inspired by the "Empire State of Mind" post

Ain't no way that boring ass shit would have got run if Jay and AK's name wasn't on it. Absolutely nothing special or memorable about that song at all other than two big names.

Actually AK might end up owning this post

What else you got?
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had to run from you











so keep your love locked down, your love locked down....

i can't stand AK however at least she jacks R&B inspired tracks and tries to sound convincing singing them, though AK is from the Mariah Carey school of something borrowed, something blue and then the predictable 3rd song, which maey j.blige did as well.

usher got alot of tracks like that, it's like he just turn 21 and the club and it's atmosphere will serve up 3 albums worth of material centered around that.

knickleback and rascal flats are in this thread big time,because they got over at the right time,alot of there songs ain't about much to me at all.

john mayer, now i like his guitar tone and feel, however i can't say those songs he been putting out lately been about much. him jacking curtis mayfield and the impressions and not getting called out on that ride and getting over with that unreal. ain't no way johnny lang or kenny wayne sheppard would have gotten radio play with. but mayer is that dude.


lenny kravitz makes a strong bid in this,let ben harper,eagle eye cherry cut those kind of songs forget about it.


Seal love his voice, but will downing doesn't get the seal of approval of doing tired covers nor does phil perry.

Not saying that it's bad, 'cause I actually like it a lot. But if it wasn't sung by "that guy from Gnarls Barkley" it would never even have been recorded in the first place.

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As someone who isn't even that big into Cee Lo, and never got into Gnarls Barkely at all, I think it's a pretty great song. And I've seen people saying they like it who I could almost guarantee wouldn't be aware he's the same dude from Gnarls Barkley, or perhaps even remember who Gnarls Barkley is.

"Yes I see all the nummmberrs... I still root for the dreeeamerrs... I thank God for the dreeeamerrs..." - Mos

New Yorkers love songs about New York. so do wannabe New Yorkers. there are millions and millions of ppl who fit both categories. i think several of them would've responded anyway.

fuck you.

Nobody would care about that Liza Minnelli chorus if it hadn't been AK singing on a Jay-Z song
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that shit is epic.

fuck you.

I can't even listen to that song anymore but still know that the chorus is what propelled that song. Sure it wouldn't have been sung at the World Series if it wasn't Jay-z or AK on it but it still could have been a hit.

We live in a singles market, so choruses have bigger influence on a song becoming a hit than an artist would. The beat would be 2nd behind the chorus in terms of importance imo. Without those 2, I don't care how big an artist is that song would never hit nowadays (Music videos don't create hit songs anymore)

because that chorus isn't very original or catchy

Let that be Syleena Johnson and LL and we wouldn't even be having this conversation
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but i remember hearing the lp and thinking "hit" as soon as the chorus came on.

Would it have been AS huge a hit if it were syleena johnson et al. NO because jay and AK are "legit" brands but you have to give the song the credit it deserves.

>but you have to
>give the song the credit it deserves.

I'll leave that to yall.... first time I heard that shit I knew it would be a hit too ... but thats because I know how easily people get caught up in hype.


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>because that chorus isn't very original or catchy

How is it not catchy? It's too catchy, which is why I can't listen to it b/c it got played everywhere all the time. As far as not being original I don't know what to say, is it groundbreaking? no, but it's not like it stole a melody or lyrics from another song. It's basically just an updated version of "Theme from New York, New York", it wears it's influence very well.

>Let that be Syleena Johnson and LL and we wouldn't even be
>having this conversation

Like I said it wouldn't be played at the world series or become the anthem it has become but could easily become a hit if LL actually RAPPED on it. If he just half-assed it than no it'd be a dud like most of his last bunch of singles.

Something to do with the TONE of it... I first heard the song on the radio and I had no clue it was and I couldn't wait to hear it again.

I felt pretty sheepish when I found out I had been hustled into liking an Alicia Keys song.

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LOL

i mean, there's too much evidence that supports the contention that the chorus is catchy. the song is massive. and it's not just b/c Jay-Z and Alicia are on it. i know ppl who are into the song who hate both of those acts.

fuck you.

