tournament Golden Hit: Season 5 ⚜️ Congrats to fountain!

[Galah]

Not ATW10MVTVFTV snatching another #1... will the Taylor domination this year ever cease?!

[poki]

How could I not represent the one season I participated in Golden Hit 

 

Yeah this track I tried to push myself further on with storytelling, worldbuilding and word play. 

 

Word play is something I really really like, my favorite example is in this track:

 

 

It's good to see the sun and feel this place. 

 

You can switch the words I highlighted and both not only work, but also provide completely different meaning. In this case, a more spiritual one and I tried to do that with my chorus.

 

Favorite chorus I ever wrote. 

Will share it soon, I'm on mobile atm. 

 

AND I have the 3 easter eggs! Those I will share after reviews are out. Two are easy, the 3rd one is 5000 IQ I don't think even the creators of Treasure Planet would catch it. 

[JonginBey]

@Jackson thank you so much!  I do wish I hadn’t jumped in at the last minute. Inspiration doesn’t always strike at will, unfortunately  Can’t wait for the next season!

[Legend E]

Thank you so much! I realize that indeed I kind of forgot to explain why I chose "30" as a number. I am going to turn 25 later this month, and I already feel like I should have done so many things that I have not done yet. To me, being 30 would mean being more mature and grown up, and finally being happier with myself, but will it actually be so?

[poki]

3 hours ago, Legend E said:

Thank you so much! I realize that indeed I kind of forgot to explain why I chose "30" as a number. I am going to turn 25 later this month, and I already feel like I should have done so many things that I have not done yet. To me, being 30 would mean being more mature and grown up, and finally being happier with myself, but will it actually be so?

I'm 25 now  I also felt that way, like I wasted my best years, but honestly Clive Davis from Final Fantasy 16 + Taylor's dominance these days took off a lot of pressure from me. It seems like life only just started for them in their 30s and it gave me some reassurance. 

Madonna also really shifted my mindset. She was 25 when her first album came out. Who knows what the future could have in store 

 

I hope this was a little helpful because I really fell into an actual mid-life-crisis when I turned 20 and realized my teen years are over  Only got out of it this summer. 

[Galah]

I'm a little over halfway done with my reviews... I think... my eyes are starting to get sore... but I am pushing through because the talent this round is... wow.

[Galah]

 

 

Hitmakers, this was genuinely one of my Favorite rounds to judge in Golden Hit, and that's not just a pun!

If there is anything in your review you'd like clarified or removed, please let me know and I will do so.

 

⚜️

 

1. hurricane326 - “Time & Space”
What a way to kick off the final round. This really was a spectacular display of writing. I am so glad you ended up including both of the Ptolemaic Egypt sections, as these two parts were definitely my favorites, but more on that later. From the very first lyric you had captured my attention, and you didn’t lose it throughout the entire piece, which is a colossal achievement in a song with 500+ words and no repeating sections. Each section is a standout, and has something I could quote as one of my favorite lyrics in the song. The time and space motifs were used beautifully and intelligently throughout, and always introduced something new to ponder. I absolutely love writing that makes you think, question, and wonder, and this is exactly that. The history girly in me loved references to the Lighthouse of Alexandra such as, “The Pharos that guides the ships at night,” but if I really want to nitpick here, “pharaohess” is not a historically accurate term, as a female pharaoh is simply a pharaoh. But I digress! Onto the third “Just Maybe” section, let me preface this by saying that I still really liked this, and the juxtaposition of the Ancient Egyptian and Modern American elements was certainly appreciated. Some of the more absolutely specific and personal references, such as individual names, were lost on me. That’s not to say I don’t think they have a place in this song, but they just might not have the same effect on me as they may on you, and I think that’s okay. I think perhaps the transition between the parts could have been improved, perhaps if you had consolidated the best parts of the two Egyptian sections into one (difficult since it’s all amazing) and had a different midsection chronologically taking place between these two times, such as the medieval era or the Renaissance, could have lent to this nicely. Frankly, trying to fault this song is like splitting hairs, however, and these suggestions are merely things I consider would boost this song from a high nine into the territory of a perfect ten. I’ve loved having you share your masterpieces with us once again.

