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Post by drbastard on Mar 14, 2005 7:01:51 GMT -5
This is very difficult for me. I do like Gwen. I like her influences and her ideas. BUT recently she's beginning to grate on me a little. If it isn't her vacant staring when she's being interviewed, it's the fact Rich Girl is really lame and just plain lazy. The lyrics are awful and the video is rotten with Eve (I think) rapping about 'The Hood' and 'Japan'.
What?
Now I know this may seem a little silly but I can't help how I feel. The whole Harajuku thing is getting a bit stupid too and I really wish Gwen would go back to No Doubt and do songs like 'New'.
Yay or Nay? I suppose I could have been spoiled by the genius of Annie's pop opus.
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aneza
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Post by aneza on Mar 14, 2005 7:37:07 GMT -5
this whole harajuku thing is starting to get on my nerves too..
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Post by drbastard on Mar 14, 2005 7:42:05 GMT -5
Thank God somebody agrees. I thought I was just being a complete and utter bastardmonster. They are getting irritating!
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Post by willpower on Mar 14, 2005 7:51:27 GMT -5
yup agreed. as much as i hate to say it. i think she should ditch it for the next video as its already getting dull.
the track is great though, although someone said she was crap on Ant & Dec on sat... although admittedly the someone was my dad but he isnt too off the mark sometimes!
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Post by gazbo on Mar 14, 2005 8:03:08 GMT -5
On the released singles she's currently two-for-two on namechecking harajuku girls (and fucking how on Rich Girl) - what's the rest of the album like? Does she continue to shoehorn it into other tracks too?
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beNcooKe
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Post by beNcooKe on Mar 14, 2005 8:40:48 GMT -5
i dont mind seeing the harajuku dancers and stuff but i do wish she would stop name checking them. I mean if she wasnt a famous singer that would make her some unpopular wannabe with an odd obsession about a group of people, bit of a stalker.
Pet Shop Boys wrote their track Paninaro about a group of trendy 1980s italian teens they observed but thankfully they didnt mention them away from the track. Imagine if they did, itd drive you mad.
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Post by zaffra on Mar 14, 2005 10:43:14 GMT -5
Pet Shop Boys wrote their track Paninaro about a group of trendy 1980s italian teens they observed but thankfully they didnt mention them away from the track. Imagine if they did, itd drive you mad. I always thought that was a bit of a piss take rather than homage.
Passion and love, sex, money,
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beNcooKe
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Post by beNcooKe on Mar 14, 2005 11:14:33 GMT -5
im not so sure. Whenever Neil or Chris talk about it they dont tend to express that sort of feeling.
Also the bit near the end doesnt sound too piss-takey. Although the 1995 version is too fast to tell.
"you, you were my lover... my passion, my love, my sex"etc etc
If you have the PopArt DVD they have the original ammaturely shot video, you actually see the really paninaro kids and they look a little trashy, but fashion changes...
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Post by jal04 on Mar 14, 2005 11:33:25 GMT -5
On the released singles she's currently two-for-two on namechecking harajuku girls (and fucking how on Rich Girl) - what's the rest of the album like? Does she continue to shoehorn it into other tracks too? And LAMB finds it's way into most songs as well. Bit of shameless self promotion. |
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Post by blokesophie on Mar 14, 2005 12:01:53 GMT -5
I think the album's very mixed. There are some great tracks: Hollaback Girl and Bubble Pop Electric. However, some sound distinctly Usher- there's one that's most probably about Gavin Rossdale. You can just imagine her playing it to him and him just cringing at it. It's a fun album, but I wanna see her doing her ska punk again. Also, her boobs are fake, which annoys me. I'm all for the Harajuku girls and LAMB. A lot of muscians do product placement, she's just more blatant about it.
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Post by Josh on Mar 14, 2005 12:23:40 GMT -5
It bothers me she takes them around with her everywhere more than anything.
And "Rich Girl" probably is a lazy release, what with having Eve on it. Apparently the record company are picking the most "urban" singles for release after they anticipated "What You Waiting For?" would flop in the US. Hmmmmmmmmmmm.
