Is Their Most Popular Song Even Good?
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- Опубликовано: 9 июл 2024
- / alfomedia Cowritten by: Brin DeRouen
Intro Animator: @icarogabriel17 on Twitter
Intro Music Composer: Chase Ceglie
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The line between popularity and quality is super interesting. Biggest can also mean best, but sometimes it certainly does not. Let's go through a bunch of famous musicians, research what their biggest song is, and determine a few things: is it actually good? Or does it suck? Or somewhere in between? Is it representative of the rest of their discography? Could you make the argument that it's one of their best songs? etc! Comment down below with your thoughts or musicians to go over in a future episode.
video essay / favorite / musician / popular / viral / top / billboard / platinum / review / best / worst 
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In the UK, Rihanna's biggest song is definitely Umbrella with 10 weeks at number 1 and I think it ticks all 3 boxes
Nobody cares about the UK
Nobody asked about the UK
@@samuelc.9686 Who so rude bruh?
@@samuelc.9686 💀
That and the year it came out it was the year with the most rainfall in the uk at that time
This really needs a part 2
Agreed, I'd love to hear his opinions on Queen and We will rock you/BoRhap
and a part 3,4,5,6….
@@breannaw7254 watch his ranking of every diamond single to know his opinion of bohemian rhapsody
@@uncreativehandlename thx bestie
I’d like to see his opinions on Kanye’s most popular songs
Tame Impala is a pretty good example of most popular songs being among the best imo. He's really good at making singles that are just as creative as they are catchy
Yes. His hits are definitely a lot more traditional in the structure of a song compared to his other songs but, they are still a good representation of his sound. Kevin is still very cohesive and intentional with his music and album structures.
I agree so much with Taylor swift. While I do actually like shake it off, I hate that it is the only song that represents her to locals who despise her. She has songs like all too well, my tears ricochet, Lavender Haze, champagne problems, tolerate it, and so many others that people ignore.
Taylor Swift's real problem is that her songs are starting to lose distinctiveness as she gets older. Lyrically, they're still interesting to pick apart, but they're kind of all turning into "pop-esc mush" where listening to it is far less important than actually reading the lyrics - granted, it was always like that, but at least the songs were mostly distinct. Also, all her rerecorded stuff sounds laughably similar to the original mixes. She didn't really reclaim them as much as she just resold them.
@@poetryflynn3712 Well she is someone to experiment. She doesn't like using the same sound for an album. So her music is going to change over the years. Her rerecords are hard work. She wants to own her work and some songs may not sound the same because it is hard to replicate songs with a different pitch of voice. I wouldn't say she has any problems rn since she is one of the most streamed artists and she is probably the most successful artist in the world atm. But ofc you can have your opinions, I just wanted to share mine.
@@poetryflynn3712 wdym? Folklore and evermore were all about the lyrics. Say what u want about midnights but folklore and evermore are great records. And the whole point of the re records is to make it similar, not to make it unique. Like imagine turning the iconic all too well to a pop song. We would hate it
Yes far from her best song.
@@poetryflynn3712 rerecorded versions are meant to sound similar.
Lady Gaga's most streamed song is Shallow but her most popular song is probably Bad Romance or Poker Face
Yeah like legitimately I’ve never heard Shallow
Bad Romance 100%
Also the Shallow slander is unacceptable
I like Shallow and I’m confused on how it’s her biggest
I’m confused as to why he put shallow as Gaga’s biggest hit. It’s definitely a good song, but it’s not really Gaga, nor was it as widespread as Bad Romance, but that’s my opinion.
Shallow was for her straight white conservative audience
The gateway idea reminds me of how Kendrick became my favorite artist. I used to not like Kendrick in middle school bc the only songs I knew were DNA and Humble (and his voice sounded weird to me lol), but when I matured a few years later and listened to TPAB and GKMC I was blown away. A lot of my friends who I've gotten into Kendrick haven't listened to him because they don't like DAMN., which if it's your only exposure to Kendrick and you never get to Sing About Me, Wesley's, Untitled 01, etc. its like ur seeing the Wizards version of Michael Jordan.
