Unfortunately 'Wherever You Are' transports me back to the loss of my first cat so I struggle to listen to it. Her health had been rapidly deteriorating over the festive period (ahead of her passing on New Year's Day) and I'd hear this song in the background sometimes on the radio / music channels while it was at #1. That was the first big loss in my life so it was a lot to process as a teen. The song is obviously quite emotional in nature so makes sense why the two still link in my brain. It's not really my thing musically anyway but I do agree it's well performed.

On a lighter note - I owned the Doo-Wops & Hooligans CD and played it a lot so became really familiar with 'The Lazy Song' in its original form. The whistles were later added when it was pushed as a single (and have since been part of the album on streaming too) and it took me some time to get used to them. However, now they feel like a core part of the song! I wondered if it was some kind of Mandela effect in my head so revisited my CD and indeed they weren't originally there, but it sounds so empty now I was swept up in the era at the time but on reflection I agree this was not a lyrical highlight in his discography.

That was a Bruno blip for me in a run of great singles - and that this topped the chart when the uplifting and wonderful Marry You didn't is just annoying. I mean it's jolly, and retro, but it's no Grenade. Peak of 29 in my charts sounds more reasonable. The Military Wives I havent heard since it left the charts, and it's quite pleasant, nicely done but I didnt bother to chart it - oddly, as an RAF child my dad was a year in Aden when that was a tough posting and we lived in a one bed flat/shared toilet/bathroom in Liverpool as a working one-parent 2 kid family so you might think I'd support the intent (I did) but the sentimentality not so much - in that situation you are too busy dealing with day to day life to dwell too much on what you don't have at that time.

22 minutes ago, Jade said:

The whistles were later added when it was pushed as a single (and have since been part of the album on streaming too) and it took me some time to get used to them. However, now they feel like a core part of the song! I wondered if it was some kind of Mandela effect in my head so revisited my CD and indeed they weren't originally there, but it sounds so empty now I was swept up in the era at the time but on reflection I agree this was not a lyrical highlight in his discography.

I didn't realise that, I own the album too but guess I haven't played the actual CD for a bit. I did funnily enough come across it in one of my CD boxes the other day so will have a listen when I get home. The whistles are certainly quite grating.

It reminds me of how Calvin Harris and Ne-Yo's Let's Go used to have a post-chorus adlib that went 'it’s now or never' which is removed these days on streaming.

1 hour ago, gooddelta said:

It reminds me of how Calvin Harris and Ne-Yo's Let's Go used to have a post-chorus adlib that went 'it’s now or never' which is removed these days on streaming.

A tiktok with this factoid came up the other day, so I immediately seeked it out to listen (on apple music, but I assume it's the same on Spotify) - someone was playing the song as the lyrics showed "it's now or never", but that wasn't heard in the audio.

The album version doesn't contain "it's now or never" but the radio edit does, my assumption is that has always been the case (I never owned the album, so I can't be sure), but definitely remember hearing "it's now or never" on the radio and downloaded the radio edit (I usually download the radio version, if it's available, as that's what I'm used to hearing).

I find it quite annoying that labels replace album versions with single edits on albums. If they want the single version on the album, I feel it should be released as an alternate version of the album and clearly labeled "single edit" lol.

Either that, or they could just keep it the separate single/ep on there, but I guess the album tracks tend to get more plays than single versions so they don't want people to be put off? 🤷‍♂️🤣 (That would be solved by having an alt version of the album though lol)

Maybe "Let's Go" is a good case for the album version being replaced by the single version (on the album) on streaming... I'd say the majority of people that don't know the album will be expecting to hear "it's now or never" and the most popular version in Ne-Yo's top songs doesn't contain that! (I definitely prefer the added single version element on both this and 'The Lazy Song')

Oh wow... Didn't realise I'd waffled on quite this much 🤣

Td;Dr - Radio Edit still contains the audio you're referring to! Albums being tampered with retrospectively without exceptional reason is very frustrating!

---

Example is my big loss so far! Great song!

Edited Tuesday at 12:292 days by Juranamo

Wherever You Are is a very pretty song, and such a change for a charity record to not be a terrible cover version. I’m a sucker for a great people’s choir though.

As choirs go, it’s not bad.

