"Call Me" vs. "Call Me Maybe"

i would've voted even for Tweet's "Call Me" over CRJ

I'm honestly torn. "Call Me" was one of the first 45s I ever bought and that song has been a semi-constant in my life since I was about 12. However, I'm beyond infatuation with "Call Me Maybe" and it will probably be my track of the year unless something else swoops in to replace it.

"Call Me" is great and all but I've always counted it as a lesser Blondie single for whatever reason and "Call Me Maybe" is pure Pop Utopianism and I feel I'd be betraying "the moment" by voting against it so Carly Rae Jepsen guys NO REGRETS.

"Call Me Maybe." Don't think I like a Blondie song after Eat to the Beat.

You guys must be insane. Blondie, without question.

I actually feel the same way about "Call Me Maybe" as I do about "We Are Young": huge chorus, nothing verses. "Call Me" seems so obviously to be the better song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUCM5nK87mE

this should sway some votes

i think i like the verses of "Call Me Maybe" more than the chorus actually

I like Carly Rae's song, like a four-fifths "teenage dream" though
blondie's is aight

i think i like the verses of "Call Me Maybe" more than the chorus actually

― here's my lumber, so jack me maybe (some dude), Tuesday, June 19, 2012 11:20 PM (22 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah easily

middle-eight is best though.

Really? I kind of hate the middle eight.

"Call me" and not because of an 'omg how could you vote for the NEW one' thing, it's just a way better song

I don't mind the CRJ song but this is easily Blondie.

The middle-eight is what elevates it from generic if well-assembled teen-pop into a huge pop moment.

Would"ve voted for Tweet
Love Blondie's Call Me a massive amount but it's CRJ no question

CRJ

I prefer Blondie's more direct entreaty

The middle-eight is what elevates it from generic if well-assembled teen-pop into a huge pop moment.

is the "I missed you so bad" part that's pretty much indistinct from the chorus the "middle eight"? that part is pretty weak & pandering. I guess pandering is a good thing in pop, though.

I guess the "your stare was holdin..." part is the actual middle eight. I'm not actually sure what defines a "middle eight" in a song that's verse-chorus-verse.

some of you guys are massively overrating "Call Me Maybe"

otm

I prefer Blondie's more direct entreaty

CRJ is pretty 'direct' in the video... (Think "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot")

Debbie Harry was on the Muppet show a lot - she gets many cool points for that. But Call Me was never my favourite Blondie song - I'd go X Offendor or Rip Her To Shreds - andI too am swept up in the pop momentum of CMM. Also, she's Canadian! WE'RE TAKING OVER.

My vote for "Call Me Maybe" was more by default. I think it's fine--it's not "Crimson and Clover" or anything, but it's a good pop song. "Call Me" was pretty good in American Gigolo, but it's part of that morass of 10 million songs I've heard 10 million times.

Also, she's Canadian! WE'RE TAKING OVER.

I just watched the video to CMM again. It confirms my vote.

I love Blondie but Call Me isn't one of my favorite songs by them. Call Me Maybe is fucking awesome though so that.

I'll admit when I hear "Call Me" now it kind of makes me want to put on "Children Of The Grave" instead

real actual heresy: CRJ might be hotter than DH

crazy talk

End of the year, kids are working on board games, so I couldn't resist bringing up this thread. On-the-spot reportage: Kiandra votes for "Call Me" (which she already knew).

CRJ might be hotter than DH

Have you gone mad, man?!

Picture I was going to post of DH to prove how otherworldy beautiful she is includes her vagina 0_o (Search for Blondie Dr X and you too can see it) but rest assured, DH is hotter than most women, even pretty little CRJ.

yeah that's absurd, jepsen looks out of dark crystal somewhat

voted 'call me maybe', partly 'call me' is overrated (though it does bridge 70s moroder and 80s moroder in the best possible fashion), partly still can't get over corgi rae jepsen

That's like calling trumps. (xpost)

Clemenza: will you be at the next Secret Canadian Meeting to plan the world's next favourite boy band?

haha this thread is like vintage 2002 ILX so I can't even get mad

FFM: sssshhhhhh....ixnay on the meetnay.

crap, they're gonna take away my OHIP card :(

... you're having a nmeet?

As much as I love Blondie, "Call Me" has always felt too cold & clinical; a marker of how remote they briefly became at the apex of their imperial phase. Whereas "Call Me Maybe" is perky and lovable. As I prize perky/lovable over cold/clinical, CRJ it is.

some of you guys are massively overrating "Call Me Maybe"

― Victory Chainsaw! (DJP), Wednesday, June 20, 2012 9:59 AM (45 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I'd like to see the result of "Call Me Maybe" vs "Since U Been Gone"

I've been blind to the similarities btw "Call me maybe" and "Teenage Dream" til now, blinded by string glissandi prbably

Ripped jeans, skin was showing

x-post - OMG THAT WOULD BE SO HARD DJP

yeah that's absurd, jepsen looks out of dark crystal somewhat

Yep. She's in the Gelfling club along with the Olsen twins. Not to say that she's not totally hot because she def is but Debbie Harry is just amazing.

Picture I was going to post of DH to prove how otherworldy beautiful she is includes her vagina 0_o

this is still cracking me up btw

yeah i was wondering the other day if 'call me maybe' was the biggest idol related hit yet, 'since u been gone' is the only one that i think was plausibly bigger but it didn't hit #1 and corgi rae did (and knocked out a sting song also so yay canada) and it feels like it's still got some steam in it.

I should clarify I wasn't actually searching for vagina pictures. They just turn up when you search 'Deborah Harry'! The thumbnail was adorable and then the click.. yeah.

this is still cracking me up btw

Of course I googled this. Odd photo; she's porky-piggin' on stage.

