Hits 21 - 2008 (2): Madonna & Justin Timberlake, The Ting Tings, Rihanna

Episode Date: April 7, 2024

Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to Hits 21, the show that's taking a look back at every UK #1 hit single of the 21st century - from January 2000, right through to the present day. Twitter: @Hits21UK Email: [e-mail] Vault: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5O5MHJUIQIUuf0Jv0Peb3C?si=e4057fb450f648b0 Piehole: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2FmWkwasjtq5UkjKqZLcl4

It's 21 P.M. Hi again everyone, welcome back to Hits21 where me, Rob, me, Andy and me, Lizzy all look back at every single UK number 1 of the 21st century from January 2000 right through to the present day. If you want to get in touch with us you can find us over on Twitter, we are at Hits21UK and you can email us too, send it on over to hits21podcast at gmail.com. Thank you so much for joining us again. We are currently looking back at the year 2008, that's where you find us, and this week we'll be covering the period between the 20th of April and the 7th of June. We are flying through the first half of this year.

Last week in the first episode of 2008 the polls went back to normal and the winner, only by two votes, was American Boy, Estelle and Kanye West taking it from Duffy. Just one vote for Bass Hunter. One vote for Bass Hunter, whoever that was. Maybe it was Bass Hunter. Yeah, yeah, maybe. Hi, if you're listening Bass Hunter, it is time now to press on with this week's episode and as always it's time for some news headlines from around the time that the songs were covering in this episode were at number 1 in the UK. In football Manchester United win back to back Premier League titles with Ryan Giggs becoming the first player in English football to win 10 top division championships. Portsmouth win the FA Cup after beating Cardiff 1-0 in the final at the New Wembley Stadium

and Manchester United also win the Champions League after beating fellow English finalist Chelsea on penalties in the final in Moscow. Probably best remembered for John Terry slipping in the rain. Conservative candidate and obscure figure that no one's heard of Boris Johnson is elected as the new mayor of London, defeating Labour candidate Ken Livingstone. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll never hear about Boris Johnson ever again. Meanwhile, local elections also take place in the UK, with Labour falling to third place in the popular vote behind the Liberal Democrats. And footballer Joey Barton is sentenced to third place in the popular vote behind the Liberal Democrats. And footballer Joey Barton is sentenced to six months in prison after being convicted

of assault. And people in Manchester are banned from watching sports events in public after clashes between police and fans of Rangers Football Club. Rangers fans had come down from Glasgow to attend the UEFA Cup final between Rangers and Zenit St Petersburg held at the City of Manchester Stadium, now the Etihad. Fights broke out when a big screen in Piccadilly Gardens suddenly disconnected. Thief films to hit the top of the UK box office during this period were as follows. Forgetting Sarah Marshall for one week, Iron Man for three weeks, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull for one

week and Sex and the City for two weeks. Terry Wogan steps down from the BBC's coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest after the United Kingdom finishes dead last in 2008, not for the first time in recent years. Andy Abraham, the former X Factor contestant, scored just 14 points, while Russia's Dima Belan won the competition with his song Believe. Wogan claimed that Russia were political winners after receiving numerous 12 point awards from former Soviet Union states. And I mean, there's arguments to be had about what was happening at the top of the table in those years, but the being as wanted that Terry Wogan had about the UK

is quite simply because the all of the UK's entries in that era were shockingly bad. We deserve to come last in my opinion. There was never any politics against the UK. So I'm just going to put that on the record. It really was an era of arrogance in terms of our Eurovision entries. It was just like, well, we're the UK.

We can enter whatever and people will vote for it because remember the Beatles? They were from here once. It's like, well it doesn't work that way. And in more TV news, break dancer George Sampson wins the second series of Britain's Got Talent, winning £100,000 and a chance to show off his skills at the Royal Variety Performance. And Cheryl Cole is revealed as the new judge on The X Factor following the sudden departure of Sharon Osbourne. Andy, the UK album charts, how are they?

Well it's another pretty long period that we're covering here. As you say we're getting through the year at lightning pace. So I've once again got quite a few to talk to you about and quite a few new names that we haven't discussed before. And one real blast from the past that I'm... it's bizarre that they've got a number one this week so bear with me on that. First of all we've got everyone's favourite indie outfit, The Cooke's at number one with their album Conk which went single platinum and is number one for one week. Who doesn't love the kooks, eh? Much missed. Anyway, the next week they are toppled by another indie group.

It's the Last Shadow puppets at number one with the Age of the Understatement, went single platinum and was number one for one week. Then we've got Madonna back at the top with her latest album, Hard Candy. Again, one week at the top and went platinum. And then, this is 2008 folks, not 2002, Hard Candy again one week at the top and went platinum and then This is 2008 folks not 2002 but number one the week after that is

Scooter with jumping all over the world. Oh, yeah number one for one week and went platinum scooter in 2008 This must have passed me by I have no memory of this Do you not remember the um you got the figure I got the face and then I got a jump in all over the love of the world Do you not remember that, um, you got the figure, I got the face, I'm ready to jump in all over the, all over the world? Do you not remember that? Yeah, I remember that. I, I, maybe very vaguely, but I don't know. It just feels like, uh, feels like he's from a bygone era. But good for you, Scooter. Good for plugging away, yeah. Then we've got Neil Diamond with his latest Home Before Dark. Again, one week and went single platinum before the Ting Tings toppled Neil Diamond with We Started Nothing,

their debut album which went double platinum. The Ting Tings, eh? Hmm, will we ever get to discuss them? And then finally closing out this period is Usher, going back to number one with Here I Stand, which only went gold and was number one for one week. So every single album this week only had one stay at the top and only one album went more than the single platinum. So it's a relatively quiet period on the albums chart at the moment. We've got some real biggies to come. So this is a bit of a bit of a chill time on the albums charts right now.

