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Posted by: BillyH Oct 16 2014, 01:04 AM

What songs, whether in their subject matter or composition etc smack an ugly amount of desperation to get a "hit" charting as highly as possible? It doesn't matter if they ended up genuinely being huge or sank into obscurity, and can be from new acts or previously more credible acts selling out to the mainstream.

First two that come to mind are both by the much-missed () The Wanted, who did actually produce some fun songs over their brief career but things went horribly wrong last year, first with 'Walks Like Rihanna' which a) name-checked a megastar, b) ripped off the title of million-seller 'Moves Like Jagger' and not even starting on their attempt-at-a-viral-hit video, and then with 'Show Me Love (America)' the reason is already in the title!

Posted by: buzz_person Oct 16 2014, 01:46 AM

The Wanted really shot themselves in the foot last year ever since Walks Like Rihanna. I eye-rolled as soon as I saw the title. The song was crap as well as their video. Their subsequent single releases were really terrible after that. Wasn't surprised that their album tanked. Desperation was such an understatement for The Wanted in 2013. Although, Glow in the Dark (their final single) was quite a decent song but the label were too lazy to promote or even try anymore at that point (the song's video was just a montage and not a very good one).

John Legend's All of Me sounded pretty desperate to me. Not necessarily to get a hit, but a desperation to get a Grammy for Song of The Year or Record of the Year.

Posted by: mr_aly Oct 16 2014, 01:49 AM

It really went wrong for The Wanted as soon as they released 'I Found You', after that pretty much blew the tyres of their career they couldn't get radio support, the only decent thing they did since was 'We Own The Night'.

The most obvious recent example is Jessie J getting on board Ariana and Nicki for her recent single following the second album's underperformance, it was obviously a smart move but reeks of sheer desperation.

Posted by: fchd Oct 16 2014, 06:56 AM

The dozens of slightly different versions of Alex Day's "Forever Yours"

Posted by: Eric_Blob Oct 16 2014, 08:02 AM

I don't think Bang Bang was that desperate. It's the female version of New Flame, both songs just two poppy-R&B singers featuring a rapper.

Posted by: Mango Oct 16 2014, 08:30 AM

As much as it pains me to say it, it does feel like Professor Green's people all got together after his flop last year and said "We need another hit, let's do another Read All About It" when they came up with 'Lullaby'.

Completely agree with the above posts about The Wanted, their last few singles reeked of desperation (though as Aly said 'We Own The Night' was pretty decent, despite again sounding like a desperate attempt at a hit).

Add to the list Union J with 'Tonight (We Live Forever)' - another song that is desperately trying to sound like a hit but doesn't quite manage it.

Posted by: ML Hammer95 Oct 16 2014, 08:55 AM

A good recent example would be Dizzee Rascal's last album. Collabs with Robbie Williams, Jessie J, will.I.am and Dizzee himself said it was aimed at America! Luckily it flopped, and the most memorable (and best) song was Baseline Junkie

Other songs you could include:

Tinie Tempah- Children of the Sun
Dappy- No Regrets
50 Cent- My Life
Wiley- Heatwave, Can you Hear Me etc
Sam Smith- Money on my Mind
Naughty Boy- Lifted
Tinchy Stryder- Spaceship
Ed Sheeran- Sing

Posted by: jafetsigfinns Oct 16 2014, 08:56 AM

Wholeheartedly agree with you all about The Wanted and "Walks Like Rihanna". I also rolled my eyes as soon as I saw the title and hated the song from the very first listen because it's quite possibly the most desperate attempt at a hit I have ever seen. Also, since when did Rihanna have a signature walk? Did I miss something?

I also think "We Own The Night" was desperate, though maybe not as desperate as WLR, but mostly because of how the song is just about partying 'til you die which sounds like a seriously cringeworthy and desperate attempt to get young people to download it.

"Show Me Love (America)" has desperation written all over it in the title but the song itself would be so much better if they had just cut off the word (America) from the title because they never actually sing "Show Me Love America" in the song, but rather "Show Me Love" and "Could Have Shown You America" as two different lines.

Posted by: Dark Horse Oct 16 2014, 12:16 PM

i think The Wanted are being treated very badly by the UK public, most of their songs are instant pop classics, even 'Walks like rihanna' even if the lyrics were corny , 'Show me love ', 'We own the night' and 'Glow in the dark' all sound great, and way better than most 1D or 5SOS songs which are both far more popular.... 'Glad you came' and 'I found you' are absolute classics and 'Chasing the sun' should've become their second top 10 single in the US...