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Post by veryjammy on Mar 14, 2005 13:02:42 GMT -5
Did What You Waiting For bomb in the US then?
Also I personally found her album the best pop album of last year, with only one stinker - 'Luxurious'
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Post by aldo on Mar 14, 2005 14:05:54 GMT -5
Her album's sheer brilliance but yeah there's something about her I find annoying.
Her voice live is proper shit though
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Post by Mike on Mar 14, 2005 14:49:03 GMT -5
. However, some sound distinctly Usher Is Usher a euphemism for something in this context? Because none of the album sounds remotely like Usher to me. I'm amazed this thread even exists. She makes great, varied, fresh-sounding pop music. She has a distinctive voice and an even more distinctive style of dress. She puts on great live performances. Oh, and she's stunning. Seriously, what exactly do you people want in a pop star? I despair at times, really I do. |
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Post by blokesophie on Mar 14, 2005 14:58:20 GMT -5
Is Usher a euphemism for something in this context? Because none of the album sounds remotely like Usher to me. The beginning of Luxurious. Actually, it sounds more like Another Level- Freak Me. I was never quite the fan of all things Bobak-related. |
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Post by Jen on Mar 14, 2005 15:06:08 GMT -5
Is Usher a euphemism for something in this context? Because none of the album sounds remotely like Usher to me. I'm amazed this thread even exists. She makes great, varied, fresh-sounding pop music. She has a distinctive voice and an even more distinctive style of dress. She puts on great live performances. Oh, and she's stunning. Seriously, what exactly do you people want in a pop star? I despair at times, really I do. Amen to that. The only thing that bothers me about Gwen is that she's a bit rubbish in interviews sometimes. When you add up everything else, I think I can live with that. |
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Post by Josh on Mar 14, 2005 16:27:57 GMT -5
Did What You Waiting For bomb in the US then? Yup, I believe it highest position was #50 something on the Hot 100. Which wasn't very good considering it was her debut solo single, and that No Doubt were always received well in the US charts. "Rich Girl" is currently at #8 there, which is much more like what people would have expected "What You Waiting For?" had the US 'got' it. I read somewhere that they knew it would flop there, but released it regardless so they could follow it up quickly with what they anticipated as being more successful - "Rich Girl" - which actually went for adds at US radio around November I think. Somebody who got hold of the Official Press Kit that was released the same week "What You Waiting For?" first hit radio also said the press release that under Marketing it said they were strictly going to outreach Gwen to the gay community. |
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Post by TheGrolly on Mar 14, 2005 16:41:54 GMT -5
Oooh, Stefani-bashing!! I didn't think anyone would have the balls to actually say anything! Well done. Not that I'm a Gwen-hater, mind.
I love Gwen and No Doubt, and I LOVE her album. Except "Rich Girl", which is runny shit, hence the teeny bit of resentment towards her for releasing it.
My main problem is the Harajuku Girls gimmick - it's gotten very old very quick. Can anyone actually suggest how they might "inspire" her, as she so fervently believes?
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Post by gazbo on Mar 14, 2005 17:26:55 GMT -5
I can only assume that the Harajuku girls were some marketing gimmick suggested to her (based on the fact that against better judgment we're all talking about them).
She's trying to put across this kooky, off the wall image, but I notice the whole thing goes to bollocks when Simon Amstell interviews her with such props as selections of cheese - then she just looks slightly scared, as if she doesn't want to play this game any more.
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Post by Jen on Mar 14, 2005 18:07:59 GMT -5
My main problem is the Harajuku Girls gimmick - it's gotten very old very quick. Can anyone actually suggest how they might "inspire" her, as she so fervently believes? I believe its their style- their fashion, they way they put it across in such a unique and individual way to lots of other trends. |
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Post by Electrobix on Mar 14, 2005 18:28:08 GMT -5
Harajuku girls are amazing. The Japanese fashion scene is amazing. Don't knock it.
