tournament Choose The Album, Then a Song 10 | Winner: Auburn

[Sanguine]

All results on pg. 30, I'll post the round later!

[Psycho]

Slayed

[EriKills]

Oh wow yay tysm judges + contestants  

 

I really lucked out with the theme tbh more rigged rounds PLEASE!!! 

[Sanguine]

Choose The Album, Then a Song

Round 5

Do You Like Shakespeare?

Top 11: In all our rounds so far, you've been focusing on the song as a whole, including production elements and vocals (if you haven't, you were probably eliminated already). This time we're going full English class and cutting it down to lyrics - ONE lyric in fact. For this round, choose a single lyric (can be one line or a couplet - use Genius to check. Can be a non-rhyming one) and write about it. Tell us why you like the lyric, how it connects back to the album, ultimately why this is your definitive lyric, all in 175 words or less. Do you find it inspirational? Do you like it because it's in-line with the persona of your artist and why you enjoy the album? Do the syntax and diction impact its effect on the reader? Is there something unique structurally or in its vocabulary? Think about stuff like this when writing your explanation, there's loads of different approaches you can lean into.

 

You can now re-use songs from the audition, R1, or R2 if you want. Lyrics from R3/R4 songs can NOT be chosen.

 

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY HERE
^ link

You may only submit once, but edits of the submission are allowed.

 

Cumulative bottom two will be eliminated.

 

Less than 36 hour deadline for now

DEADLINE: Sat, Nov 4th @ 9 pm EST

 

 

@Psycho @ATRL Username @MusicLoverDude @minho @Not Like The Movies @EriKills @Post Malone @ultraviolence.xx @Auburn @wehavetostan @PinkBox

 

 

 

Edited November 3, 2023 by Sanguine

[Sanguine]

R4 RESULTS

[MusicLoverDude]

Oh my God tied for 1st

 

Thank you judges and everyone that voted..

[poki]

That's a nice theme.

[Kelp]

2 hours ago, Sanguine said:

3rd (round)

@ATRL Username with Ripples

Judges: 25.5

Contestants: +11

Points: 21.875

 

2nd cumulatively with 82.75 points

Yas thank you, my always the bridesmaid run <3

[ultraviolence.xx]

i don't like shakespeare but i can if you like

[MusicLoverDude]

@Sanguine does it have to be the definitive lyric of the album, or just your favorite lyric of the album and why? I'm a little confused.

[Sanguine]

8 hours ago, MusicLoverDude said:

@Sanguine does it have to be the definitive lyric of the album, or just your favorite lyric of the album and why? I'm a little confused.

You can do either, ultimately I would lean more towards finding a lyric you can convince judges and contestants is “good” rather than just something that speaks to you, but if you can write a convincing argument for why you connect with that lyric, it would work. Just support it with evidence!

[Sanguine]

Extension has been requested for 5 am EST tomorrow!

[Sanguine]

On 11/3/2023 at 9:47 AM, Sanguine said:

Choose The Album, Then a Song

Round 5

Do You Like Shakespeare?

Top 11: In all our rounds so far, you've been focusing on the song as a whole, including production elements and vocals (if you haven't, you were probably eliminated already). This time we're going full English class and cutting it down to lyrics - ONE lyric in fact. For this round, choose a single lyric (can be one line or a couplet - use Genius to check. Can be a non-rhyming one) and write about it. Tell us why you like the lyric, how it connects back to the album, ultimately why this is your definitive lyric, all in 175 words or less. Do you find it inspirational? Do you like it because it's in-line with the persona of your artist and why you enjoy the album? Do the syntax and diction impact its effect on the reader? Is there something unique structurally or in its vocabulary? Think about stuff like this when writing your explanation, there's loads of different approaches you can lean into.

 

You can now re-use songs from the audition, R1, or R2 if you want. Lyrics from R3/R4 songs can NOT be chosen.

 

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY HERE
^ link

You may only submit once, but edits of the submission are allowed.

 

Cumulative bottom two will be eliminated.

 

Less than 36 hour deadline for now

DEADLINE: Sat, Nov 4th @ 9 pm EST

 

 

@Psycho @ATRL Username @MusicLoverDude @minho @Not Like The Movies @EriKills @Post Malone @ultraviolence.xx @Auburn @wehavetostan @PinkBox

 

 

 

Seven hours to go, can extend again if needed!

 

@Psycho @ATRL Username @MusicLoverDude @Not Like The Movies @EriKills @Post Malone @Auburn @wehavetostan @PinkBox

[Sanguine]

Round 5 Entries

 

ENTRIES AND EXPLANATIONS HERE

 

CONTESTANT VOTING LINK HERE

 

If you do not complete this by the deadline, 30% of your score will be deducted.