Posted by: Jack Oct 16 2014, 12:18 PM

The Saturdays - All Fired Up

Posted by: Dobbo Oct 16 2014, 12:21 PM

Cheryl Cole - Crazy Stupid Love
Jessie J - Bang Bang
Ellie Goulding - Burn
Armin Van Buuren - This Is What It Feels Like
Wiley - Heatwave
Ne-Yo - Let Me Love You
Taylor Swift - We Are Never etc...
Chris Brown - Turn Up The Music

Posted by: mr_aly Oct 16 2014, 12:29 PM

That reminds me in a roundabout way... everything from Tiësto's recent album.

Posted by: AntoineTTe Oct 16 2014, 02:48 PM

Marina's Primadonna.

Posted by: { bré } Oct 16 2014, 03:02 PM

Completely disagree with this, I actually think that was a fairly risky first single from him considering his biggest successes from the first album were the MOR ballads and his previous attempt at an upbeat rap-singy single was pretty much his least successful single (only 'Give Me Love' spent fewer weeks in the top 40 than 'You Need Me, I Don't Need You' and that was released a good year after the album). If 'Thinking Out Loud' was the lead single then maybe.

Besides, Ed Sheeran going into his second album is pretty far removed from a situation where the artist 'desperately' needs a hit

Posted by: Chez Wombat Oct 16 2014, 03:07 PM

Enrique Iglesias - I'm a Freak, I Like It AND Dirty Dancer all sounded like equally horrible attempts to get commercial success.

Posted by: { bré } Oct 16 2014, 03:07 PM

To answer the actual question, pretty much all of Skepta's top 40 hits (apart from 'That's Not Me' but it's telling that he waited until after 'German Whip' before properly pushing a grime single again), Lethal Bizzle's 'Party Right'/'The Drop' and Devlin's 'Runaway'/'Rewind' spring to mind, in addition to the likes of Wiley and Dizzee Rascal with various songs already mentioned (grime artists seem quite prone to this).

Posted by: AntoineTTe Oct 16 2014, 03:10 PM

Remember wheb Tina Turner followed Cher's dance make over template in 1999.

Posted by: Joe. Oct 16 2014, 03:13 PM

Ellie Goulding - Burn 100%


(she doesn't even like it)

Posted by: mr_aly Oct 16 2014, 03:14 PM

Oh, and that 'Tonight' monstrosity too.

Posted by: Cremey Oct 16 2014, 03:15 PM

All of Jennifer Lopez's recent output.
Not that it's worked for her at all..

Posted by: Joe. Oct 16 2014, 03:19 PM

'Booty' especially. Jumping on the all About That Bass, Anaconda, Wiggle bandwagon of making songs about big butts. and grabbing hot right now Iggy for a Feature,

Posted by: xajnipi Oct 16 2014, 03:26 PM

THIS ... If I am not mistaken, apart from Tina Turner (When The Heartache Is Over), even Diana Ross (Not Over You Yet) and Lionel Ritchie (Angel) tried the same formula shortly after

Many recent attempts of artists trying to get a hit comes to mind... just flash plenty of skin, bootie, or use random brass instruments as a hook, and voila'

Posted by: T Boy Oct 16 2014, 03:42 PM

Everything Maroon 5 have done since Moves Like Jagger. Now that it's worked a couple of times, please go back to your old style.

Posted by: AntoineTTe Oct 16 2014, 03:51 PM

Dianna Ross, I rembember.Lionel,I don't.

Posted by: jafetsigfinns Oct 16 2014, 03:52 PM

Oh god yes everything SCREAMS desperation about 'Booty'.

Posted by: N-S Oct 16 2014, 04:05 PM

Pretty much anything by Pitbull, Flo-Rida and Jason Derulo.

Posted by: SevenSeize Oct 16 2014, 04:08 PM

Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen "Good Time" - not a million miles away from Owl City's usual style, but this always felt like a very 'attempt at a summer chart hit' song

New World Sound & Thomas Newson "Flutes" - mainly because of the never-ending delays with the release date, and scrapping the instrumental version to push a Lethal Bizzle version instead (much like Tsunami being given a release with a UK rapper hm~~)

Posted by: ►▲N Oct 16 2014, 04:09 PM

The Chainsmokers '#SELFIE' was clearly a desperate attempt to get a viral hit by cashing in on the selfie trend.

Anything Taio Cruz did after 'Dynamite'.

Posted by: liamk97 Oct 16 2014, 04:11 PM

Most songs that sample dance tracks, particularly if it's 'Show Me Love' that's sampled.

