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 Spice Rate 2019 - The Results!, 20th Dec: Runner up and WINNER announced! |
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 2nd October 2019, 04:05 PM
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#101
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 BuzzJack Gold Member
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Joined: 10 December 2013 Posts: 4,221 User: 20,217 
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    6.759 - 35. It's Raining Men GERI HALLIWELL 6.773 - 34. Downtown EMMA BUNTON 6.833 - 33. Let Love Lead the Way SPICE GIRLS 7.019 - 32. Out of Your Mind VICTORIA BECKHAM 7.068 - 31. Next Best Superstar MELANIE C We start today’s section with Geri's It's Raining Men at #35. It's Raining Men, which was a cover of The Weather Girls’ original 80s hit, was released on April 30, 2001 (my 14th Birthday lol) as the first single from Geri's second solo album, Scream if You Wanna Go Faster. It was also featured as the lead single internationally to the soundtrack of the 2001 film Bridget Jones's Diary. The single became Halliwell's fourth consecutive number-one hit single on the UK Singles Chart and became her most successful solo single to date. Another cover, this time by Emma, hits #34. Downtown originally by Petula Clark, was released November 13, 2006 and was that year’s Children In Need single. It debuted at #24 in the UK singles chart and jumped to #3 in its 2nd week, which is also its peak. Downtown would prove to have little staying power, spending only three weeks in the Top 20. It also notably also the final Spice related Top 10 hit in the UK. Let Love Lead The Way is the next group song to chart, at #33. It was released on 23rd of October 2000 and was a double A-side with Holler. It peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the group's 9th #1 single. While it wasn't a fave for me when it was originally released, the performance on the 2019 tour with Geri gave me new love for the song.  The number 32 position in this rate goes to Victoria's Out of Your Mind. The single was released on 14 August 2000 and was a featuring single with True Steppers (a UK garage duo) and Another Level singer Dane Bowers. In the United Kingdom, the single was released the same week as Spiller featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor's Groovejet (If This Ain't Love). Although Out of Your Mind was predicted to be number #1 until Saturday, Groovejet ended up outselling it by 20,000 copies by Sunday’s official chart, holding Victoria back at the #2 position. Before we dive into the Top 30 we have Melanie C with Next Best Superstar at #31. It was released as the 1st single from her 3rd album Beautiful Intentions on the 4th of April 2005. It peaked at #10 in the UK Singles Chart - Melanie’s final Top 10 hit. The song is about the fickleness of fame resulting from manufactured genre shows such as music competitions Pop Idol and The X Factor. |
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2nd October 2019, 04:09 PM
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#102
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 "Jayrusaleminians" - Umi.
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 4 April 2007 Posts: 41,456 User: 3,217
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Ooh three group singles out before the Top 30... for me they're definitely the weakest three, even though I have love for them all.
Not really sure how Downtown managed to get this high up! I like it, but it definitely isn't in my personal Top 40 and there's certainly better Emma songs that have finished lower than it. As covers go I prefer It's Raining Men. It's a fun listen and she really put her all into her version & the video! It was a great time to be a Geri fan and seeing all the success she got with it, not just in the UK but also worldwide. A shame that it all unravelled quickly with the release of Scream If You Wanna Go Faster. I still find it a shame that Victoria missed out on #1 after leading the way throughout the midweeks. That was such a surge of sales for Spiller in the final moments. In terms of song quality & classic status... even as a Spice fan I'd say that Spiller deserved it. It's a pity Victoria didn't release a week later, but I suppose the label would have been more worried about going up against Madonna's Music... but they needn't have been worried. Victoria sold nearly 181,000 copies to be #2, and a week later Madonna was #1 with less than 115,000. Two weeks later, A1 only needed 82,000 to be #1. Such a shame. Next Best Superstar was a great lead single and I'm glad it gave her a last hurrah in terms of Top 10 peaks. Interestingly its week of release was the final week in chart history that was 100% based on physical sales - downloads were introduced to the chart a week later. |
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2nd October 2019, 05:51 PM
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#103
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 you never forget your first time...