Lizzie, how are things looking stateside? Well, thankfully only a couple of singles to mention this week, after last week was quite a busy affair. First up we have Lollipop by Lil Wayne featuring Static Major. The song soared up the charts after the death of Static Major from surgical complications in February of this year, just two weeks after the single's release. It was the first US number one single for either artist, and it spent five weeks at number one between May and June. It was eventually certified diamond in the US with over 10 million sales, but only got as high as number 26 over here in the UK.

So finally for singles this week, Rihanna returned to the top spot with her third US number one single, Take A Bow. It only got to number one for one week but was eventually certified platinum in the US and also got to number one in the UK. More on that later. So over to albums, let's get stuck in. We have Spirit by Leona Lewis, one week also got got to number one in the UK, obviously. Then we have E equals MC squared by Mariah Carey, two weeks, got to number three in the UK. Next up is Hard Candy by Madonna, one week, also got to number one over here. Then we have Home Before Dark by Neil Diamond, one week, also got to number one in the UK. Next up is Narrow Stairs by Death Cab for Cutie, one week, number 24 in the UK.

Wow. And finally we have Three Doors Down by Three Doors Down, one week, failed to chart in the UK. So much more closely aligned than we were last week. We had a period where just all of these American acts weren't really making a dent over here but seems to be lining up a bit more now. I have to quickly mention I have to quickly mention E equals MC squared which was forever immortalized for me by Philomena Cunk when she said Einstein made an incredible discovery that E equals Mc2. Well thank you both very much for those reports and we're going to crack on with the UK number

ones for this week that we're going to be looking at and the first of those is this. Breakdown, come on. Hey, come on, Madonna. If you come on, boy, I can be with somebody to pick up my stroll. Well, don't waste time. Give me a sign. Tell me how you want the world to see you. I'm not a kid anymore. I'm a kid. I'm a kid. I'm a kid. I want somebody to pick up my stroll Well, don't waste time, give me the sign Tell me how you wanna roll

I want somebody to speed it up for me Then take it down slow There's nothing for both Well, I can handle that You just gotta show me where it's at Are you ready to go? Are you ready to go? If you want it, you already got it If you thought it, it better be what you want

If you feel it, it must be real Just say the word and I'ma give you what you want Time is waitin' We only got four minutes to say the word No hesitatin' Grab a boy, grab a girl Time is waitin' We only got four minutes to say the word

No hesitatin' We only got four minutes, four minutes So keep it up, keep it up, don't be a pro, hey Madonna Ok, this is 4 Minutes by Madonna featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. Released as the lead single from her 11th studio album, titled Hard Candy, 4 minutes is Madonna's 72nd single overall to be released in the UK and her 13th to reach number 1. However, as of 2024, it is her last number 1. It is also the last UK number 1 for Timberland, but it isn't the last time that we'll be coming to Justin Timberlake on this podcast. Four minutes first entered the UK chart at number 7, reaching number 1 during its fifth week on the chart. It stayed at number one for four weeks. In its

first week atop the charts it sold 41,000 copies beating competition from Lovin' This Club by Usher which climbed to number six and The Age of the Understatement by The Last Shadow Puppets which climbed to number nine. In week two it sold 50,000 copies, beating competition from Wearing My Rolex by Wiley, which got to number 4, Heartbreaker by Will.i.am, which climbed to number 8, and Heartbeat by Scouty for Girls, which climbed to number 10. In week 3 it sold 40,000 copies, beating competition from Propane Nightmares by Pendulum, which climbed to number 9. And in week 4 it sold 30,000 copies, beating competition from Violet Hill by Coldplay, which got to number 8, and In My Arms by Kylie Minogue, which climbed to number 10. When it was knocked

off the top of the charts, 4 minutes fell two places to number 3. By the time it was done on the charts it had been inside the top 100 for 29 weeks. The song is currently officially certified platinum in the UK. As of 20, 24. Andy, you can open us up with 4 minutes. Yeah, I'm just kind of imagining an alternative world there, where we open up the show with propane nightmares. That would have been fun. Oh well. Yes, so this is a weird one for me this. It's because it's hard to avoid the weight of expectation that weighs on something

like this because you've got Madonna and Justin Timberlake here and Timberland as well, which obviously bears mentioning. But Madonna and Justin Timberlake here and Timberland as well which obviously bears mentioning but Madonna and Justin Timberlake you've got one of the most influential artists from the 80s and 90s the noughties sort of as well and Justin Timberlake one of the very most influential artists from the noughties this is a real combination of titans coming together here and there are a few things in pop music that deflate me and irritate me more than when duets of two massive artists come to nothing and just produce kind of bland filler material. I don't know how it happens I think it's maybe to do with like this idea that if you've got two big names then that

itself is the thing. And that's what you're buying into. And the song never really gets the proper focus it deserves, but it's happened so many times. I think I've talked about this before at some point on the show, where you get Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush, who produced a nothing burger with that.

And Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder, obviously reduced Ebony and Ivory, one of the worst songs of her head and like there's just so many examples of when you get these duets that just don't really come to much and that's how I feel about this that there's nothing like I dislike about it but this is Madonna and Justin Timberlake like come on the amount of creativity, the amount of style, the amount of experience in that room and they've got this song four minutes which is just kind of a little bit of a jam that is sort of not really about

anything and it doesn't challenge either of them vocally, it doesn't really challenge either of them in terms of their styles. If I was to kind of tip the balance one way or the other this feels more like a Justin Timberlake song with Madonna on it for me rather than a Madonna song with Justin Timberlake on it but the balance is pretty fine really and it feels like this is well within the safety zone for both of them so I kind of can't help but be a bit like oh they could have done better than this you know you've got the artist you did Ray of Light and the artist you did Cry Me a River come on you could have produced something more than this but then I have to kind of unplug and just think about it as a piece of music and it is fine, like there's nothing particularly wrong with it. It has

quite a few different hooks on it. I like that Madonna, tuk tuk tuk kind of thing that's running all the way through. I do think the chorus is mildly catchy, but there could have been more to it than that. And I think this actual four minutes idea if they'd gone in on it a bit more I think actually it's quite a good one I think it could work but I have to say would it have killed them for the song to last exactly four minutes? Have you been reading my notes? It's just it's so disappointing because there's an edit of this which is like three minutes nine I think and I thought oh I'm gonna see if there's any other because there must be one that's four minutes and there's a longer version that's four minutes and nine as well so it's like oh come on could you not have really gone into this and been like we have four minutes to produce this song and therefore save the world like make it a meta thing that is a really good idea not so crediting myself with that because I think it's obvious like why not make the song last exactly four minutes and it's so frustrating so near

yet so far and I think that's this song all over really and that it's got all the basic ingredients of a song that could be a hit in 2008 like it's got that cool brass sound behind it it's got good performances from both Madonna and Justin Timberlake but it's just not what it could be it's not that cool brass sound behind it. It's got good performances from both Madonna and Justin Timberlake, but it's just not what it could be. It's not what it could be. In the file of, you know, sort of great popcomings together for duets, you've got sort of under pressure in one corner

and you've got the girl is mine in one other corner. This is much more towards the girl is mine territory for me, unfortunately. So it's fine, but come on. You've got the potential to give me a 10 out of 10 here and they just didn't so it's a bit of a shame yeah I would tear this to shreds Andy but I'm a lover not a fighter I'm surprised actually I mean you're entitled to your opinion but I do think that your criticism of don't give up will be quite controversial out there to people who are listening.

I think so too. This used to annoy me that it wasn't 4 minutes long but the first time that annoyed me was Mark Owen with 4 minute warning that that wasn't 4 minutes long as well. That always used to pick at me when I was a kid. When I searched for this on Spotify 4 minute warning kept coming up. I didn't bother listening to it but I'll have to give that a go. Yeah, it's alright. This 4 minutes is quite a seminal and defining moment for me,

because this is the first time in my pop listening life being sort of 13 years old that I remember looking forward to something and anticipating it and then being really underwhelmed with the results. It was like the first time that a pop song I'd been waiting for had disappointed me and I think it's a sign that like I'm kind of growing up and you know there are lines now between like what I like and what I don't because I was into Timbaland and Shock Value as I've explained. I owned Future Sex Love Sounds, I'd been into the singles from Confessions on a Dance Floor so I knew all of her big hits as well, Madonna as well from years ago and then Radio 1 they played this for the first time I think it was one of them like Zane Lowe worldwide premiere kind of things at 7pm or whatever. And I just remember sitting there in the car actually, in my mum's

car and thinking like, is that it? Like you have Timberland producing for Madonna and Justin Timberlake and this is it. I don't know, like in the years since, I've gained a stronger appreciation for this just because I think it has, you the years since, I've gained a stronger appreciation for this, just because I think it has, you know, Timbaland's kind of typical high fidelity production where every spot of the mix is used, but you're still provided with enough breathing room to pass out and decipher the individual little bits and pieces. Madonna just in Timbalake's chemistry is alright, it's fine. I think the introduction is good because those poppy horns build up enough

anticipation. You've got Madonna trying to forge this catchphrase for herself after hung up with the tick-tock-tick-tock thing, there's enough here to be going on with and I think it contains just about enough star power to justify its stay at number one. I can understand why this managed so long at the top because ultimately that's what this podcast is about. It's like trying to figure out why these songs were at number one, trying to get to the heart of it because as much as our opinions are our opinions, public record and data is against us and so we have to kind of like, you know, try and find a

way to understand why this worked even when we didn't think that it did. But I think star power is the key phrase here because there's just about enough, but there isn't really enough, is there? It's like you were saying, Andy, it's like, it's alright, but is Madonna, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland alright? You know, this contains two of the greatest pop thinkers of the last 40 years, and also Justin Timberlake, who hasn't really got a great pop mind, but does have a terrific ability of expertly delivering someone else's ideas. Justin Timberlake's not really an ideas man, he's like someone who you get in to make sure that your idea goes off well.

And so you have these generational talents coming together, which they still all are in 2008, but they just seem kind of happy with their lot. You know, Madonna doesn't sound like she's putting her all into it, I think she's gone for sultry but has wound up with kind of just sullen. And I don't think it's up to standard, really. I think this bills itself as like event pop. And it feels like when you step out of your house, it must have been on every billboard for 50 miles and then it just kind of dribbles into existence. Like it's fine, but I think like it's maybe a sign that for the next few years, less will be still treated with the same reverence as more just so long as the right name is attached to it.