Posted by: Nick F1 Oct 16 2014, 04:30 PM

Okay for Iggy bandwagon, but Booty was released with album release before Anaconda and All About That Bass were out. It was obvious that it will be single since she have performed the song many times and it was instant pick when album was released. So I wouldn't say that she have jumped on that 'big butts' bandwagon, since she had the first one the song about butt, and we all know that her butt is like 20+years one of the most popular in the world

Posted by: Rush Oct 16 2014, 04:36 PM

you're all forgetting this iconic trendsetter anyway

Posted by: hotchoc26 Oct 16 2014, 04:43 PM

Pixie Lott seemed desperate with Lay Me Down and despite OCC's News article and the TV advert, it didn't even get top 100! (71-80 on sales though).

Posted by: mr_aly Oct 16 2014, 04:47 PM

I don't see how that song 'sounds' desperate at all.

'All About Tonight' (much as I love it) was moreso if anything, with its pop/dance sound which was 'in' at that point in 2011 and all the cliched phrases about going out partying thrown in.

Posted by: n4yr Oct 16 2014, 04:57 PM

Madonna - Give Me All Your Luvin'

Posted by: fchd Oct 16 2014, 04:58 PM

Yes, it even smacked of "Ooh, I'm saying a rude word" and if we include it in brackets in the title too, that'll gain me extra publicity. And then I'll do a "clean" version too to get some people to buy it twice.

Posted by: ML Hammer95 Oct 16 2014, 05:43 PM

This.

Its telling in America that rappers can produce more "hip-hop" sounding songs and still chart whereas here you normally get nowhere near the top of the chart without a pop chorus/safe production- only real exceptions to this are Traktor, ill Manors and German Whip/That's Not Me. Its a shame as our rappers are talented and have the advantage of relatable lyrics (for us in the UK).

Posted by: ML Hammer95 Oct 16 2014, 05:53 PM

I say this because although his first album was massive, it didnt produce a number 1 single which I'm sure he wanted to end To do this he enlisted Pharrell's help on production and vocals, using the man of the moment and his own name to ensure radio play and get casual fans to buy song to achieve a number 1 by avoiding his "marmite-y" ballad standard he was known for (particularly in America).

Posted by: { bré } Oct 16 2014, 06:19 PM

But the point I was making is his 'casual fans' *were* people who liked his 'marmitey ballads'. Plus making another ballad would ensure radio play even more so considering how much radio played 'The A Team' and 'Lego House' vs. them more or less ignoring 'You Need Me, I Don't Need You'. And Pharrell's contribution wasn't even credited (well, apart from production and songwriting credits obviously but surely he would have publicised the collab more (i.e. with a featured credit) if it was really intended to ensure a big hit).

Honestly he'd have had a very strong chance of hitting #1 regardless of what he released, I was pleasantly surprised he didn't just come back with an obvious ballad to try and re-create 'The A Team'.

Posted by: Chez Wombat Oct 16 2014, 06:33 PM

I think for an artist to be 'desperate for a number 1', they'd most likely need to be in career decline and need a smash, that definitely doesn't apply to someone like Ed Sheeran, I think he would've got to number 1 whatever he'd released as Bré said.

Posted by: ML Hammer95 Oct 16 2014, 08:17 PM

You are right I suppose, he did really want that number 1 though

Posted by: ML Hammer95 Oct 16 2014, 08:19 PM

Not neccesarily in decline, for example the whole Saturdays career has been a desperate scramble for a hit!!! Often, a debut hit is a desperate push for a hit and recognition (e.g. Krishane at the moment).

Posted by: Sociopath Oct 16 2014, 10:57 PM

Ellie Goulding - Burn
Katy Perry - Roar
Magic - Rude
Jessie J - Bang Bang
Pitbull - Wild Wild Love
One Direction - Steal My Girl
The Wanted - Walks Like Rihanna

(all of these songs felt desperate to me but my opinion aside, they're all top 10 hits so I guess it worked)

also I'm a saturdays fan myself and can understand how their music comes off as desperate which is shame because they have some solid pop songs.

Posted by: Dobbo Oct 16 2014, 11:19 PM

Timber was far more desperate than this IMO.

Posted by: ROBOT Oct 16 2014, 11:24 PM

I don't think Katy Perry would be DESPERATE for a hit when she just came off the back of an absolute huge Teenage Dream era cementing her as one of the biggest pop stars in the business. Sure, it sounded like it was pretty much designed for radio but that's pretty much always been Katy Perry's sound, definitively Katy but very much suited down to the ground for various different radio stations. But, to come under the category of desperate for a hit? Desperation certainly wouldn't have been in the minds of her or her label. I'd argue the same applies to One Direction, although even to me, Steal My Girl doesn't sound like an obvious 1D lead single so I wouldn't call that desperate by any barometer, although that is subjective.