As far as Idol hits go, Carrie Underwood would be a player in this argument. (I don't follow the country charts, but it seems like "Before He Cheats" was ENORMOUS during its year.)

She's actually wearing gold tights in that Dr X photo, btw. They look like her legs when processed in b&w though.

yeah i was wondering the other day if 'call me maybe' was the biggest idol related hit yet, 'since u been gone' is the only one that i think was plausibly bigger but it didn't hit #1 and corgi rae did (and knocked out a sting song also so yay canada) and it feels like it's still got some steam in it.

depending on what happens this summer, "Stronger" could make a resurgence (it's hit #1 already)

As far as Idol hits go, Carrie Underwood would be a player in this argument. (I don't follow the country charts, but it seems like "Before He Cheats" was ENORMOUS during its year.)

during its years – it got airplay and new sales for a loooong time

ahhh, makes sense JF. I knew she liked short dresses (I have this live DVD that made me a little gay) but I thought that was a pretty.. bold choice!

there's some totally insane-o stat floating around that, when you start aggregating all of the charts, American Idol finalists have had something like 350 #1 songs and albums since the show started

yeah i could see carrie underwood for biggest idol related star (we'll see how she weathers her dixie chicks moment though) but as big as 'before he cheats' was it didn't have the saturation of 'since u been gone' or 'call me maybe' (at least not in ne ga, which leads me to think probably not in socal or nyc either).

"Before He Cheats" got played 3 times an hour for 2 years in Boston, it was practically "Rolling in the Deep" levels of saturation

peaked at #8

ftr carrie underwood hottest of these 3

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41QSV1BR6EL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Call Me Maybe is fun and poppy but I guess I don't live on the planet where it's better than Call Me.

*removes spacehelmet*

ftr carrie underwood hottest of these 3

― balls, Wednesday, June 20, 2012 10:18 AM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol georgia

someone photoshop Underwood's face on the Koo Koo cover

OMG WAHT IF DEBORAH HARRY HAD BEEN RIPLEY INSTEAD OF SIGOURNEY WEAVER?

lol @ Vgirl

instead she romanced that flabby dude in Heavy

and did a whole video where she french-kissed statues and u_u

As much as I love Blondie, "Call Me" has always felt too cold & clinical; a marker of how remote they briefly became at the apex of their imperial phase. Whereas "Call Me Maybe" is perky and lovable. As I prize perky/lovable over cold/clinical, CRJ it is.

― mike t-diva, Wednesday, June 20, 2012 9:46 AM (39 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^^^ Totally agree with almost all of this, EXCEPT I find "Call Me Maybe" perky, lovable, and pretty much forgettable the moment it's over. Blondie B+, CRJ B.

perky, lovable, and pretty much forgettable the moment it's over.

otm

is the "I missed you so bad" part that's pretty much indistinct from the chorus the "middle eight"? that part is pretty weak & pandering. I guess pandering is a good thing in pop, though.

This is the section I thought they were referring to.

wish the poll options included al green and the throwing muses

Cold and clinical?! Call Me is a time-tested powerful incantation imo.

not sure how "cold" is a demerit!

wish the poll options included al green and the throwing muses

or Aretha vs Dennis DeYoung

Call Me is seductive and aggressive and desperate, and Call Me Maybe is kinda cute and, idk, passive? It doesn't do a lot for me. Debbie does it for me.

Call Me Maybe is a truly great pop song for 16 year olds, I dunno what you 30-somes are getting out of it

this is tough... but i think i'm going w/ blondie.

ftr i would definitely choose "call me maybe" over "since u been gone"

This is not a hard choice.

Also, Petula Clark

Wow, Carly Rae Jepsen was born in 1985. I totally thought she was younger than that.

when I hear "Call Me" now it kind of makes me want to put on "Children Of The Grave"

Why not both?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy4Y-ttU1KI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RVxtCbMZGs

(There's 2 other ones on youtube, too, but I'll spare you.)

I am not even sure how "Call Me" vs "Call Me Maybe" is a contest, fwiw. But I am dumb.

Call Me Maybe is a truly great pop song for 16 year olds, I dunno what you 30-somes are getting out of it

― frogbs, Wednesday, June 20, 2012

how does it feel to be 31?

I think it might have to do with them both having the words 'call' and 'me' in their titles.

xpost

That's not what I meant, obviously, but they could have at least have included Spagna.

I could've included a whole laundry list of songs with "Call" and "Me" in their titles, but I really just wanted to make people choose between two and Blondie's seems like the most ubiquitiously famous of the "Call Me"'s.

I have never made the musical connection between "Children Of The Grave" and "Call Me" before this moment. LOL, thanks ILM!

you are a terrible person for making this poll fyi, JF

That's not what I meant

Just a dumb joke...

No love for Ringo's song, eh?

Call Me Irresponsible

how does it feel to be 31?

i'm 26....

Already predicting how dessicated your thirties will be?

it's no "I Want it That Way", can I just say

also lol @ saying that not enjoying having "Call me Maybe" drilled into your head every time you go anywhere or do anything = dessication

I had to listen to them soundcheck "Call me maybe" for five hours last Saturday and I'm feeling pretty dead inside as a result

The only song from exposure to which for five hours I wouldn't feel pretty dead inside is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc5Sm4iRtxs

HOORAY!

sanity restored

btw I would totally vote for the Tay Zonday version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sruQJ12PsI

i only regret that i cannot cast 10 votes for blondie

I would like to vote for this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEsPhTbJhuo&feature=related

Call Me Maybe is a truly great pop song for 16 year olds, I dunno what you 30-somes are getting out of it

― frogbs, Wednesday, June 20, 2012 2:39 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

so otm

Does it stop being truly great when you hit 17, 18 or maybe 22?