Good analogy
damn ain’t even a bad album
@@brendankane4175 it's a great album but TPAB and GKMC are all-time classics
GKMC will simply never get old
I love section 80 way more than TPAB.
Umm, to be honest I wouldn't consider "Shallow" as Lady Gaga's biggest song. I'm pretty sure that most people if asked they would tell that "Bad Romance" is her biggest song :v
I love much more Shallow, I’m never being that crazy about Bad Romance.
@@slystone4892 ok, but biggest ain't the best
For me, her best song is the edge of glory
I mean its her most streamed
It's statistically her biggest song
can't really argue that
I would agree with you. My non-Western parents though little to no modern English pop songs but they both know bad romance and not shallow.
Shallow is the most streamed because it is from the streaming era. I would say usually people would either pick Pokerface or Bad Romance but Shallow is also a valid choice.
I'm amazed that "Levitating" or "Don't Start Now" aren't Dua Lipa's top songs. If they were, I think we could all agree that they would strike the green tier in every category
i recently got into an argument with a friend over taylor swift, i mentioned how much i liked her music and my friend immediately shot me down, i tried to explain how some of her hits like shake it off and me aren’t good representations of the rest of her work and some of her best songs are wayyyy different and my friend said ‘well if they’re actually as good as you say they are why aren’t THOSE the hits’ like 😭 that’s not how music works 😭 something being really good doesn’t automatically mean it’s going to make a world wide hit
Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate 😊 ignore them lmao
I 100% agree. I've been trying to get my boyfriend into Taylor Swift for YEARS but he always keeps saying how shake it off is trash and I'm like but that's one song!!! Then I played some of Midnights in the car without him knoqing it was Taylor and he was like aw this is good who is it 😂 point proven that shake it off has put alot of people off sadly 😢
Im gonna be honest i tried to like her and listened to some of her most acoustic albums and i still dont get the hype
Oh my god I’ve totally been in that conversation before and it’s so very frustrating!!!!
I feel like deathbed being beabadoobees most popular song doesnt show how good they are as an artist when they have songs like sunny day, the perfect pair, only if you want to, i can list songs for hours.
This made me think of artists like The Cardigans with "Love Me" They literally made the song to be a stupid catchy tune that wasn't at all like their other music, and ended up hating the song because people loved it so much, and ended up being thier biggest hit. No joke, The Cardigans rule and I highly suggest listening to their other music if you've never heard it.
You mean ‘Lovefool’
I thought "My favourite game" is their most popular song
I love their Emmerdale album. The cover of “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” is such a delight.
Their folk phase is my favorite esp their songs "For What It's For," "You're The Storm," and "Live and Learn."
"It's a cover of a black soul singer, yes"
can i just say how amazing this new intro is! i love it!
Me too!
XD
Pls make a part 2 of this! I love this
I would love to see another of these. Not only is the topic just interesting, it also gives me new music recommendations based on what you think is better.
Alfo media went from "idk what videos to make" to making the best videos hes made so far lmao
Very interesting essay, globally on point for all the artists in question!
Number wise, Billie Jean is Michael‘s biggest song. Then Beat It, followed by Thriller.
Yeah and all three are off the same album, Thriller, all had legendary music videos and were smash hits. Personally I think Thriller is the best of the three but I think they all would have checked all three of the boxes.
I’ve been thinking about that recently, specifically about Switchfoot. Thinking about their deeper tracks that are somewhat hit or miss, I go back to Dare You to Move and it really is well written and encapsulates their message and feel.
I feel like Umbrella was the bigger hit for Rihanna, and represented her a’lot better. The same applies to Lady Gaga, as I feel like Bad Romance was the bigger hit and represented her way better. And I might feel that the Happy slander is a lil too much. It’s not good, it’s not his best, but it’s not the worst thing I ever heard from him. (That honor goes to blurred lines lol) But other than that, nice video.
