we should be taking so lightly. That said, I will give the song points for the lyrics, and detract them for the usual nasal country delivery.
Trouble In Paradise (10) loves him some revenge fairy-tale! - What’s not to love about this glorious story song about murdering a domestic abuser? Filippa (6) recognises a face she likes - Yes, this Jane Krakowski in the video. Apart from Ally McBeal I know her from the musical Nine. I saw it in New York … The song is nice, I quite like it. Saviodxl (4) localises his commentary, so if like me you are in Australia - there is nothing to see here - U.S. only
ComeOngloria (10) is a bit of a connoisseur! - Love them! Their earlier stuff was better than this, in my opinion but this was still good. Kermit_The_Frog (5) likes some - I don’t really know Dixie Chicks (Landslide cover and There’s Your Trouble aside). I don’t hate this and appreciate seeing Jane Krakowski in anything. Zar-Unity (6) liked it, don’t let the score fool you! - SO quirky and catchy, over a serious subject. Hello story pop! Tech: 4 Taste: 2 = 6 points.
Now, what to say about Goodbye Earl or the Dixie Chicks that hasn’t been covered before? I will tell you something in this rate’s context though, the Dixie Chicks (along with The Emotions – more on them soon) have the most innocuous entries representing them in this rate. The Dixie Chicks especially have million selling records that predate this first top 20 hit of theirs, but due to the qualifier we went with Goodbye Earl is what represents them. This was actually a godsend in a way for the girls however, as a good revenge bop that promotes girl power and sisterhood would always do fine with the PopJustice crowd, right?
Originally an unreleased record by Sons of the Desert, Goodbye Earl certainly came great for the Dixie Chicks since they had a character Earl in a lot of their early records (the ladies have always been great storytellers) that they could kill off quite organically. The music video for Goodbye Earl, you will notice, is the most star studded one on the list. It won the best video award at both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association, and placed on CMT’s 100 Greatest Music Videos at #6.
This would be the bit where I give a short rundown on the band, and I will keep it very short since I am sure you don’t need much of an introduction to our Dixie Chicks! The band started out as a 4 piece but didn’t start achieving commercial success until they became a 3 piece and changed musical direction.
As of 2015 they have won 13 Grammy awards and are the top selling all-female band and biggest selling country group of the Nielsen SoundScan era (1991-present) in the US! They met a bit of controversy in 2003 when they criticised President George Bush’s decision to invade Iraq and mentioned being ashamed of him being from Texas. This period saw a decline in the band’s commercial success with a boycott and their albums discarded in public protests. Compare this today to so many celebrities denouncing their President very openly with no backlash, and it also shows the pioneers these ladies inadvertently were for Free Speech!
PopJustice had lots to say about this one:
DJHazey (8) puts on his insightful cap and is mighty impressive in his eloquence! - Well, this is a tough one to score because I love how powerful the story is considering I grew up watching similar abuse happen in front of my eyes as a child and all that, I'll spare everyone the details. I didn't know about this song so this has really caught me off guard. I can't give it a higher score and be honest with myself because I do find the chorus itself to be very abrasive and run against things with how comedic they turn the situation into with the "killing Earl" part. The verses and down-to-Earth storytelling are utterly amazing and I think having become something funny doesn't work for me -- but I'd completely understand anyone who might be able to take a different approach and treat it as comic relief in the face of a totally heartbreaking scenario. 8 points for the story, most of the delivery, and the cut-straight-to-the-heart style of the verse, but I have to take some points away for how it got away from them in the chorus as I've just explained. I hope this makes sense and doesn't offend anyone.
Unnameable (8) tells me something I am not sure I comprehend, can you clarify when you get a chance, my love? – I like the Dixie Chicks, but got into them during their first album because I wanted to hear if they’d desecrated my favourites. They hadn’t. This is where the Iheartpoptarts / DJHazey romance might find a hitch! (0) - I get why we’re supposed to appreciate this, but musically it’s got way too many elements I can’t stand. DominoDancing (3) does not find the message powerful - The pop-country sound never does it for me, and some hick-ish revenge fantasy does not an empowerment song make.
Baby Clyde (4) has a difficult time with the eligibility criteria again, and doesn’t quite love the message - (Their previous album sold 12 million copies but THIS is their breakthrough song??? I've always found this quite jarring. I suppose it's supposed to be a comedy song but the subject matter isn't remotely funny and the video is super inappropriate.)
Sprockrooster (10) connects profoundly - A tragic story, but told so damn well, with so much conviction. Empty Shoebox (7) has trouble dissociating message and delivery - I'm not sure this is a subject matter we should be taking so lightly. That said, I will give the song points for the lyrics, and detract them for the usual nasal country delivery.
Trouble In Paradise (10) loves him some revenge fairy-tale! - What’s not to love about this glorious story song about murdering a domestic abuser? Filippa (6) recognises a face she likes - Yes, this Jane Krakowski in the video. Apart from Ally McBeal I know her from the musical Nine. I saw it in New York … The song is nice, I quite like it. Saviodxl (4) localises his commentary, so if like me you are in Australia - there is nothing to see here - U.S. only
ComeOngloria (10) is a bit of a connoisseur! - Love them! Their earlier stuff was better than this, in my opinion but this was still good. Kermit_The_Frog (5) likes some - I don’t really know Dixie Chicks (Landslide cover and There’s Your Trouble aside). I don’t hate this and appreciate seeing Jane Krakowski in anything. Zar-Unity (6) liked it, don’t let the score fool you! - SO quirky and catchy, over a serious subject. Hello story pop! Tech: 4 Taste: 2 = 6 points.
londonrain
Staff member
I low-key love the Dixie Chicks - and somehow I have ended up buying all their albums - but Goodbye Earl is not my favourite of their singles. I still gave it a 9, though, if I remember correctly.
The Fly album (on which this features) definitely feels like the moment when I first became aware of them crossing over from being US country darlings to actually being big names internationally as a singles act - Ready To Run made it to the Runaway Bride soundtrack (along with a cover of You Can’t Hurry Love), I remember Goodbye Earl getting heavy airplay in Asia (unheard of for a country act) and of course Cowboy Take Me Away is stunning, and is the song that made me really fall in love with the group).
It’s still bizarre that they didn’t manage a top 20 single before Goodbye Earl (which was also their first single to achieve a gold certification) but I can’t imagine their average would have been much higher with There’s Your Trouble (which just missed the eligibility cutoff). They’ve done themselves proud in this rate given that there’s nobody else in their lane here genre-wise. Plus it’s more of a bop than their earlier singles, I guess.
If they’re included in part 2 then I definitely think Not Ready To Make Nice should be counted as their signature song. What a masterpiece.
The Fly album (on which this features) definitely feels like the moment when I first became aware of them crossing over from being US country darlings to actually being big names internationally as a singles act - Ready To Run made it to the Runaway Bride soundtrack (along with a cover of You Can’t Hurry Love), I remember Goodbye Earl getting heavy airplay in Asia (unheard of for a country act) and of course Cowboy Take Me Away is stunning, and is the song that made me really fall in love with the group).
It’s still bizarre that they didn’t manage a top 20 single before Goodbye Earl (which was also their first single to achieve a gold certification) but I can’t imagine their average would have been much higher with There’s Your Trouble (which just missed the eligibility cutoff). They’ve done themselves proud in this rate given that there’s nobody else in their lane here genre-wise. Plus it’s more of a bop than their earlier singles, I guess.
If they’re included in part 2 then I definitely think Not Ready To Make Nice should be counted as their signature song. What a masterpiece.
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she/her
Your commentary is always a 10 to me, even if the song itself, well, isn't. Hugs!