I feel like people are really missing the point of this thread, as Chez Wombat has said, Ed Sheeran and Katy Perry with this era would not have been desperate by any means.

Posted by: Rooney Oct 16 2014, 11:31 PM

I think people are really getting confused, there are some really bad suggestions.

Lead singles are designed to be a hit. That is their purpose. Bang Bang is a good suggestion because Jessie J's last era flopped so hard after her first album, and it was obvious she needed those support credits to get her name back out there, and to get radio playing it again. But Sing? Steal My Girl? Roar? Timber? Jesus some awful suggestions. Desperation for me is when something has performed badly and they need a hit/feature to save the album/artist.

Walks Like Rihanna and The Wanted's last era is the best shout. Another one was Chris Brown in 2013. X was constantly delayed, and his label really wanted to launch the album off of a hit single, but everything they released really did not perform that well. Probably just as well he spent time in jail and the album was properly delayed!

Posted by: Chez Wombat Oct 16 2014, 11:40 PM

How? It sounded like nothing else in the charts when it was released, if I hadn't seen it's US success prior to it's release here, I would've been surprised at it reaching number 1!

Posted by: Sociopath Oct 17 2014, 02:19 AM

Music is subjective, I just find these songs desperate and the fact they manage/d to be successful shows how shitty the state of music is. Katy Perry is simply more talented than 'Roar' and she probably knows this but it looks good if she has a no.1 in 20 countries with 500 million views on youtube, it's desperation in my eyes, she didn't excel herself or progress from her past events and she could of elevated her music if she picked up the pen and didn't rely on Dr Luke to make her a star. Katy songs like Not Like The Movies, The One That Got Away, E.T and Firework are all better efforts than Roar and were all (along with a lot of her music) of a way higher standard so to comeback with a typical predictable overly radio friendly song like Roar is lazy in my eyes and I'm not missing the point if you consider music subjective? Katy and One Direction are both better than Roar and Steal My Girl.



I just find it desperate, just because it's different doesn't mean it's any less desperate and to be honest it's not even that different, it's exactly what I'd expect to find in the Top 10, Top 40? It's pretty run of the mill. the song is irritating, the video is soul-decaying and the lyrics are stale.

Posted by: Sociopath Oct 17 2014, 02:37 AM

Your definition of 'desperate' is different to my perception of the meaning. To me it doesn't matter if it's a hit or not, if it sounds like it could be any other artists' track and has no emotion or intellect to it, then it is desperate to me. Artists should be taking risks, evolving their talents and creating music which encapsulates their growth as an artist from their previous efforts and not releasing the most radio-friendly song in the world which they are 99% sure will gain them top 10's, huge sales and countless online views. The song may be number 1 for a week and then a week later no one cares? That's desperate to me, as artists they should want to be remembered for their distinctive style and individuality but instead artist after artist want to stick to the status quo and release boring songs. Constantly latching onto common connotations and representations within the industry and only signifying that the music industry is a money-driven, swine infested abyss of desperation.

As entertainers artists/singers should entertain me, I want to be entertained! It's pretty self-explanatory so when I'm fed the same regurgitated song 6 times over I'm bored and it's desperate in my eyes. Each artist has the potential to progress in some aspect with their music and if they can't, then they're probably in the wrong business and they're not true artists (imo) they're most likely just another source of money label executives can exploit for their own greed. Unlike a lot of the members who have posted, I don't like to be brainwashed and bored with the same predictable hit ten times over. I want to be pleasantly surprised, wowed, amazed, perplexed and inspired so when artists like Katy Perry and One Direction release the same old same old when they are evidently capable of much better it's simply lazy. They're desperate for a chart hit and therefore they are taking the art out of art-ist.

Posted by: Vidcapper Oct 17 2014, 05:49 AM

The recent decline in rap in the UK charts has not exactly been unwelcome from my pov - which will surprise no-one here who knows me.

Posted by: J▲hq Oct 17 2014, 10:22 AM

Wow, how patronising.

Weren't you just saying that music is subjective?

Posted by: JosephStyles Oct 17 2014, 10:36 AM

There's surely a difference between making Katy Perry continuing to make hits (Roar isn't dissimilar to what she did before, she might be "better" than that in your opinion but that's a totally difference case, Roar is my personal favourite Katy track) and The Wanted, for example, shoehorning Rihanna into a song just to get people talking about them again after they were on a downward slope? It's not desperation for Katy, having no emotion/intellect/etc. doesn't mean it's desperate. You're acting as if every song released should challenge musical barriers and change the music industry forever.

