stoopidjenna Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 Definitely hits different live: I love the band joining in on the background vocals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATRL Moderator Bloo Posted June 9, 2023 ATRL Moderator Share Posted June 9, 2023 The live version is better, especially when it comes to the production. But I still can't get over how flat the lyrics are. Her saying she wrote the song while furious about the divorce is so strange because it feels so generic lyrically. I feel like she's had several breakup songs that are much angrier. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoopidjenna Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 1 hour ago, Bloo said: The live version is better, especially when it comes to the production. But I still can't get over how flat the lyrics are. Her saying she wrote the song while furious about the divorce is so strange because it feels so generic lyrically. I feel like she's had several breakup songs that are much angrier. She’s citing specific aspects of the divorce settlement and is literally calling him a wannabe cowboy which is a direct reference to him wanting to quit his life and start a rodeo lol. All the western motifs are there to mock him. Sonically the song is kind of chaotic but lyrically and conceptually it’s very clever. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xDiamondx Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 I... actually don't hate RFC. I like it better than i hate love. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BravoTangoWhiskey Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 Open doors playlisting reach on Spotify: (according to Songstats) total reach: 2.49m • NMF UK - 833k - #15 • NMF Philippines - 685k - #54 • SALT - 368k - #7 • NMF Indonesia - 165k - #54 • playlist in characters I can’t get on phone - 105k - #42 • NMF Japan - 91k - 11 (and a few other smaller ones) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BravoTangoWhiskey Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 Also it seems Spotify has messed up again and put David guetta on the artist list on the album version of FKOH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julianna Calm Down Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 As Kelly’s biggest fan and cheerleader, I’m torn. These songs make me torn, the promo strategy (what promo strategy?), the album rollout, Kelly’s own words about the songs and album - it all makes me feel torn. FKOH is a cute little song. IHL is fun, I like the banjo, but lyrically clunky in the verses. I like gospel-inspired stuff, but Me is like a washed-out MOL reject. Mine is okay. It’s a new sound for Kelly and quite experimental, but it doesn’t blow me away like some of Kelly’s other more personal songs she’s released over the years. I’m looking at Sober, Maybe, You Love Me, Hello, Let Me Down, Addicted, even Catch My Breath and some songs off her Christmas albums are more exciting and just better musically and lyrically compared to these new tracks. RFC is fun, but makes not sense from a listener perspective. The song mocks the pettiness of divorce, and drags her ex’s cowboy lifestyle. So far, so good. Some lyrics in the song are good and I like the pop rock framing of the song. But what the hell does it have to do with collecting red flags? The title and what it implies doesn’t really go with the message and contents of the actual song, which just makes it a bit … weird? If I was to use two words to label this era thus far, I would use: weird and somewhat cringey. I think the Wild West and cowboy theme is juvenile and cringey. The notebook/it’s complicated/Gosling/Steve Martin lyric in IHL is cringey. Me is cringey. I’m afraid that these songs and this album won’t be commercially successful or critically acclaimed due to the simple fact that the material just isn’t that good. She’s gone through tough times, and as an artist and a musician she’s doing (it seems like so far) a pretty poor job in translating those painful experiences into reflective, personal and touching music. Instead, it’s all a bit washed-out and on a surface, general level. Still bopping to FKOH and RFC tho 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATRL Moderator Bloo Posted June 9, 2023 ATRL Moderator Share Posted June 9, 2023 1 hour ago, stoopidjenna said: She’s citing specific aspects of the divorce settlement and is literally calling him a wannabe cowboy which is a direct reference to him wanting to quit his life and start a rodeo lol. All the western motifs are there to mock him. Sonically the song is kind of chaotic but lyrically and conceptually it’s very clever. No, I got that part. All of that is very obvious. It just isn't at all what I would call a scathing exposé, emotionally raw, or lyrically interesting. It feels cheap to me. You're free to disagree, of course, but it just doesn't work for me. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julianna Calm Down Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 2 minutes ago, Bloo said: No, I got that part. All of that is very obvious. It just isn't at all what I would call a scathing exposé, emotionally raw, or lyrically interesting. It feels cheap to me. You're free to disagree, of course, but it just doesn't work for me. You is right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julianna Calm Down Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 The two covers for vinyl are flawless as are the single covers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julianna Calm Down Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 I’ve done something today that I have been putting off: making an inventory over my favourite KC songs, going through her entire catalogue of original tracks. I have made a top 5 for Christmas music and a top 10 for her original music. Also five honourable mentions that didn’t make it onto the top 10 list. These are listed in no particular order. This was so hard, my heart was pounding. Xmas top 5 🎄 Wrapped in Red Glow Every Christmas Blessed Merry Christmas Baby Pop music top 10 🎵 You Love Me Meaning of Life Maybe Catch My Breath Hello Someone Let Me Down In the Blue Medicine If I Can’t Have You (Smoakstack Sessions version) Top 5 honourable mentions 🎧 Behind These Hazel Eyes Don’t Let Me Stop You Never Again Ready (demo version) Long Shot I have taste, I know. And notice how none of the chemistry tracks released so far have made it onto the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nerevanin Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 Wow, I've been around ATRL since 2012 and I've never seen so much negativity about Kelly. Here are my two cents: As everyone, I had some expectations / wishes for Kelly's divorce album. So far, they've been met by Mine only, maybe Me to a smaller extend. As for the other songs, Chemistry so far seems quite all over the place. We have 5 songs and judging from them, Mine/Me seem kinda like the oddballs music-wise. But we have yet to hear the rest, it might make sense in the context of the whole album. I see a lot of criticism regarding the lyrics. I suppose that some of us would love Kelly to drag her ex up and down through mud, listing all the ugly things he did. However, let's consider one thing: this is all a very difficult period of life for Kelly. We know how much she loved him. She might not be comfortable sharing it all, the details with the world. I'm not talking about her kids, I mean Kelly herself, it must be very painful for her and she is not one to openly air the dirty laundry about such a private thing. This ain't some soap opera, it's her life. So she shares in the lyrics what she is comfortable with. Contrary to most, I would say that the lyrics we have so far (with the exception of FKOH) are unusually specific for Kelly. With very few exception like PBP which is extremely specific, most of her lyrics are highly generic/general and/or abstract. Of course we can ask how literally we can takr the lyrics and what is artistic licence (e.g. "don't need somebody who feels weak standing next to me" or "you needed me to need you") but I think that the new songs give us some interesting tidbits about the relationship. I personally am quite excited about this album and not just because it's finally non Christmas. As for RFC, I think that it has it's ups and downs. The chorus is catchy and overall it's something new and experimental, esp. for Kelly. The production is pretty messy in some parts though. Kinda don't know what to think about it. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nerevanin Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 ok, after more listens, I really enjoy RFC, especially the chorus. It's nowhere near Mine as for quality though. The outro is absolutely random. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelli101 Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, Bloo said: No, I got that part. All of that is very obvious. It just isn't at all what I would call a scathing exposé, emotionally raw, or lyrically interesting. It feels cheap to me. You're free to disagree, of course, but it just doesn't work for me. Yeah … like the references aren’t going past me, I see them. It’s speaks more to how chunky she writes at times. Look at it like this…. Her albums previous, she’s always collaborated with other writers. She’s had them as a starting guide and shes added more kellyness to those songs. On a few tracks she’s managed to pen herself and their masterpieces. When shes taken on a whole project herself (Chem, MD) from Lyrics and melody, we get albums like this, where the creativeness is spread out too thin and spread out unevenly- where songs like sober exist along side songs like yeah. Long story short, she needs help fine tuning her thoughts into a song. And I’m not even bothered by the lyrics so much. It’s the Melodies and production value on the songs that come across cheap and dated. Edited June 9, 2023 by kelli101 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justinxx Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 one thing i’m noticing is that for every song we’ve gotten, i strongly prefer the live version. this is kind of annoying, because this was the problem for me with kelly’s music earlier in her career. WCCA, WIR, MOL, Kellyoke seemed to be produced differently so that her vocals sound the same on the record, but I feel like she’s regressing there. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julianna Calm Down Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 Just hit me like a bullet that … Soap & Water, Tell Me a Lie, One More Yesterday, Break the Silence and We Own the Night are far superior than any of the chemistry tracks released so far. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartbeat Song Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 The opening verse of RFC is giving me an Alanis vibe. And I think the chorus has a good pop rock vibe. Listening to all the songs in the order they fall on the RFC album, RFC -> IHL -> FKOH -> mine -> me all flow perfectly from one to the next. I don't find is chaotic at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartbeat Song Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 Also, isn't RFC sort of the first/strongest confirmation that he cheated? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoopidjenna Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 Y’all are saying you understand the references but claim the title doesn’t make sense It’s definitely a different approach than what I would have expected, but the title is very fitting and in some ways it’s more creative than strictly listing out red flags. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylegfil_ Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 I’m amazed at so many people’s inability to open their minds to different types of songs from her. A 41 year old is not going to write or deliver a breakup song the same way a 22 year old is. Kelly is a different person than she was during Breakaway, My December, and Stronger and people need to let go of that version of her when setting their expectations for new music - both when it comes to the music itself and commercial success. This song is brilliant. It’s Never Again’s older, sassier, more mature sister. It was obviously written from a place of anger, beyond raw hurt, which is what I think a lot of people can’t get past. She’s so done with him that she’s mocking him. She knows she’s better than him. The whole premise of the song is her coolly calling him a tiny little man trying to assert his masculinity by running around in his tiny imaginary wannabe world equipped with his little toy guns and male bravado lol. The references to the towels to me paint a picture of the two of them in an office with their lawyers, him knowing he’s losing, and just trying to win something, anything from her. It’s a brilliant song and it’s a mature song and it’s exactly what I want from Kelly right now. Also just generally amazed by the meltdowns people are having over the album so far. It’s delivering *precisely* what she told us to expect. I don’t get it. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylegfil_ Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 1 hour ago, Heartbeat Song said: Also, isn't RFC sort of the first/strongest confirmation that he cheated? I’d say we got that a bit in CIC(JY), Merry Christmas Baby, and me as well but this is the most direct for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmmas Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 Comparing the tracks released so far to songs like We Own the Night/Tell Me a Lie is a reach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nerevanin Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 43 minutes ago, stoopidjenna said: Y’all are saying you understand the references but claim the title doesn’t make sense It’s definitely a different approach than what I would have expected, but the title is very fitting and in some ways it’s more creative than strictly listing out red flags. I enjoyed your analysis of RFC few pages back so could you explain to me the final line of RFC ("red flag collector drowning in your troubled seas")? I mean, I understand the words but the meaning behind them escapes me... 1 hour ago, Heartbeat Song said: Also, isn't RFC sort of the first/strongest confirmation that he cheated? I think it's strongly impled in RFC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tylerbv Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 4 hours ago, Julianna Calm Down said: I’ve done something today that I have been putting off: making an inventory over my favourite KC songs, going through her entire catalogue of original tracks. I have made a top 5 for Christmas music and a top 10 for her original music. Also five honourable mentions that didn’t make it onto the top 10 list. These are listed in no particular order. This was so hard, my heart was pounding. Xmas top 5 🎄 Wrapped in Red Glow Every Christmas Blessed Merry Christmas Baby Pop music top 10 🎵 You Love Me Meaning of Life Maybe Catch My Breath Hello Someone Let Me Down In the Blue Medicine If I Can’t Have You (Smoakstack Sessions version) Top 5 honourable mentions 🎧 Behind These Hazel Eyes Don’t Let Me Stop You Never Again Ready (demo version) Long Shot I have taste, I know. And notice how none of the chemistry tracks released so far have made it onto the list. Taste. Xmas Top 5 Merry Christmas to the One I Used to Know Underneath the Tree Every Christmas Merry Christmas Baby 4 Carats Pop Because of You Someone Maybe Sober Behind These Hazel Eyes You Love Me Dark Side Cry Addicted Tightrope - Tour Version Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BravoTangoWhiskey Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 (edited) From a selfish point of view, I’m REALLY enjoying RFC as I’ve sandwiched it in my playlist between some of the new Lauren Alaina tracks from her ep also released today. Definitely fits well for the rockier country style!! Gosh I would love a country album from her on day Spoiler Thicc As Thieves red flag collector A Walk In A Bar i hate love lt’s a great run through sonically haha Edited June 9, 2023 by BravoTangoWhiskey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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