I thought Achy Breaky Heart was truly great when I was 4

carly rae jepsen is 26 and i feel that's sort of important, it has this sort of "idealised golden age of teenpop" feel to it, and the kind of tension (borne often from the knowledge of adulthood) between the idealised high school teenage crush that you know is idealised and never happened quite like that vs the realness of capturing those heart-in-mouth private feelings that happened all too well

one of my favourite things about "call me maybe" is how it pretends to be really forward - lusting over his SKIN, "and this is CRAZY" - but it's all an internal monologue and when it comes down to it she's pretty coy. the title line could've easily been "call me baby" which makes a lot more actual grammatical sense, certainly it's less clunky, and you have to think the writers thought of it, but "call me baby" kind of assumes she's got what she wants already and knows it, whereas "call me maybe" draws back at the last minute - in both song and video there's this underlying assumption that he's probably not going to reciprocate (but the feelings and the possibilities are joyous anyway)

tweet's "call me" is better than either, so secretive and sensual and alluring and i love songs about being the Other Woman (although actually he's the Other Man)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT9TVuoLN9k

to the west side
up and down my spine

carly rae jepsen is 26 and i feel that's sort of important, it has this sort of "idealised golden age of teenpop" feel to it, and the kind of tension (borne often from the knowledge of adulthood) between the idealised high school teenage crush that you know is idealised and never happened quite like that vs the realness of capturing those heart-in-mouth private feelings that happened all too well

Love this, lex.

As much as I love Blondie, "Call Me" has always felt too cold & clinical; a marker of how remote they briefly became at the apex of their imperial phase.

I love cold, clinical and remote Blondie! I'm always a little disappointed by "Atomic" (which I guess is their most remote track, and is brilliant despite my disappointment) because it's never quite as icy as I remember it. But "Call Me" is not even in my top 5 Blondie songs - not remote enough for me.

I still probably like it better than CMM but this needs more thought.

"Call me" was the first Blondie single I didn't buy. Probably because it wasn't on a nice 12" single.

Does it stop being truly great when you hit 17, 18 or maybe 22?

It's similar to a pitcher velocity aging curve, but moved 10 years up. So it's in peak form when you're 15, holds steady until 18, then declines every year until you hit about 30, when it's value over a replacement song (say, "All Out of Love" by Air Supply) becomes about zero

I have never made the musical connection between "Children Of The Grave" and "Call Me" before this moment. LOL, thanks ILM!

gotta give xhuxk total credit for that link, even if he got it from somewhere else back in the day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17ktP8hmqHs

wish this were slooower

ahh here we go

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teHgkrMVpz0

oh and one of these

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSxquE6VDiQ

That Fallon/Roots clip made me like Call Me Maybe a lot more but I think it's more to do with Questo playing a kazoo than Carly May Jetson or w/e her name is

Still Blondie

Carly May Jetson

dn of the future!

I do appreciate lex's interpretation up above but I think she's looking into it way too much, as far as I can tell this woman's being marketed to the 14-year old Bieber crowd

the song has pretty broad appeal across age groups, demographically it's more like "Toxic" than a Bieber single

i am a teenpop person but "call me maybe" doesn't really do it for me; it gets stuck in my head sometimes and i think i like it and then i play it and get bored. lex otm about the "maybe" part, though, that is my favorite thing about it.

same here. it's just an OK song imo, not bad but not great.

I disagree respectfully even, frog; I think Lex is a great writere who's made a career out of loving this stuff (and getting others to love it too) and I think he has nailed how the song's appeal works rather masterfully

I was going to say, Call Me Maybe clearly appeals to a generation of people who have felt alienated by the majority of post-Gaga, post-Guetta chart pop.

I disagree respectfully even, frog; I think Lex is a great writere who's made a career out of loving this stuff (and getting others to love it too) and I think he has nailed how the song's appeal works rather masterfully

are you 30?

idk those chord changes still sound pretty ravey to me, in a way.

xp

xp haha what? p sure there is a big overlap bw ppl who like jepsen and gaga/guetta

(Wow I totally fucked up those first four words! Xxp)

for another month and a half, Alfred. But I'm voting for Blondie, mind you

I was unfamiliar with Tweet's "Call Me" before this thread, but damn. That song makes me feel all icky. Cheating is bad behavior and desparate and aggressive cheating is even worse. So imo Tweet's song isn't better than either of these, and is in fact something I'll probably never listen to again if I can help it.

how about that beat though

dope beat.

I disagree respectfully even, frog; I think Lex is a great writere who's made a career out of loving this stuff (and getting others to love it too) and I think he has nailed how the song's appeal works rather masterfully

Well you can see whatever you want to see in the tune. I mean, 26 is old for this kind of music (she's older than me!), and I don't feel like it's being marketed that way. Would you know how old she was if you didn't look it up? What would you have guessed if you hadn't? Also "Call Me Baby" wouldn't really work, but yes that part is interesting. I mean theres plenty to like about the tune but I would be careful ascribing it that kind of meaning

haha what? p sure there is a big overlap bw ppl who like jepsen and gaga/guetta

Of course, but there's also going to be a chunk of that fanbase who don't, because Call Me Maybe is considerably more 00s or even late 90s teenpop than it is 10s teenpop.

why do you care so much about the proper age at which you listen to shit?

youthful appeal a liability, says They Might Be Giants fan

in the eighties frogbs would have been stanning for Steve Winwood albums

i don't hear any '90s in it, it's a very mid-'00s Veronicas-via-Vanessa Carlton thing imo

speaking of which, i remember how shocked people were at Carlton being 21 when "A Thousand Miles" dropped

yeaaahhhh that Tweet song. just, no.