Steal My Girl is definitely not desperate either. Live While We're Young is more of a shout, as much as I love it it's essentially a What Makes You Beautiful clone. Steal My Girl is very different for a 1D track so how is it desperate??

Posted by: jafetsigfinns Oct 17 2014, 11:26 AM

Yeah I definitely think a lot of people are confusing the theme of this thread with "songs I don't like by artists I may or may not like".

"Roar" was not by any merits a desperate attempt at a hit song as Katy Perry has been releasing songs like that for a while and, as people have stated before in this thread, was not in a decline of any sort and desperation would be surprising after coming off a multi-plat album with 6 number one hits in the US, lol.

"Steal My Girl" also does not come off as desperate as it is rather unlike what they've released so far (as it resembles more rock than pop) so if anything that sort of a release would be more likely to alienate their fanbase than enhance it, so I think they actually took a pretty big risk by releasing that, and I actually like the song.

Desperate hits are, like people have named here in this thread, songs like:

"Walks Like Rihanna" which is desperately name-dropping a huge superstar even though the lyrics make no sense at all (like I said earlier - when did Rihanna develop a signature walk?!).

"Give Me All Your Luvin" which seemed to be cashing on some of the pop trends going on there, sounded like a 50 year old woman trying to look and sound way younger than she is and recruited two big names that had almost no impact on the song itself but added attention to the song just by being there

..and "Booty" which, even though it may have been made prior to the current butt-fetish the public is having, was obviously only released as a single due to that. The song is very boring on its own and brings nothing new to the table, and the video is just awkward as hell. Then there's the fact that she, just like Madge, recruits a fresh young face just for the sake of grabbing people's attention.

Posted by: jafetsigfinns Oct 17 2014, 11:27 AM

Just for the record I actually like a lot of songs by The Wanted, J. Lo and especially love most of what Madonna's done recently. But I'm not blind.

Posted by: Dobbo Oct 17 2014, 12:01 PM

Not quite, Midnight Memories (the song) was their first attempt at a "rocky" track.

Posted by: mr_aly Oct 17 2014, 12:07 PM

'Steal My Girl' to me sounds more like an 80s pop track as opposed to most of their previous pop-rock?

I think it was a smart move for them though, especially now acts like The Vamps and 5SOS have their previous sound cornered in the market.

Posted by: Noahspike Oct 17 2014, 12:13 PM

Elyar Fox - 'A Billion Girls'

Thankfully a very misguided attempt at a hit but the desperation was reeking from this, and that's without even taking into account that obnoxious release strategy

Posted by: April Oct 17 2014, 01:30 PM

Nicki Minaj - Starships, Pound The Alarm, Anaconda

As much as I love her, they are desperate attempts to get hits. I don't mind because she produces less generic, amazing songs on her albums too.

Posted by: marcin Oct 17 2014, 01:32 PM

Taylor Swift - Shake It Off

Posted by: Umi Oct 17 2014, 01:34 PM

I would say 'Radioactive' by Marina & The Diamonds was certainly a moment of desperation.

Posted by: jafetsigfinns Oct 17 2014, 01:39 PM

I think How To Be A Heartbreaker was more desperate than Radioactive.

Posted by: Jonjo Oct 17 2014, 01:49 PM

I'm sorry I'm not taking the shade towards Jessie - Bang Bang, because of the two stars on it. Ariana was the one who jumped on to the song, because she heard it and loved it. Originally it was just meant to be Jessie & Nicki, but that changed due to Ariana wanting to be on the song too. The only thing that would make it seem desperate was that it came after Ariana's first UK single, so it seemed like she was just jumping onto her coattails and success. The song itself is an obvious smash, but I don't think it can be seen as "desperate". Safe? Yes. But not desperate.

Posted by: Rabbit Heart Oct 17 2014, 01:50 PM

I agree about the others being awful suggestions but 'Timber' definitely fits the topic imo as it was coming off the huge success of 'Wake Me Up' which was country-dancepop, which is exactly what 'Timber' is. Also, it was originally meant to feature Rihanna which further adds to it.

Posted by: JosephStyles Oct 17 2014, 03:03 PM

Taylor had just come off her biggest era to date. Not sure this was particularly desperate, out of all of her songs then I'd pick I Knew You Were Trouble, just because of the dubstep thing that seemed like her attempt at a huge hit (and it worked). Even so, it's not a huuuuge example of desperation.

