DESTINY'S CHILD singles poll

Message Bookmarked
Bookmark Removed

the last great girl group's finest moment?

Poll Results

OptionVotes
Say My Name 22
Bootylicious 13
Bills Bills Bills 12
Bug-A-Boo 10
Jumpin' Jumpin' 7
Lose My Breath 6
Get On The Bus 4
Survivor 4
Soldier 3
Independent Women Part 1 3
Girl 1
Emotion 1
No, No, No 0
With Me 0
Cater 2 U0


lex pretend, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:12 (seventeen years ago)

BILLS

BILLS

BILLS

Surmounter, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:13 (seventeen years ago)

<3 this poll

Surmounter, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:13 (seventeen years ago)

'cater 2 u' is...such an ignominious way to end a career like this :o

think i'm going for 'bug-a-boo' but will think on't for a while

lex pretend, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:13 (seventeen years ago)

Survivor

nate woolls, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:13 (seventeen years ago)

also take the survivor era singles on their own and they are a fine, fine, endlessly awesome body of work in themselves. place them next to the writing's on the wall singles and they don't stand a chance

lex pretend, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:14 (seventeen years ago)

also i think i am still the only person in the world who will rep for 'soldier'?

lex pretend, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:15 (seventeen years ago)

4-way fight to death:
Bug-A-Boo
Say My Name
Independent Women Part 1
Bootylicious

did Beyonce and co 'invent' the specific 'pay ma own bills' theme in this music? did TLC or En Vogue touch on that much before DC?

blueski, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:15 (seventeen years ago)

Could be any one of these, really, but I'm in a Survivor mood right now.

Bills Bills Bills
Bug-A-Boo
Say My Name
Jumpin' Jumpin'
Independent Women Part 1
Survivor
Bootylicious
Lose My Breath

nate woolls, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:16 (seventeen years ago)

You're not alone, Lex; "Soldier" is bad-ass.

HI DERE, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:16 (seventeen years ago)

I went for "Get On The Bus" which in a 1999 way is kind of the beginning of everything.

Dingbod Kesterson, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:16 (seventeen years ago)

i thought soldier was great!

voted 'say my name'

goole, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:17 (seventeen years ago)

(I voted "BOOTYLICIOUS")

HI DERE, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:17 (seventeen years ago)

but all of these songs are old , lex

Herman G. Neuname, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:17 (seventeen years ago)

their last single was actually some schmaltzy ballad nonsense called "Stand Up For Love" that was on the best-of, but that's even worse than "Cater 2 U."

some dude, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:19 (seventeen years ago)

Bug-A-Boo barely beats Bootylicious

blueski, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:19 (seventeen years ago)

Between Bug-A-Boo and Lose My Breath, with Emotion being an underdog for having some omgwtf vocal hysterics.

Eric H., Friday, 25 July 2008 14:22 (seventeen years ago)

'stand up for love' was on their wikipedia page but it didn't chart anywhere and i'd never even heard of it so assumed it wasn't a proper single. i apologise to its fans, who must be devastated at its exclusion...

the contrast between the three DC voices is probably most marked on 'soldier', and really makes the song.

"even if the pope said he liked you too" => i have just voted for 'bug-a-boo'

lex pretend, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:25 (seventeen years ago)

and 'get on the bus' is such a weird, weird track. i don't remember it as a single at all, and it's strange to think that it was chosen as one.

lex pretend, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:27 (seventeen years ago)

i can't remember 'with me' or 'emotion' at all. 'get on the bus' was a big "hey i like this kind of stuff (again)" moment for me but more down to timbaland than the girls i guess

blueski, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:30 (seventeen years ago)

"Stand Up For Love" had a video on MTV (in this country, at least, I don't know about in other markets) and everything, but the fact that it was released simultaneously with "Check On It" helped it get completely ignored.

some dude, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:31 (seventeen years ago)

Get On the Bus is spectacular.

chap, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:39 (seventeen years ago)

TOO HARD

Frogman Henry, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:42 (seventeen years ago)

I love "soldier" but it took some doing.

voted "say my name" but "independent women" and "bills" are both really close, imo.

original bgm, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:43 (seventeen years ago)

Wait, I'm Alan N?

forksclovetofu, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:51 (seventeen years ago)

never mind, too many vitamins this morning apparently.
Lose my breath was playing when my girl and I hooked up, but it could otherwise be bills or say my name with no hesitation.

forksclovetofu, Friday, 25 July 2008 14:52 (seventeen years ago)

Too easy. "Lose My Breath" then "Bug-A-Boo."

