she/her
two tens in a row, where'd they go?
ive been smokin'
two tens in a row, now I know that it's (the rate) broken
ive been smokin'
two tens in a row, now I know that it's (the rate) broken
The UK #2’s of the 2000’s Rate: COMPLETE!
- Thread starter WowWowWowWow
- Start date
he/him
One more elimination for Sunday night, and I am happy to report that - at this juncture - there are only four scores of zero yet to be revealed.
Half of them just arrived.
Average: 7.771
High Score: 10 x 14 (@2014, @berserkboi, @CasuallyCrazed, @Conan, @Hurricane Drunk, @iheartpoptarts, @Ironheade, @japanbonustrack, @kermit_the_frog, @phily693, @Sprockrooster, @SuperNerd, @Untouchable Ace, @WowWowWowWow)
Low Score: 0 x 2 (@Empty Shoebox, @PushyBakerFriend)
Hello, the most 10’s for one song so far!
The mysterious duo of Guy Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter met in 1987 at a high school in Paris and bonded over their shared love for the music and movies of the 1960s and 1970s. After recruiting a classmate named Laurent Brancowitz, they started a rock band called Darlin’. As legend has it, it was a review in Melody Maker which described the music of Darlin’ as “a daft punky trash.” Guy and Thomas started a new band with their newly-inspired name, while Laurent linked up with musicians for what would eventually become the popular French band Phoenix.
Their first album was 1997’s Homework and featured their iconic singles “Da Funk” and “Around The World,” but it was 2001’s Discovery that shot them into the stratosphere, selling more than 2.5 million copies worldwide. Somewhere along the way, they also went android. Bangalter says: “We did not choose to become robots. There was an accident in our studio. We were working on our sampler, and at exactly 9:09 am on September 9, 1999, it exploded. When we regained consciousness, we discovered that we had become robots.” Since then, the duo have taken great pains to avoid being seen as themselves, telling Mixmag: “We’re trying to separate the private side and the public side. It’s just that we’re a little bit embarrassed by the whole thing. We don’t want to play this star system thing. We don’t want to get recognised in the streets…We think the music is the most personal thing we can give. The rest is just about people taking themselves seriously, which is all very boring sometimes.” But if you look hard enough on the Interwebs, you can find pix of them.
When Discovery was first released, Pitchfork wrote: It’s practically brainwashing, isn’t it? Daft Punk seem to be operating under the premise that if you hear something enough times, you’ll start to believe it. But after more than 15 listens to Discovery’s first single and opening track, “One More Time,” vocodered vocalist Romanthony doesn’t have me “feeling the need,” much less not waiting, celebrating, and dancing so free. This could just be me, of course. Maybe I just haven’t taken enough ecstasy and horse tranquilizers to appreciate the tinny, sampled brass ensemble, the too-sincere “chill out” midsection, or the fat drum machine beats that throb in time with my headache.” I guess things turned around a bit in the interim years.
But then 8 years later, Pitchfork named “One More Time” the fifth best song of the decade: A pool filled with cotton candy Jelly Belly’s at a 10-year-old’s birthday bash. The most drunk-uncle moment at your cousin’s wedding. A dozen cartoon kittens flipping their tails double-time with the boom. Winning both “The $10,000 Pyramid” and “Jeopardy!” on the same day. Aliens touching down on earth only to give every man, woman, and child their own ghettoblaster. This song sounds like many things. It is not prudent. But it is wise. Because–remember–it’s called “One More Time”. Not “Forever” or “Infinity” or “17 More Times”. This is it. There is an end. The feelings will wear off. But not before the beautifully faceless Romanthony gurgles his way into your chest, knees, brain. Not before Daft Punk distill 25 years of pop and house into five and a half minutes of first-time joy. Not before you lose any and all sense, breath, scream, beg, cry, break, heal, pump, kick, and beam wider than your mouth knows. So keep repeating because you won’t last. “One More Time”, of course, will.
Both reviews thankfully mention that vocals on “One More Time” were provided by Romanthony, who also co-wrote the song. I was saddened to discover that Romanthony (given name Anthony Moore) passed away due to complications from kidney disease in May of 2013. Hope you are enjoying the big disco in the sky...