It's just fine. But what about you, Lizzie? Well, you said you remembered this debuting on, what was it, Zane Lowe? you remembered this debuting on Zane Lowe? Maybe it could have been Zane Lowe I'm not sure and I know it was Radio 1 but I don't know if it was Zane Lowe. Well that's interesting because I do remember this being debuted on TV the music video but it was on GMTV. Maybe I missed the broadcast and I just heard the song. There was definitely a debut on GMTV like they were really hyping it up. It would have been like

Jon Stapleton and Fiona Stewart. I don't know it was still kind of big and I think I guess that's the sort of target market for pop which is you know know, like, Moms, I guess. Yeah, I think you've both summed it up quite well. It really is less than the sum of its parts for this. There are some aspects here I quite like. I like the farty synth horns in the intro. I like the cartoon superhero brass riff that plays during the chorus, but I find both the vocal performances quite underwhelming, especially Justin's. It's maybe not helped by the fact that

this is almost all song in his lower register, but as a result he sounds kind of checked out on this song. He was one of the more expressive pop singers of the 2000s, which makes it all the more disappointing that he barely even shows up on this. And the overall construction of the song I feel is a bit flimsy too. In the verses here it often seems like there's huge gaps between the bars where the instrumental is just doing its thing and you might get a wiki wiki from Timbaland if you're lucky. The post-chorus has a similar problem and try as he might Timberlake can't get the word Madonna to sound enticing. I really don't like that, I'm sorry Andy. So yeah all in all like it's not terrible or anything but in terms of

The combination of stars you have here like purely on name value. It is such a letdown Like this could have been so much better and instead it's just content with being Meh And I don't think that's good enough Yeah, that is the overwhelming feeling. I feel like I'd have more to say about this if the three of them would like, yeah, it's us, we can do anything, let's shoot for anything. And then it's just you look back and go, Jesus, what were we thinking? Whereas this, it's like, yeah, I understand it.

Sort of. OK. I just, I don't know, I feel like it would be, it's a bigger crime for this to be kind of flat. I agree. Yeah, definitely. I agree completely, because there's been some big swings, or you know, just dodgy ones that have been made in the past that are at least memorable, like you admire the effort, like David Bowie and Mick Jagger dancing in the streets, which got that infamously awful music video. It's like, at least they're having some fun. At least they're, you know, doing something that's entertaining them, if nothing else. You know, I think, I know we've banged this drum a lot while talking about this song, but I do think there is a point here where we start looking towards the future. And, you know, we've mentioned this a few times, that collaborations just rule the world in the modern day and have done throughout the

last decade really. And I think it's this idea that, you know, the collaborations mean the songs sort of sell themselves because if you're a fan of anyone on it, you'll stream the song. And this is kind of an early example of that. I think where it's like Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, this is gonna sell itself.

All you need to do is kind of put something out and it's like the product is not the thing anymore. it's the brand or the brands or like the brand synergy that you're buying into and it leaves a very sick taste in my mouth to be honest. It's far worse these days but I do think this is an early and strong example of just putting as many names as you can in a room to ensure that you get a hit and the actual product is the least of it. This is not the worst thing in the world, but I do think considering the talent you've got in the room, it really shines as an example of like,

yeah, we just kind of wanted to make some money out of this, to be honest, which, you know, it's an industry, it's a business, I get that, but it shouldn't be as nakedly obvious as this. And this happens a lot in modern times, so it's not good to see the start of that happening here. Okay, moving on to our second song this week which is this. Four letter words just to get me along It's a difficulty and I'm biting on my tongue And I keep stalling and keeping it together People around gotta find something to say now Holding back every day the same Don't wanna be alone to listen to me, oh no

I never say anything at all But with nothing to consider, they forget my name Aim, aim, aim They call me hell They call me Stacy They call me her They call me Jane That's not my name

That's not my name That's not my name That's not my name They call me quiet but I'm a riot Married to Lisa, always the same That's not my name, that's not my name, that's not my name, that's not my name I'll miss the catch if they told me to fall I'm the last trip standing up against the wall

Keeper falling, these heels that keep me boring Okay, this is That's Not My Name by And always everything considered, they forget my name Ame, Ame, Ame Okay, this is That's Not My Name by The Ting Tings. Released as the lead single from the band's debut studio album titled We Started Nothing, That's Not My Name is The Ting Tings' first single overall to be released in the UK and their first to reach number 1, however as of 2024 it is their last. That's Not My Name went straight in at number 1 as a brand new entry knocking Madonna off the top of the charts. It stayed at number 1 for 1 week. In its first and only week atop the charts, it sold 40,000 copies, beating competition

from Take A Bow by Rihanna, which got to number 2. When it was knocked off the top of the charts, That's Not My Name dropped one place to number 2. By the time it was done on the charts it had been inside the top 104, 41 weeks! The song is currently officially certified platinum in the UK as of 2024. So Lizzy, how do we feel on That's Not My Name? I wanted to like this one more than I actually did, I'm afraid. I think there's some interesting aspects in this, but I realised while listening to it this week that it takes about two minutes

to get to the part that I actually like and I found myself being tempted to skip through it which I realised is not the point. So yeah, once it gets to that bit with the rising vocals, the R U 4 U U darling, I do really like that but other than that all I get out of this is a demonically catchy chorus, the sort that worms its way into your head and refuses to leave despite your best efforts to get rid of it. So kudos to them for that I guess, but overall I think the song comes off as quite half-baked, which seems to be a recurring theme on their debut album and beyond. Which is a bit of a shame really. Yeah, not a huge fan.