Kevin John Bozelka, Friday, 25 July 2008 15:06 (seventeen years ago)

sa-LOOOT!

J0rdan S., Friday, 25 July 2008 16:41 (seventeen years ago)

i voted bug a boo

man i hate lose my breath

deej, Friday, 25 July 2008 16:45 (seventeen years ago)

say my name

almost voted independent women. dark horse is jumpin jumpin.

tipsy mothra, Friday, 25 July 2008 17:34 (seventeen years ago)

Say My Name just ahead of Lose My Breath, yup.

maciej recognizing trill, Friday, 25 July 2008 20:19 (seventeen years ago)

Another vote for "Say My Name".

Lostandfound, Friday, 25 July 2008 21:23 (seventeen years ago)

say my name cuz of the double time weird "something's goin' on thats the way it seems" part.

but jumpin jumpin close 2nd for me....great run of singles.

M@tt He1ges0n, Friday, 25 July 2008 21:36 (seventeen years ago)

is the writing on the wall as classic as poptimists make it out to be

J0rdan S., Friday, 25 July 2008 21:38 (seventeen years ago)

"Bug-A-Boo" is gonna win this one. I just voted for it.

Eric H., Friday, 25 July 2008 21:58 (seventeen years ago)

Always thought Bug-a-boo was way overrated on ILM! easily the weakest of that album's singles for me. Can't choose between Bills, Say My Name and Jumpin' tho.

I wish So Good had been a single so I could just vote for that.

jabba hands, Friday, 25 July 2008 23:03 (seventeen years ago)

lose my *heh* *heh*

The Reverend, Saturday, 26 July 2008 00:46 (seventeen years ago)

I wish So Good had been a single so I could just vote for that.

This is probably the most OTM thing ever said about Destiny's Child.

HI DERE, Saturday, 26 July 2008 00:57 (seventeen years ago)

This is rock but "Say My Name" is prob'ly the pinnacle of a Mauna Loa album.

Noodle Vague, Saturday, 26 July 2008 03:54 (seventeen years ago)

Haven't heard the first three, but from the rest, it's a battle between "Bills Bills Bills," "Independent Women," and "Girl."

Tape Store, Saturday, 26 July 2008 05:18 (seventeen years ago)

"Emotion". Because it is musically atypical and less staccato and annoying than the rest.

Geir Hongro, Saturday, 26 July 2008 07:05 (seventeen years ago)

I wish So Good had been a single so I could just vote for that.

best bit of 'so good' = near the end when beyonce sings softly and half to herself, "i am SO SO good!"

the beat on 'lose my breath' is still pretty insane.

lex pretend, Saturday, 26 July 2008 07:52 (seventeen years ago)

"THROW! OUT! MY! PAGER!"

lex pretend, Saturday, 26 July 2008 08:08 (seventeen years ago)

This is an amazing run up through "Jumpin' Jumpin", but I don't like any of the ones after it except the obviously peerless "Bootylicious". Too much overweening stridency, esp "Survivor" which is really jsut a whole bunch of yelping and the lyrics are awful. "Lose My Breath" is a great beat in search of just about anything to go with it, and lol at "Cater 2 U".

edwardo, Saturday, 26 July 2008 08:28 (seventeen years ago)

^^^ All true. "Independent Women" = shit lost

Noodle Vague, Saturday, 26 July 2008 09:05 (seventeen years ago)

"is the writing on the wall as classic as poptimists make it out to be"

Erm, depends on yr standard of classic. Aside from the singles I'd say only "So Good" and "Hey Ladies" are truly great (haven't listened to it in a while though). OTOH, that's 7 great songs on one album.

