May 23May 23 5-3 all really strong.“Don’t Let Me Get Me” isn’t a big statement musically but very personal and relatable from Pink - it stood out quite a bit at the time.I’ve always found “These Words” really sweet and touching.“Freak Like Me” is an inspired mash-up and cemented their transformation from a credible singer songwriter girl group to pop superstardom.
May 23May 23 Oh I was sure it would be between Sugababes vs Anastasia for #1 so who is the other contender?
May 23May 23 15 minutes ago, Dobbo said:Oh I was sure it would be between Sugababes vs Anastasia for #1 so who is the other contender?Avril Lavigne I think?
May 23May 23 The ONE!! Sad it didn’t win but if Avril gets it then also deserved because both are timeless classics that enforced my life from the get-go.
May 24May 24 Author 02 Avril Lavigne - My Happy Endingavg: 9.02👑 Pop Royalty: 11 (Viper*, Chez Wombat), 10 (Jessie Where, Scene, 777666jason, Lukuzz, Paddington James, Doug, Julian_, JosephStyles, Nina West, Billy.)❌ Pop Flop: 6 (lewistgreen), 6.5 (ElectroBoy)Avril didn't achieve a win but still gets a pretty happy ending with a 2nd place finish, thanks to her 9.02 average.Lavigne's debut record Let Go was a phenomenal success so it wouldn't be easy to follow-up. Avril stated in an interview with The Guardian that she was given six months to put her sophomore album together and had to release it before she was ready to do so. She also revealed that her opinion on the project's lead single differed with her label, Arista Records. They wanted 'Don't Tell Me' to be the first single from Under My Skin while her preference was 'My Happy Ending'. Lavigne was overruled and 'Don't Tell Me' was chosen to lead the project. It reached #5 in the U.K. but settled for a more underwhelming #22 peak on the Billboard Hot 100. She would soon find out if her hit-making instincts were on to something as 'My Happy Ending' was pencilled in as the follow-up.'My Happy Ending' was written by Lavigne and Butch Walker; the latter also produced the song. Walker has been the lead guitarist for Train since 2025. This post-grunge, pop-rock song explores a failed relationship. Fans could channel Lavigne's anguish on the PS2 game SingStar Pop Hits. Lavigne's intuitions were on the money as 'My Happy Ending' performed much better than its predecessor on the Billboard Hot 100, charting at #9 - her fourth top 10 peak in the USA following 'Complicated', 'Sk8er Boi' and 'I'm With You'. It was another #5 result for Avril in the U.K. and her fifth top 10 hit here. Busted were at the top of the charts for a second week with 'Thunderbirds' / '3AM' when she entered. Avril was pipped to the post as the highest new entry that week by none other than Anastacia, with her 'Sick and Tired' making #4. So it turns out the Pop Princesses 2 rate isn't the only time she's played second fiddle to Anastacia in some capacity!'My Happy Ending' was everything Viper* and Chez Wombat could've wanted, so they awarded Avril with their top marks of 11. Meanwhile, lewistgreen provided Lavigne with her lowest score of 6, which isn't too shabby at all, still above average.
May 24May 24 'My Happy Ending' is very good. Not my favourite from that era ('Nobody's Home' ) but it was a smart follow up to 'Don't Tell Me' when that felt like it had under performed somewhat. The 'Under My Skin' album is fantastic! One of my favourites.
May 24May 24 Always love a bit of Avril and MHE is among her best! That whole album is fantastic tbh! A pop princess and a pop factor queen.
May 25May 25 My Happy Ending was so close to getting my 11, it’s probably my favourite Avril Lavigne song. So happy to see it do well here.
May 25May 25 Absolutely brilliant song. Lyrically showing a growth whilst keeping those honest young and relatable words that is something that she was and has always been very good at.It will forever baffle me how the record label ever thought for a second that Don't Tell Me was a better choice for lead single, I genuinely think that MHE could have potentially had a number 1 if she followed up her massive debut album with this song that is very much on brand and suited to her uniquely.