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 19 April 2011 Posts: 121,821 User: 13,530 
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I had genuinely not heard Out of Your Mind until this rate and I found it really basic and cheap sounding oops, way too high for me (though I realise context probably helps and maybe I'd enjoy it more if I'd heard it when it came out!)
Let Love Lead the Way was a cute moment on tour and I really like the other three to some degree. Next Best Superstar probably my favourite from this section! |
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2nd October 2019, 05:56 PM
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#104
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"Jayrusaleminians" - Umi.
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 4 April 2007 Posts: 41,456 User: 3,217
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QUOTE(JosephStyles @ Oct 2 2019, 06:51 PM)  I had genuinely not heard Out of Your Mind until this rate and I found it really basic and cheap sounding oops bye! |
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2nd October 2019, 08:44 PM
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#105
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BuzzJack Regular
Joined: 21 September 2017
Posts: 318 User: 41,834  |
I'm so curious about the top 30!
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2nd October 2019, 08:53 PM
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#106
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 September 2017
Posts: 5,086 User: 39,587
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Let Love Lead The Way was a special moment on tour actually, and I am glad it has finally gotten a proper full on live performance, after it was cut short (and boring) in the Return Tour in 2007. It has grown on me, so I am glad it is witihn the Top40. It probably deserved Top 30 but whatever.
The others I am not particularly fond of. It's Raining Men is a nice cover but it does very little to me. Downtown suits Emma's voice but it's a bit by the numbers tbh. Victoria's first solo single is ok, quite dated now whilst at the time sounded fresh and exciting. It's a shame she wasnt more daring with her album's promo campaigns like she was with this song's promo. This was a great first move as a solo artist who had no credibility. Unfortunately she ruined it afterwards. Next Best Superstar is a bit bittersweet tbh. It's an ok song, but I am not particularly fond of the message specially as it comes from Mel C herself - someone who had always strived to be in the limelight and took on massive corporate promotions and deals to enrich herself as a Spice Girl, loosing a lot of credibility. I don't see much difference from that and the people she set out to criticise in the song. Maybe a little personal reflection would have helped give the criticisms she raised in the song (and promotional interviews) a bit more credibility. To me, to this day, it sounds like a potentially good song that sounds somewhat hypocritical... |
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2nd October 2019, 09:39 PM
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#107
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 BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 6 September 2017
Posts: 11,849 User: 39,568
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QUOTE(Mr.X @ Oct 2 2019, 09:53 PM) Next Best Superstar is a bit bittersweet tbh. It's an ok song, but I am not particularly fond of the message specially as it comes from Mel C herself - someone who had always strived to be in the limelight and took on massive corporate promotions and deals to enrich herself as a Spice Girl, loosing a lot of credibility. I don't see much difference from that and the people she set out to criticise in the song. Maybe a little personal reflection would have helped give the criticisms she raised in the song (and promotional interviews) a bit more credibility. To me, to this day, it sounds like a potentially good song that sounds somewhat hypocritical... To be fair I don't think she is criticising them, it's more she is poking fun at the industry and how fickle the fame game is... |
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3rd October 2019, 06:33 AM
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#108
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 31 August 2010
Posts: 8,801 User: 11,763
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I love all of those !!
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3rd October 2019, 06:34 AM
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#109
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 31 August 2010
Posts: 8,801 User: 11,763
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MR X totally has not understood Next Best Superstar .
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3rd October 2019, 09:23 AM
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#110
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 September 2017
Posts: 5,086 User: 39,587
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QUOTE(Spiceboy @ Oct 2 2019, 10:39 PM) To be fair I don't think she is criticising them, it's more she is poking fun at the industry and how fickle the fame game is... Well yes, the same industry she is a part of and - gasp - has helped build. Not saying she isn't right about it - just that it sounded like a blame game when she was very much chasing that dream herself and achieved it and once it started to wane for her, then she started criticising it without reflection on her own actions, that's all. QUOTE(vibe @ Oct 3 2019, 07:34 AM) MR X totally has not understood Next Best Superstar . Please let me know what I missed 
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3rd October 2019, 03:01 PM
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#111
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 31 August 2010
Posts: 8,801 User: 11,763
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Watch the press kit on YouTube or interviews where she discusses the meaning . Your slightly misinterpreting it.