I'm not a huge fan either and funnily enough I also went into this really wanting to like it because I'm always kind of excited to get started on a new thing, a new artist, a new kind of idea. And I really enjoyed Duffy unexpectedly last week and there have been a few examples of that recently where I've been like oh I misjudged this I'm glad I've rediscovered it and I thought it might be the same with this, it wasn't suffice it to say. I completely agree that it is actually bloody catchy. And I give credit for that, especially considering that the chorus

doesn't really have a tune. And so for it still to be as catchy as it is and get in people's heads as much as it did, it's quite a compliment really, because it shouldn't really get in your head that much. It's kind of a spoken word, brash kind of tuneless chorus. But I think what really makes it work is that like anyone can do their own version of it? Like it's a really easily recreatable thing like I could be like, you know, they call me Drew

They call me Andrew, you know, like it's it's quite easy to do that. And so you can kind of interact with it, which is clever And you can do it, you know with a very easy sleight of hand without even putting a proper melody into the chorus So I give credit to them for that. That's like interesting and you can do it with a very easy sleight of hand without even putting a proper melody into the chorus. So I give credit to them for that. That's like interesting, but that's about it in terms of my compliments really. I used a word last week for bass hunter. I said that I found now you're gone obnoxious

and I would use the same word obnoxious here to be honest. And I'm also gonna use the word juvenile, which is kind of how this comes across to be honest and when I was using words like that I thought well this is kind of because I'm not the target market anymore you know I'm in my early thirties this is not the kind of thing that would have been marketed to me but then I was the target market at the time we all were the three of us know, we were exactly who the Teng Tengs were aiming for. And at the time, I remember thinking, this is really cringe. This is like, it's just, there's just something about it. That's really kind of, you know, blowing raspberries like, boo, people suck. You know, like it kind of reminds me

of, um, ooh, stick you, your mama your mama too and your daddy like it's that sort of thing um which again just it just comes across as juvenile just kind of pandering and childlike to be honest and insincere which comes with that you know just kind of a lack of sincerity a lack of authenticity so it doesn't really jive with me to be honest but it is so like like easily recreatable like I said so I thought to prove that point why don't I just do my own version of that spoken word chorus or something how I feel about it so here we go I think it's naff I think it's cringy I think the voice is kind of wingy don't like this song don't like this song don't like this song don't like this song. Don't like this song. Don't like this song. Don't like this song.

Although the chorus is kind of patchy, I think the rest of it is pretty patchy. Don't like this song. Don't like this song. Don't like this song. Song. Unless we don't. Well can I just shock you both? I think this is great. I can see why people find it annoying and slightly irritating. It is bratty and in your face and doesn't take many prisoners with its kind of snarky attitude. And I also think this lets down their later material because they keep trying to recapture this. And if anybody fancies putting themselves through Hang It Up from 2012, be my guest.

There's a video on YouTube done by the animator David Firth, which for some reason has been published through the BBC's official channel, where David Firth skewers the music scene, as it were, the trendy music scene of 2009, where it's kind of like a parody of one of those things that you would get in January, where it's like, I predict that this kind of thing will be popular in summer because of this and that and the data shows and etc etc. And there's a fictional band in this video that gets introduced and they're called Kooky Plops and the song is called This Is The Song I Made and the song goes, this is the song I made, this is the song I made, I made a song it goes like this, I made a song

and it is so obviously the ting-tings it is funny and it does nail why people would find them irritating and I mean I would argue that if your stuff can be parodied so accurately then you've clearly got something going for you and you have a strong sense of style and aesthetic but I digress slightly. I just live for the way this builds. You can hear at the beginning the two of them practicing in a garage, you know, when they're first writing it, just hammering away on some drums, no instruments, just, you know, cheerleader style kind of thing.

But then they add little layers here and there, and then it feels like the last minute is a bit of a celebration of them actually making it into a studio Being in the big time being able to step into the a position where they can show the world their music Like the first minute of this I'm like yeah This is okay basically an improved Sandy Tom kind of thing going on But then the second chorus begins and you get in the background the first is in my head now It's in my and I'm like yeah okay you're building this up like a dance track you know the super hands, oh

oh he's done something there sort of reaction to it and it adds in layers and extracts them and puts them in, develops the composition in quite a mechanical way actually which matches quite nicely with the sort of machine like drums at the beginning, which sounds like a, you know,

machine kind of clunking away at the back room of a big hall in a factory. And then they get the other counter melody going, which you mentioned Lizzy, the Are you calling me darling bit? And I'm like, yeah, great pop song. You know, it gives me reasons to keep listening, to keep waiting for the payoff. And looking back You know, it gives me reasons to keep listening, to keep waiting for the payoff. And looking back at the full thing, I think it's clearly about the quiet ways that women are disrespected and ignored by people who consider themselves to be superior. You know, they don't even remember your name.

They call you Bird, they call you Darling, they call you Hell. Stacey, you know, none of them are her name and kind of like how crappy it must have been to be on the dating scene in the 2000s in a world of loaded and nuts magazines and such being called darling and bird all the time. I prefer the full five minute version over the condensed single just because I think the build up is slower and the payoff is better and larger. But there was something a bit different at the time, you know I liked all of their singles, this isn't their best, I think Great DJ is probably their best, but they were alright,

you know second album was awful, I've gone through some of their later material after they kind of faded away and I mean we've kind of been laughing in our group a little bit that like you can Tell that they clearly got obsessed with k-tempest around sort of like 2015 is like we could do that I kind of sound like them you don't you you really don't But yeah, so this is about like I think the issue that they had Outside of this is that they had one mode and this was like the best Version of that mode. There's like there's basically no variety across their discography Until the point where they try to add it in and it doesn't work because I don't think that the lead singer whose name is

Katie I just don't think she has enough range Really, but she's good for like this specific moment, bit lightning in a bottle kind of thing, because it make a move you know that sort of thing if they'd have released An album in 2009 and you know they had an another whole load of material waiting I think it would have done very well for themselves, but I think they kind of struggled after after this really because they took too long to come back and then when they came back the world was a different place and They didn't really have enough in the end. I just think that after this, shut up and let me go and great DJ, there's not a lot

lying beneath the surface. But they were good for this moment in time, but they did fade quickly. They were huge for about 12 months. They really were big. They were everywhere. I think they got, did they get like nominated for some massive awards as well? They were briefly kind of popular in the states off the back of this as well. So, you know, it felt like Inevitably.