 

2. @Hug - “Last Bible”
Oh, ever the overachiever with the three challenge checkmarks, I see! I actually like that you showed some restraint and didn’t just throw in some absurd sections just because and call it a day. That was a great decision because I could not see that resulting in an improvement to this song. I’m living for the planning that went into this song… starting off with the Spoken Word elements, which then inspired your Midjourney prompt, which then inspired your ATW10MVTVFTV narrative… just brilliant. I will get this out of the way since this is really my only constructive criticism about this song, but it definitely did venture into the contrived and melodramatic territories occasionally. However, it’s admittedly not unlikely that someone would experience these feelings in a similar situation. Expanding on this, the situation is somewhat unclear—in 500+ words we still don’t know why the couple ended up separating, nor is there even subtext implying infidelity, or any kind of significant falling out. I suppose you could argue the, “lock the doors,” sections indicate potential domestic violence, but this happens well after the relationship is evidently experiencing a demise. This aside, there was lots of beautiful language and imagery in this song, as well as touching sentiments such as being unable to break old habits, like making the partner a cup of tea, or attempting to help them solve the crossword. Lovely stuff. I feel like we’re only getting snapshots of this story rather than the full picture, which is exactly what ATW10MVTVFTV should enable. Overall this is still undoubtedly a wonderful song, and one of your best this season, which is saying a lot since you’ve had another very good one overall. Thank you for always giving us something to look forward to!

 

3. @stupidjock - “stupidjock (laws of the universe)”
I’m so glad you decided to sign up for this tournament, because seeing your growth from the first round until now has truly been something special. Coming off a #1 hit can sometimes be daunting, because there’s now that additional element of pressure, or living up to something. However, I definitely feel this song has earned a worthy place within your end of season trinity. Although you didn’t check the box for it, I liked how you even included occasional spoken word elements in this song. I can definitely see XO vibing out to your chorus, especially the, “la-la-la-laws,” section at the end, which added a catchy element. You utilized the extended length well, and experimented with new structural elements, which was fantastic to see. I will say, your second verse read more like a refrain than a verse given the length of the verses on either side of it, and I would have liked to see this function as a refrain, with it repeating (or being mimicked) between your fourth and fifth verses (which would become your third and fourth after this proposed change). I might also suggest combining your two bridge sections into a more refined middle eight section. These structural refinements are something that will come with time, and as you write more, you will understand how to best structure your lengthier pieces to really get the most out of them and keep the consumer’s attention. Besides this general piece of advice, I really enjoyed the message of this song overall, and think you’ve done very well here. Thank you for a great season!

 

4. @Legend E - “Rehearsal”
Another multi-challenge contender, I love your ambition. I’m almost surprised you didn’t opt for spoken word also, as you fared quite well in that challenge during its original season, and your writing style lends itself to spoken word very naturally. But I’m not here to judge what you didn’t do, I’m here to judge what you did. I’m definitely your not-so-secret secret stan this season (and always, I fear) but this song was probably my favorite of anything of yours I’ve had the pleasure to be privy to. What sets this apart from your other submissions is something that is so hard to capture—palpable emotion and relatability. I’ve not shied away from my struggles with mental health earlier this year, and so many times I felt like this song was speaking to me on a deeply personal level. I was moved. The weight of simple lines such as the last one of your opening verse is almost indescribable. This song feels very balladesque, especially in the chorus sections, and that I love. Coming back to my spoken word comment from earlier, the only thing I can think to elevate this piece would have been some kind of spoken word monologue, perhaps while looking at yourself in the bathroom mirror—this song would be absolutely perfect for something like this. Similar to my critique of hurricane, this is just me suggesting something that would have lifted you from a high 9 to a perfect 10 for me. As it stands, this is still such a brilliant piece of writing, and I am always grateful to have a writer who is as open and honest with us as you are.