I love "Survivor" but have difficulty explaining why.

My vote is for "Bug-A-Boo".

Tim F, Saturday, 26 July 2008 14:42 (seventeen years ago)

i love how massive that bass is on 'survivor'

t_g, Monday, 28 July 2008 14:41 (seventeen years ago)

edwardo OTM to the extreme

some dude, Monday, 28 July 2008 14:45 (seventeen years ago)

"Bootylicious," and edwardo OTM about "Survivor."

Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Monday, 28 July 2008 14:47 (seventeen years ago)

i am torn between jumpin jumpin and say my name

bell_labs, Monday, 28 July 2008 14:48 (seventeen years ago)

it's even more wtf than that, it's about a girl who was abused by her stepfather and then no one believes her and then she ends up with a boyfriend who also abuses her. and only destiny's child can reassure her that she is beautiful

lex pretend, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 14:41 (seventeen years ago)

"is the writing on the wall as classic as poptimists make it out to be"

Erm, depends on yr standard of classic. Aside from the singles I'd say only "So Good" and "Hey Ladies" are truly great (haven't listened to it in a while though). OTOH, that's 7 great songs on one album.

OTM. But that's 6 great songs, no? The two mentioned above and the singles ("Bills, Bills, Bills," "Bug A Boo," "Jumpin, Jumpin," and "Say My Name"), right? And do poptimists actually rep for anything outside of these 6?

I ask because this is the album that made me view hits-plus-filler as a self-consciously pernicious activity rather than (merely) a measure of human fallibility. In (very much) related news, it was also one of the few albums I paid cash money for at the time. As such, all those bullshit ballads felt not just bad but evil and suddenly the significance of the mp3 came crashing down on me. If we owed the biz for downloading the singles, they owed us for intros, outros, skits, interludes, and the Filler Queen herself Diane Warren.

So I actually calculated what Columbia Records would owe each person who bought the well-titled The Writing's on the Wall. I counted the good tracks (in which department I was VERY lenient including the weak Missy joint and at least one other cut) and divided them by the (discounted) price of the CD. The crap came out to $5.27. Which, hmmm, would just about cover all the good tracks if purchased as mp3s.

Holes:

1. There's no scientific way of calculating filler. Some intros, outros, skits, interludes, and even Warren copyrights ("Rhythm of the Night," "Un-Break My Heart") are good. Dude upthread repped for "Stay" although to my ears it sounds about as outdoorsy as a Kray supercomputer.

2. Almost a decade later and I've yet to get rid of my actual CD of The Writing's on the Wall. Maybe it's the over-it, Pet Shop Boys-like cover portrait.

Kevin John Bozelka, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 15:08 (seventeen years ago)

i'm using "outdoors" in more of a "this would sound great in a convertible" sense

the only songs i'm not crazy about on twotw are "confessions" and "she can't love you" and the intro obv. and even "she can't love you" has a pretty good beat (that nowadays reminds me of radiohead's "reckoner"!)

aaron d.g., Tuesday, 29 July 2008 20:11 (seventeen years ago)

KJB, your idea of filler sounds suspiously like a manifestation of the same "eww ballads!" attitude shared by the overwhelming majority of rock critics with a passing interest in R&B, not a profound epiphany about the nature of modern pop albums and singles.

some dude, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 20:19 (seventeen years ago)

Re 7 tracks - "Get On The Bus" was on the album over here, I forget that it's really a bonus track.

I don't really go for the ballads on The Writing's On The Wall but I don't think there's anything pernicious about them - it's just that the group don't pull them off completely. I don't mind "Stay" and "Where'd You Go" and "Confessions", I just don't think they're quite "great". In general DC/Beyonce are at a relative disadvantage when doing ballads because they find it hard to convincingly perform "frailty".

Compare/contrast with Pink's first (consciously post-TWOTW) album, where the ballads work really well because a) they're all clearly different from one another; b) they're good songs; and c) Pink's vocals are framed so as to highlight their humanness and vulnerability - in a way that isn't necessary for the uptempo jitter-R&B numbers.

