The Pop Thread

[Benji]

I could swear we had this thread already.

Me hearing Kesha's new song Joyride and it being one of the catchiest fucking songs I've ever heard. Replace "he" with "she" obvs.

[Benji]

Went to 90s Fest yesterday and it slapped hard. I also got a heart hand from one of my childhood crushes in Denise from the Vengaboys after I did one to her ❤️😂

[Krabby]

Aww man Vengaboys, that brings us back, lots of small town dances spent bopping to "BOOM BOOM BOOM I WANT YOU IN MY ROOM!"

We used to play those songs for Lil Krabbu when she was a toddler because liked hearing that the Vengabus was coming haha

[METALMAN]

The Venga Boys is very evocative of the summer of 1999 when I was eight years old and my parents would dump me at this FE college that put on activities for dumb kids over the summer and they had a modern football game (I only had a SNES at the time so v exciting) and I would play that while Venga Boys would play in the background.

[RPS]

On 14/07/2024 at 13:33, METALMAN said:

The Venga Boys is very evocative of the summer of 1999 when I was eight years old and my parents would dump me at this FE college that put on activities for dumb kids over the summer and they had a modern football game (I only had a SNES at the time so v exciting) and I would play that while Venga Boys would play in the background.

There are times we realize the constrictive nature of the world we live in. This time was for me several years ago. I have always enjoyed We Like to Party! (the Vengabus) (Herein shortened to We Like to Party). It's a banger of a song we can all agree. 

Several years ago, there was a season of RuPauls Drag Race (the first iteration of an international multiverse battle). On that season, Pangina Heals competed. Pangina Heals was the host of a Thailand version of Drag Race, but way before Drag Race was big. It's this weird anomaly. Its feels like its from a different time - its done in a developing country and you can feel the passion. Anyway, Pangina is the host and she is brought to the United Kingdom to compete with Canadians, Americans, Brits. Anyways, Pangina comes on the show and bodies the competition. One week, she is in the top of the episode and gets to lip sync to see who should win. Here is a video of the performance. 

https://www.facebook.com/rupaula.42/videos/uk-vs-the-world-janey-jackey-vs-pangina-heals-we-like-to-part/1353300828448766/

To describe the video as a massacre is an understatement. Pangina knows that she is on an international stage, coming from a developing country and now is her chance to show what Thailand (and really, many other developing Asian countries) can bring to drag. It ends with her taking a streamer, flossing her teeth as the song ends. Signifying - she ate up the Danish queen standing beside her. 

Ever since that moment, I have had this very set belief. That the Vengaboys We Like to Party should retroactively be awarded the Oscar for Best Picture. But RPS. We Like to Party is not a movie. But isn't it? I think calling We Like to Party merely a song is limiting. There is a music video associated with it, but throw that out of your brain. Listen to the song. Close your eyes. The visuals playing inside of your head when you listen to We Like to Party. Is that not better than Titantc? As Good As It Gets? The Full Monty? Good Will Hunting? L.A. Confidential? 

Someone says to you "Would you rather watch the visuals playing in your head when We Like to Party plays or Titanic", you are a god damn liar if you say Titanic. We can agree and acknowledge Titanic is great. But there are certainly times and places where we can acknowledge that something transcend the art form. Herein, I argue that We Like To Party should be given the following awards. These are not exhaustive.

• We can agree it is the greatest piece of music released in 1998. This is not debatable. Just consider this - has a song ever been so forthright? We DO like to Party. I WILL be getting on the Vengabus. 
• We can agree it is better than most movies. Most movies are long. We Like to Party is short. 
• We Like to Party is definitely better than most TV shows. Remember - 1998 was terrible for TV shows. Frasier? 3rd Rock from the Sun? The Practice? ER? We can all agree that we would rather be on the Vengabus. If you deny this, you are lying to yourself. Frasier does not like to party. But WE do like to party. Could you imagine the aliens in 3rd Rock in the Sun if they brought that song to their home planet. If they never heard music before, their brains would explode. Maybe that TV show would be worthy of an Emmy over We Like to Party. 
• We Like To Party is better than a video game. A video game emulates the party. Vengaboys ARE THE PARTY. Also is it strange that they are the Vengaboys, but there are girls singing on the track but they call themselves Vengabus on this song. Still better than a video game. Google tells me Half Life came out that year, and I do think that probably Half Life is better than We Like to Party. But only slightly. Lets say that Half Life is the better video game and We Like to Party is an honorable mention.  
• We Like to Party is definitely better than most books. I don't really know what books were released that year. I am not going to google it. 

I have listened to this song, on repeat, while writing this post. I have probably listened to it 15 times straight. I have so many observations. It is so chaotic. There are so many elements going on this song. The hollow synths are amazing. How the fuck did these women keep up the vocal performance? They are going a mile a minute. Thank god for the bridges. 

Anyways. Pop song is great. The Vengaboys are forever. Why can't the Vengaboys be retroactively given the Oscar for Best Picture in 1998? Pangina Heals lip syncing to this song in 2021 is better than the Titantic. Why are awards so constricting? Pop music is not constricting. It is great. 16 times straight I listened to this song. 

[9 to 5]

On 14/07/2024 at 16:35, Benji said:

Went to 90s Fest yesterday and it slapped hard. I also got a heart hand from one of my childhood crushes in Denise from the Vengaboys after I did one to her ❤️😂

It was a fucking banging night!

[Benji]

Okay, late to the party here, but can we talk about how fucking good Chappell Roan is?

[GoGo Yubari]

9 hours ago, Benji said:

Okay, late to the party here, but can we talk about how fucking good Chappell Roan is?

Yeah, I like her. Only listened to that album from last year in full once but "Good Luck, Babe!" pops up in my streaming mixes a lot.

Also very into what Clairo's doing, feels of a kind with the kind of '70s AM radio revival stuff that, say, Weyes Blood has been doing but maybe a little more mainstream-friendly?

[Benji]

Absolutely obsessed with "Star Crossed Lover" by Hannah Grae.

[Chris2K]

On 11/09/2024 at 13:22, Benji said:

Okay, late to the party here, but can we talk about how fucking good Chappell Roan is?

Even later to the party here, but both Good Luck, Babe and HOT TO GO! have become two of my favourite songs of the year. Those and Please, Please, Please by Sabrina Carpenter.

The way the track slows down at the end of Good Luck Babe is a really interesting way of finishing a song, I'm sure it's been done before of course.