Yeah, like not huge obviously, but you know, it looked like they were maybe about to break over and then just yeah I think they just made a few wrong moves and it didn't quite work. There's a song they did that ended up on the FIFA 11 soundtrack, I think, which is called Hands, or Two Hands, I think, which is all about, I don't know, I only have two hands, how much can I really do, sort of thing. The goalkeeper song, yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. But then there was an argument over, they just wanted that to be like a white label underground release thing but it ended up on Radio 1 and they didn't want it on Radio 1 and there was a whole argument over that but it just seems like there was a bit of a mess somewhere between 2010 and 2011 which meant that when they came back in 2012 it was fast diminishing returns saying really but yeah I like this but I really like this for just for this kind of you know this specific kind of moment in time I think you know that they're worth something but does anybody else have anything to say I guess just that I do agree with the point about how they fit the bill for this specific moment in time that there are other artists around at this moment which are like kind of like I can see where they fit alongside them in the

landscape like there's something about them which reminds me of Kate Nash a little bit. I feel like La Rue is sort of like sort of kind of in this world and it's just around the corner and Alphabet even you know it's just I feel like there is a place for them right at this moment. So it's not hugely surprising that they had a breakout moment at this time. It's just, I'm kind of looking back on this era thinking like, oh, this was not for me. Like this whole era just was not really for me to some extent.

And I hope it improves throughout the year. Cause that's a kind of vibe that I'm getting right now. I don't know if anyone else is feeling that way, but I'm just kind of like not loving what pop music is giving us at this time to be honest. I was also trying to kind of piece together where they came from. They do have a bit of an MIA thing as well maybe? Yes actually yeah and they an MIA Slumdog Millionaire came out around this time so paper planes would have would have been big. So that's, yeah. Yeah. The only other thing I want to say about this is, with all due respect, she does look like a Stacy.

But that's not her name. That's not her name. That's, I have to mention that as well. Like why, why did they do that? That little, that little pause, that that's not my name, but it's just a bit Syncopation no, I know It's variety and it's just yeah, but it's kind of like I don't know I just it's vaguely annoying I don't know why I don't know why because it just it doesn't sound like the rest of it sounds like natural speech like they're Kind of shouting at someone like hey, that's not my name and they go. That's not my name. It's just a bit odd Alright, then we will move on to our final song this week, which is this How about a round of applause? Yeah

Stand in ovation Ooh, oh, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah You look so dumb right now Standing outside my house Trying to apologize You're so ugly when you cry Please, just cut it out

Don't tell me you're sorry cause you're not Baby when I know you're only sorry you got caught But you put on quite a show Really had me going But now it's time to go Curtains finally closing That was quite a show Alright, this is Take A Bow by Rihanna. Released as the lead single from the expanded edition of her third studio album titled Good Girl Gone Bad, Take A Bow is Rihanna's 10th single overall to be released in the UK and her 2nd to reach number 1, and it's not the last time we'll be coming to Rihanna on this podcast.

Take a bow, first enter the UK chart at number two, reaching number one during its second week on the chart, knocking Ting Ting's off the top spot. It stayed at number one for two weeks. In its first week atop the charts, it sold 41,000 copies, beating competition from Warwick Avenue by Duffy, which climbed to number 7. And in week 2 it sold 36,000 copies, beating competition from Closer by NEO, which climbed to number 7 as well.

When it was knocked off the top of the charts, Take A Bow dropped 1 place to number 2. By the time it was done on the charts it had been inside the top 100 for 27 weeks. The song is currently officially certified 2x platinum, so double platinum in the UK as of 2024. Erm Andy, how are we feeling on Take A Bow? I mean when you say this is not the last time we'll be covering Rihanna on this podcast, I mean that's to say the least, we're getting into a time now where she's going to become a very familiar presence on the show.

She's I guess the new Westlife in a way, which no one's ever described Rihanna as before. But what I like about that, what I really kind of have quite a bit of admiration for is that she hasn't taken the enormous smash of Umbrella and Show Up and Drive and all those kind of ones off Good Girl and Bum Bad. She hasn't kind of taken the note of well let's just do constant big bangers, you know. That this is much more similar to something like Unfaithful, that you know she kind of is still willing to strip everything back and do a kind of singer song ballad.