Tim F, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 23:04 (seventeen years ago)

yeah you're right that they don't do frailty well. i think i like their ballads more for how they sound, i get a perfect bittersweet summery vibe from them. hey Tim what's your opinion on Beyonce's "Dangerously in Love pt. 2"? it's a great ballad but it doesn't go for frailty, it's more of a "i'm pushed to the brink" track, maybe like a slower "Say my name"

i still haven't heard Can't Take Me Home! i was planning on getting into Pink a while back and then I just kind of forgot

aaron d.g., Wednesday, 30 July 2008 02:20 (seventeen years ago)

Yeah - like, I like "Emotions" but basically only a formal level - it's technically perfect. I remember liking Dangerously In Love Pt 2 but I'd have to listen to it again.

I'd say that getting into Can't Take Me Home is an entirely different prospect to getting into Pink. Most of the things that make her interesting on her last three albums are very different to the things that made her first album interesting. To my mind it's just an incredibly well done generic R&B album.

Although it may have been more impressive in 2000 when its brand of genericism was still shiny and new.

Tim F, Wednesday, 30 July 2008 02:24 (seventeen years ago)

KJB, your idea of filler sounds suspiously like a manifestation of the same "eww ballads!" attitude shared by the overwhelming majority of rock critics with a passing interest in R&B, not a profound epiphany about the nature of modern pop albums and singles.

And yet DeBarge's In A Special Way is my second favorite album of all-time. Also, I know the epiphany isn't profound. It's just that I encountered it with The Writing's on the Wall. Still, I'm extremely open to any defense of the ballads.

I don't really go for the ballads on The Writing's On The Wall but I don't think there's anything pernicious about them

It's not so much that the ballads themselves are pernicious as it is their larding up the album. They seemed more like self-conscious attempts to sucker people into springing for the album rather than merely bad songs.

Another album from the same year that made me think similar bad thoughts was Mary J. Blige's Mary. But there it was just the Diane Warren ballad that seemed pernicious. The album would have been about 65 minutes long without it. Did she really need to tack it on, esp. with a throwaway cover of "Let No Man Put Asunder" bringing up the rear?

Compare/contrast with Pink's first (consciously post-TWOTW) album, where the ballads work really well

I've never been able to tell what counts as a ballad on Can't Take Me Home but if you're talking about "Most Girls" and "Is It Love," I couldn't agree more. "Is It Love" in particular is flat-out shocking, its spiritual coordinate as much "Suck My Left One" as "No Scrubs." Which leads me to wonder how generic it really is in the end. In any event, a great album. Definitely remember to pick it up sometime, aaron.

Kevin John Bozelka, Wednesday, 30 July 2008 03:50 (seventeen years ago)

Actually I'm not talking about either of those songs, neither of which i would consider to be a ballad (although there's a case for "Is It Love" which at least is mid-tempo...). For me the ballads on that album are "Let Me Let You Know", "Love Is Such A Crazy Thing" and "Stop Falling" - none of them anywhere near as good as "Is It Love" but all much better than you'd expect.

"Is It Love" is an amazing track but it's very different to the other stuff on the album, lyrically/thematically at least. All the singles plus "Split Personality", "Hell Wit Ya" "Private Show" (my favourite), "Do What You Do", "Hiccup" and the title track are fairly "generic" (as in they're oh so very millenial R&B) but not at all in a bad way.

In fact, after Kaleidoscope and Aaliyah, I'd say it's the strongest R&B album that era produced. Certainly better than TWOTW or Fan Mail, although the highs on those album are mostly higher.

(after that maybe Mya's repackaged Fear of Flying and 100% Ginuwine. Amerie's All I Have signalled the beginning of the new world order)

Tim F, Wednesday, 30 July 2008 08:18 (seventeen years ago)

surely the beginning of the new world order would involve crunk to some degree

The Reverend, Wednesday, 30 July 2008 08:25 (seventeen years ago)

For me the ballads on that album are "Let Me Let You Know", "Love Is Such A Crazy Thing" and "Stop Falling"

Ah ok! Completely forgot about the outer two. And right, definitely better than the filler on The Writing's on the Wall.

