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BIG collaborations that never reached #1 on Billboard


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Posted
2 hours ago, SinnerCity said:

Yeah, but it really didn't take off until later wasn't it? Or am I confused?

Toxic came out in January of 2004 so you got it good :smile:

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Posted (edited)
15 hours ago, Link16 said:

#3

beyonce-and-shakira-beautiful-liar.jpg

So ... Beautiful Liar has always been a bit of an enigma to me.

 

On the surface, it's kind of a bad song. I mean, the production feels cheap, as if it was created as a demo but never yet completed with live (or better digital) instruments (and we actually do have the demo with Beyoncé only and it sounds unchanged). The lyrics are rather silly. And yet...somehow it works. The cheapness of the production and the angle of the lyrics brings it into kitsch territory, almost as if it's a pop song from a movie about popstars, and it truly establishes itself as exactly the type of song one would call a "guilty pleasure". It's not guilty because it's embarrassing, but guilty because it doesn't appeal to tastes per se, but it does appeal to our desire to bop and have simple, pure-pop fun. That, and Beyoncé and Shakira insert the necessary camp into their performance of the lyrics and the video itself, playing up the interchangeability.

 

And while like Can't Remember to Forget You, it does average out their brands in a way that doesn't really best represent either artist, it does not do so at the expense of the fun, and still doesn't water down the hallmarks of either artist (the bellydancing vibes of Shakira plus the girl-power, i'm-mad-at-him-not-you angle).

 

 

Edited by swissman
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Posted
9 hours ago, Mariano said:

SHOCKED at this whole thread. I was told by ATRL that big collab guarantees #1 smash hit, something isn't right here! 

:clap3:

Posted
8 hours ago, andresg770 said:

IIRC the story for this one is that the top exec in Mary J. Blige's label didn't allow it to be released as a single in the US or in the US version of George's GH album.  Apparently he didn't want Mary to be associated with GM after his arrest at a public restroom.

 

Anyway, George and his label got mad because of that, and so they didn't let Mary include the track in the US version of her album, either. So of course, no commercial single in the US meant no Hot 100. I do wonder how well it would've done, though, considering neither artist was topping the charts at the time...

I think the record label was homophobic with George, sad 

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Posted

How about the Tay song with Zayn? Really sad because it's a great song that holds up to today. (I'd say it's probably even Zayn's best song)

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Posted

It's incredible When You Believe didn't get to n1, it's a classic in its own right

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Posted
1 hour ago, swissman said:

So ... Beautiful Liar has always been a bit of an enigma to me.

 

On the surface, it's kind of a bad song. I mean, the production feels cheap, as if it was created as a demo but never yet completed with live (or better digital) instruments (and we actually do have the demo with Beyoncé only and it sounds unchanged). The lyrics are rather silly. And yet...somehow it works. The cheapness of the production and the angle of the lyrics brings it into kitsch territory, almost as if it's a pop song from a movie about popstars, and it truly establishes itself as exactly the type of song one would call a "guilty pleasure". It's not guilty because it's embarrassing, but guilty because it doesn't appeal to tastes per se, but it does appeal to our desire to bop and have simple, pure-pop fun. That, and Beyoncé and Shakira insert the necessary camp into their performance of the lyrics and the video itself, playing up the interchangeability.

 

And while like Can't Remember to Forget You, it does average out their brands in a way that doesn't really best represent either artist, it does not do so at the expense of the fun, and still doesn't water down the hallmarks of either artist (the bellydancing vibes of Shakira plus the girl-power, i'm-mad-at-him-not-you angle).

 

 

Mess, I personally think Beautiful Liar is amazing in every way lmfao :jonny6:  A CLASSIC. 

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Posted
13 minutes ago, Mariano said:

Mess, I personally think Beautiful Liar is amazing in every way lmfao :jonny6:  A CLASSIC. 

Oh, I mean, it is amazing. But part of what makes it amazing is that parts of the song (mainly just the production) has this sort of midi, chintzy vibe that makes it simultaneously so fun. The humour of the lyrics are complimented by this which makes it amazing as a package, and yet I cannot totally say it is a "good" song as far as taste-level and artistic qualities go.

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Posted

I came here to post this iconic diamond-certified-grammy-nominated collaboration! 


 

Posted
On 1/6/2025 at 5:03 PM, A-V-XYZ said:

Christina was right about Me Against The Music lmao. Poor Britney and Jive, they spent millions for Madonna to be on the track for it to bomb.

me against the music is one of the best britney songs/videos, NTM

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Posted
15 hours ago, AxelFox said:

I feel such strong disconnect from this thread because I absolutely love Me Against The Music :dies:

as you should! its a slay

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Posted
9 hours ago, Link16 said:

I think the record label was homophobic with George, sad 

Oh yeah, for sure. But in fairness to everyone else involved in Mary's album, it seems like it was mainly the record label's president. Apparently Mary, her producer, etc., tried to get the guy to change his mind about George, but it was to no avail.

 

I can buy it all being that executive's fault and everyone else being mad about it. Why would both labels go through all the hassle of arranging a collab between their artists AND making sure the song appears in both artists' albums (internationally), only to cancel the single release in the US for no good reason? :michael: 

Posted

APT also #ThankYouLadyGaga

 

OGH can stay mad 

Posted (edited)

the way some of the songs posted here are classics but were not even top 10 :rip: the obsession with Billboard nowadays is too much

Edited by dzwiekolubny
Posted (edited)

double post, delete it

Edited by dzwiekolubny
Posted
On 1/7/2025 at 7:51 AM, l3disko said:

A Madonna/Britney track only reaching #35 is pretty tragic.

The chart back then was super influenced by airplay, and neither of them were welcomed by the radio stations.

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