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3rd October 2019, 05:51 PM
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#112
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"Jayrusaleminians" - Umi.
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 4 April 2007 Posts: 41,456 User: 3,217
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     7.091 - 30. For Once In My Life MEL B 7.119 - 29. Weak MELANIE C 7.185 - 28. I'll Be There EMMA BUNTON 7.296 - 27. Feels So Good MEL B 7.407 - 26. This Groove VICTORIA BECKHAM For Once in My Life became Mel B's first music release in 8 years, upon its release in September 2013! Mel announced her unexpected return to music during an Ellen interview. Mel released the single on Thursday 19th September, on the same day as the music video premiere. This meant that the song only had three days to accumulate sales for that particular chart week in the UK (back when the chart was unveiled on Sundays). It reached a high of #69 on iTunes, which resulted in an eventual peak of #30 in the Indie chart. Unfortunately it missed out on the UK Top 200 chart. The Top 29 of the Indie chart all featured within the official Top 200, so it seems that Mel might not have been far off. If only she had released it earlier, tut! Fans had hoped that For Once in My Life was the beginning of a long awaited third album era for Mel, but sadly she never followed it up, instead focusing on her TV career. It became a club hit in the US in February 2014, reaching #2 in the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart ("The week's most popular songs played in dance clubs, compiled from reports from a national sample of club DJs."). Interestingly the music video was filmed on Colonial Street, a back-lot set at Universal Studios Hollywood, most known for being the set of the TV series Desperate Housewives. Weak is taken from Melanie C's album The Sea, and was released as a single towards the end of 2011. Apparently Weak was selected as a single because BBC Radio 2 agreed to playlist it if she went with this particular song - and they did end up giving the track a lot of support, resulting in it reaching the Radio Airplay Top 50 - Melanie's best result as an independent artist. Unfortunately this higher than usual radio support didn't have the desired effect commercially; Weak became Melanie's first single to miss the Top 200 chart altogether (in fact it was the first ever Spice related single to fail to chart). Despite this under-performance, Weak has clearly remained as a fan favourite (in this rate its 8th out of the 30 Melanie C singles included). Emma Bunton launched her second album Free Me with the release of its third single: I'll Be There. It entered and peaked at #7 in the UK singles chart in February 2004, the same peak that her album achieved that same month. I'll Be There's first week sales of 15,000 and eventual total of around 40,000 makes it her worst performing Top 10 hit, but in this rate it outperforms her Top 5 hits What I Am, Take My Breath Away and Downtown! Emma shot the black-and-white music video for I'll Be There in Paris. The physical contains what I believe to be Emma's finest solo B Side - So Long.  In 27th place we bid farewell to the highest placed Mel B single: Feels So Good. Is it your personal favourite Mel B song? Let us know! Following the disappointing chart performance of Mel's debut album Hot (it reached #28 in October 2000 and vacated the Top 200 after just four weeks), she attempted to revive the era in early 2001 with this feel-good pop song. Feels So Good performed well in the singles chart, peaking at #5 with strong first week sales of around 55,000. Its eventual total of approx 140,000 copies makes it her second best selling single. It didn't entice many people into giving the album a try - it re-entered the Top 100 for just two weeks, reaching #95. After leaving Virgin Records in 2002, Victoria signed with Telstar that same year and began working on material for her second solo album throughout 2003. Initially she went in a pop/dance direction, but during the recording process Victoria decided she wanted more of an urban sound. The first single from the project was the double A Side of This Groove and Let Your Head Go. This Groove came from her sessions with Damon Dash, and showcased the urban sound she had been working on (while Let Your Head Go came from her earlier pop sessions). It seems that Telstar wanted to see which sound the public responded more favourably to. The single was released on 29th December 2003, charting on 4th January 2004. Its release date was purposefully chosen to target what was traditionally one of the lowest selling chart weeks, in a bid to get a high chart position. Its entry & peak position of #3 on sales of 29,000 was a great result, but the #1 spot continued to allude her - a fact that the media liked to focus on. Undeterred, Victoria continued to work on new music throughout the first half of 2004... but disaster struck later that year when Telstar went bankrupt - with the media placing the blame on Victoria for being an expensive signing. This seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back... Victoria gave up on her music career and turned her hand to fashion (a decision which worked out quite well for her xx). |