I liked 'Oops, Oh My' - 'Call Me', not so much.

TMBG is a totally different thing, dunno what you're on about there

"The proper age" - to me it feels a lot more like Bieber than say Lady Gaga or even "Toxic", there's just a certain type of wide-eyed romantic idealism that hits so much harder for a teenager than it does somene who's 15 years removed from puberty, if you are and you still love the song, more power to ya. I mean I do appreciate this for being the biggest earworm since "Born This Way", at least

feel like only the strings are giving it the Vanessa Carlton feel and the vocal affectations give it a sort of juvenile quality a la Barbie girl but everything else about this song to me is dr. luke/Katy perry type joint

There's no obvious use of autotune or massive rave clouds or thudding house beats. It's got a completely different feel.

yeah it's by no means an anti-Katy/Luke but it's got a pretty distinct sensibility from that stuff

it's definitely a breath of fresh air in the era of Lady Gaga/Katy Perry/Black Eyed Peas/Guetta, I don't think the strings quite give it a vibe like Vanessa Carlton, I think they're just there because that's what makes the song the catchiest, simple as that

Katy Perry and Carly Rae Jepsen are doing the same things musically, imo

yes. you can sing p much all of "teenage dream" to the instrumental of "call me maybe"

Call Me Maybe strikes me as being more in the Michelle Branch/Sara Bareilles axis of Vanessa Carlton type stuff.

Katy Perry and Carly Rae Jepsen are doing the same things musically, imo

not that i know any CRJ outside of this song but the hallmark of Katy Perry is her Jeff Mangum style of singing everything is LOUDLY AS FUCKING POSSIBLE while "Call Me Maybe" at least has the option of being ignored

please, nobody listen to the Slate Culture Gabfest discussing Call Me Maybe this week.

done and done

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

you're still talking about "call me" nearly 30 years later. I'm pretty sure everyone will have forgotten "Call me maybe" by this time next year. utterly forgettable.

I'm prettty everyone won't.

pretty sure

yeah i hate when people say that. people remember EVERYTHING now, especially things that have reached a certain level of ubiquity.

what evidence have you that critics and listeners thought Blondie's "Call Me" would vanish after summer '80?

xpost

If people still remember "French Kissing in the USA" (and they do) then they will certainly remember "Call Me Maybe".

is that the original title of "Party In The USA"?

In Love With Love (SAW) mix >>>>>> French Kissin

All-time classic disco-rock epic vs agreeably perky disco-rock trifle. Debbie Harry founded the school that CRJ is wait-listed for.

here's my number, so call me in 30 years if you're still listening to this song

flopson can i get your sister number why because she look intersting

lol

hung up on a word. sheesh. only time will tell. I can't even remember what "call me maybe" sounds like 30 secs after hearing it. I'm in the minority:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/06/why-call-me-maybe-is-so-catchy/

I find the prospect of the citizens of 2042 all agreeing with my opinions to be quite a boring-seeming future which I would not want to come true.

heard this first time in forever out the other night, never knew it had a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYpNQXK6lpM

DiscoveredCall Me Maybe after that Kate Perry Youtube tribute thingie. Goes to show how sad I have become. lol Like the song a LOT but I'd pick Blondie. But I won't. Instead I prefer Tweet.

CMM isn't very good really is it. Yr all kidding yourselves.

I find the prospect of the citizens of 2042 all agreeing with my opinions to be quite a boring-seeming future which I would not want to come true.

― Tim F, Monday, June 25, 2012 6:57 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

OTM response to the pointless appealing-to-posterity argument.

Ah, imagine todays world where everyone is still talking about ELP and have forgotten the Sex Pistols.

i love the lyrics on call me maybe. i can barely remember anything from "call me" except "anyplace, anywhere any tiiiime".

for instance:

it's hard to look right
at you, baby

the way she pauses after "right" makes you think that's the end - "it's hard to look right". well, it fucking is, isn't it, especially when you've got a crush on somebody. it's practically impossible to look right, even when you've had 20 minutes to put together your outfit. but hang on - "at you baby" oof, in even deeper into this crush! it's not just "what do i look like" but "what do i look AT?" - such a simple line, but one which pulls the rug from under you halfway through, which is just such a perfect sort of RHYME for what it's talking about, that whole flustered feeling of just not feeling grounded, not knowing what to do around a crush.

before you came into my life
i missed you so bad

is this really what she says?? i mean, it's such a paradox i'm willing to believe i'm mishearing it, but come on people, that is genius.

I would just like to know if in Canada it is really considered crazy to give someone your phone number after you meet them and find them attractive. That's pretty normal dating behavior here in the States, but I am unfamiliar with your more circumspect northern courtship practices.

"Where you think you're going, baby?" is the genius line, some slight menace in it. Like, "baby" could have been replaced by "fuckface"...

tipsy that's the genius of call me maybe - it captures the ways that "normal dating behavior" feels reckless and exciting and a little nuts

Oh I guess. I just like imaging some Canadian boy being all like, "She gave me her NUMBER. What the hell? Where are the months of discreet, lightly perfumed letters followed by a formal interview with her father?"

Imagining

before you came into my life
i missed you so bad

is this really what she says?? i mean, it's such a paradox i'm willing to believe i'm mishearing it, but come on people, that is genius.

― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Monday, June 25, 2012 6:51 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

otm, i love that line

I do think the lyrics to "Call Me Maybe" are great

still picking Blondie

^yeah

Ah, imagine todays world where everyone is still talking about ELP and have forgotten the Sex Pistols.