 

5. @JonginBey - “You”
From being locked in the Beysment for 4 seasons, to scoring a hit collab, to branching out on your own for the very first time—we love the rise of JonginBey! This was a very cute song, and I enjoyed it as such. This definitely felt like you were wanting to channel more of that “All Too Well” energy into this song beyond just the word count stipulation, which was a nice way to dig a little bit deeper into the brief. There’s definitely some Swiftian inclusions such as the denim jacket and other assorted specifics that allow the consumer to connect to the characters in this story on a more tangible level. There’s something so simplistic and brilliant about your, “Strum my heartstrings / Buy the whole damn bouquet / Engulf me / With endearing words of our fate,” hook. My main piece of constructive criticism for you isn’t even really about the song itself, but more about its positioning within this season overall. One downside to not submitting from start to finish is that we don’t get that satisfying, “where you started vs. where you are now,” moment. This song, as lovely as it is, reads like an early season song, because… well, it is only your second submission. By the sixth round, some of these writers are pulling all the stops with creatively experimental concepts and emotionally resonant opuses, which makes a sweet love song hard to stand out. I am only letting you know this because while I do think this is a lovely song, there is some seriously strong competition this round, and I didn’t want a potential fall from #1 to dissuade you from participating in next season from start to finish—quite the opposite! If you are able to do that, I think come Season 6’s sixth round, you’ll know exactly what I mean. Wishing you all the best!

 

6. @JoeAg - “Wasted by Woodmoor”
Joe!! I’m so thrilled to see you rejoin us for the season finale. Your unique style has certainly been missed! Only you can use words like “ephemerality” so masterfully and purposefully that no other less ostentatious synonym could possibly suffice. You make me want to pick up my game! This song definitely felt like an outlet for you… you had a lot you wanted to say, and you did it the only way you know how to best: through song. I honestly really respect that, and I hope more than anything else that this was a therapeutic experience for you and let you deal with some of the issues you’ve been working through in a beneficial way. Your honesty is refreshing and your unfiltered commentary ranges from inspiring to hilarious in the best of ways. Giving you an extra point for the Kesha mention, although you should have used your poetic license to say radio (radio radio) instead of stereo, and an “A La Discotheque” reference wouldn’t have gone astray either (although these niche references to unreleased tracks likely would have been wasted on anyone who wasn’t @fountain or @Hug, neither of which are judging this season, but I digress). Being completely candid, I don’t think this is one of my ultimate favorite songs of yours, but I understand the importance and significance of a piece of writing when I see it, and that transcends any ranking or score we may be able to give you. I really hope to see you back again for Season 6!

 

7. @worldwide angel - “tears of time”
Wonderful to see you back for the finale! This was definitely giving slam poetry vibes, which is a pretty common approach to writing spoken word songs because it’s so brilliant at being effective. Your wordplay and use of alliterations really sold this vibe for me with the magnificence of, “minute minutes of joy and bliss / stolen by greedy grins and souls so sour.” You can just feel the passion and sense of urgency. My only critique? I wanted more! What you have is really great and powerful, but I feel like there is so much more that could have been said with this song. When spoken, this piece would likely only last about a minute, perhaps longer if you added some pauses for dramatic effect (which is highly plausible). I understand you didn’t sign up for the ATW10MVTVFTV challenge, but hitting even half of that challenge’s requirement would make this piece a lot stronger I think. There’s very little I can fault about what you have written here, although a few more show-stopping lines really would have done you wonders in terms of standing out in this round packed with other show-stopping songs.

 

8. @Hey Dude - “Solar”
Our first absurd song of the round—thank you for taking the risk! Okay, so I’ve clocked really specific references to films’ plot points not once, but twice already this season (Invisibility’s “It’s a Love Thing” in R2, and most recently Legend E’s “Dorothy Dying” just last round)—the only reasons I’m giving you a pass are a) because this is the Absurdity challenge, and b) I love Treasure Planet, an underrated film that did not deserve to bomb! Admittedly it’s been many years since I’ve seen it, so some of the details are foggy (and the direct references you outlined in your other information definitely didn’t jump out at me) but I think this was a really cute homage to one of Disney’s most underrated and underappreciated films. That said, outside of the choice to even write this song, and the amazing intro… where is the absurdity?! If you are going to do the absurdity challenge, you can’t play it safe! We’ve seen some of the amazing worldbuilding you’re capable of throughout multiple seasons of Golden Hit, and this challenge would have been the perfect time to tap into your Strangetown bag. Interestingly enough, a lot of this song probably displayed some of your most well-written and commercially viable content to date. The rhyming was exquisite, the imagery was strong, and the narrative was linear and easy to follow. A great offering from you, but a slight question mark on the absurdity brief I’m afraid.