I kind of laugh at the representative category because for artists like Bowie, Kanye, and even the Beatles, there is no 'representative' of what their sound is, which is what made them such great artists, because they constantly evolved beyond their initial sound, to the point where there is no 'representative'
same with Taylor
And Queen, Prince probably as well
Very well done video- and I pretty much agree with all of your takes!
amazing stuff Alfo!
I'm loving the new videos!
another banger from Alfo Media 👌🏼
the As and Living for the City shoutouts touched my heart :3
Blank Space is Taylor's most popular. If we forgot streaming Shake it off has more views on RUclips bcoz it was the lead single. The gap is closing tho
And having thinking out loud instead of shape of you and the wedding song..
Everything you said about Creep is how I feel about all of Pablo Honey. Its a good 90's alt rock album! It gets unfair slander because the band would go on to make some of the best rock albums of all time.
love ur videos!!
This topic was made for Radiohead, Nirvana and Oasis
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” would be all greens imo
Request for a part 2 of this
amazing video!!!
12:55 All of this is true but it was the video for Billie Jean, not Thriller
happy is just a fun catchy song and people shouldn’t overthink about it
same thing with shake it off
You should talk about Porter Robinson. His most popular song is probably Shelter, and it's definitely really good, representative of his music and some of his best.
I think what can also make for a hit song is both for one, using ideas like hooks, a singable chorus, and just over all catchiness. But also people will love a song for the experience they get and them being so addicted to that experience, they listen to it over and over again. Take nine inch nails closer, all my friends by lcd Soundsystem, bohemian rhapsody, stairway to heaven by led Zeppelin, and comfortably numb by pink Floyd. They have elements of catchiness and hooks you could say. But there most know for the experience they brought to the listener. And people have just grown so addicted to the experience they brought to us. Me including, the day I write this comment, the night before I listened to sounds of silver by lcd Soundsystem for the first time in my life and all my friends is gonna be my addiction for a while now. In a bit of credit to alfo media for make his lcd Soundsystem video to get me into them.☺️
Put in some more songs that could fit that category. Loved and listened to over and over again for the experience of it.
Hey Jude is way overplayed in the UK. Every time Paul appears at any sort of event, you're guaranteed to hear an extended version that rapidly outstays its welcome.
Come Together is a hundred times better.
Great vid my boy you stay dropping heat
im curious what you think about glass animals, heat waves is by far their most popular, but as a long time fan i have almost grown to hate that song, feeling like it covers up their first 2 albums which i find 10x better. being at their concert and having noone know any other songs besides that one definitely didnt help change my opinion
bro i love gaga and ive never even heard of shallow
Then you've been probably living under a rock in 2018 and 2019
Part 2 needed 🫡🫡
Shallow who 💀
Bad Romance, Poker Face, Americano, Judas, Alejandro, Born This Way, Applause even Telephone - these I know. Never heard of Shallow
Aneeicano wasn't really released as a single tho, it just got popular from puss in boots.
Shallow was a huge song for Lady Gaga but was also featured in the movie reboot of A Star Is Born, so I would say it wasn't representative of her discography.
I love Stevie Wonder. What a great discography to deep dive. I'm jealous of people who listen to Songs In The Key of Life for the first time.
As for Happy - couldn't stand it at its peak popularity, once the hype wore off and I actually listened to it I grew to like it. Still only yellow for "is it good", but definitely red for "one of their best." As for "representative" you can hear some of the retro sound he was going with sprinkled around 2013-2016, especially producing the Hidden Figures soundtrack, so maybe it's closer to yellow for me
Came here for the All Too Well shout out, was not disappointed.
Shape Of You is definitely Ed's biggest song. Almost all these modern pop artists & their big hits always feel pretty insincere to me, always immediately 25% less enjoyable than most timeless tracks from the 90's or earlier.