Neither band is forgotten, surely. ELP gets plenty of classic rock airplay.

Exactly.

Oft heard quote from 35 years ago "People will still be talking about ELP long after the Sex Pistols have been forgotten"

Whereas even the people who said that are glad that's not what happened.

While we're talking lyrics, "Call Me" was my introduction to the concept of "designer sheets." I didn't know what it meant, but it sounded sexy.

tipsy that's the genius of call me maybe - it captures the ways that "normal dating behavior" feels reckless and exciting and a little nuts

This + I think the narrator is not used to being the pursuer. The boys usually chase her.

(Cool, Mark G. I see what you're saying now.

I've heard an indie rock guy tell me that Peter Frampton is completely forgotten now!)

'Call Me'.

You CMM fans are coming up with some interesting readings of the song/lyrics, especially in regards to the singer being 26yo. But for me it ultimately comes down to the emotional/physical content of a song, how I react to it. And to these ears it simply doesn't have these complexities you all are ascribing to the lyrics and context. It's emotionally one-dimensional, something you hum while shopping at the mall (and not much more); hence the accusation that it is only aimed at tween girls.

Blondie's song isn't terribly layered either, especially compared to some of their other hits. But it has a (simultaneous) slick & grimy sleaze that appeals to me. Plus 70s/80s Debbie Harry was a master performer, making it all look so effortless.

Well the lyrics are def original & sophisticated; their complexity isn't merely 'ascribed' to them. But I feel like CMM just doesn't have the hooks, and Call Me just wrings so many hooks out of the sabbth-meets-moroder arrangemnt. The Rembrandts ripped off the big hook off their most successful (I think) non-sitcom-related single "Just the Way It is, Baby" from the pre-chorus. Plus, as others have pointed, Debbie's lyrics aint too shabby either.

Glad someone posted the Jimmy Fallon/Roots clip. I played that for three different classes today--love it.

it's so good.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

faith in ilx = restored

...for now

Pleasing numbers to anybody who likes math. Actually, "Call Me Maybe" didn't do too badly.

You CMM fans are coming up with some interesting readings of the song/lyrics, especially in regards to the singer being 26yo. But for me it ultimately comes down to the emotional/physical content of a song, how I react to it. And to these ears it simply doesn't have these complexities you all are ascribing to the lyrics and context. It's emotionally one-dimensional, something you hum while shopping at the mall (and not much more); hence the accusation that it is only aimed at tween girls.

I feel like this is a point that's been made here too many times before to merit repeating but: your argument jumps way too quickly from what you hear emotionally/physically in the tune ---> the tune as "emotionally one dimensional" ---> the tune is "aimed at tween girls".

There's no link between emotional complexity (which itself would be one of the most individually variably perceived qualities in music) and the age of the target audience. "Call Me" isn't emotionally complex at all, and is less so than "Call Me Maybe". It codes as "older" than "Call Me Maybe" (though not by that much) for stylistic reasons.

Anyway there's nothing wrong, and a lot that's right, with emotional simplicity (as a form of "purity" for some people I guess, though I'm suspicious of that term) which is why it is so often heavily prized not just in pop, but in most genres.

honestly, they both strike me as rather simple songs, emotionally and lyrically. each describes the sense of a romantic moment fairly well, but i think "call me" does a better job of capturing that moment musically, the headlong rush of erotic power and inevitability. it feels intoxicating, sexy and dangerous while "call me maybe" doesn't evoke much but excited good cheer. that's appropriate, i suppose, but not terribly compelling, imo.

there's nothing wrong with simple songs. you don't need much idea-wise to fill 3 minutes if it's a good idea.

33 people are lacking the most important thing of all: CONFIDENCE

Tim F otm

part of the choice here may come down to whether you fantasize about imperious blondes addressing you as someone who has designer sheets or whether you fantasize about nervous giggly girls

or whether you imagine yourself as one or the other

part of the choice here may come down to whether you fantasize about imperious blondes addressing you as someone who has designer sheets or whether you fantasize about nervous giggly girls

this makes me feel kinda gross

buy the ticket, take the ride

part of the choice here may come down to whether you fantasize about imperious blondes addressing you as someone who has designer sheets or whether you fantasize about nervous giggly girls

imagine CRJ covering "Sunday Girl."

French Kissin in The USA

that'll kill any fantasy dead, surely

Tim, I'm not drawing those links directly. Nobody said emotional simplicity was bad (or that "Call Me" was more complex), but that I disagree with some who are making the leap about the song's complexity via content that I'm just not hearing in the song itself. Of course emotional simplicity is prized in pop. It sounds to me like you're arguing that the song is both emotionally simple and complex; something which I would say somebody like Robyn is far better at achieving in contemporary pop. Not that Robyn has directly figured into this discussion up to this point, but I hesitate to praise CMM for such a feat.

"I like Robyn" = "but I have gay/black friends!"

ugh can we please live in a world where it's okay to like Robyn thx guyz

^ this

not in one where it's reasonable to bring her up in a CRJ discussion, tho

It sounds to me like you're arguing that the song is both emotionally simple and complex

I think with a lot of music and in particular pop music, the song acts like a sponge which soaks up the level of meaning/resonance/nuance/application-to-yr-life-experience that you throw at it. So it's not a special feature of CMM that it works this way, and the more invested a listener is the more their enjoyment will operate on multiple levels. This is why I think that this is a bad metric for determining whether the song has merit, because a hater and a fan are, for good reasons, unlikely to find common ground.

something which I would say somebody like Robyn is far better at achieving in contemporary pop. Not that Robyn has directly figured into this discussion up to this point, but I hesitate to praise CMM for such a feat.