 

The bottom two players CUMULATIVELY will be eliminated.

 

DEADLINE: Tues, Nov 7th @ 9 pm EST (47 hours from now)

@Psycho @ATRL Username @MusicLoverDude @minho @Not Like The Movies @EriKills @Post Malone @ultraviolence.xx @Auburn @wehavetostan @PinkBox

 

 

[smholiv]

period
 

[Staryu]

Star "critiques" 

 

Spoiler

ATRL Username -
I can see how this little line could be glossed over, it's such a brief moment in a cheery song, but I can also see how much it would stand out in a personal way, especially going through a recent break up. I like that you connected this lyric back to the album's theme as a whole and to yourself, I feel like you succinctly demonstrated your case. 

 

Auburn - 
I think you explained the lyric well and how it represents the album as a whole. Maybe a few words could have been used to tell us why you personally chose this lyric but overall I like your explanation. 

 

Erikills -
I don't really buy that this is the definitive lyric! It feels very surface level, she went through dark days, "can't turn it off like television" just feels empty to me idk. I think you just chose this b/c of her X Factor mess easy to link that fiasco to these lyrics, which is smart, so points for that. 

 

minho - 
This lyric isn't screaming definitive to me however you convinced me well with your bionic girl explanation/reasonings, I get the superhero vibe/persona/empowerment, it also makes me wonder if she stans Bionic by Xtina. The weak part of this for me though is the little you focused on "deep in the world", it just isn't as strong to me. 

 

MusicLoverDude -
I think your lyric choice is a great representation of the album as a whole. I like how you even included the clean version and used it as an example of her song writing skills. I think my only critique is some of your word count could have been used less on listing other song titles and more on maybe why this lyric personally speaks to you. 

NLTM -
I was never really sure if she was saying woman or warm here and you opened my eyes that it is probably meant as both. I think you chose a great line to define the album, it represents both sides of SZA quite well, nice job. 

 

Pinkbox - 
Sis this lyric is more than "one line or a couplet" also I really don't view Rebel Heart as a sexual album, at least not overall. I feel like these lyrics are more for the shock and kiis than just being THE definitive ones of the album. I do agree with some of your points about  Madonna though, how she's always pushed the envelope and stands against ageism. 

 

Post Malone - 
I love this lyric choice and agree with your assessment of it, I do think this lyric and song itself is the turning point of the album. My only critique is maybe you could have included your own personal connection to this song/why this  lyric speaks to you. 

 

Psycho - 
You have the same issue as Pinkbox with your lyric, one line (or 2) too many but I do really like your explanation here, I have always thought colors play a huge role in this album's theme and I love how you connected this song to even the color of the album title, very nice. 

 

uvie - 
I think you did a great job here, your reasonings are strong and true, and I think you gave us everything we asked for.

 

Wehavetostan -
This lyric really got me in my feels   it made me feel really introspective while reading your explanation and I really connected to what you were saying, I think you slayed this, good job  

@Psycho @ATRL Username @MusicLoverDude @minho @Not Like The Movies @EriKills @Post Malone @ultraviolence.xx @Auburn @wehavetostan @PinkBox

 

[Kelp]

Thanks Staryu, submitting my votes now

[Auburn]

sent

[wehavetostan]

Perched for the results

[MusicLoverDude]

Thank you for the comments @Staryu. You do make a fair point about the personal connection. My main focus was to make sure I tied the album together.

[shelven]

SHELVEN'S CRITIQUES

 

Spoiler

ATRL Username – Beatopia – 10:36

 

I’m glad this is the first entry on the list because I think it sets a very clear standard of what a good entry should look like this round. You balance the different aspects of the prompt very well, discussing both your personal appreciation for the lyric and how it fits into the larger album in a very cohesive way. What would have put this entry over the edge from great to flawless is if you had gone into a bit more detail on why this particular lyric is the definitive choice (why does this line summarize the theme you talk about better than the others?), but overall a great way to get this round going. 

_____________________________________________

 

Auburn – The Velvet Rope – Special

 

Oop you really said “mama let’s research” with that Sanofka symbol reference. I thought that discussion was a really cool way to tie this lyric into the full concept of your album even more deeply, and overall I think you do an excellent job explaining why the whole album can be summed up in this one lyric. Unfortunately, you don’t really touch on the part of the prompt that asked why you personally like the lyric which hurts your overall score here.

