Carly Rae Jepsen • Dedicated

pretty sure she's only performing kiss bonus tracks in my dreams

the number one Kiss album track i'd wanna hear her do is "More Than A Memory"

https://www.thestranger.com/features/2019/08/28/41215406/we-cant-stop-listening-to-carly-rae-jepsen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY1RsDpRmIU

It's as if her production team has taken the 80s touches of "Really Like You" and gone wild, because it sounds like the great lost Five Star single.

The UK Chart Company's website lists artists alphabetically, by first name, so I learn that the most popular first name beginning with a C for pop musicians in the UK is Chris. I also learn that Chris Morris' Blue Jam got to number 97 for a week back in April 2000. For that one week, our kind triumphed.

Dedicated also spent one week on the chart, entering and leaving at number 26 (it was a lot less popular than Lemar's Dedicated back in 2003). I realise that the UK pop charts are no longer the single definitive measure of an artist's worth, but even so it feels incredibly unfair for the album to spend just one week on the chart. I spent most of the second half of last month trying not to sing "oooooh, have I said too much / I'm so in my head / when we're out of touch", and it's not often that modern pop music penetrates my brain like that ("I Really Life You" was a top ten hit over here).

I mean, usually when an pop singer in her environment has a chart dip they get dumped. I still remember when B*Witched were dropped by their label because one of their singles only got to #12 or something albeit that it was a different world back then. And yet the record company are still backing Jepsen so presumably either she's really nice, or she has a fantastic manager, or someone in a position of power recognises that she puts out consistently good records. Also she seems to be able to sing live.

Here's an 8-Bit cover of "I Really Like You":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qZ3RBW6OVE

It's fascinating from a song construction point of view. The verse is a lot stronger than "Call me Maybe" (the verse in that song is perfunctory - it only exists to space out the chorus), but the switch from "I feel like I could die" to "late night watching television" feels disjointed, and the chorus treads a fine line between being awesome and being a novelty, and yet it works and many years later I still remember it.

the sophistipop clash of synths and saxophone at the end of "want you in my room" is so fuckin good

the video is SO GOOD i have watched it several times

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o0EN7CoLao

her cover of don't speak was not very good unfortunately

was listenin' to this record for the first time in awhile this week. i still LOVE it. thx for awesome vid Brad

this video made my day.
thank you.

can't imagine this will be anything less than a ton of fun
https://www.npr.org/2019/11/25/781452256/carly-rae-jepsen-tiny-desk-concert?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=music&fbclid=IwAR3W7OEMn9dsvbkq6fij2MppA0r2tIzU86InoR6s_f9hV-tfHxRKNSMTeIk

She seems to be teasing something on Twitter

Catch you later! 💘 pic.twitter.com/wfvQcYZNzY

— Carly Rae Jepsen (@carlyraejepsen) February 4, 2020

(it's a new song on friday)

Her show here next week has been moved from a 2,000 capacity theater (that e.g. Paramore sold out in 2018 and where Taylor Swift played her one-off last year) to a 700 capacity venue :(

only the real hedz

yeah kind of a bummer for her but good news for everyone attending

tbh I didn’t even know she was playing here until I saw the story about the move. It’s a Monday night, that can’t help.

This album grew on me a lot but it took a bunch more plays than Emotion.

I'm going to see her live on Friday! That venue was upgraded from a bigger one too.

The show on Sat in London I'm going to was upgraded from under 2,000 capacity Roundhouse to 5,000 capacity Brixton Academy. I feel like nothing will live up to seeing her in the 800 size Islington Town Hall on the Emotion tour though, one of my fondest gig memories, certaining from the last 10 years.

the Assembly Hall you mean? (which is next to the Town Hall) I was there and it was like one long ecstasy rush - absolutely incredible.

That’s the one, what a night.

https://open.spotify.com/track/6tcjcJFRSdkIlThUUP39mJ

song seems great but the vocal production is horrible

every sound in this sounds weird not just the vocals

How are you listening? Spotify tells me it’s not out until tomorrow. Am I supposed to understand you all have some kind of cool guy magic that permits you to hear songs from the future?

the cool guy magic of timezones

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_OYT396cYw

lol yeah the vocal production is v bizarre, sounds like a low quality kylie minogue demo. song's pretty cute

I'm glad this didn't make the album (assuming it's an outtake) - I'm not a big fan of CRJ in mocking mode

I'm not much a fan of the "dicks" skit in the middle.

poptimism found murdered

Turns out live she is the fucking best

the show I went to in December was absolutely fabulous

what the actual fuck has happened to carly's vocal production post-emotion

Her vocal prod sounds like my voice after screaming about her West Coast tour announcement this morning!

Alsooo guess what west coast...I’m playing three special shows in addition to Coachella this spring! Oakland, Seattle, Portland – I can hardly wait! 💕
Presale starts Tuesday at 10 AM with code FRIENDS, in honor of my new song 🤩https://t.co/00Rj4ihjRc pic.twitter.com/nOBoo54sbc

— Carly Rae Jepsen (@carlyraejepsen) February 7, 2020

Rumours going around that Dedicated Side B is coming in two weeks. Twelve new songs not including Let's Be Friends.

really hope it's true

"automatically in love" greatest song of all time

pic.twitter.com/bOMFPLLd1X

— friends of pudding (@friend2pudding) May 7, 2020

Dedicated Side B out now everywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/7oHKKCXCFIv3J1Yh5F08pu?si=PuVRmWLLSECtedhQ1vS-ww

Awesome!

how on earth did "this love isn't crazy" not make the album

wow "comeback" rules

"my home is your body, I can't stay away" <--- finally, a love song for Cronenberg fans

make that two songs! that broke my brain a bit.

not to knock the songs on this one too harshly but I think she just about nailed the song selection for the "real" album

jesus christ she did it again

there are quite a few songs on here i have no idea how she could have chosen "feels right" over for instance.

hence "just about" lol

"window"!!!!! what was that!!!!

xps Interesting, I feel the exact opposite. For me the back half of Dedicated is a bit patchy, but after one listen I love this one all the way through. Which is a pleasant surprise bc I thought Emotion Side B was significantly weaker than the og album (except for Cry, which is all-time).

Man, Now I Don't Hate California is sooo lush w/the twinkling synths and wave sound fx. I wish it went on for twice as long. Also side B is only five minutes shorter than the album proper!!