@Untouchable Ace – 10 – How can you not 10 veteran electronica? (@Empty Shoebox and @PushyBakerFriend can probably answer that for you…)
@Mike – 8.5 – Immense, but I still prefer Digital Love from this era.
@Rei Ayanami – 8 – Obviously, this is a great song. But I have to be in the mood for it. It’s a touch repetitive.
@Sally_Harper – 4 – Oh my god, this stupid song. It was EVERYWHERE. I don’t hate it, but the overexposure ruined any chance I had of properly liking it.
@Empty Shoebox – 0 – It’s not that I don’t like Daft Punk, and at the time of Discovery, I quite liked them. It’s this song. I have never liked it. Every subsequent time I have heard it, I still haven’t liked it. I’ve now heard it far too many times, and any remaining goodwill I had towards it died when I heard it on Heart FM in 2012 or so. There’s so much better on this album, and in this rate.
@əʊæ – 3 – Vocoder just makes people sound like they’re forcing out a shit.
@Blond – 8 – This is a fun bop but also one of the most overrated songs ever recorded.
@Ironheade – 10 – And another time. And another time. And another time. Unforgettable musical euphoria, happiness and the rush of the dancefloor summed up in their entirety in five and a half minutes, nothing else to say about this, frankly. Whenever this comes on, EVERYBODY gets into it, and for good reason. Blast as loud as possible!
@iheartpoptarts – 10 – Almost as happy as S Club.
@KingBruno – 3 – I’m very outspoken when it comes to Daft Punk: good producers, but overrated as fuck when it comes to them as a solo act. This song is criminally repetitive to an extent I can get agressive from boredom. Who thought it was a good idea to autotune vocals so extremely that they become lifeless? WHO THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO CREATE A BEAT THAT BANGS ALONG WITH A HEADACHE? The music doesn’t get me feeling so free, instead I feel trapped inside a copy paste department. Bore off!
@berserkboi – 10 – Awesome, amazing, a standard!
@phily693 – 10 – Is this one of the best dance songs of all time? I would certainly argue so. It’s a weird mix of euphoria, chill, happiness, bursting with danceability and the ability to sound like it’s actually from another era (like the 80s for example) yet it sounds fresh and of its time. You just know that if this was played at a music festival or concert or even in a club today, it would go off as well now as it would’ve back then.
@Sprockrooster – 10 – Probably more played these days than the majority of the #1’s of this decade.
#18
Daft Punk – “One More Time”
Peaked at #2 on: 25/11/00
Held off from #1 by: LeAnn Rimes – “Can’t Fight The Moonlight”
Half of them just arrived.
Average: 7.771
High Score: 10 x 14 (@2014, @berserkboi, @CasuallyCrazed, @Conan, @Hurricane Drunk, @iheartpoptarts, @Ironheade, @japanbonustrack, @kermit_the_frog, @phily693, @Sprockrooster, @SuperNerd, @Untouchable Ace, @WowWowWowWow)
Low Score: 0 x 2 (@Empty Shoebox, @PushyBakerFriend)
Hello, the most 10’s for one song so far!
The mysterious duo of Guy Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter met in 1987 at a high school in Paris and bonded over their shared love for the music and movies of the 1960s and 1970s. After recruiting a classmate named Laurent Brancowitz, they started a rock band called Darlin’. As legend has it, it was a review in Melody Maker which described the music of Darlin’ as “a daft punky trash.” Guy and Thomas started a new band with their newly-inspired name, while Laurent linked up with musicians for what would eventually become the popular French band Phoenix.
Their first album was 1997’s Homework and featured their iconic singles “Da Funk” and “Around The World,” but it was 2001’s Discovery that shot them into the stratosphere, selling more than 2.5 million copies worldwide. Somewhere along the way, they also went android. Bangalter says: “We did not choose to become robots. There was an accident in our studio. We were working on our sampler, and at exactly 9:09 am on September 9, 1999, it exploded. When we regained consciousness, we discovered that we had become robots.” Since then, the duo have taken great pains to avoid being seen as themselves, telling Mixmag: “We’re trying to separate the private side and the public side. It’s just that we’re a little bit embarrassed by the whole thing. We don’t want to play this star system thing. We don’t want to get recognised in the streets…We think the music is the most personal thing we can give. The rest is just about people taking themselves seriously, which is all very boring sometimes.” But if you look hard enough on the Interwebs, you can find pix of them.