In fact, after Kaleidoscope and Aaliyah, I'd say it's the strongest R&B album that era produced. Certainly better than TWOTW or Fan Mail, although the highs on those album are mostly higher.

No heavy arguments there although I'd add Raphael Saadiq's Instant Vintage and Koffee Brown's Mars/Venus (which even boasts a great intro). Those are more trad, though, and didn't dovetail much, if at all, with teen pop. And if the Ghost Dog soundtrack counts, well, that's one of my favorite albums of the decade.

Still, if "great album" means "a repository for several great songs and damn the filler," then The Writing's on the Wall may still be the best album here. Except for Ghost Dog.

Kevin John Bozelka, Wednesday, 30 July 2008 09:45 (seventeen years ago)

*reps the ghost dog soundtrack*

srsly, the og version of "Walking Through the Darkness" is about as great as they come

The Reverend, Wednesday, 30 July 2008 09:47 (seventeen years ago)

In general DC/Beyonce are at a relative disadvantage when doing ballads because they find it hard to convincingly perform "frailty".

'irreplaceable' was the first really, really great ballad of b's career.

'where'd you go' is at least as good as 'hey ladies' and 'so good', i don't really think of it as a proper ballad though

lex pretend, Wednesday, 30 July 2008 10:11 (seventeen years ago)

also i think i am still the only person in the world who will rep for 'soldier'?

no! i voted for that too. michelle sounds great on that one

daria-g, Wednesday, 30 July 2008 21:07 (seventeen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

ILX System, Saturday, 2 August 2008 23:01 (seventeen years ago)

I love "Independent Women Pt 2" but my favourite overlooked DC track is "Perfect Man".

-- Tim F, martes 29 de julio de 2008 11:14 (5 days ago) Bookmark Link

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Turangalila, Sunday, 3 August 2008 04:38 (seventeen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

ILX System, Sunday, 3 August 2008 23:01 (seventeen years ago)

only 3 for IWp1??? I thought that was one of their best-loved

The Reverend, Sunday, 3 August 2008 23:05 (seventeen years ago)

Not enough love for Get On the Bus, but a worthy winner nonetheless.

chap, Sunday, 3 August 2008 23:08 (seventeen years ago)

If we're to trust these results, no one loved DC's singles (with one exception) after 1999.

Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Sunday, 3 August 2008 23:28 (seventeen years ago)

Bug-A-Bo_O 10

some dude, Sunday, 3 August 2008 23:55 (seventeen years ago)

we picked the emo-est one huh

goole, Monday, 4 August 2008 00:00 (seventeen years ago)

I have the CDS of Say My Name with Kobe Bryant rapping on it.

I <3 the 90s

musically, Monday, 4 August 2008 18:54 (seventeen years ago)

only 3 for IWp1??? I thought that was one of their best-loved

i love IW1 but it's probably dated the worst of their singles, maybe the charlie's angels ref

lex pretend, Monday, 4 August 2008 22:22 (seventeen years ago)

say my name is emo?

horseshoe, Monday, 4 August 2008 22:24 (seventeen years ago)

one year passes...

writing's on the wall singles are so insanely good

J0rdan S., Friday, 7 May 2010 08:17 (sixteen years ago)

smh @ shipley hating on "bug a boo"

J0rdan S., Friday, 7 May 2010 08:17 (sixteen years ago)

i don't hate it but it's by far the least successful single off that album for good reason, and though i can kinda see it being in someone's top 5 it being 10 people's #1 is nuts.

iiiinfinite jjjjest (some dude), Friday, 7 May 2010 11:16 (sixteen years ago)

Awesome lyrics, awesome beat, awesome singing, what's the issue.