_____________________________________________

 

EriKills – Trouble – Television

 

You check off each part of the prompt in your explanation, and I like your explanation of why you like this album – an attention-grabbing moment of contrast can definitely stand out in a song and an album as a whole! I also think your logic for why this is a definitive lyric on the album is smart, since you show why this lyric doesn’t just serve as an example of the album’s concept, but also adds an extra layer to that concept. I think your last line wasn’t really needed since it strays away from the album itself, but overall I think this is a well-rounded explanation that meets the theme well.

_____________________________________________

 

minho – HYPNOS – Deep In The World

 

Oh we love a good bullet point list! It takes guts to build out a fleshed out explanation for a lyric that’s just 6 total words, but I think you pull it off here. I really like the direct callbacks to other themes you’ve already touched on in this game, and your third bullet point in particular does a wonderful job balancing your personal appreciation for the lyric and why it ties into the larger album in a seamless way. Your strongest entry in the season so far for me!

_____________________________________________

 

MusicLoverDude – Midnights – Maroon

 

You have a solid idea here, and I like how you specifically connect the lyric to specific other tracks and moments from the album to show why this lyric is so representative. That said, you focused your word count in areas I don’t think I would have done – I’m not sure if you needed to provide such a comprehensive list of other tracks, and your point about the clean vs. explicit versions of the album feels like an unnecessary tangent from your larger (and stronger) point about how the reference to past memories in this lyric is a thread throughout the album. I’m glad you managed to get in a line about your personal appreciation for the lyric at the end, but I would have liked to hear a bit more about why the lyric has stuck with you instead of you just saying it has. 

_____________________________________________

 

Not Like The Movies – CTRL – Drew Barrymore

 

This was a really captivating explanation of why you like this lyric so much and why it’s a much more intricate lyric than it might seem at first glance. If the theme had just been “pick a lyric you like and tell us why it’s a good lyric”, this would hit that flawlessly. However, I think you would have benefitted from a more fleshed out discussion of how this lyric is tied to the rest of the album and why it’s a definitive lyric from the album. You do address those points towards the end and I like the point about how this lyric exemplifies the subtle approach SZA takes to sexual liberation on the album, but I would have liked more elaboration on why this lyric helps make the album thematically cohesive.

_____________________________________________

 

PinkBox – Rebel Heart – S.E.X.

 

I think you suffer a bit here from picking a lyric that’s admittedly fairly generic. You do a decent job explaining why this lyric is generally representative of the album, but I’m left unconvinced of why this particular sexual line is the album’s definitive lyric instead of just one example of many. Similarly, you discuss why you appreciate the general topic of this lyric (an older artist fully embracing their sexuality), but not really why this particular lyric is a standout for you compared to others. On top of that, you didn’t follow the Genius rule from the prompt, so I’m docking you 2 points to be fair to the others who followed it.

_____________________________________________

 

Post Malone – Unapologetic – What Now

 

This is probably my favourite explanation so far of why the chosen lyric is truly a definitive one within the context of the full album. I think you do an excellent job fleshing out why this exact lyric is a crucial turning point in the trajectory of the album; like I said to EriKills, I like how this explanation isn’t just that the lyric is representative of the album, but adds an extra layer to it. While I wish I could give this entry a perfect score because of how much I liked that explanation, you ignored the part of the prompt that asked for a more personal element of why you like the lyric, which drops this quite a bit for me.

_____________________________________________

 

Psycho – Emotion – Favourite Colour

 

Another entry that checks off all the boxes of the prompt – there’s a clear explanation in here of why you personally appreciate the lyric, how it ties into the rest of the album, and why it’s definitive overall. Your explanation for the personal appreciation aspect is wonderfully detailed and nuanced, but by comparison, your explanation for the connection to the album / definitive lyric aspect feels a bit more basic, since you basically just say that the lyric relates to relationships and that’s also the topic of the album. Finally, like PinkBox, I have to dock you here because your selection clearly breaks the Genius rule.

_____________________________________________

 

ultraviolence.xx – RAVEN – Raven

 

On the one hand, I really like how you’re clearly taking the judges’ feedback into consideration – this entry feels like you’ve internalized our critiques about your explanations in more subjective rounds feeling too impersonal, since you very effectively balance your personal thoughts with a more objective analysis of the lyric in explaining why you like this lyric. On the other hand, you’re missing a direct answer to the part of the prompt about how the lyric connects to the album as a whole and is a definitive lyric. If you had replaced the discussion about Kelela’s general career and life with a point about this specific album, you would have nailed this theme, but instead it feels like it’s missing that specific album tie-in.