When Discovery was first released, Pitchfork wrote: It’s practically brainwashing, isn’t it? Daft Punk seem to be operating under the premise that if you hear something enough times, you’ll start to believe it. But after more than 15 listens to Discovery’s first single and opening track, “One More Time,” vocodered vocalist Romanthony doesn’t have me “feeling the need,” much less not waiting, celebrating, and dancing so free. This could just be me, of course. Maybe I just haven’t taken enough ecstasy and horse tranquilizers to appreciate the tinny, sampled brass ensemble, the too-sincere “chill out” midsection, or the fat drum machine beats that throb in time with my headache.” I guess things turned around a bit in the interim years.
But then 8 years later, Pitchfork named “One More Time” the fifth best song of the decade: A pool filled with cotton candy Jelly Belly’s at a 10-year-old’s birthday bash. The most drunk-uncle moment at your cousin’s wedding. A dozen cartoon kittens flipping their tails double-time with the boom. Winning both “The $10,000 Pyramid” and “Jeopardy!” on the same day. Aliens touching down on earth only to give every man, woman, and child their own ghettoblaster. This song sounds like many things. It is not prudent. But it is wise. Because–remember–it’s called “One More Time”. Not “Forever” or “Infinity” or “17 More Times”. This is it. There is an end. The feelings will wear off. But not before the beautifully faceless Romanthony gurgles his way into your chest, knees, brain. Not before Daft Punk distill 25 years of pop and house into five and a half minutes of first-time joy. Not before you lose any and all sense, breath, scream, beg, cry, break, heal, pump, kick, and beam wider than your mouth knows. So keep repeating because you won’t last. “One More Time”, of course, will.
Both reviews thankfully mention that vocals on “One More Time” were provided by Romanthony, who also co-wrote the song. I was saddened to discover that Romanthony (given name Anthony Moore) passed away due to complications from kidney disease in May of 2013. Hope you are enjoying the big disco in the sky...
@Untouchable Ace – 10 – How can you not 10 veteran electronica? (@Empty Shoebox and @PushyBakerFriend can probably answer that for you…)
@Mike – 8.5 – Immense, but I still prefer Digital Love from this era.
@Rei Ayanami – 8 – Obviously, this is a great song. But I have to be in the mood for it. It’s a touch repetitive.
@Sally_Harper – 4 – Oh my god, this stupid song. It was EVERYWHERE. I don’t hate it, but the overexposure ruined any chance I had of properly liking it.
@Empty Shoebox – 0 – It’s not that I don’t like Daft Punk, and at the time of Discovery, I quite liked them. It’s this song. I have never liked it. Every subsequent time I have heard it, I still haven’t liked it. I’ve now heard it far too many times, and any remaining goodwill I had towards it died when I heard it on Heart FM in 2012 or so. There’s so much better on this album, and in this rate.
@əʊæ – 3 – Vocoder just makes people sound like they’re forcing out a shit.
@Blond – 8 – This is a fun bop but also one of the most overrated songs ever recorded.
@Ironheade – 10 – And another time. And another time. And another time. Unforgettable musical euphoria, happiness and the rush of the dancefloor summed up in their entirety in five and a half minutes, nothing else to say about this, frankly. Whenever this comes on, EVERYBODY gets into it, and for good reason. Blast as loud as possible!
@iheartpoptarts – 10 – Almost as happy as S Club.
@KingBruno – 3 – I’m very outspoken when it comes to Daft Punk: good producers, but overrated as fuck when it comes to them as a solo act. This song is criminally repetitive to an extent I can get agressive from boredom. Who thought it was a good idea to autotune vocals so extremely that they become lifeless? WHO THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO CREATE A BEAT THAT BANGS ALONG WITH A HEADACHE? The music doesn’t get me feeling so free, instead I feel trapped inside a copy paste department. Bore off!
@berserkboi – 10 – Awesome, amazing, a standard!
@phily693 – 10 – Is this one of the best dance songs of all time? I would certainly argue so. It’s a weird mix of euphoria, chill, happiness, bursting with danceability and the ability to sound like it’s actually from another era (like the 80s for example) yet it sounds fresh and of its time. You just know that if this was played at a music festival or concert or even in a club today, it would go off as well now as it would’ve back then.