Tim F, Friday, 7 May 2010 12:00 (sixteen years ago)

that there are several songs here that are more awesome?

iiiinfinite jjjjest (some dude), Friday, 7 May 2010 12:27 (sixteen years ago)

again, i'm not really knocking the song itself so much as expressing surprise at the # of people that hold it above all the others

iiiinfinite jjjjest (some dude), Friday, 7 May 2010 12:28 (sixteen years ago)

one year passes...

low cut caesars with the deep waves
so quick to snatch up your beyoncé

lex pretend, Thursday, 1 March 2012 19:52 (fourteen years ago)

"No, No, No" getting completely shut out is pretty sad

some dude, Thursday, 1 March 2012 20:00 (fourteen years ago)

yeah the first album's singles don't get enough shine

was part 1 ever a single or was it just part 2?

lex pretend, Thursday, 1 March 2012 20:22 (fourteen years ago)

i saw a video for Part 1 way after the fact, but afaik the song didn't really go anywhere until Wyclef remixed it (although it's hard to tell since Billboard didn't give the two versions separate chart entries).

some dude, Thursday, 1 March 2012 20:26 (fourteen years ago)

god, laying eyes on beyonce for the first time as a 16-year-old boy was such a "ho. ly. shit." moment

some dude, Thursday, 1 March 2012 20:26 (fourteen years ago)

^^

Spottie_Ottie_Dope, Thursday, 1 March 2012 20:28 (fourteen years ago)

OG Beyonce wasn't very memorable to me but when "Bills, Bills, Bills" came out I basically was like "now wait a second, who is THAT"

Vaseline MEN AMAZING JOURNEY (DJP), Thursday, 1 March 2012 20:32 (fourteen years ago)

well, she is/was my age, so part of the immediate impact for me is i think how shockingly womanly she was at that age

some dude, Thursday, 1 March 2012 20:34 (fourteen years ago)

i was literally just about to post about how they never ever ever seemed like the 15-year-olds they were!!!

lex pretend, Thursday, 1 March 2012 20:35 (fourteen years ago)

ha yeah, when BBB came out I thought she was MY age

Vaseline MEN AMAZING JOURNEY (DJP), Thursday, 1 March 2012 20:35 (fourteen years ago)

like relistening to "no no no", it's basically a really predatory song, yet at no point do they seem like they're trying to be older than they are

lex pretend, Thursday, 1 March 2012 20:36 (fourteen years ago)

britney was born in the same year and for someone in the same school year there was a real sense that she was "one of us", someone our age, and that's actually persisted through the years and accounts for a definite loyalty i've noticed among people my exact age to her. beyoncé...not so much

lex pretend, Thursday, 1 March 2012 20:37 (fourteen years ago)

ten months pass...

http://soundcloud.com/cyrilhahn/destinys-child-say-my-name

hmm i like the music and the idea of turning "say my name" into a deep house track, not wholly on board w/turning DC into gloomy dudes

lex pretend, Wednesday, 16 January 2013 17:28 (thirteen years ago)

Cyril Hahn is A+ - that's my favourite mix of his but his take on Solange's Losing You is pretty good and his Jessie Ware Sweet Talk mix also.

twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Thursday, 17 January 2013 16:01 (thirteen years ago)

last weekend i was playing "Say My Name" for Hannah and we were just vibing to it for 15 minutes so good :D

non-elitist melted poo (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 17 January 2013 16:43 (thirteen years ago)

i decided after i bumped it that the pitched-down vox were kind of gross and awful, soz

i'll stick with whatever remix of "say my name" jackmaster dropped into his EOY mix

lex pretend, Thursday, 17 January 2013 16:44 (thirteen years ago)

or the original obv

lex pretend, Thursday, 17 January 2013 16:44 (thirteen years ago)

actually i think the only r&b remixes i outright adore are the big trashy space battle homo vibes ones, anything that tries to be tasteful i find myself pursing my lips and thinking "i want to hear the ORIGINAL"

lex pretend, Thursday, 17 January 2013 16:45 (thirteen years ago)

i was really into that house mix of J. Holiday's "Bed" and that's the last housey R&B track i can remember digging

non-elitist melted poo (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 17 January 2013 16:47 (thirteen years ago)


You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.