...i cant stand that shit, song is wack

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and the song was all over the place.

i bet it's huge w/displaced New Yorkers too. hell, the woman (women?) who wrote it was a New Yorker living in London. she said she wrote it b/c she missed NYC.

fuck you.

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actually a lot of outkast stuff from 2000-now qualifies. a lot of it had to do with their images being different than other popular hiphop artists. the songs are dope, dont get me wrong...but if anyone else created a Ms. Jackson, Hey Ya, The Way You Move, it wouldnt have blown up the way theirs did.

"Hey Ya" blew up for exactly two reasons, in exactly this order:

1. It's a ridiculously catchy earworm of a song, from start to finish, even though it barely clings to conventional pop structure (there are verses and choruses, but the chorus is so-so and halfway through the song seems to lose interest in both and just starts fucking around)

2. The video was funny and different.

Most of the people that propelled that song to its massive ubiquity had little idea who OutKast were before that track came out, and weren't hip hop fans. My girlfriend who has zero interest in rap LOVED that tune. It was everywhere.

So here's my argument: that song would be a hit by anyone as long as it sounded like that and had that video to go with it. The name didn't matter. The OutKast faithful and people checking for "different" hip hop were just gravy.

"The Way You Move"... eh, I have no opinion on that one.

--

----

When I heard it, I said nooooooo waaaay this shit would work in hood clubs if it was aaanybody else. Janelle Monae has songs that sound similar but even funkier that don't get ANY play, so this damn sure wouldn't.

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and 2. Hood clubs had marginal play (at best) in that song being an enormous hit.

--

I so agree!

If Hey Ya would've been a hit for ANYONE, then Tightrope, which is a better song altogether, should've blown the fuck up!

The artist, the media and the push the machine gives them means EVERYTHING!

"The Way You Move" is the only one out of those I'd see as being a hit if a similar song came out from a group that wasn't Outkast

but Outkast makes every one of those songs.

And they love it.

I think any group could arrange this song for any audience (rock, soul, pop, polka, R&B, metal) and come away with a hit.