@Sprockrooster – 10 – Probably more played these days than the majority of the #1’s of this decade.
#18
Daft Punk – “One More Time”
Peaked at #2 on: 25/11/00
Held off from #1 by: LeAnn Rimes – “Can’t Fight The Moonlight”
he/him
17 songs left:
2 from 2000
6 from 2001
4 from 2002
5 from 2003
2 from 2000
6 from 2001
4 from 2002
5 from 2003
D
Deleted member 29256
I saw the Daft Punk Alive Tour somewhere around 2006 during a festival, and I must admit it was one of the best live shows I've ever seen. Plus they played a Gabrielle song remix after One More Time!
He/Him
Those three were painful! I was ready to lose Hollywood but White Flag and One More Time going back to back is a crime!
he/him
By boring us to death?
Luckily we've still got the cutting edge excitement of...an Atomic Kitten cover of a song that was nothing special in the first place.
So, I get set up with a promising first cut from the top 20... and then a double gut punch. Bah!
(But as amazing as "One More Time" is... let's just say, I considered 11ing it before going with something else in the end, but I would have given my 11 to "Digital Love" without any hesitation at all.)
(But as amazing as "One More Time" is... let's just say, I considered 11ing it before going with something else in the end, but I would have given my 11 to "Digital Love" without any hesitation at all.)
He/Him
Talking about the greatness of Daft Punk warms my heart!
I trust everyone has seen this?
I trust everyone has seen this?
Be With You is awesome. Guys stop it.
I love One More Time now, but when it came out I despised it quite quickly...mainly because DJs would put the full length version on four times a night for about a year and a half.
Hollywood... I like it some days and I don't on other days. It feels like "obvious damage limitation single", and I wonder if I'd appreciate it more if there had been a single in between it and American Life (which I never get tired of). Then for it to misfire harder, and that Madonna was still trying to make it happen via GAP and the VMAs just sortof associates it with failure to me. Then I wondered if I was being too harsh, cause I thought for ages I would like it better without the stupid "push the button" bit, and then I heard the radio edit that doesn't have it, and realised that it's better with it... oh I dunno.
Hollywood... I like it some days and I don't on other days. It feels like "obvious damage limitation single", and I wonder if I'd appreciate it more if there had been a single in between it and American Life (which I never get tired of). Then for it to misfire harder, and that Madonna was still trying to make it happen via GAP and the VMAs just sortof associates it with failure to me. Then I wondered if I was being too harsh, cause I thought for ages I would like it better without the stupid "push the button" bit, and then I heard the radio edit that doesn't have it, and realised that it's better with it... oh I dunno.
he/him
By this time next week, we will have crowned your rate winner! But first, it is time to snatch victory out of the hands of three more singles.
Not anymore we don’t!
Average: 7.819
High Score: 11 x 1 (@iheartpoptarts), 10 x 6 (@2014, @phily693, @Rei Ayanami, @soratami, @Sprockrooster, @Untouchable Ace)
Low Score: 3 x 3 (@Blond, @Mike, @Robert)
And meow it’s time to say goodbye to the ladies of Atomic Kitten and their hit “Be With You,” which samples Electric Light Orchestra’s 1979 UK top 10 hit “Last Train To London” (because when you’re writing songs that end up in the hands of a hugely successful arguably teen-focused pop group, who wouldn’t take inspiration from a progrock band that had disbanded 15 years before?).
AllMusic called “Be With You” “arguably their best single since ‘Whole Again’” (screw you, “It’s OK!”). The Guardian was once again not thrilled with what was on offer: “The fact that anaemic singers Atomic Kitten are national treasures says much about the dwindling fortunes of pop. They share the title of pre-eminent girl group with the Sugababes merely on the strength of two great singles. This album reveals the shaky nature of their stature: it has just one prospective hit and a dubious cover of a 1980s single, both lost in a sea of generic disco. ‘Be With You’’s attempt at Kylie club cool falls flat, their soulless, strained voices wafting over Blue-style beats.” And Buzzfeed ranked “Be With You” as the 12th best Atomic Kitten single (“The Last Goodbye” was #10).
If you ever spend time in the world of J-pop, perhaps you already know that MAX covered “Be With You” in 2004:
@DJHazey – 8 – Oh the ethereal verses are so let down by the chorus but it’s sounding better the more I hear it, so here’s my chance to throw it a couple bonus points.