'The Lazy Song' is quite fun for me though the lyrics are very corny and cringy admittedly. Would place it reasonably higher but not near the top or anything and his other tracks hold up better today too.

'Wherever You Are' wouldn't normally be my thing but it's an emotionally sung and produced piece that made it stand out in some way imo. It did make my eoy chart (78 I think) as did 15 other number ones that year. Deserved to get the Christmas 1 over Little Mix tbh and was nice to see something different on top too.

Never like the Military Wives song - not really liking the sound of choirs. This would be in my bottom 3.

The Bruno Mars song is ok however, the fact this went to #1 and the FAR superior Edge of glory by Gaga only got #6 that week is an absolute travesty! Also, this going to #1 and Marry you only achieving #11 (which is one of Bruno's BEST songs in my opinion) is such a WTF?

The military wives one does nothing for me, yes it is nice and all but I've no interest in listening to it. A distant friend was a part of the assemble though which was quite cool.

A #1 from the first half of 2011 will be the next song revealed.

20 – Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO, Lauren Bennett and GoonRock

4 Weeks at #1 / Weekly Sales – 91,421 / 85,744 / 73,076 / 64,508

#3 in EOY 2011 – Total Sales of 995,002

Up now we have not just one of the biggest songs of 2011 but one of the biggest songs of the 2010’s altogether. Before 2011 LMAFO had some minor hits globally with I’m In Miami B*tch and Shots ft Lil John in 2008/9 but then everything changed with the release of the lead single from their second album. For much of 2011 Party Rock Anthem felt absolutely inescapable (well it did spend 10 weeks at #1 in Australia) and I absolutely hated it. I found it loud and annoying and just as the over saturation of it was dying down and I thought my torture was over along came Sexy And I Know It. Party Rock Anthem was massive globally hitting #1 in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the US amongst a few others. It was highest selling song of 2011 in Australia, where it sold over 1 million copies. The second highest in the US and third highest in the UK, where it is certified Diamond and 3x Platinum respectively.

Lauren Bennett, the female vocalist on the song would go on to be a member of G.R.L who would have a hit single in 2014 with Ugly Heart. The second week this was at #1 saw Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car re-enter the UK top 10 at #4, Beyonce debut at #18 with Run The World (Girls), the lead single from here fourth album 4 and Pitbull, Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer debut at #35 with Give Me Everything.

My absolute hatred for this song has softened over time and whilst I don’t overly love it a whole heap now I can certainly tolerate it a lot more than I could 15 years ago.

Edited Wednesday at 09:281 day by Paddington James

Yeah that song is just a no overall for me. 😂

It's better than the horrific 'Sexy and I Know It' at least which had that got to 1 would be challenging for last for me. 'Party Rock Anthem' I don't like much either but it has tiny doses of something to enjoy. Still both of their big hits are ones I would avoid lol.

Didn't like it that much at the time, preferred 'Champagne Showers'.

Yeah those two big singles felt inescapable in 2011, I still find them both really irritating.

Plus if you’ve got to remind everyone that you’re meant to be funny by calling yourself LMFAO, and then claiming how fun you are by repeatedly telling them they should ‘party’ to your music (also ‘Sorry For Party Rocking’) then there’s something going wrong!

"Party Rock Anthem" does what the title says, but is a bit cheap. I guess I would place this in a similar area. It is still way superior to "Sexy And You Know It".

On paper Party Rock Anthem is everything I hate in music. However, I was going out clubbing a lot in early 2011 and it was everywhere and it went down extremely well in that environment and reminds me of some good nights, so it gets a semi pass on nostalgia.

'Party Rock Anthem' is fun but it's probably in about the right place. I found it a tad overplayed, but it's still good fun when I'm the club - it knows what it is and it does that well!

I never rated 'Party Rock Anthem' highly because it was played so much in 2011. However, it's fun and doesn't take itself seriously.

We're missing that in pop music now.

Edited Wednesday at 18:391 day by Charlielargepotatoes

I'd forgotten 'Wherever You Are' was still to come on Monday - not a song I came to know very well at the time nor have had much desire to return to, but there's certainly been worse at Christmas #1 and perhaps it was the one to prove that the X Factor stranglehold was truly over.

'Party Rock Anthem' is trash and was highly annoying at the time, but "every day I'm shuffling" had plenty of meme mileage.