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Post by Dark Angel on Mar 14, 2005 18:47:09 GMT -5
Whilst I like some of Gwen's music, I don't find her particularly likeable. In a lot of her interviews, she seems to have forgotten to bring her sense of humour. I don't know if this is part of some deliberate marketing strategy, but I wish she would just lighten up a bit.
And as for those Harajuku Girls, they scare me. They should be heard but not seen.
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Post by veryjammy on Mar 14, 2005 20:27:36 GMT -5
It annoys me how artists have to be tailored to the 'urban' American market. Britney obviously keeps being pressured by Jive to go urban, hence the Boom Boom, Outrageous fiasco. And now Gwen. How can they not get What U Waiting For? That probably means the best stuff on the album will go unreleased. What is wrong with Americans?
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Post by aldo on Mar 15, 2005 10:22:20 GMT -5
I dunno why everyone's calling Rich Girl a desperate attempt to be urban. Had it not been sold as 'produced by Dr Dre' nobody would say that at all cos it sounds like your average pop song. I know there's this rule that all popjustice viewers are not allowed to like R&B or Hip Hop and therefore must hate anything produced/written/dealing with any Hip Hop or R&B artists by default, but wether you wanna argue about the nitty gritty facts or not, Rich Girl is an amazing song and so is quite a lot of R&B so get over it.
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Post by veryjammy on Mar 15, 2005 12:56:47 GMT -5
I dunno why everyone's calling Rich Girl a desperate attempt to be urban. Had it not been sold as 'produced by Dr Dre' nobody would say that at all cos it sounds like your average pop song. I know there's this rule that all popjustice viewers are not allowed to like R&B or Hip Hop and therefore must hate anything produced/written/dealing with any Hip Hop or R&B artists by default, but wether you wanna argue about the nitty gritty facts or not, Rich Girl is an amazing song and so is quite a lot of R&B so get over it. I actually like quite a lot of r'n'b and just occasionally some hip hop. But what I'm saying is that I hate it when artists have it forced upon them by the pressures of the American market. And Rich Girl is a decent song. But in my opinion one of the worst three on the album. People are pissed off because it means that the genuinely brilliant pop songs on the album aren't going to be released because of America's obsession with 'Urban'. |
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Post by Yoyoyo on Mar 15, 2005 14:36:55 GMT -5
Whilst I like some of Gwen's music, I don't find her particularly likeable. In a lot of her interviews, she seems to have forgotten to bring her sense of humour. I don't know if this is part of some deliberate marketing strategy, but I wish she would just lighten up a bit. I hated when she was on Richard and Judy and they asked about the Harajuku girls and she said something like 'Oh I don't kow if you can see them, they're just a figment of my imagination'. NO they are fucking not and it's obvious. Why why why? As for her music I haven't heard her album, I liked 'What you waiting for' but it was overplayed and 'Rich girl' is just frankly shit. And the song was so powerful in Fiddler on the roof  |
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Post by drbastard on Mar 16, 2005 6:47:03 GMT -5
Did What You Waiting For bomb in the US then? Also I personally found her album the best pop album of last year, with only one stinker - 'Luxurious' What? You didn't listen to Anniemal? |
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Post by Smudge on Mar 17, 2005 19:54:51 GMT -5
The Harajuku thing is just boring. YES, the Japanese fashion is cool etc, but everything is cool before it has the life squeezed out of it.
Apart from that, LAMB is a decent album.
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Post by Mr Subways on Mar 19, 2005 15:32:41 GMT -5
What? You didn't listen to Anniemal? Or just didn't like it. Hello! I've only just come to terms with Gwen's amazingness, but her album is totally great. I like how she can get away with being so kooky, and yes, sometimes she does take it too far, and it is a bit style over substance, but that's just Gwen. I do wish she'd go back with No Doubt though. |
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Post by Electrobix on Mar 19, 2005 19:42:52 GMT -5
but everything is cool before it has the life squeezed out of it. Except Japanese fashion. It will always be cool. It will never wear out. I have spoken. |
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