@phily693 – 10 – A forgotten and underrated disco–tinged classic. I wish they pursued this sound a little more than what they did because it’s actually a great song and it suits them. I’m a sucker for songs that fade in and out like it does just before the middle 8.
@londonrain – 9 – I always forget how good this is! A retro bop.
@Mike – 3 – This seemed to get a lot of praise purely because it wasn’t yet another Whole Again clone. Just a different shade of dull.
@berserkboi – 8.9 – Good enough cover
@Untouchable Ace – 10 – Taking on the disco resurgence with all that they’ve got.
@Ironheade – 7 – Totally reliant on its sample, but then again, I can’t reasonably conceive of a situation where you wouldn’t want to hear the strings from “Last Train to London”, and the hook of that song remains a massive sing–along moment (in my extremely terrible falsetto, of course). And you know what, they did a solid job on the vocals and integrated those samples nicely into a decent nu–disco beat. So, yeah. I’m gonna bop.
@Blond – 3 – The vocals are annoying as fuck in the chorus.
@Sally_Harper – 5 – Not terrible, but I wasn’t exactly bopping either.
@Rei Ayanami – 10 – Amazing. I love the disco–beats. Nice harmonies, too.
@Empty Shoebox – 6 – Maybe I just don’t like Atomic Kitten? I should like this song, all the ingredients are there, but I’m just not impressed.
@iheartpoptarts – 11 – I literally just 11’d this but what the hell.
#17
Atomic Kitten – “Be With You”
Peaked at #2 on: 07/12/02
Held off from #1 by: Daniel Bedingfield – “If You’re Not The One”
Not anymore we don’t!
Average: 7.819
High Score: 11 x 1 (@iheartpoptarts), 10 x 6 (@2014, @phily693, @Rei Ayanami, @soratami, @Sprockrooster, @Untouchable Ace)
Low Score: 3 x 3 (@Blond, @Mike, @Robert)
And meow it’s time to say goodbye to the ladies of Atomic Kitten and their hit “Be With You,” which samples Electric Light Orchestra’s 1979 UK top 10 hit “Last Train To London” (because when you’re writing songs that end up in the hands of a hugely successful arguably teen-focused pop group, who wouldn’t take inspiration from a progrock band that had disbanded 15 years before?).
AllMusic called “Be With You” “arguably their best single since ‘Whole Again’” (screw you, “It’s OK!”). The Guardian was once again not thrilled with what was on offer: “The fact that anaemic singers Atomic Kitten are national treasures says much about the dwindling fortunes of pop. They share the title of pre-eminent girl group with the Sugababes merely on the strength of two great singles. This album reveals the shaky nature of their stature: it has just one prospective hit and a dubious cover of a 1980s single, both lost in a sea of generic disco. ‘Be With You’’s attempt at Kylie club cool falls flat, their soulless, strained voices wafting over Blue-style beats.” And Buzzfeed ranked “Be With You” as the 12th best Atomic Kitten single (“The Last Goodbye” was #10).
If you ever spend time in the world of J-pop, perhaps you already know that MAX covered “Be With You” in 2004:
@DJHazey – 8 – Oh the ethereal verses are so let down by the chorus but it’s sounding better the more I hear it, so here’s my chance to throw it a couple bonus points.
@phily693 – 10 – A forgotten and underrated disco–tinged classic. I wish they pursued this sound a little more than what they did because it’s actually a great song and it suits them. I’m a sucker for songs that fade in and out like it does just before the middle 8.
@londonrain – 9 – I always forget how good this is! A retro bop.
@Mike – 3 – This seemed to get a lot of praise purely because it wasn’t yet another Whole Again clone. Just a different shade of dull.
@berserkboi – 8.9 – Good enough cover
@Untouchable Ace – 10 – Taking on the disco resurgence with all that they’ve got.
@Ironheade – 7 – Totally reliant on its sample, but then again, I can’t reasonably conceive of a situation where you wouldn’t want to hear the strings from “Last Train to London”, and the hook of that song remains a massive sing–along moment (in my extremely terrible falsetto, of course). And you know what, they did a solid job on the vocals and integrated those samples nicely into a decent nu–disco beat. So, yeah. I’m gonna bop.
@Blond – 3 – The vocals are annoying as fuck in the chorus.