Can you add Lorde’s Royals for your part 2 please. She paved the way for Billie to get the dark edgy alternative music go into the mainstream.
If I can dream by Elvis is great that’s definitely my favorite song of his also I’ve like never heard of half of these songs.
@Alfo Media One thing I don't like about the video is that you don't take a break between the different numbers. It doesn't feel at all like it's supposed to be different numbers.
Shake it off purposely had fun lyrics and fun stupid melody. It’s pop classic. It’s not representative, but it’s not bad track.
I think in most cases, the biggest hit is rarely going to be the artist's most interesting or challenging work. Hey Jude is a classic example of that. 6 minutes of that song is just "Na Na Na Na Na Na Na" over and over again, whereas something like A Day In The Life is far more complex and musically interesting with time and style changes. It's equally beloved by fans, perhaps even more so, but it was never going to be a single, it probably would have still been a hit if it were but only because The Beatles were that big at the time, and I doubt it'd have been the monster hit that Hey Jude was. David Bowie would be another classic example with Let's Dance being one of his biggest, yet this was the same artist who created songs like DJ, Look Back In Anger, The Hearts Filthy Lesson, Breaking Glass, all of which were released as singles but were nowhere near as big but (at least in my opinion) were far superior songs, but they weren't typical dance floor fodder which is what most pop music is.
Shake it Off never really kept me away from giving Taylor a fair shot, and I gave all her best projects (evermore, folklore) a listen and still don't get it. Her songwriting isn't particularly interesting to me and her vocal ability limits her to a certain sound that I just don't enjoy. That being said, she's still an iconic pop star and a major figure in pop culture, I just think her stuff is not for me.
Agreed. I still don't get why people like her so much. I can only hear so many breakup songs before I get bored of it, and she doesn't appeal to me vocally or instrumentally.
I think shake it off is her second best song behind I knew you were trouble
The outro to Bad Guy is the only pop song I can think of with a break down.
and Billie herself produced that part!
@@noahsabadish3812 I didn't know that, that's pretty cool.
Could you do one on bands not so “mainstream”??
I love hound dog, one of the first songs I heard as a kid
I love that songs that goes: "cats and boots" for 3 minute !!
I paused at 1:11. Once you started explaining the point of the vid, I immediately thought of Radiohead's Creep and Talk Show Host (the former being their most popular song, the latter being their best song). I literally laughed out loud when I saw Radiohead was the first artist up for discussion. Now I'm going to unpause and see what you think.
Can you please make a video on this band called material issue? They’re a 90’s Powerpop band and I find them to be pretty good
Great content as always.
Mate roar is really good it’s probably really popular for the fun jungle theme music video
Yeah, the music video definitely makes me appreciate this song more. It’s just so goofy and typical Katy Perry that I love it.
If I wanna listen to what’s otherwise another “Fight Song”, I put on the music video.
If only blank space could replace shake it off in representative song status cuz at least that one has the writing chops as well as perfect pop song status! Shake it off is fun as hell tho
9:00 well put my guy
How is MJ's biggest song Thriller and not Billie Jean, also Maroon 5's biggest is Sugar/Girls Like You, Moves Like Jagger not even top 5 biggest by them
I adore we found love . The 2010s sound is nostalgic as hell but like in the best way possible
Blank Space is her biggest hit, not shake it off. Blank Space's longevity is much better than Shake It Off that was a timely hit back then.
Shake It Off is certified diamond, Blank Space is eight times platinum, Shake It Off is more successful
Plz do the rock charts next
Not totally surprising that some of the songs that are least representative are from movie soundtracks - Shallow, Happy, and Boom Clap.
