The Sugababes Discography Rate

marie_05

marie_05

Oh no! One of the most painful eliminations so far for me, why on earth is this out already? It would have worked as an MKS track as well, that sound was perfect for them and it would have been perfect as the template for a whole album. I guess a lot of people just don't "get" the B-sides?
 
beyoncésweave

beyoncésweave

marie_05 said:
I guess a lot of people just don't "get" the B-sides?
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I think the B-side syndrome works particularly badly against the Babes, because a lot of them go against the grain of their respective albums' sound in being more experimental. Most people rate the B-sides last, and so when they encounter these ones in particular, the variance in sound would come as a shock, obstructing an appreciation of the finer details, especially the lyrics (see here). It also prevents people from giving any leeway for the understandably less polished production, I think.
 
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Mr.Arroz

Mr.Arroz

Staff member
he/him/his
beyoncésweave said:
I think the B-side syndrome works particularly badly against the Babes, because a lot of them go against the grain of their respective albums' sound in being more experimental. Most people rate the B-sides last, and so when they encounter these ones in particular, the variance in sound would come as a shock, obstructing an appreciation of the finer details, especially the lyrics (see here). It also prevents people from giving any leeway for the understandably less polished production, I think.
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Or they're just lazy
 
Sprockrooster

Sprockrooster

beyoncésweave said:
I think the B-side syndrome works particularly badly against the Babes, because a lot of them go against the grain of their respective albums' sound in being more experimental. Most people rate the B-sides last, and so when they encounter these ones in particular, the variance in sound would come as a shock, obstructing an appreciation of the finer details, especially the lyrics (see here). It also prevents people from giving any leeway for the understandably less polished production, I think.
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I rate them per era but if I would rate them last it would mean I would listen to the bsides after sweet 7. It means I would be highest scorer for the bsides. I do know a lot of bsides through and through which made it easy rating for me.
 
beyoncésweave

beyoncésweave

Aaaaand we break the 7/10 barrier with...











































































#62

5_12_Undignified.jpg
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Undignified
Score: 7.006
Highest: 10/10 x 7 (@kal, @Solenciennes, @Voodoo, @Mr.Arroz, @Uno, @Jam, @Blayke)
Lowest: 0/10 x 1 (@Robinho#1)
My score: 9/10
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The Sugababes have some amazing album closers. This ranks up there with them, especially for a lacklustre album like Change. After the frustrating glut of the second half of the album, with the pedestrian one-two-three-punch of “Surprise (Goodbye)”, “Back Down” and Mended By You” (which is not quite counteracted by the following “Open The Door”), “Undignified” does a lot to close things off well. After “Denial”, it’s my favourite track on the album.

Lyrically, this is just superb, and easily in that realm of airtight lyricism classic Sugaballads reside in, where the poetic melds with the cutting. There’s great sense of pacing to it, underpinned by the two expertly structured bridges before the chorus – Heidi’s “When you love the devil / You sell your soul / And it's hard to let it go” and “When your angel's the devil / Your church is a tomb”, and Amelle’s “Undignified / I am tonight” and “I'm undignified / Enough for two” – which provide a really nice symmetry. The chorus, however, is where the song really goes AWF, pummelling you with recognition that the promises of the lover spurning you are hollow, yet you’re too deep in love that you’ll hang onto any false hope to justify it. And in doing so, you recognise how pathetic, and indeed undignified, you’ve become. The emotional depth here is frankly astounding, capped off by such despairingly gorgeous lines like “I'm hooked on a drug that steals your pride”. In capturing the self-pitying, humiliated and yet too far gone wreck you can become when deeply, unhealthily in love, it is yet another instance of the band painting all the shades of despair.

Vocally, it’s pretty much the Keisha show here, hogging both verses, the middle eight and the lead on the chorus. The others are reduced to the bridges, and the quite brilliant (especially for Change) harmonies. Where it’s let down is the production, which, typical for Change, is sanded down until no edges remain present. Nothing about it sticks out apart from the guitar strum that runs as a bassline. Ultimately, that is what keeps this from reaching the upper tier of Sugaballads. One wonders what this would have sounded with harder production, or the more timeless trip-hop elements that quietly electrify songs like “Stronger”.