@Sally_Harper – 5 – Not terrible, but I wasn’t exactly bopping either.
@Rei Ayanami – 10 – Amazing. I love the disco–beats. Nice harmonies, too.
@Empty Shoebox – 6 – Maybe I just don’t like Atomic Kitten? I should like this song, all the ingredients are there, but I’m just not impressed.
@iheartpoptarts – 11 – I literally just 11’d this but what the hell.
#17
Atomic Kitten – “Be With You”
Peaked at #2 on: 07/12/02
Held off from #1 by: Daniel Bedingfield – “If You’re Not The One”
he/him
And I was going to wait until later to boot this one, but Monday mornings are generally the worst, so maybe this will bring a smile.
You know, I used to dream about this elimination when I was a little boy. I never thought it would end up this way.
Average: 7.887
High Score: 10 x 5 (@Blond, @japanbonustrack, @KingBruno, @Mike, @Sprockrooster)
Low Score: 2 x 1 (@Sally_Harper)
Drums.
Last Thursday, I posted a list of the top 26 songs in the rate in reverse alphabetical order and noted that at least one of them was also in the position where it ended up in the rate. Well, “Like I Love You” was on the list at #16 and it’s leaving us at #16. Will there be more? Or does “at least one” mean one and done? Find out… #soon (@berserkboi, 2018)
*Usher Raymond voice* These are my confessions!
Every once in a while, there will be a thread or a discussion that pops up about “How did you find Popjustice?” or “What brought you to this place?” And there’s always great stories like “My friend who is also obsessed with pop music told me about it!” or “I was looking up Girls Aloud articles and I stumbled upon it!”
My story is, once upon a time, the legendary photographer Herb Ritts had done a photoshoot with Justin Timberlake as his solo career launched. “Like I Love You” was about to be released and the anticipation was big. And this photo shoot involved gratuitous shirtlessness and lots of flexing. Needless to say, I wanted one of those photos for my computer background. But being as it was 2002 and there was no Instagram/Facebook etc., my best (only?) option was to check out Justin’s website, to see if there were any photos available to download in a gallery. And when my quest came up fruitless, I said to myself… Why don’t you check his UK website? You know those Europeans... So much more open-minded and such. So I typed in justintimberlake.co.uk … and ended up on Popjustice.
A post from November 29, 2002: “Several months ago, Popjustice noticed that justintimberlake.co.uk was unregistered, so in a moment of utter intraweb cyberhighway bargainousness we registered it – £9.99 for two years. Strangely, even when the Timberlake publicity machine went into overdrive around the release of ‘Like I Love You’, we received not one email from anybody at Jive. So that’s over 1000 unique users a day they spunked away. Anyway, if anybody can think of any uses for the domain name, feel free to get in touch at either [email protected] or [email protected]. Anything other than ‘HI ME AND MY MATE LOUISE THINK THAT YOU ARE SO BUFF AND YOU ARE A GREAT DANCER. WE LOVE YOU X X X X X X’ is most welcome.”
A post from the following week: “Regular readers will know that a few months ago, Popjustice purchased justintimberlake.co.uk and, in the intervening months, has been requesting ideas on what to do with it. We’ve just posted the most recent suggestions on the site, which range from ‘i think that you should have pics of me and justin where hes licking me out till i scream lick it harder’ to ‘Give me a cuddle, I luv u.’ Popjustice is not shocked by the content of some of these messages, but the grammar is appalling…”
Let the record show thatboth neither of those comments came from me!
tl;dr myI-was-almost-20-leave-me-alone puppy dog crush on Justin Timberlake deep artistic appreciation for the work of Herb Ritts is the reason you’re participating in this rate today.
As for “Like I Love You,” its credentials have stood up over time. Spin called it the best boy-band solo debut single (which sounded impressive upon seeing the quote, but I wonder if the pool of nominees was that full). Billboard agreed: “This is quite possibly the best post-boy-band debut single of all time…There couldn’t have been a better introduction to Justin Timberlake, solo star.”
The BBC asked Justin “What inspired the ‘Like I Love You’ video?” He replied: “Just a guy, chilling out, hanging with his friends, I wanted to keep it real and focus on the dancing and club vibe.” Whoa! Watch out Citizen Kane!!