There is a period in time in the future where I think she does rely too heavily on just big bangers all the time without much substance, but she's not at that point yet. And I do think she's still taking this seriously as a singer, which I quite like. I like this song in general. I think, I like that it commits

to the bit and the whole thing is just entirely about, oh you really messed me up. Like you fooled me, well done, you're a dickhead, goodbye. And I like this constant metaphor of like the stage and taking a bow and the performance you've put on. Really like the lyrics in this. The one lyric that kind of stands out is the one that like everyone remembers which is the You Look So Dumb Right Now which I just think that's a weird line to open on. It says something that like my dad quite likes this song but he never knew what it was called and he always said what's that You Look So Dumb Right Now song and I just think when someone does that it's like that line

maybe sticks out for the wrong reasons. I'm a of Kelis. You look so dumb right now! You look so dumb right now! I think the ultimate example of a first line that doesn't work is do you ever feel like a plastic bag from Katy Perry? That line. Anyway that's for another time. But yes, I do actually really like the lyrical content of this. And I think Rihanna is quite good at ballads. Her voice can sometimes sound a little bit scratchy, a little bit kind of plaintive and one tone,

but she manages to get enough emotion out of this for it to really work. So yeah, I like this. I wouldn't think it's like the best thing in the world and there's certainly better Rihanna songs than this and better Rihanna ballads than this, but I do like it. It's one of several songs this week and plenty more to come that I chiefly remember because they were dramatically covered in glee, which we're getting into that year right now, and I have to reference this one in particular because I will put this on Twitter so people who don't know what I'm talking about can see this but one of my favorite Twitter jokes ever was when you see your Icelandic friend Quite a Show very entertaining and it's Rachel Berry going that was quite a show very entertaining

I don't know why I find it so funny it It's such a dumb joke. I look so dumb right now. But yeah, yeah, there was a resume of that. Yeah, so this is nice. I think that it's a shame we don't get more Rihanna ballads in the future because one of my favourites that we'll ever cover is a much more slow chilled out one. I quite like her in this mode. I think I might prefer this to Umbrella. But I'm going to have to think about that a bit more because that's a little bit of a spicy take. But yeah, I like this.

Take a bow, Rihanna. Yeah, it's weird to think Rihanna was only 20 years old when she did this. Yeah, it's crazy. How can someone so young sing words so sad? Rihanna, take a bow. Boot the grime of this world in the crotch, dear. And don't go home tonight. Come on. Anyway. Levered joke. I'm sorry. I really like this one, like you Andy. This kind of strikes me as a much better attempt at a ballad than Unfaithful from a

couple of years earlier. That one was a bit too busy in terms of its arrangement and its content but I find this one much more direct and more effective as a result. It's a good example of how much Neo has improved as a songwriter since we last came across him in 2006 as well. I remember we were all kind of lukewarm on So Sick. We thought it was quite nice but also kind of inconclusive and lacking in drama this is a lot better in pretty much every respect i think i find the production and the harmonies sound a lot fuller here and rihanna is a more convincing storyteller. It also reminds me a lot a bit of another R&B ballad I really liked a few years back, which was Stick With You by Pussycat Dolls.

They're obviously both songs that come from completely different angles of a relationship, but there's a similar kind of deference to those old Quiet Storm R&B types, you know, your Patti LaB Bells and your Smokey Robinsons and your Ashford and Simpsons even. Yeah, I think there's something really quite compelling here and I do like that, you know, some of the lyrics, I agree with you Andy, they are a bit silly at times and labored like opening with the you've looked so dumb right now but I think in a way that

sort of sells it because it feels genuine it feels kind of real like that in those moments you do say stupid things because you think yeah that'll show them and you kind of think back on it and you're like why do they say that? It's just you know all you know is in that moment you're mad at this person and you want to be able to communicate that anger in any way you can. But sometimes things just do slip out and you think you're giving them this amazing zinger and really you're just...

It's like you're... You're venting. And yeah, you don't always say the right thing. It could just be easier to say you know what screw you bye but yeah sometimes you want to rub it in a bit and I do like that there's almost a sense of Rihanna kind of respects the other person for what they're doing but also wants to you know give them a bit of a kicking while they're down it's like thank you but no thank you. Yeah I really like this, like you Andy I'm a bit disappointed we don't get much more in the way of ballad Rihanna. I think in the coming years we get more of like dance pop Rihanna, more upbeat than this and she does flame out a bit

particularly in the early 2010s but she's doing fine she's got a makeup line she says she's doing grand she's only what four years older than me and she is a multi-billionaire so she's just fine. She'll be good. Yeah she's fine but yeah I really like this. In terms of comparison with Umbrella, I think Umbrella is the better song, but I'd be more likely to return to this one because I'm not as familiar with it. Whereas Umbrella, I've heard it that many times that I could happily never hear it again. As good as it is, it's one of those that I don't need to listen to it. I can just play it on demand from my head. Whereas this, yeah, it's a lot more fresh to me and I'm a big fan of it. Just before Bob goes, I just want to quickly jump in on

the thing that you said about the lyrics and that you look so dumb right now. I actually completely agree with what you said that I really like the rawness and the honesty in the song that like there's a lot of time to delve into quite a lot of feelings in the song and you know she says like some quite universal things like you're only sorry you got caught and stuff like that which it really works most of the time and I really like that vulnerability. It's just it's just I don't know what it is about that line I think it's just not very... It's not very kind of artsy. It doesn't feel very kind of polished and like written like a pop song.

And that's exactly the same thing that I would say about the Firework lyric, that it just doesn't feel like it's been written for an audience. It just feels a bit too raw. But I do I do want to say I really agree with that point, though, that like the fact that it's quite kind of open and honest and not particularly filtered is a real strength of the song. And I don't want to make it sound like that. I disagree with that.

Cause I actually think that's absolutely true. I just don't know what it is about that line. It just feels a bit weird, but yeah. The counterpoint to that is I would say it makes it stand out. You don't forget a line like that. As much as I don't think the plastic bag thing is a good line from firework

You don't forget it. Yeah. Oh, well, I'll take your words and off his stride. You're a girl and I'm a boy etc, etc I have comparatively little on this unfortunately, um, I I like it and I'm generally with it this proves that she's more than just Umbrella, she can carry on, you know, it's like Umbrella was like a the end of the first act, if you will, and now here's the second act of Rihanna's career and that sort of thing. I think that this is good at stretching out an ellipsis at the end of a relationship and it sounds all, you know, melancholic and wistful. I've always liked how this, you know, could very easily be like a defiant survivor kind of breakup song, but I think there is genuine sadness at the centre of it.