Posted by: ML Hammer95 Oct 17 2014, 03:45 PM

Some more examples:

Nelly - Hey Porsche/Just a Dream
Sean Paul - Got 2 Luv U/She Doesn't Mind/Other Side of Love
Flo Rida - Good Feeling
Lumidee - Never Leave You
Ciara - Goodies
K Koke - Lay Down Your Weapons

Posted by: Delincuentos Oct 17 2014, 04:09 PM

'Burn' By Ellie Goudling. Halcyon was a masterpiece that still had life in it. To go from explosions to burn just shows how desperate her record label was to turn it around. My Blood would have been the perfect 4th single

Posted by: jafetsigfinns Oct 17 2014, 06:41 PM

I KNOW!

Posted by: stiggy Oct 17 2014, 06:50 PM

I don't know how we've made it four pages without mentioning Example. Released identical songs for about three years straight because it worked for him with Changed the Way You Kiss Me (and I guess its follow-up, which I can't even remember the name of). Then, he changed from EDM to house - which is popular at the moment - and got a hit. Funny that.

Posted by: ML Hammer95 Oct 17 2014, 06:59 PM

Yes! You had Stay Awake, Midnight Run, Say Nothing, All the Wrong Places & Kids Again - mostly great songs (except KA) but all quite generic I guess.

Posted by: BillyH Oct 18 2014, 01:41 AM

From 1977, this isn't just desperate, it's actually slightly offensive. Mere weeks after the death of Elvis Presley in the August, some Dutch bloke hurriedly writes and releases a song called I Remember Elvis Presley and, unbelievably, gets a #1 hit all over Europe and a #4 hit here:



Not a charity record or anything, just a way of getting a really easy hit while the world is still mourning.

Posted by: andibob Oct 18 2014, 08:25 AM

I think The Saturdays themselves would admit to quite a few of their releases being a desperate attempt for a number 1 but that's a different story

For me it's usually odd collaborations that scream desperate. Maybe not for a hit but to stay relevant. Madonna is the most obvious case and it was cringeworthy. Maybe Celine Dion and Ne-to... She had just had a hit but that album seemed to be trying to make her relevant again.

By the way, I totally agree that Katy Perry was far from desperate with Roar. More like she was rolling around in all her money from the last album and just wanted to piss about with some tigers.

Posted by: jafetsigfinns Oct 18 2014, 10:09 AM

This!

Posted by: blueHOse02 Oct 18 2014, 05:19 PM

Roar.

Posted by: AntoineTTe Oct 18 2014, 05:23 PM

Cascada - Evacuate the Dancefloor

Posted by: AntoineTTe Oct 18 2014, 05:23 PM

Cascada - Evacuate the Dancefloor

Posted by: T Boy Oct 18 2014, 05:25 PM

People are still insisting on Roar? Yes, it was designed to be a hit and it succeeded but where is the desperation? It was barely different to anything she'd done before.

Posted by: JosephStyles Oct 18 2014, 05:27 PM

People don't understand the difference between making a hit and being desperate, annoyingly.

Posted by: T Boy Oct 18 2014, 05:32 PM

It's ridiculous. We may as well label Happy and Rather Be as desperate. Adele was so desperate with that 21 album. In fact, the entire back catalogue of the Beatles reeks of desperation. I mean where do we end it?

Posted by: jase. Oct 18 2014, 05:39 PM

'Booty' makes me cringe it's so desperate

Posted by: ►▲N Oct 19 2014, 09:34 AM

I wouldn't say Roar was desperate, as much as it was designed to be a big hit.

If anything from the Prism era was desperate I'd say This Is How We Do

Posted by: Paramore Oct 19 2014, 10:15 AM

The Saturdays- Gentleman

I don't understand how The Saturdays are still going to be honest.

Posted by: JosephStyles Oct 19 2014, 11:52 AM

I really don't think this, out of all their singles, was desperate. Something like What Are You Waiting For? could be seen as that, maybe, but I think Gentleman was them actually taking a risk after a huge #1. Basically the only time in their career where desperation wasn't needed

Posted by: T Boy Oct 19 2014, 11:56 AM

No Saturdays song could really be described as desperate. They have the girls themselves to tick the desperation box.

Posted by: Regina Oct 19 2014, 11:56 AM

Loved Me Back To Life (album) was a typical Celine album though with just a slight twist. None of the songs were that desperate. The duet with Ne-Yo was so typically Celine too. Also, she'd worked with him before.

Posted by: tgl92 Oct 19 2014, 01:54 PM

Any RedOne produced song that came after The Fame

Posted by: DonaldDuck Oct 19 2014, 02:02 PM

Ariana grande - break free

Posted by: Jack Oct 19 2014, 02:04 PM

Because she was desperate for a hit after Problem?!