@phily693 – 8 – JT actually pulled this off and came across cool even though it was very try-hard. The guitar riff is simple but gets lodged in your brain. Points for the great middle 8.
@KingBruno – 10 – The best post-boy band debut single of ALL-TIME, kids. For fuck’s sake, it’s produced by the most sought–after producers of the Noughties (The Neptunes) and features perhaps the most awesome hip hop act the world ever got to know (Clipse) – I couldn’t be more happy that Justin’s bubblegum era finally came to an end. The best impression he could make as a starting solo artist, for sure.
@iheartpoptarts – 7 – Back when this first came out I was still convinced Nick Carter’s solo stuff was better.
@Empty Shoebox – 4 – I know I’m not the target audience, but I still don’t like this.
@əʊæ – 4 – He creeps me out so much.
@Ironheade – 9 – This was the period in which the Neptunes could do no wrong, so of course they’d get JT’s career off to the best start they could. Super funky drums, awesome acoustic guitar strums that go beautifully with the lo-fi electro synths on the chorus when they appear, and JT has a finely honed vocal with a fabulous falsetto that’s impossible not to get taken in by. Oh, and a dash of guest style from Clipse doesn’t hurt at all. Love it.
@berserkboi – 9.3 – Funky but not my JT 10 here
@PushyBakerFriend – 6.75 – Decent, but overshadowed by his other singles
@Blond – 10 – This is such a banger and for me it’s aged really well. The production is top notch and it was the perfect bridge between N*Sync’s later stuff and Justin’s more R&B leaning material. A great debut single.
@Rei Ayanami – 9 – Awesome song.
@Sally_Harper – 2 – Um, no thanks. The random high pitched bits are horrendous enough to ruin the whole thing. Also, I have no idea what the hell he’s on about – I keep hearing things like “You had no front face” and “people are bony” which CANNOT be the actual lyrics.
@Untouchable Ace – 8 – What a lackluster debut. The production on the middle 8 is interesting though.
@Sprockrooster – 10 – Still so damn fresh!
@Mike – 10 – One of the most emphatically brilliant starts to a solo career ever.
#16
Justin Timberlake – “Like I Love You”
Peaked at #2 on: 02/11/02
Held off from #1 by: Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland – “Dilemma”
You know, I used to dream about this elimination when I was a little boy. I never thought it would end up this way.
Average: 7.887
High Score: 10 x 5 (@Blond, @japanbonustrack, @KingBruno, @Mike, @Sprockrooster)
Low Score: 2 x 1 (@Sally_Harper)
Drums.
Last Thursday, I posted a list of the top 26 songs in the rate in reverse alphabetical order and noted that at least one of them was also in the position where it ended up in the rate. Well, “Like I Love You” was on the list at #16 and it’s leaving us at #16. Will there be more? Or does “at least one” mean one and done? Find out… #soon (@berserkboi, 2018)
*Usher Raymond voice* These are my confessions!
Every once in a while, there will be a thread or a discussion that pops up about “How did you find Popjustice?” or “What brought you to this place?” And there’s always great stories like “My friend who is also obsessed with pop music told me about it!” or “I was looking up Girls Aloud articles and I stumbled upon it!”
My story is, once upon a time, the legendary photographer Herb Ritts had done a photoshoot with Justin Timberlake as his solo career launched. “Like I Love You” was about to be released and the anticipation was big. And this photo shoot involved gratuitous shirtlessness and lots of flexing. Needless to say, I wanted one of those photos for my computer background. But being as it was 2002 and there was no Instagram/Facebook etc., my best (only?) option was to check out Justin’s website, to see if there were any photos available to download in a gallery. And when my quest came up fruitless, I said to myself… Why don’t you check his UK website? You know those Europeans... So much more open-minded and such. So I typed in justintimberlake.co.uk … and ended up on Popjustice.
A post from November 29, 2002: “Several months ago, Popjustice noticed that justintimberlake.co.uk was unregistered, so in a moment of utter intraweb cyberhighway bargainousness we registered it – £9.99 for two years. Strangely, even when the Timberlake publicity machine went into overdrive around the release of ‘Like I Love You’, we received not one email from anybody at Jive. So that’s over 1000 unique users a day they spunked away. Anyway, if anybody can think of any uses for the domain name, feel free to get in touch at either [email protected] or [email protected]. Anything other than ‘HI ME AND MY MATE LOUISE THINK THAT YOU ARE SO BUFF AND YOU ARE A GREAT DANCER. WE LOVE YOU X X X X X X’ is most welcome.”