 

9. @punisher - “I’m The Shít”
Thank you for submitting for this final round, despite dealing with a heat wave and lack of power during a move! You had already missed out on the first round, so it is excellent you ended this season strong with a “full” five songs counting towards your average. The cupcakKe-ification of punisher is here! We’ve had some raunchy sex bops do quite well in seasons’ past, but the level of penmanship has to be absolutely top notch to make a song like this stand out—and not in a negative way. Really tight flow, iconic one-liners, amazing delivery, punchy rhyme scheme, etc. I think you did well in some of these categories and not so well in some others. Every now and then it felt like there was a lyric just for shock value, rather than to actually impress or serve as a double entendre for instance. Honestly, this was me when I was reading some of these lyrics:

 

 

This is a textbook example of a song that would probably be an absolute smash (well, on the heart charts) and go extremely viral for how crude and nasty it is at points, but leaves a lot to be desired on a purely lyrical level. That said, “hunchback of notre dame with the pink eye from my squirt,” deserves a Nobel Peace Prize, I don’t care, I said what I said.

 

10. @fountain - “Everything, as It Shouldn’t Be / fountain”
The tardiness… I don’t ever want to see you complaining about late submissions when hosting in the future! We didn’t actually have anyone complete all four challenges, but considering you only didn’t due to a technicality… I suppose you are the closest to having done so! But was it the right decision? Well…

Spoiler

 

 

 

While I still stand by my critique of your song last round all things considered, I would like to rescind my comment that I wish you had waited until this round to debut that song… because had you not debuted that song when you did, we wouldn’t ever have gotten this one. I love that you heeded Jackson’s advice and made the absurd/spoken word elements into a long, meandering intro to an original song, and I completely agree it was even more effective in this manner. It was still every bit as absurd as its precursor, yet felt more purposeful and satisfied all of the challenges you chose to undertake in a legitimate manner. The only thing I could fault was me suggesting to delete everything from the ATRL servers—I would never! I went through all five stages of grief upon finding out Song of the Season 1 was lost forever, so I could never imagine doing such a thing. Luckily for you, this is just your absurd characterisation of me, so I can let it slide (I love how this is the part I am singling out, and not that my “husband” Jackson and I often reenact Katy Perry’s Super Bowl Halftime Show performance in Left Shark costumes…) Also we needed more XO in this! But I guess this was your meta reference for his lack of reviews the other round? The entire concept of you “reverting” the chaos you had caused with your original submission(s) was brilliant, mind-bogglingly so.

 

As far as your self-titled final song itself… I’m almost lost for words. The way you managed to bring a fifth challenge element here (the self-portrait challenge) and seamlessly integrate it with the others was next level. “But what exactly is a song,” is something that I feel embodies your writing and persona so intrinsically. You are always pushing the limits and bridging the gaps between songwriting and other creative mediums without hesitation. Nothing you’ve written for this season feels contrived to satisfy anyone other than yourself, and this is no exception. When I said I would have had no qualms giving your previous song a 10 for the absurdity challenge, I must admit I was being a little hyperbolic—had you submitted it for this round verbatim, I most likely would have commented on it not feeling very song-y, citing Element’s masterpiece “Heaven in the Deep” as a reference point for how to strike a great balance of song and satire. However, with this piece, no other reference point is needed… YOU are the blueprint. I hate to say it (because I don’t like encouraging tardiness) but this was well worth the wait. You’ve had an amazing season, with some incredible highs, no true lows, and some very interesting side-steps. Where this latest concoction of yours will end up is anyone’s guess…

⚜️

 

Results for this sixth and final round will take place in the season finale at a time to be determined. We'll see you there!

[punisher]

i’m surprised that 2/3 of y’all actually liked my song  thank you for writing these!

[punisher]

48 minutes ago, Aurora said:

That said, “hunchback of notre dame with the pink eye from my squirt,” deserves a Nobel Peace Prize, I don’t care, I said what I said.