I mean this discussion is kinda pointless since measuring popularity is actually objectively possible whereas judging quality is up to the listener. But cool video nonetheless.
would’ve loved to have seen a look at HUMBLE in comparison to Kendrick’s discography
I feel like every Kendrick album has the "banger" track. M.a.a.d. City, King Kunta, HUMBLE, and N95 all feel made to be the hit track off their respective albums, while the other tracks don't need to be popular.😊
This might make me an NPC but Shake It Off is a top 3 song on 1989 and in her top 20 tracks
Bold take, and I respectfully disagree. Let's try sth out. Out of all her other #1 songs (WANEGBT, Blank Space, Bad Blood, LWYMMD, cardigan, Willow, All Too Well (10 min V), Anti-Hero), how many qualified for your top 20?
This is fun to watch and what not but, seriously speaking, under what criteria can songs be qualified as "good" or "bad". No matter how much anyone is willing to argue, it's entirely subjective and there is no right answer. At the end of the day, a piece of music will only have the value that the person listening to it gives it, which is why classifying music like this can do more harm than good.
Re Adele: Rolling in the Deep is the single most unique & original chart topper of the 2010s IMO. I thought it was going to lead to a genre shift toward increased musicality, but instead of a movement, it was only a moment.
I had the same reaction to Missy Eliot's get up freak on in the 2000s, and Prince's when doves cry in the 80s.
Alfo managed to make a dove crying joke when talking about Prince xD
Idk about Rihannas, it feels more like a Calvin Harris song then a Rihanna song.
Bro shape of you the second most streamed song of all time I feel like it’s his biggest hit
Some artists who are primarily pop artists usually tend to release their best songs as singles to hit the top of the pop charts. However, a lot of artists, particularly rock and hip-hop artists, tend to release their most accessible songs as singles, knowing that their best tracks tend to be deep cuts from their album that usually doesn't play well on pop radio.
banger vid
Give me love is Ed’s Best song and I’m STANDING ON IT
the subliminal elvis diss had me absolutely non stop laughing.
come get it bae by pharell is iconic.
Taylor always chooses the worst singles, she is such a great lyricist, and always chooses the most boring, bland, repetitive songs
You know what else broke the color barrier in the last example?
Rammstein's Du Hast is like the only one many ppl know. its an absolute banger, definitely representative of their sound, but slightly above the middle interns of their songs. deuschland, Sonne, engel, Zick Zack, are some better ones from the German shock rockers
Is elvis' biggest song not cant help falling in love with you?
people genuinely hate on creep? i hate music nerds man i swear
There are very few artists who can display a wide range of good and successful songs.
Radiohead doesn't even like creep, hell the grinding sound on the gutar is him trying to mess up the recording
My personal favorite example is of one hit wonder Chumbawamba. Tubthumping is a good song but isn’t exactly the greatest representation of the artist and their sound as they did Anarcho-punk and folk music for a lot of their career. Also, El Fusilado and Give the Anarchist a Cigarette eclipses the greatness of the song by a landslide.
What about something like “one hit wonder bands where their most popular song caused them to be one-hit wonders because it’s nothing like the rest of their stuff” 😂
Cause I nominate Marcy Playground with “Sex and Candy”, and their self-title album is pure magic and should be more appreciated than the one sore thumb song that was popular.
Why is rihannas biggest song not allowed cus its a feature but bruno mars biggest is? They are both features
Shallow is great! Come on!
Creep is amazing but no it’s not representative. It is barely in my top 50 but yeah it’s not really representative of them
Ah yes, all-time great inspirational lyrics such as "na na na nananana, nananana, hey Jude"
I could argue that shake it off is more on the distrack side of taylor than her other emotional songs, is a distrack to media that at the time used to be on her everyday, criticising her for everything, hence the opening lines of the song. Its not her best, but i enjoy a lot the up beat and "f* you" attitude.
Where's Ariana? Miley? P!nk? Mariah?
Even tho Like a Virgin is a staple in Madonna's discography and was essential to cement her legacy, i would say it's not representative of her catalogue. It pales in comparision to the songs she put out after especially the True Blue-Confessions period
Ray of Light is an amazing piece of art tbh.
Imagine picking We Found Love over Umbrella for a staple Rihanna song...That song literally put her on the map.
Intro is hella clean ✨