Maybe not classical.

~~~~~~~~~

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http://www.last.fm/user/NodimaChee

http://www.potholesinmyblog.com

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517

That song was everywhere and talked about tons during it's height.

but if that's not coming during his mid-eighties heyday (shortly after 'Kiss' ruled the charts) that's never even getting to radio let alone being a Top 20 r&b charter.

https://soundcloud.com/matt-koelling-666011203

www.somethinginthewudder.com

https://twitter.com/nostrabombus

https://www.facebook.com/matt.koelling.96

https://www.instagram.com/something_in_the_wudder/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-koelling-438a80

because i need to know if u understand what type of shit jumped off back then
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might not be your typical "radio hit" but its Prince, its not supposed to be typical, especially back then...

damn dude, that is one of my favorite P songs of all time

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Anyone else does that and it's just another generic auto-tune assisted track that would be cashing in on T-Pain's growing popularity.

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songs that only could have been pulled of by someone with *THAT* level of skill?

(ex. someone mentioned cee-lo, he is a perfect example of someone whose talent makes mediocre material stellar)

The sampled hook and beat would've been strong with almost anybody, but the fact that it dropped shortly after the sale of Vitamin Water to Coca-Cola (yes, I know he didn't get all of that but he made a nice chunk of change from it) pushed it over the top.

Even though the album it was featured on didn't sell like his previous releases, he did, in fact, get money.



"I halfway hope people put "btw, rappers lie and shit" on CD covers, like a parental advisory sticker." - OKP Villain

www.twitter.com/lexlamont

>The sampled hook and beat would've been strong with almost
>anybody, but the fact that it dropped shortly after the sale
>of Vitamin Water to Coca-Cola (yes, I know he didn't get all
>of that but he made a nice chunk of change from it) pushed it
>over the top.
>
>Even though the album it was featured on didn't sell like his
>previous releases, he did, in fact, get money.
>
>
>
>"I halfway hope people put "btw, rappers lie and shit" on CD
>covers, like a parental advisory sticker." - OKP Villain
>
>www.twitter.com/lexlamont


Your hustle might get you knocked, why would I knock your hustle?

a time to love
was a damn good album.

way better, in fact,
than a lot of stuff that got burn back in the 80s and early 90s.

and i am not one of those "stevie was only good in the 70's" cats.

i love me some 80's stevie too.
i see you love light in flight.

but if we want to be honest about it...

yeah.

That's one of their biggest songs, there's a reason it's played at almost every sporting event and is almost always the song they open with. It's catchy and that riff has tons of power to it.

i don't know if i hated the song
because i hated the commercial,
or if i hated the commercial
because i hated the song.

either way, the song
reminds me of the commercial,

and i don't like the song.

then again... i might be too hard on the song
based on the commercial. i am REALLY starting to dig the stones.

i got sticky fingers last year and i've been
hooked on their stuff ever since.









but i dislike start me up.

sisqo: Incomplete... follow up to: the thong song

fast your ass would have been a hit, with or without him.

Without pain, without sacrifice, we would have nothing.-Tyler Durden

i was saying that shake your ass was a smash...
but danger would not have been a hit if it wasn't for the momentum from "shake your ass"

i was trying to make a side post.

I'd like to say Nelly "E.I." but that was only his second single and it was kinda catchy. "Country Grammar" did give him a lot of momentum though.

Your hustle might get you knocked, why would I knock your hustle?

mostly due to his beats/choruses being extremely horrid. yet, because it's eminem, people payed attention.

like with a Hey ya or Sexual seduction, another artist could have done it and it woulda sounded the same. But Eminem's first single "My name is" became a hit because of him and his personality on it...so it's kinda hard to say with him, if you get what I mean.

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>like with a Hey ya or Sexual seduction, another artist could
>have done it and it woulda sounded the same. But Eminem's
>first single "My name is" became a hit because of him and his
>personality on it...so it's kinda hard to say with him, if you
>get what I mean.

"My Name Is" was going to pop no matter what. The other two were just products of his superstardom.

Your hustle might get you knocked, why would I knock your hustle?

Same elements in the production and style. It served purpose when we got tired of Country Grammar but still enjoyed that sound

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Third-rate Madonna, but she was so huge by the time it came out as a single that people gobbled it up anyway.

--

>Third-rate Madonna, but she was so huge by the time it came
>out as a single that people gobbled it up anyway.


Your hustle might get you knocked, why would I knock your hustle?

they all sound the same...i can't wait until THAT bitch goes away

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I even covered it!

http://www.last.fm/user/_CondoM_/