Where Rihanna knows that it's over, but she's feeling upset even though she's been wronged and it's her decision, but it's not an easy decision either. I mean, I haven't personally ever broken up with somebody before, but I've had to spend quite a lot of time around friends who have and it gave me a lot of pause for thought about relationships that I've been in in the past where I think oh it must be you know so easy to cut somebody loose but like then they go back and forth over whether it's even a good idea for like months and months and months and months and months and even when they make the decision and know that it's right it's still torturous and difficult. I just think that the

instrumental sounds a little thin to me and the thing that is funny now because we've fully reached the era where like I am actually starting to critically engage with pop songs whether I know it or not. And I get tired in this of all the wordplay and homonyms about stage performances and like I just like it just you know how about a round of applause a standing ovation put on quite a show curtains finally closing take a bow this looks like a rerun what else is on the award for best liar goes to you, let's hear your speech!" And I'm just like, I get it, please I get it, please stop hitting me with the same rubber hammer, please stop. But I get it, you know, like the end of a show is like the end of a relationship, but it's a bit like every now and again I just expect an image to appear in my mind of Rihanna kind of nudging me with

her elbow and going, eh? Eh? Eh? And I'm like, yeah, I got it the first time, thanks. But apart from that I think this is a nice tender ballad about difficult emotions that everybody goes through. And yeah, Rihanna's not my favourite vocalist in the world but she does well here, you know, I've never disliked this even though it's not really my thing, especially not in early 2008 when I'm no longer buying singles in the charts, I'm just listening to the radio but buying alternative stuff. At this point I'm like diving into my space and becoming a little emo child, you know, like so Rihanna's not like at the forefront of my thinking at this point in 2008, but I think that this is a good kind of example of what for songs that really strain at metaphors all the way through It's kind of camp most of the time and I really like it when songs do that Like it's hard to write enough lyrics to fill a song out with one metaphor over and over again or one area of metaphors

And I actually really like it. I think it usually brings out quite a lot of creativity the other day, funnily enough, I was listening to Loving the First Degree by Mananarama, because I'm a homosexual, and it's the same thing where it's like just everything is about being in the dock, being in a courtroom, what the judge has found you guilty of, just all the way through. And I was listening to it like, this is like really clever, like there's a lot of thought had to go into these lyrics to manage to wring four minutes out of it so I actually really like it when songs do that but I guess it's not the best combination with a sincere ballad because it is quite a camp thing to do really when you go with a metaphor for all that time but I I quite like it personally so I just had to say that

I think the lyrics are just a little exposed but she does it again next year actually with Russian Roulette where all of the lyrics are just like take the gun, count to three, pull the trigger and it's just... Oh don't criticise that one, I love Russian Roulette, I love that yeah. I mean I should say I don't dislike the idea of ringing out, you know, a metaphor across a song on principle or anything like that. There's examples I could surely think of where I do like it. It's just this one. I just remember being like a kid like, but this looks like a rerun. What else is on? Isn't that a TV thing rather than a stage show thing? Yes, it is actually yeah so yeah

it's just funny to list it back it's not something I necessarily hate it's just like oh yeah I remember this song for doing all of this but nevermind, Andy Madonna, The Ting Tings Rihanna, how are we feeling on those vault pie hole

wise? Madonna and JT was blundered off that I'm not even gonna really bother thinking of a pun or joke so no it's not going anywhere. As for the TingTings, oh you know I'm so on the edge here. I'm so on the edge that I've got an extra little verse written about how I'm putting it in the pie hole but I'm not gonna sing it. What? I'm not gonna sing it because I'm not gonna put it in the pie hole but it's on the edge for me. I'm not a huge fan. And as for Rihanna, it's on the edge of the vault for me,

but not quite just because I don't think it's like amazing. And I do think it has that little, a couple of wobbles with the lyrics. And I'm not the biggest fan of her vocals in the world. So it is really nice, but it's not quite vault worthy for me. So everything's in the middle this week, as far as I'm concerned. Yeah.

Lizzie, how about you? Well, four minutes didn't take me four minutes to think of this. It's not going anywhere. It's going right down the middle. It's not a vault. It's not a pie hole. It's not an eight.

It's not a two. It's in the middle. It's going nowhere. It's kind of average. I'm not too hot on it. And take a bow. This was nearly a vault for me. I think Rob, your chat about the lyrics there did make me kind of have to take a step back and sort of check myself a bit, but... Oh no, feel free to not check yourself if you want to put it in the vault. No, no, I do think there are problems with it that there aren't with other songs that I have put in the vault. So it's going to be a near miss.

And it's not like Rihanna's never been in the vault. She, she, you know, sailed in with umbrella. So I'm sure she'll be fine Okay for me. Yep, four minutes right down the middle and that's not my name is sneaking in It's just sneaking into the vault but only slightly for me Take a bow is is missing the vault but not by much I do want to say though that as much as I've not put in take a bow in the vault but not by much. I do want to say though that as much as I've not put in take a bow in the vault I do hope it wins the poll and I'm gonna preemptively assume that it doesn't say and the award for the best song goes to

you. But that is it for this week's episode. Thank you very much for listening. When we come back, we'll be continuing our journey through 2008 and we'll see you then. Bye bye now. Bye bye. That was quite a show.