It's hard to compare one song against an entire ouvre, but if you choose one Robyn tune ("Be Mine" or "With Every Heartbeat" or "Dancing On My Own" or "Indestructible" or etc.) then I think they're comparable, and I don't see any strong basis for your distinction except personal preference... and the fact that across multiple albums Robyn has constructed a meta-narrative of pop-as-meaning-sponge.

One of the things Robyn does is build into pop a performed self-awareness w/r/t pop music as a locus of potential meaning, but such meaning (or the co-existence of simplicity and complexity etc.) is not contingent on self-awareness to exist. Though it's always tempting to conflate the presence of meaning with instances of self-awareness of same, which is certainly one reason for Robyn's critical success (not a complaint, I love Robyn).

fucking robyn

how many times have i heard the words "but i do like pop, i like ROBYN!!!1111" out of the lips of some tedious bore otherwise overflowing with disdain for anything they perceive as "manufactured" or "for tween girls" or whatever

i don't know why people are so caught up in "the target age" of a particular song or artist anyway? what, you can't empathise with the perspective of someone outside your own rigidly self-defined identity? that's weird to me. or maybe you're just scared of being taken for a teenage girl? lol.

I do think there's something to be said for "Be Mine" being a little more sophisticated just as poetry, as writing, even if it's not more thematically complex. And "With Every Heartbeat" is more compositionally adventurous and complex. I quite like CMM, though.

how many times have i heard the words "but i do like pop, i like ROBYN!!!1111" out of the lips of some tedious bore otherwise overflowing with disdain for anything they perceive as "manufactured" or "for tween girls" or whatever

― bitch I'm on the 242 (lex pretend), Tuesday, 26 June 2012 6:31 AM (12 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This totally doesn't surprise me at all but I've been super lucky enough to escape this IRL, else I think I'd probably dislike her too by now.

It's a good thing tears never show in the pouring rain
As if a good thing ever could make up for all the pain
There'll be no last chance, I promise to never mess it up again
Just a sweet pain of watching your back as you walk
As I'm watching you walk away
And now you're gone, there's like an echo in my head
And I remember every word you said

It's a cool thing you'll never know all the ways I tried
It's a hard thing faking a smile when I feel like I'm falling apart inside
And now you're gone, there's like an echo in my head
And I remember every word you said

And you never were and you never will be mine
No, you never were and you never will be mine

For the first time, there is no mercy in your eyes
And the cold wind's hitting my face and you're gone
And you're walking away
And I am helpless sometimes, wishing's just no good
'Cause you don't see me like I wish you would

'Cause you never were and you never will be mine
No, you never were and you never will be mine

There's a moment to seize every time that we meet
But you always keep passing me by
No, you never were and you never will be mine

I saw you at the station
You had your arm around what's-her-name
She had on that scarf I gave you
You got down to tie her laces

'Cause you never were and you never will be mine
(You looked happy and that's great)
No, you never were and you never will be mine
(I just miss you, that's all)

'Cause you never were and you never will be mine
No, you never were and you never will be mine

There's a moment to seize every time that we meet
But you have always keep passing me by
No, you never were and you never will be mine
'Cause you never were and you never will be mine
No, you never were and you never will be mine

There's a moment to seize every time that we meet
But you have always keep passing me by
No, you never were and you never will be mine

I do think there's something to be said for "Be Mine" being a little more sophisticated just as poetry, as writing, even if it's not more thematically complex.

I do love the opening couplet, but honestly if "Be Mine" wasn't a Robyn song but was the next CRJ tune I doubt that many people would be that surprised (throwback fake R&B beats would actually seem like the appropriate next trick for CRJ/her producers). It's a very similar mix of the general and the specific IMO.

as a friend recently pointed out to me, what's ironic is that the fear of pop (as seen in the comments beneath eg my fact piece on garage pop remixes) is itself the most teenage possible trait

Thank you, Gukbe. I don't fault Robyn for covering more ground than the vast majority of pop artists today.

I could compare CMM to, say, "Dancing on My Own"... and I don't think it holds up as "an interesting character telling a compelling story in a direct, efficient manner". Direct and efficient, yes; compelling story, eh, somewhat (?). Interesting character, not so much. I don't know any personal details about her after listening to the song. Ok, fine; so maybe it's not about getting to know a character, but about their worldview? Mmm, nothing terribly memorable there either. Or about how she feels about this boy? Well, I don't get much out of knowing he wears ripped jeans. Ok, so she's crushing hard. Yes, I found it! That's great. In that respect, she hits her mark. But I wouldn't say there's much more to support repeat listening for me.

Yeah, it's hard to pretend personal preference doesn't play into this. But I do think it's a perfectly legitimate way to evaluate a pop song. And I think contenderizer was OTM saying CMM "doesn't evoke much but excited good cheer".

I don't fault Robyn for covering more ground than the vast majority of pop artists today.

Literally a snapshot of me right now

http://www.myfacewhen.net/uploads/923-facepalm.gif

Stick to the topic instead of just finding quotes that you don't like ;)

i just wish we could get away from both "Robyn is better than 'mainstream pop music'" and "Robyn fans don't know anything about 'pop' music coz they're just a bunch of poser indie fuxxors"

I'd put "Call Your Girlfriend" almost up there with "Call Me Maybe" as far as great pop songs go - CMM gets an extra push though because it's popularity/viral aspects make it an exciting example of pop utopianism that is infectious and exciting.

i just wish we could get away from both "Robyn is better than 'mainstream pop music'" and "Robyn fans don't know anything about 'pop' music coz they're just a bunch of poser indie fuxxors"

agreed.

I could compare CMM to, say, "Dancing on My Own"... and I don't think it holds up as "an interesting character telling a compelling story in a direct, efficient manner".