lol, signature lesson hate.

but then now you cats give a lot of non-melodic shit a pass
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----------------------------------------

"Fuck aliens." © WarriorPoet415

since it's not a very upbeat song nor really a ballad. But "Heartless" could definitely become one, catchy and decent beat.

I don't think "Amazing" or "Paranoid" were hits so it wouldn't matter.

Is there anyone out there that thinks this would have been number one without paul mccartney & michael jackson's name on it?
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say,say,say was cool and it still sounds nice, now if you were gonna dis a mj coloab then pick on the underwhelming "state of shock" Mick Jagger sounded tone deaf.it was a home-made groove.

Man when I'd drop that shit in a mix back in the day there was a stampede to the dance floor.
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the compact tight groove of centipede and muscles were cold, however state of shock always felt contrived and half baked and alot of that imo is because of mick jagger's non singing behind.

i thought the song was cute, but it didn't hit me.felt like mj going along with the sony then cbs brass to push mick jagger's comical solo career. i did say comical because aside from a few things mick's solo career is about as memorable as julien lennon's imo.

but i still thought it worked
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that was my fucking JAM when it came out. especially the 12 inch version.

and i still get off to it.

on a related note: that Victory album could've been so much better if MJ and Jermaine sang all or most of the lead vocals. they shouldn't have messed w/a winning formula.

fuck you.

after MJ died, i pulled out the victory LP AGAIN
and gave it another chance... for the upteenth time.

there are some REALLY solid synth jams up there.
especially "wait."

i think the problem is i was let down because
there was way to much singing by jacksons not named michael.


i just think MJ did the album (and the tour) out of family obligation.
he was always worried about getting over exposed and made it a point not to release an album but every so often.

as a result... he's just not present on a lot of the songs.

gotta dig the glow socks he's wearing on the album cover.
and the freeway headed off into an infinite future.
the vinyl stayed in my collection for years...
based off the strenth of the album cover alone.

brought the good with "one more chance" and the co written " the hurt" with MJ. body was cool.

wait was broke philly international, pointer sisters carlton banks pot luck cut. corny.

the album tried to lock the synth groove and it felt freezer burned.

give me destiny,triumph and the live albums any day over victory.

mj just did that for his brothers and finish out the group contract.

album cover was fly though.

(even though Janet came around later and beat Randy's original version, IMO - another L for the 'Victory' album)

"The Hurt" is one of the better composed songs on the album (though there's no point of it being the longest song on the album AT ALL) but Randy's pretty awful head voice makes it painful (no pun intended) to get through.

"Body" is corn Heaven. Can't stand it.

I actually like "Wait" quite a bit, though I actually feel you on the Pointers Sisters reference lol. I'd easily take it over "Body."

Nothing else matters on that album outside of "State of Shock" and "Torture." I always wanted to hear how fans of the time felt when they bought this album...

long time lurker...short time okayplayer.

soul4thought: Est. 2007
http://www.last.fm/user/soulelectric/

At first I thought we'd be talking about songs like Diddy's "Come To Me" or Jay-z's "Show Me What You Got" but mf'ers be talking about "Hey Ya", "Sexual Eruption" & "Empire State of Mind". Like those songs didn't bring in new fans to that artist (Stankonia sold 4 mil copies while S/TLB sold 5.5 mil copies). I hear "Empire State of Mind" on the easy rock stations, never heard "Big Pimpin" or "Hard Knock Life" on those stations. There must be a lot of crack being smoked in this post.

Further proves your point but I had to correct that.

----------------------------------------

"Fuck aliens." © WarriorPoet415

even though it's only 1 album. So the 11 million it sold is actually only half, hence 5.5 mill

Really?

I honestly never knew that.

Wow.

I'm embarassed.

----------------------------------------

"Fuck aliens." © WarriorPoet415

Since 1976

Bow to the awesomeness of Plantman:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQiSgWGAc24

http://axecop.com/images/uploads/axecop52.png

I heard it the other day, thought to myself "Jesus this is as average as it gets." then found out it was performed by the lead singer of Led Zeppelin. I was stunned and amused at the same time cause that piece of junk would never leave the studio if it weren't Robert Plant.

No offense.

When Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" came out you said it was a wrap for her career and that the song was horrid. I remember reading that and thinking you were crazy. That song was as sure a hit as anything.

You're also a Ryan Leslie fan and we see how that turned out.

Now you're saying "Empire State of Mind" is only a hit because of Jay and Alicia. I think it's quite the opposite. You could put any rapper in Jay's place and have any singer doing the hook and it still would have been a hit.

The beat, the hook and the theme are what make it catchy.