Posted by: DonaldDuck Oct 19 2014, 02:18 PM

Just because she had a successful hit before hand doesn't mean the follow up is not desperate to continue the momentum. Break free is nothing like Ariana has done before and break free is so incredibly current and I can't imagine Ariana releasing a song like that again.

Posted by: #IMPACT!! Oct 19 2014, 02:21 PM

Ha, what idiots!!

Anything by SCREEEEEECH! , especially SCREEEECH itself!

Anything by Scherzinger.

And also Get Sexy by the Sugababes.

Posted by: T Boy Oct 19 2014, 02:49 PM

I was wondering when this would happen. Once again completely bonkers unsupported statement. Yawn.

Posted by: Chez Wombat Oct 19 2014, 03:04 PM

Tbf Get Sexy is a good call that I'd totally forgotten about, that desperate moment really was the point where it all went wrong for them.

Posted by: Jack Oct 19 2014, 03:36 PM

I agree with you there I guess, the rest of the album is nothing like Break Free.

I think I just have my loon glasses on because I have come around to Break Free being one of the best songs of the year recently .

Posted by: Kärenfanghoney Oct 19 2014, 04:03 PM

As usual a thread where people have to name a track with a negative trait just turns into morons naming tracks by people they don't like.

Posted by: Kärenfanghoney Oct 19 2014, 04:03 PM

What? She Doesn't Mind is pretty much the only one here which qualifies as 'desperate', given it's Sean Paul abandoning a previous style to jump on board a pop bandwagon. Hey Porsche and Just A Dream weren't exactly ten a penny tracks or out of line with what Nelly had done before, and I don't even know where to BEGIN with Goodies apparently being desperate - a debut track? From a genre that had only just started breaking out? Desperate? Jesus.

Posted by: ✖ ketalina ✖ Oct 19 2014, 04:04 PM

as if anyone could give ciara props these days but don't evne TRY and tell me goodies wasn;t a trendsetter!

Posted by: Kärenfanghoney Oct 19 2014, 04:10 PM

David Guetta feat. Sia - She Wolf (also chuck in every 'let's do a song IDENTICAL to the hit single' follow-up release)
Leona Lewis - Collide
Little Boots - Remedy (UTTERLY FABULOUS but god this was an obvious last gasp attempt at getting a hit)
Loreen - My Heart Is Refusing Me (UK Radio Edit)
Marina and the Diamonds - Radioactive (literally - you know an attempt at selling out by going EDM was created for that sole purpose when it flops and is then steadfastly not acknowledged from then on)
Stooshe - Waterfalls (ditto)
Sugababes - Girls
Sugababes - Get Sexy (the best shout in this thread so far)

Posted by: Dobbo Oct 19 2014, 04:14 PM

Kings Of Leon - Sex On Fire

Posted by: DonaldDuck Oct 19 2014, 04:23 PM

Break Free is by far one of the best pop songs of 2014! I think when reflecting on 'Break Free' next year I will continue to be shocked on how it's not peaked in the top 15.

Posted by: uraqt Oct 19 2014, 04:27 PM

Not sure I'm aware of this one.

Just NO at 'Goodies' being labelled as desperate.

Posted by: ML Hammer95 Oct 19 2014, 04:38 PM

I'm very happy to explain these; in 2010 Nelly had dropped off the radar and needed a hit to regain relevancy. Just a Dream stands apart from his previous music, using safe production and is unquestionably a pop song. Hey Porsche sounds like a rip off of Whistle by Flo Rida, very poppy, radio friendly and angling for a summer hit. If you listen to his most recent album, the sound and collabs are very R&B, while Hey Porsche stands out a mile.

Similar principle to Sean Paul, especially as Other Side of Love is a inferior clone to She Doesn't Mind.

Goodies is contentious, but hear me out. Six months before it was released, Yeah by Usher smashed around the globe. Lil Jon produced it and championed the new crunk genre, so naturally he also produced Goodies. As an artist starting out, Ciara would have been desperate for a hit and would she have achieved one without jumping on the 'crunk' bandwagon? Its a bit like how Kid Ink and Tinashe got hits mainly thanks to DJ Mustards production.

Posted by: T Boy Oct 19 2014, 04:40 PM

Clearly not seeing the difference between being designed as a hit and desperate right there.

Posted by: ML Hammer95 Oct 19 2014, 04:44 PM

In this thread, being desperate was described as trying to save a career in decline? Doesn't that fit Nelly in 2010 and Sean Paul in 2011/12!?