 

i was so proud of this one thank you for acknowledging it

[fountain]

Thank you very much @Jackson @Aurora 💛

[Legend E]

4 hours ago, Hey Dude said:

I'm 25 now  I also felt that way, like I wasted my best years, but honestly Clive Davis from Final Fantasy 16 + Taylor's dominance these days took off a lot of pressure from me. It seems like life only just started for them in their 30s and it gave me some reassurance. 

Madonna also really shifted my mindset. She was 25 when her first album came out. Who knows what the future could have in store 

 

I hope this was a little helpful because I really fell into an actual mid-life-crisis when I turned 20 and realized my teen years are over  Only got out of it this summer. 

Thank you so much for the sweet words, PoKi! That's very nice to hear, and hopefully there's a lot of good things coming for us later in life

 

---

 

Thanks for the comments too, Aurora! A spoken word section would definitely have been nice (but also challenging to succeed at it). But, as always, great feedback to keep in mind

[XO_Life]

I need another week or 1.5 weeks to review all the songs. 

 

I am going on a spontaneous work trip tomorrow and I have to prepare everything now. Sorry...

[Jackson]

6 hours ago, punisher said:

i was so proud of this one thank you for acknowledging it

i loved that one too but there were too many highlights for me to mention them all

 

 

we're deliberating internally on a finale date. my preference would still be to have it in the next couple days, which i'm sure you would all echo. we're working on it!

[JonginBey]

@Aurora thank you! 

[Jackson]

 

⚜ FINALE ANNOUNCEMENTS ⚜

 

Whew! Six round later, we're finally here. I'm happy to announce that we are on track for the finale to be TOMORROW at 3PM EST. @XO_Life will be able to submit scores, meaning we will have a full panel of scores for R6!

 

 

In addition, we thought it would be fun to bring back one of our favorites as a guest judge for the final round. Everyone, please welcome to the stage – last season's winner and the current Golding Hit reigning champion, @Kylie Jenner! 

 

 

We will see you all tomorrow for the finale!

 

@stupidjock@fountain@Hey Dude@réveuse@Invisibility@worldwide angel@Legend E@JonginBey@Kayseri Mantisi@blackoutbaby@Navy4Life@Antikythera@Julianna Calm Down@Hug@Prisoner@punisher@TruGemini@JoeAg

 

[Galah]

Surprise! Thank you to the wonderfully talented winner of Golden Hit's last season @Kylie Jenner for agreeing to provide their invaluable feedback during this special finale.

Excited to hear your fresh perspective on this season's writing!

[fountain]

Oop! Hi @Kylie Jenner

 

in that case @Aurora @Jackson can u pls provide Ms KJ with the link for Everything, as It Should Be as I imagine the sequel would make even less sense (if that’s possible) without reading the other !

[fountain]

Also let me preface by saying they are not at all indicative of my typical writing

[Kylie Jenner]

Hi girls

 

[Kern]

a fellow maxi-pad! 

 

[worldwide angel]

yesssssss  hiii @Kylie Jenner 

[Galah]

8 minutes ago, fountain said:

Oop! Hi @Kylie Jenner

 

in that case @Aurora @Jackson can u pls provide Ms KJ with the link for Everything, as It Should Be as I imagine the sequel would make even less sense (if that’s possible) without reading the other !

Why would you want us to sabotage you like that.

 

I think this poses an interesting dilemma though, part of the reason we wanted a guest judge for this finale was to have an outsider's fresh perspective. If we were to provide KJ with a second example of your writing this season for reference, we would probably have to for everyone, and having KJ read ~20 songs in one round might be a bit much. I understand the difference since your pieces are connected, but honestly... since you were one of the few who partook in the Absurdity challenge, I don't think being dropped into the center of a chaotic nightmare is going to be as detrimental as you are perhaps worried it may be.

 

This is just my initial thoughts though, and happy to talk through this with you and the others if you're still eager for KJ to read both pieces.

[Jackson]

me trying out 50 different score combinations to see how the only set of scores outstanding will affect the finale placements

 

 

 

 

 

[khalyan]

I wish I would have tried to participate this season  

[Jackson]

Well, scores are in and results are calculated  really excited for results later today (assuming the server behaves)!