Now I agree with people mentioning Eminem singles in here. No way in hell "Without Me", "Just Lose It", or "We Made It" are hits if another artist did them. Same for Kanye's "Love Lockdown".

If you want to pick a Jay-Z song I'd say "Show Me What You Got" or even "Run This Town".

- Rockwell's "Watching Me" wouldn't have been a hit if MJ wasn't on the hook.

- Jamie Foxx's "Unpredictable".

- Jennifer Lopez's "Jenny from the Block" and "All I Have"

- Alicia Keys's "No One" and "Like You'll Never See Me Again"

- Usher's "Love In This Club"

mind
--------
matter

awesome.

like an actual singer with some attitude and not autotune. Like on the "so I keep in miiiiiind, when I'm on my oooooown..." that's all Mike

the studio version's chorus is way gay, but if they had switched the chorus out with the Storytellers chorus that was big booming drums and guitars and gave it to Mike it would have been flawless.

"Heartless" would still be a hit if someone else did it.

Wouldn't be surprised if a few years from now another artist covered it and it became a hit.

mind
--------
matter

>"Heartless" would still be a hit if someone else did it.
>
>Wouldn't be surprised if a few years from now another artist
>covered it and it became a hit.

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not interesting melody at all...just sounds like a tone def person wrote it

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>When Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" came out you said it was a wrap
>for her career and that the song was horrid. I remember
>reading that and thinking you were crazy. That song was as
>sure a hit as anything.

I never said that. I may have said I don't care for the song but I never said it wasn't going to be a hit and I damn sure ain't crazy enough to think one song would ruin Beyonce Inc.

>You're also a Ryan Leslie fan and we see how that turned out.

Were did I ever say he was going to blow up? See this is the shit I hate most about this board sometimes .... if you say you like something we end up getting back scoreboard comments like this even when you make it clear you're not interested in playing that game. Most anyone knows an act blowing up has to do with a lot of things... the actual music is somewhere about 3rd or 4th on the list.

>Now you're saying "Empire State of Mind" is only a hit because
>of Jay and Alicia. I think it's quite the opposite. You could
>put any rapper in Jay's place and have any singer doing the
>hook and it still would have been a hit.
>
>The beat, the hook and the theme are what make it catchy.

That's your opinion and I nothing I say can change that. First time I heard it I was struck with how simple and plain the whole thing was but we have different ears so....


>- Rockwell's "Watching Me" wouldn't have been a hit if MJ
>wasn't on the hook.

And you say I have bad ears.... I dropped that song at a couple parties before it become common knowledge that MJ was on that track. There were a lot of people trying to sound like MJ back then so it wasn't a given that really was him. I had people coming up and asking me after it played if it was MJ but this was after they already jammed to it on the floor. That song was a hit from jump ... maybe not a #1 without MJ's name but still a hit.


>- Alicia Keys's "No One" and "Like You'll Never See Me Again"

Like You'll Never See Me Again is a better song that Empire but oh well

>- Usher's "Love In This Club"

Let's end this on a note of agreement
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You didn't like the song and said it was proof she was done.

Whatever about Ryan Leslie. You said his self-titled album was better than Futuresex/Lovesounds. I was dumbfounded by that statement too.

I never claimed you said he would blow up. I just used your fandom as an example of you not knowing what's going to be a hit.

I'm not the only one with that opinion of "Empire State of Mind". It's a hit. People like it and think it's catchy. You're in the minority.

The only reason people cared about that Rockwell song was because they thought it was MJ. You can say people jammed to it before they knew but they jammed to it because they thought it was MJ. You hear the hook and you're like "is this Michael Jackson?". Let Rockwell sing that hook and no one cares. There's a reason he's a one hit wonder.

"Like You'll Never See Me Again" would be relegated to the quiet storm and wouldn't receive any major airplay if another artist recorded it.

mind
--------
matter

>Whatever about Ryan Leslie. You said his self-titled album was
>better than Futuresex/Lovesounds. I was dumbfounded by that
>statement too.
>


dude is criminally underrated
and the album is one of the best recent "r&b" albums imo

~~~~~~

c'mon

mind
--------
matter

That song is awful. Just awful. No way does that get so much play without her name.

>That song is awful. Just awful. No way does that get so much
>play without her name.

this song is a perfect example of what pro is saying.

the fucking song is not only awful but the hook is an absolute mess. and people feed into that immature bullshit as if it was god's gift or something.

ive long since deduced it as a kids song. but here you had grown ass adults humming along to it.

i look at anyone over the age of 30 who actullay likes that shit and ask... had it been (insert obscure singers name here)...would you have REALLY liked this shit?

really?

really.

used to drive me to raging fury every time I heard it

________________

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