Posted by: T Boy Oct 19 2014, 05:02 PM

To me, neither released music miles differently to what they'd done previously. Everything evolves. You could state any comeback to music is desperate.

Posted by: Kärenfanghoney Oct 19 2014, 06:37 PM

For someone who has been renowned as 'the Princess of Crunk', her starting out with a crunk song is hardly desperate.

Posted by: Kärenfanghoney Oct 19 2014, 06:38 PM

People also seem to be missing the basic point here that essentially every major label artist is desperate for a hit. The issue is whether that desperation is obvious or leads to a track which is implausible or ridiculous compared to what came before in an attempt to get that hit.

Posted by: Jester Oct 19 2014, 06:41 PM

Remedy was from her debut album and surely already a surefire single so not sure how that is desperate. Perhaps if it was from a second album at that time?

Posted by: *Tim Oct 19 2014, 06:45 PM

Really? I thought it was a great follow up in the style of Euphoria as well as the rest of her album?

Posted by: Kärenfanghoney Oct 19 2014, 10:30 PM

When you listen to the original compared with the horrifyingly unsubtle remix which basically just hammered all the beauty of the original out of it, I think it was pretty desperate on the label's part.

Posted by: Kärenfanghoney Oct 19 2014, 10:30 PM

"Little Boots composed "Remedy" in Los Angeles with RedOne over a two-day period. She initially found working with RedOne intimidating because their collaboration was expected to produce a hit song."

Frankly, compared with her quirky minimalist electropop style, it sticks out like a sore thumb on the album. Definitely a desperate move on the label's part.

Posted by: FleetSeb Oct 20 2014, 07:33 AM

I thought Olly Murs' collaboration with Flo Rida for Troublemaker was a fairly cynical attempt to break the USA, and I wonder if his collab with Demi Lovato is going to be a fairly cynical attempt to continue that.

I like Olly, I loved 'Dance With Me Tonight' which whilst very obviously in the mould of old school motown style music wasn't very in keeping with what was in the charts etc.

At the same time Olly had just come off the back of a very successful 2nd album and was popular on the Xtra Factor so perhaps desperate is the wrong word. Imma go with cynical instead.

Posted by: paulgilb Oct 20 2014, 10:42 AM

Klaxons - It's Not Over Yet

Posted by: Dobbo Oct 20 2014, 10:58 AM

Britney Spears - Till The World Ends

Posted by: { bré } Oct 20 2014, 02:48 PM

It's not so much the songs but The Vamps' reluctance to release post-album singles without an added featured artist (not once but twice) reeks of desperation. Of course it was a good move in terms of ensuring high chart peaks ('Somebody To You' may have made the top 10 anyway a la 'Amnesia' but 'Oh Cecilia (Breaking My Heart)' almost certainly wouldn't have) but still rather roll-eye-worthy.

Posted by: Dobbo Oct 20 2014, 03:43 PM

Not so sure that featuring Shawn Mendes made much difference in the UK given that he was relatively unknown (at least compared to Demi), but I agree with the fact that it tempts buyers who already have the album to purchase a reworked track and hence increase it's chart chances.

Posted by: iain Oct 20 2014, 03:48 PM

Taio Cruz adding Kylie and the other guy for Higher.

Posted by: fchd Oct 20 2014, 03:50 PM

At least the OCC are doing the same as they did for the Vamps/Demi Lovato re-working and ignoring the "featured" artist on the charts.

Posted by: { bré } Oct 20 2014, 03:53 PM

This is actually inconsistent with what they normally do though, annoyingly. I'm not sure why they've decided to change their mind on this matter for The Vamps.

Posted by: AntoineTTe Oct 21 2014, 01:44 PM

This is exactly what I understood "desperate" to be defined as.

Posted by: #Slayberry Oct 24 2014, 09:54 PM

Six pages and no one has even mentioned "Lovers On The Sun" yet?

Posted by: gooddelta Oct 24 2014, 10:12 PM

The Corrs - Would You Be Happier?

It sounded so jarring in their catalogue when it came out, I thought In Blue was poppy for them but this was pure cheddar and they were clearly hoping to win over a younger audience with the song/video/general image. That's the weird thing with the token new singles from Best Of collections though, it's almost as if they're produced to sound like hits so that they merit their inclusion on the album, yet they very rarely are that big!

S Club - Alive

A blatant attempt to recapture the magic of Don't Stop Movin' which reeked of desperation after they struggled to remain composed following Paul's departure and the name change.

Lisa Scott-Lee - Electric

Self explanatory.