May 25May 25 Author 01 Anastacia - Left Outside Aloneavg: 9.55👑 Pop Royalty: 11 (Lee_J11, Dobbo, Scene, 777666jason, Lukuzz, AllStarBySmashMouth, vibe, JosephStyles, HarryInnanen, Bror), 10 (Jessie Where, DaTilt, Paddington James, Henessy Lake, Julian_, Nina West, leww, Roba.)❌ Pop Flop: 6 (lewistgreen, blacksquare), 7 (Billy.)Anastacia romped home to victory with an impressive 9.55 average which is even higher than Sophie Ellis-Bextor's 9.39 result in the first rate. She had a 10+ average at one point after receiving a flurry of 11s early on. Recording for Anastacia's self-titled third album began in late 2003 and was a difficult process for her. She was dealing with a devastating personal blow after discovering earlier in the year that she had breast cancer. Anastacia immediately had surgery and radiotherapy. The 'Anastacia Fund' was soon established through The Breast Cancer Research Foundation to raise awareness of breast cancer amongst younger women; she was 34 at the time of diagnosis. This health scare inspired her to get to work on a new album despite being unable to focus properly, due to insomnia. She wanted a fresh approach to this new era with more edge in her voice and a rockier atmosphere in the music. 'Left Outside Alone' was chosen as the first single to represent this project in 2004.'Left Outside Alone' was written by Anastacia, Dallas Austin and Glen Ballard, plus produced by the latter two. Austin's name appeared earlier in the rate due to involvement on P!nk's 'Don't Let Me Get Me', while Ballard's credentials include writing and producing on Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill - so both names made sense for more of a pop-rock transition. 'Left Outside Alone' was inspired by Anastacia's strained relationship with her estranged father. She longingly begins the song in a gothic, Amy Lee-esque fashion and transitions to her signature vocal style later on. The production is a lot more guitar-heavy than what came before. This song was Anastacia's second U.K. top 10 single and biggest hit to date, as it peaked at #3. She spent an impressive 11 weeks in the top 10 so finished as high as #7 in the 2004 EOY chart. Anastacia was blocked by two of the other biggest songs of the year, as Usher's 'Yeah!' was at #1, while school disco anthem 'Cha Cha Slide' by DJ Casper remained at #2 that week.Unsurprisingly, 'Left Outside Alone' received the most 11s of the rate, with a staggering 10. Lee_J11, Dobbo, Scene, 777666jason, Lukuzz, AllStarBySmashMouth, vibe, JosephStyles, HarryInnanen and Bror got their fairytale ending in this rate, as they were the posters who awarded Anastacia top marks. Meanwhile, much like for 'My Happy Ending', those least keen on this song (lewistgreen and blacksquare) still gave 'Left Outside Alone' a 6, so no actual haters detected.
May 25May 25 Author FULL RESULTS19.55Anastacia - Left Outside Alone29.02Avril Lavigne - My Happy Ending39.00Sugababes - Freak Like Me48.66Natasha Bedingfield - These Words (2 11s, 9 10s)58.66P!nk - Don't Let Me Get Me (2 11s, 8 10s)68.45Kylie Minogue - Better the Devil You Know78.21JoJo - Leave (Get Out)87.97Beyoncé - Crazy In Love (feat. Jay-Z)97.92The 411 - Dumb107.82Girls Aloud - Wake Me Up117.42Nina Sky - Move Ya Body (feat. Jabba)127.02Ashanti - Only U136.98Jennifer Lopez - Play146.97Dannii Minogue vs. Flower Power - You Won't Forget About Me156.92Ashlee Simpson - Pieces Of Me166.84Britney Spears - My Prerogative176.77Lucie Silvas - Breathe In186.69Christina Aguilera - What a Girl Wants196.21Christina Milian - Whatever U Want (feat. Joe Budden)206.11Rachel Stevens - More, More, More215.05Kim-Lian - Teenage Superstar224.92Verbalicious - Don't Play NiceThank you so much to everyone who took part in this rate 🫶 I've enjoyed reading all of the comments too.The third and final Pop Princesses rate will likely begin in a few weeks and there are some huge forum favourites on there *.* so watch this space!
May 25May 25 "Left Outside Alone" is my 2nd favourite behind "These Words". "My Happy Ending" is also very good - I gave it 9 points. The Sugababes song is not that standout for me. Eventhough it is a nice mash-up of Adina Howard's "Freak Like Me" and Tubeway Army's "Are Friends Electric", this would rank a bit lower for me.
May 25May 25 A much deserved winner! By far my favourite Anastacia song.Can’t wait for the PP3 rate! I never owned that one so no idea what the tracklist is.
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