Queen of elevator music mrdonut (5) screes “Eeek, so much of Change sounds as if it were produced for supermarket or lift”. “Ah, it's the title track of Sweet 7,” shades Filler (4). BAM! CasuallyCrazed (2.5) needs to take less NyQuil: “My iTunes playcount says I’ve listened to this 10 times but I had no idea it existed until now. Completely forgettable ghost of a track.” Meanwhile “a bit boring,” drones PCDPG (6). Lost In Japan. (6.5) finds it “A breezy album closer but it doesn’t feel very Sugababes,” which I must disagree with.

acl (7.8) is transported to 10 Downing St: “I do like this but at the same time its sounds a bit old lady somehow. I’m thinking of Theresa May for some reason. I gotta say after getting through Change I want to revisit One Touch to sooth my headache.” Yas, it soothes all headaches. Chanex (7.5) is somewhat fair in their reasoning: “It takes a little while to get going and there's something a little clunky about it but it's still a worthy effort and I'm quite fond of Keisha's middle 8.”

Ironheade (7.5) dissects this really well as per, and also diagnoses the faults of the album holding it back: “Too dignified, actually. Almost to a fault. Not bad, though - there's certainly more feeling to the soft waves of electric guitar than in anything on "Back When" or "Mended By You", and the blend they attempt with the acoustic guitars from the first chorus on has some interest to it. Heidi remains strong on the harmony vocals, with some great bits that she could never have done on Angels with Dirty Faces, and Keisha, as usual, stands out as a distinctively powerful lead vocalist. But is it me, or does the chorus seem oddly understated and restrained? And the whole song suffers a bit from the toney Vaseline-lens sheen of a lot of this album, and it's a shame that it does - give it a rawer feel, and this really could have been great.”

“What a glorious closer,” trills Constantino (9), “There’s something about those shimmering noughties bleeps in the production (that were all the rage back then) that gets me every time.” Also bleeping is londonrain (9): “I always forget how good the chorus is, and this rate has reminded me. Thank you, @beyoncesweave.” Thank you. Runawaywithme (8) is complementary and diagnoses the album nicely: “A nice finish which features emotion and originality two things that the last few songs lack in. This song really does charm me and have a spark that most of the album doesn’t really have.”

Mina (9) reckons it’s “a much superior antecedent of the Saturdays' "Last Call.” I don’t know her. P'NutButter (8) is appreciative and confused by Spotify’s tricksies: “Brilliant closing track why is it labelled "album version" though?” tylerc904 (9.5) is also feeling a little shredded: “Wonderful album closer. I love that lyric "So give me false hope and promise me you'll try to redeem yourself for the hundredth time" and Keisha's adlibs over that final chorus are brill as usual.”

Quiche has another stan in Blayke (10): “This is a lovely song and words nice as an album closer. I consider this as another Keisha solo in their package of songs. This one took a while for me to ‘get’ but the words are so beautiful and really make the song a reality for me. I praise Queen Keisha constantly for this song.” uno’s (10) Change stanning is, for once, on point: "Lie to me if you must, my dear - give me a reason to have you here" -- the whole song is so beautifully saddening. One of their best songs lyrically, and one of my favourites on the album. Definitely one of their hidden gems, as I'm sure it often goes overlooked by most fans.” Judging by the #62 placing, yes it does. kal (10) is also feeling the lyrics: “The best lyrical content on the album.” Similarlly, “love the lyrics,” jams Jam (10).

Let me give the last word to Solenciennes (10), who gets me in the gut a bitsy: “excellent album closer, it’s a self-help anthem for anyone who’s shed too many tears over someone who’s never going to be good enough for you. Keisha stands out the most here but some of the heavy lifting that Heidi’s doing in the harmonies is seriously among her best and the three of them should be really proud of this, it’s one of the few things they got right about Change, having this close it out (and having it on the album in the first place!), it’s got a nice sense of hope for the future about it while resigning itself to this relationship dying. Undignified is the word, nothing about a failed relationship is pleasant.”

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Solenciennes

Solenciennes

Staff member
Honestly this song just sums up how messy I was towards my sort of ex who strung me along intermittently for years and basically tortured my emotions and I made a damn fool out of myself trying to make it work, undignified, undignified, undignified. This song is incredible. I agree with the critiques of it being neutered by the production a bit but the lyrics smash through that problem, for me.
 
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