I would concede that "Dancing On My Own" is great and nearly as good as "Call Me Maybe" and possibly a bit better than Ashlee Simpson's "Dancing Alone" even though it steals from the Ashlee tune rather egregiously.

But again I think any notion that Robyn conveys measurably more "personal details" or some greater insight into her "worldview" is pure projection on your part, and stems from the fact that you just happen to like other aspects of the song more - the fact that it's about yearning jilted love perhaps, or Robyn's vocals, or the melody, or the production, or you read the song favourably within the context of the idea of Robyn you already have in your head, or etc. or etc.

Pure projection which is utterly fine and legitimate, it's the stuff of pop fandom after all, but if you're gonna run the emperor has no clothes argument then you've at least gotta admit that you're just as guilty.

the fact that it's about yearning jilted love perhaps

this isn't quite it - it's also about being invisible, feeling alone in the middle of a crowd. I do suspect again this is why some people really like it over and above other pop, again it seems able to speak to a sense of not being able to just lose yourself in slash identify with a kind of pop rush.

I've heard both tunes played on the same dancefloor on the same night though, and they seem less far apart in that setting. Dancing to pop about love/lust in a social setting that occasions the possibility of love/lust always carries a double meaning in any event: the majority of people who lose themselves in "Call Me Maybe" in this context aren't in the midst of a crush in that moment, but they would like to be, and the majority of (the same) people who lose themselves in "Dancing on my Own" aren't in the same literal position as Robyn's character but they identify with its sense of isolation and perhaps at some level wish that their own more prosaic sense of isolation on the dancefloor was more urgently-felt. Both tunes speak to the desire to reach across a social barrier and find communion and validation, it's just that one holds out the tantalising lure of success and the other eulogises failure. But listeners to both tunes measure their own experience against the tune and perform each tune with the kind of self-distanced exaggeration that Robyn then occasionally fetishises. Hence in many senses these tunes are two sides of the same experience, and I don't really think that one is better or worse than the other.

how many times have i heard the words "but i do like pop, i like ROBYN!!!1111" out of the lips of some tedious bore otherwise overflowing with disdain for anything they perceive as "manufactured" or "for tween girls" or whatever

How many times must the rest of us put up with you divebombing Robyn on nearly every thread in which she's mentioned? The pop-hating/indie-loving asshole who makes an exception in her case is her fault how? It's not.

but I've been super lucky enough to escape this IRL

I think most of us have. It's lex's teeter-tottering defense for his Robyn hatred, that's all.

Most of us obviously haven't, since it happened in this thread.

I think the reasons irregular pop listeners gravitate towards Robyn are at least twofold (and probably more than that)...

1. Not in every song, but in several of them she approaches the story/lyric from a different or altogether new premise. If not that extreme, at least attacks standard subjects with a little extra something (to some people it seems more person, to others it seems more complex...whatever the case, many of her songs up the ante from boilerplate pop tropes).

2. Indie people may be inclined to like her, or at least notice her, because she left the major label machine and started from scratch. DIY ethos is a big deal to some, regardless of what style the artist is trafficking in. These are the people who throw the "manufactured" tag around, but they don't stop at Katy Perry or Beyonce. They do it for EVERY artist who shifts big numbers.

*seems more personAL

or whether you imagine yourself as one or the other

― nicest bitch of poster (La Lechera), Tuesday, 26 June 2012 01:37 (7 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

actually i think in my case it is actually this - i definitely identify with CRJ in this song, rather than mr (or ms????) ripped-jean-skin-showin

That said, everyone I know IRL that even knows who Robyn is also listens to a lot of other pop and r&b as well as rock and whatever else. I'm sorry you guys are surrounded by idiots.

haven't listened much to robyn in the past couple of years ;_;

by the way, i'm not really making the argument for CMM being all that deep or profound - i never knew what 75% of the lyrics were until i'd heard it five times a day for like three weeks, a level of exposure that most people probably won't get; what i think vaults it into a truly great song is how the lyrics actually reward knowing what they are - the complexity's there if you want it, and if you don't, it's still ridiculously fun to realize it's just come on the radio

the fear of pop (as seen in the comments beneath eg my fact piece on garage pop remixes) is itself the most teenage possible trait

truth bomb

eh, regardless of how people in comments sections act, there's nothing inherently immature about being skeptical/hostile towards pop music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTpIHph07Mo

Seriously, though, the strings in "Call Me Maybe:" is that a sample, or was that hook written for the song?

it's not nicked from a classical recording or anything, if that's what you mean. sounds like a synth patch to me.

there's nothing inherently immature about being skeptical/hostile towards pop music.

Skepticism is a virtue, period. But pop music isn't a genre.

never said it was. it's an institution.

it is kind of funny that everyone* loves Robyn to death because she's a miserable gloomy mess covered in glitter and Pop Rocks

I don't see how that makes her any more or less authentic than CRJ, who is a bundle of delighted nerves covered in glitter and Pop Rocks

* this word was specifically chosen to drive Lex insane

I thought the word that did that was "angular".

the angular string motif that pops up on the refrain of "Call Me Maybe"

i don't know why people are so caught up in "the target age" of a particular song or artist anyway? what, you can't empathise with the perspective of someone outside your own rigidly self-defined identity? that's weird to me. or maybe you're just scared of being taken for a teenage girl? lol.

I can empathise with "Party in the USA" or "Never Say Never" too, it doesn't mean I have to like them

looking back, I am not even sure what "angular" was meant to signify in musical terms, and it's something I used to say constantly

I guess I was feeling too good for "jagged" or something

I first heard "angular" around the time when "post-modern music" was said with straight faces by deejays.