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3rd October 2019, 06:06 PM
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#113
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BuzzJack Gold Member
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 10 December 2013 Posts: 4,221 User: 20,217
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The i'll Be There video is so stunning
and agree about So Long too
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3rd October 2019, 07:37 PM
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#114
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 September 2017
Posts: 5,086 User: 39,587
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For Once In My Life is bad. Everything about it - and she obviously doesn't sing half of the song. You can tell it is someone else's voice in certain parts ah. And that video
 I'll Be There deserved to be Top20 on this, but Im glad it stayed so high! It's such a gorgeous song, potentially a classic had it been released by a more mainstream artist at the time. The video is just GORGEOUS and So Long is not only her best b-side, it is one of her best songs ever. Mel C's Weak is, well, weak in all aspects. Personally, never liked it as it sounds forced. It has some nice vocals but the song overall is a bit grating. And also that video is a crime lol Feels So Good is great! It's such an underrated gem, I think had she lead the album with that, it probably gotten better sales ah. But by early 2001, the main public just didnt care for solo Spices anymore. I also think this song should have been higher in this chart, but at least it is not below some of the songs that have just gone out lol... Vicky did ok with This Groove, but it just doesnt ring true to me. Her take on R&B Pop was fun in Victoria Beckham, she had some great tracks (Like That, Not That Kind Of Girl, I Wish, etc) but this was a bit toooooo random and her trying to be sexy was just a bit tooooo out of character ah |
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4th October 2019, 01:24 PM
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#115
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"Jayrusaleminians" - Umi.
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 4 April 2007 Posts: 41,456 User: 3,217
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I loooove For Once in My Life, for me it's very uplifting and fun. It was actually released shortly after I had an operation (gallbladder removal, eek) and I was feeling major discomfort for a number of days afterwards, so Mel B unexpectedly delivering a new uptempo song was a certainly a welcome distraction!
In the past I felt quite ambivalent towards I'll Be There - sometimes I found it nice, sometimes it bored me and felt that she could have done more with the song. In recent years though it's grown in my affections more, it's a lovely track. Feels So Good is definitely my favourite Mel B song. I think it deserved greater success than it got, but with it being a post album single, from an album which was regarded as a massive flop (which it was, honestly)... she probably did well to get another Top 5 hit after such a disaster.Like you Mr.X, I do wonder if the Hot era would have gone better for Mel had she launched with Feels So Good instead. Apparently she finished recording the Hot album in April 2000, which makes me wonder why it took until October to release it. October was totally the wrong time to schedule it; it was always going to be overshadowed in the midst of the Spice Girls comeback. Apparently it was Mel B who was determined that October was the time to release it, while Virgin wanted to delay it until 2001. I wish the label had got their own way on this occasion! Personally I would have liked to have seen the album released earlier than it was. Release Feels So Good as the lead single in June 2000 and then had the album out in July 2000. I feel like the public might have responded better to both releases in the summertime? I suppose it still wouldn't have been the most ideal scenario for her to release the album a few months in advance of Forever, because the time to release a second single would have clashed with Holler/Let Love Lead the Way... hmm. Sometimes I wonder if she should have gone in a different direction with the album cover. I was 12 and I felt too self conscious to hand it over in the store lol, I asked my Dad to do it for me. Clearly that's quite prudish, I certainly wouldn't have a problem now, but I just didn't feel comfortable about it as a child. Perhaps other young fans felt similarly, who knows. I'm not sure which picture from the shoot I would have chosen instead... I don't think any of the pictures in the Hot booklet scream "album cover". |
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4th October 2019, 05:05 PM
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#116
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 September 2017
Posts: 5,086 User: 39,587