_____________________________________________

 

wehavetostan – The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess – California

 

You successfully avoided the trap that I critiqued PinkBox for falling into. Like him, you picked a lyric that’s arguably pretty generic, but what works about your choice is that your explanation directly leans into that simplicity and argues that the simplicity is the exact thing that makes this lyric definitive. You also manage your word count very expertly here, touching on the “definitive lyric” part of the prompt, the “why it connects to your album” part and the personal appreciation part in a clear and organized way. Very strong way to end off this round!

@Psycho @ATRL Username @MusicLoverDude @minho @Not Like The Movies @EriKills @Post Malone @ultraviolence.xx @Auburn @wehavetostan @PinkBox

[Kelp]

Thanks shelven!

[smholiv]

thank you!

[Element]

ELEMENT'S CRITIQUES
 

Spoiler

@ATRL Username - beabadoobee - 10:36

I think this was pretty much a perfect way to start the round. You hit every major point of the prompt, describing the lyric's importance within the album as well as your personal experience/connection to it. I liked the context of the instrumentation too! Great work!

 

@Auburn - The Velvet Rope - Special

This was great! Definitely a step back up after last week. You did a really nice job of connecting the lyric back to the overall concept of the album. I enjoyed learning about the Sankofa symbol as well. This entry is lacking the personal connection, so for me, it will remain in the "great" category instead of "perfect".

 

@EriKills - Trouble - Television

Overall, I think this was a great entry! I totally see how this theme connects to the album, especially the other songs that we have heard so far. She is going to wrestle with the lingering affects of these terrible events. The only thing really missing here is perhaps a personal enjoyment of the lyric, but I think it's impactful on its own. (Side note: I, for one, support your X Factor line at the end - it adds some fun personality and history into the mix.)

 

@minho - HYPNOS - Deep In The World

Your approach to reflect back on prior entries was a great choice! It's always smart to recap when selling the album's overall themes. Each of your bullet points ties the lyrics to core components of the album - including both production and themes. The persona discussion is also interesting and fairly successful at bringing in personal intrigue. Probably your strongest entry!

 

@MusicLoverDude - Midnights - Maroon

I'm struggling with this entry. I feel like most of the essay is unfortunately used up on unnecessary verbiage. Your point about the past relationships could have been successful with one or two examples. You didn't need to list every celeb/song connection. I also don't really see how the sentence about "*******" vs. "lasting" connects this lyric back to the overall album or your personal enjoyment. Overall, I'm left wanting a lot more to understand how this lyric represents Midnights.

 

@Not Like The Movies - CTRL - Drew Barrymore

I thought she was saying "woman" too all these years!! Wow okay I've learned new things - thank you! Great explanation overall. You took us through the interesting double entendre and how the themes connect back to the overall album at a high level - although this could have been expanded more or connected back to other specific songs. You added a personal component too with your anecdote. All in all, nice job.

 

@PinkBox - Rebel Heart - S.E.X.

Your lyric choice was a bit long, and I think the second half is not really relevant to what you are trying to argue here. If you kept focus on the first couplet, you would have more focus on the strong and independent sexually in-charge Madonna, vs. frivolity in the bed. Overall, I just struggle to see this as an engaging or meaningful lyric, and I doubt the entire album is rooted around this. It's a very surface level rebellion.

 

@Post Malone - Unapologetic - What Now

I really enjoyed this submission! The exposition of this lyric as a pivotal gateway between two parts is a great approach. It successfully bridges the mix of emotions that Rihanna feels, and you explain this quite well. Loved how you used the other song titles in a clever manner to drive home the contrast.

 

@Psycho - Carly Rae Jepsen - Favourite Colour

It seems this is a bit long to be a couplet per Genius! Your explanation hits the required points, more or less, but I feel like there was a lot of redundancy within - especially with multiple recaps of how the two people fall in love as two colors swirling into one. The connection to the logo was not really necessary. Your personal appreciation through imagery was good though.

 

@ultraviolence.xx - Raven - Raven

A very nicely written and important read. It's very enligthening to see the impact a song and even singular lyrics can have on the listener. The personal connection is very strong and meaningful. Where I struggle is finding the connection to the overall album. How is this the definitive lyric when you look at the entire record? How does it connect thematically to other songs?

 

@wehavetostan - Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess - California

We started with perfection, and we end with it too! You succinctly cover the meaning of the lyrics, their importance to the album, and your own personal fears/emotions that are related. Great job!

 

[Sanguine]

Resultssss finally!

 

@Psycho @ATRL Username @MusicLoverDude @minho @Not Like The Movies @EriKills @Post Malone @ultraviolence.xx @Auburn @wehavetostan @PinkBox