There is such a thing as postmodernism, Alfred!

as a synonym for "college rock"?

Only if it's postmodern, I guess!

i forget who said this, but there's a quote i ran across recently: people who say they aren't misogynists mean women their own age; go 20 years in either direction and the story changes.

but does anyone on ILX listen to music marketed to tween boys? some dude excepted.

I like a lot of Green Day and Linkin Park

also Awolnation

I still listen to The Cure.

it's an interesting question. idk if hardrock/chartrock/poppunk stuff is as strongly coded to age.

there are also a bunch of ppl on the boards who will defend Rick Ross and Soulja Boy

ppl even dig Drake and Chris Brown

but does anyone on ILX listen to music marketed to tween boys? some dude excepted.

― mississippi joan hart (crüt), Tuesday, June 26, 2012 11:46 AM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark

most of ILM, dude

people on this board have such an asinine, self-serving idea of how what i listen to is different from what they listen to

Not sure I'd call it 'self-serving' (though I have in fact congratulated myself recently on not listening to Train)

sorry al. I wasn't trying to be a dick.

it's cool, moment of haughtiness, i've put it behind me

and yeah the Cure are a pretty teenagery band. their audience is pretty gender-neutral though. Rick Ross and Soulja Boy I'll definitely concede.

SD, you seem more than almost anyone else on her to be involved in your local scene, not only the diff't types of people making music in Baltimore, but you even some attuned to like the radio programming, the rap stations, the rock stations, the pop stations, which is where I thought most of your interest in the various Billboard charts and the championing of certain quote-unquote uncool radio fare had its roots in the first place. You seem really into how music shapes and is shaped by your immediate environment, in what almost seems like a psychogeographical sense. That's kind of super-awesome imo (though I'm probably way off tbh)

that's very kind of you to say. i'll allow you to continue not listening to Train.

would not call rick ross music marketed to teen boys

i'll rep for "bonfire"

would not call rick ross music marketed to teen boys

he gets his big tits out often enough

It is faintly fucking hilarious that people will actually try and represent that teenboy coded music is not at all represented on a board that spends as much time discussing and addressing *metal* as ILM.

But, y'know... cat, pigeons, and a whole lot of squawking would probably be the result if I went any further with that sentiment.

brb just died laughing (xpost)

I like both of these songs, and also Robyn.

Didn't see it, but Nightline had a story on "Call Me Maybe" last night. Elsewhere, Ted Koppel died a thousand deaths.

i'm enjoying this lots
http://mabsonenterprises.bandcamp.com/track/call-me-maybe-acapella-147-times-exponentially-layered

― nathey, Wednesday, July 4, 2012 4:36 AM (10 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Man, by the end that's abrasive and hypnotic and incredible.

― Johnny Fever, Wednesday, July 4, 2012 4:54 AM (10 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StKVS0eI85I

Nuff said.

damn, you know what's a motherfucking EAR WORM?

i voted for "call me" without hesitation or regret, and it's not like i'd do any different now, but i've come to like "call me maybe" a hell of a lot more than i did at first. doesn't have anything on blondie's seductive rush, but it does a damn good job of capturing the dizzy buzz of new infatuation. and it gets stuck in my head real bad. tbh, i think silly videos of people singing along to it helped sell me. like how watching a dumb comedy with a happy crowd is always better than home alone.

recently found out that "call me" is produced by giorgio moroder

and it is! he's done some good work.

you can just barely tell on the single but his influence on this extended version is prominent (bit too much so maybe)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVVPowtP2PM

most underrated part of this thread was when frogbs thought lex was a woman

tbh, i think silly videos of people singing along to it helped sell me.

I didn't need this to love the song but I agree that there's something quite endearing about people singing along to it, especially how it seems to reduce otherwise very macho looking guys to making fools of themselves.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7shl2wlkk1qawcqfo7_250.gif

the best bit of the US Olympic swim team's "call me maybe" video

Basically every dude I was referring to in my post above exists on a scale of 1 to Ryan Lochte.

Basically every dude I was referring to in my post above exists on a scale of 1 to Ryan Lochte.

ha, yes well that too

tim you know there have been rumours than ryan lochte is dating or has dated k michelle???!!

http://c684645.r45.cf2.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/kmichelle-ryan-lochte-e13437380957802.png

if only it was teedra we could make a backstroke joke

She would be his type of chick I imagine.

OTOH his mom says he only does one nighters

xpost - applause

i suspect k michelle is into boys who only do one nighters

i dunno (insert zero f*cks given joke)

mom lochte 'walked that back' as they say here

Basically every dude I was referring to in my post above exists on a scale of 1 to Ryan Lochte.

― lex pretend, Thursday, August 16, 2012 3:04 AM (7 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol

(otm)

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m943l3oocu1r0p8d9o1_r1_1280.jpg

University of Chicago FTW

ugh that is like the groupon of college acceptance letters!

haha

givin carly rae a bad name imo

if people don't reply they'll send one out that says "you didn't have to cut us off"

We feel so rough,

U of C

haha again

did we do Steve Kardynal's Call Me Maybe chat roulette video itt? It kind made me feel better abt the human race.

It was posted somewhere on ILM, but I don't think it was in here. (rolling pop?)

http://khu.music.s3.amazonaws.com/songify_504f595206928.mp3

Haha, this is great! Did you make it?

"So Carly Rae Jepsen, guys, No-oo-ooo-oooo Reg-ret-sss"

applause

Aw, thanks! Yes, made by mine own fair hand, inspired by Farrah Abraham. There's one on the Bieber thread as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pPetUwLDdA

adorable!

OMFG

hahahaha I am just now hearing mike t-diva's song, amazing