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QUOTE(Jay ☆ @ Oct 4 2019, 02:24 PM) I loooove For Once in My Life, for me it's very uplifting and fun. It was actually released shortly after I had an operation (gallbladder removal, eek) and I was feeling major discomfort for a number of days afterwards, so Mel B unexpectedly delivering a new uptempo song was a certainly a welcome distraction! In the past I felt quite ambivalent towards I'll Be There - sometimes I found it nice, sometimes it bored me and felt that she could have done more with the song. In recent years though it's grown in my affections more, it's a lovely track. Feels So Good is definitely my favourite Mel B song. I think it deserved greater success than it got, but with it being a post album single, from an album which was regarded as a massive flop (which it was, honestly)... she probably did well to get another Top 5 hit after such a disaster.Like you Mr.X, I do wonder if the Hot era would have gone better for Mel had she launched with Feels So Good instead. Apparently she finished recording the Hot album in April 2000, which makes me wonder why it took until October to release it. October was totally the wrong time to schedule it; it was always going to be overshadowed in the midst of the Spice Girls comeback. Apparently it was Mel B who was determined that October was the time to release it, while Virgin wanted to delay it until 2001. I wish the label had got their own way on this occasion! Personally I would have liked to have seen the album released earlier than it was. Release Feels So Good as the lead single in June 2000 and then had the album out in July 2000. I feel like the public might have responded better to both releases in the summertime? I suppose it still wouldn't have been the most ideal scenario for her to release the album a few months in advance of Forever, because the time to release a second single would have clashed with Holler/Let Love Lead the Way... hmm. Sometimes I wonder if she should have gone in a different direction with the album cover. I was 12 and I felt too self conscious to hand it over in the store lol, I asked my Dad to do it for me. Clearly that's quite prudish, I certainly wouldn't have a problem now, but I just didn't feel comfortable about it as a child. Perhaps other young fans felt similarly, who knows. I'm not sure which picture from the shoot I would have chosen instead... I don't think any of the pictures in the Hot booklet scream "album cover". Ah I do think her pictures DID somehow put people off - or at least the overall Spice fanbase lol but clearly the main issue was the timing and promotion. WHY did she think that releasing at the same time as Forever promo was on, would be a good idea? Strange that even the record company was against it but let it happen. I think at the time there was a general fatigue of the Spice Girls as well, we have to consider this too. So the timing and the choice of Tell Me as lead probably completely ruined her chances of success. If she had gone: 1. Feels So Good 2. Hotter 3. Tell Me 4. Lullaby It probably would have done better. But even then after Feels So Good, there arent that many singles in the album. Oh well... |
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4th October 2019, 05:08 PM
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#117
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 September 2017
Posts: 5,086 User: 39,587
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Also Jay - glad Mel B helped during your surgery recovery
She clearly knew!
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4th October 2019, 06:30 PM
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#118
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We're all Glitter and Tears in the Moonlight...
Joined: 24 September 2013
Posts: 10,022 User: 19,846
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"Feels So Good" was a great single choice for Mel B, after the somewhat lacklustre 'Tell Me' (even though it did well) & really breathed a bit of life into her solo career. But releasing 'Lullaby' really killed her momentum, if 'Hotter' was released instead, then it may have kept her solo career going a bit longer, and maybe been able to push another single if it had done well of course.
This post has been edited by SamJudd: 4th October 2019, 06:32 PM |
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4th October 2019, 07:06 PM
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#119
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 September 2017
Posts: 5,086 User: 39,587
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Yeah, I have no idea why she released Lullaby as it was clearly a make or break single lol
I always thought that this picture should have been the front cover: 
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4th October 2019, 07:47 PM
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#120
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BuzzJack Legend
Joined: 11 June 2011
Posts: 23,993 User: 14,031 
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Feels So Good, its not a bad song by any stretch, but it isnt the most memorable either.
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