A post from the following week: “Regular readers will know that a few months ago, Popjustice purchased justintimberlake.co.uk and, in the intervening months, has been requesting ideas on what to do with it. We’ve just posted the most recent suggestions on the site, which range from ‘i think that you should have pics of me and justin where hes licking me out till i scream lick it harder’ to ‘Give me a cuddle, I luv u.’ Popjustice is not shocked by the content of some of these messages, but the grammar is appalling…”
Let the record show that
tl;dr my
As for “Like I Love You,” its credentials have stood up over time. Spin called it the best boy-band solo debut single (which sounded impressive upon seeing the quote, but I wonder if the pool of nominees was that full). Billboard agreed: “This is quite possibly the best post-boy-band debut single of all time…There couldn’t have been a better introduction to Justin Timberlake, solo star.”
The BBC asked Justin “What inspired the ‘Like I Love You’ video?” He replied: “Just a guy, chilling out, hanging with his friends, I wanted to keep it real and focus on the dancing and club vibe.” Whoa! Watch out Citizen Kane!!
@phily693 – 8 – JT actually pulled this off and came across cool even though it was very try-hard. The guitar riff is simple but gets lodged in your brain. Points for the great middle 8.
@KingBruno – 10 – The best post-boy band debut single of ALL-TIME, kids. For fuck’s sake, it’s produced by the most sought–after producers of the Noughties (The Neptunes) and features perhaps the most awesome hip hop act the world ever got to know (Clipse) – I couldn’t be more happy that Justin’s bubblegum era finally came to an end. The best impression he could make as a starting solo artist, for sure.
@iheartpoptarts – 7 – Back when this first came out I was still convinced Nick Carter’s solo stuff was better.
@Empty Shoebox – 4 – I know I’m not the target audience, but I still don’t like this.
@əʊæ – 4 – He creeps me out so much.
@Ironheade – 9 – This was the period in which the Neptunes could do no wrong, so of course they’d get JT’s career off to the best start they could. Super funky drums, awesome acoustic guitar strums that go beautifully with the lo-fi electro synths on the chorus when they appear, and JT has a finely honed vocal with a fabulous falsetto that’s impossible not to get taken in by. Oh, and a dash of guest style from Clipse doesn’t hurt at all. Love it.
@berserkboi – 9.3 – Funky but not my JT 10 here
@PushyBakerFriend – 6.75 – Decent, but overshadowed by his other singles
@Blond – 10 – This is such a banger and for me it’s aged really well. The production is top notch and it was the perfect bridge between N*Sync’s later stuff and Justin’s more R&B leaning material. A great debut single.
@Rei Ayanami – 9 – Awesome song.
@Sally_Harper – 2 – Um, no thanks. The random high pitched bits are horrendous enough to ruin the whole thing. Also, I have no idea what the hell he’s on about – I keep hearing things like “You had no front face” and “people are bony” which CANNOT be the actual lyrics.
@Untouchable Ace – 8 – What a lackluster debut. The production on the middle 8 is interesting though.
@Sprockrooster – 10 – Still so damn fresh!
@Mike – 10 – One of the most emphatically brilliant starts to a solo career ever.
#16
Justin Timberlake – “Like I Love You”
Peaked at #2 on: 02/11/02
Held off from #1 by: Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland – “Dilemma”
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He/Him
Did @iheartpoptarts ' 11 in the Atomic Kitten rate just get revealed? Crossover madness!
I shouldn't complain because I still have my 11 in both this and the Billboard number 1s rate (which is difficult to get, not everybody has that etc) but Like I Love You still absolutely bangs. As Crazy In Love wasn't really a debut single, I'm really hard pushed to think of a better "introduction" as a solo artist.
Hollywood - OK little song but the French & Saunders parody eclipsed it ("what am I doing here in Hollywood? / I've been in movies that are not that good")
White Flag - I love Here With Me and also Life for Rent but her voice has an off-putting quality like that receptionist in your office who has a cold 46 weeks of the year.
White Flag - I love Here With Me and also Life for Rent but her voice has an off-putting quality like that receptionist in your office who has a cold 46 weeks of the year.