POP SONG REVIEW: "Sweetest Pie" by Megan thee Stallion and Dua Lipa

Megan thee Stallion goes for that pop star money on a Dua Lipa track that is probably not the single of the summer.
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[@EatingHawaiianP1zza]

Doja Cat is a Cat. And Megan thee Stallion is a Stallion. And that concludes our intensive three-week course.

[@bradwolf07]

Woah, slow down...you're going too fast for me...Doja Cat is a what again?

[@cjn0211]

I don't know if I trust this course. According to my sources I've been told Doja is in fact, not a cat. She does not say meow.

[@RectPropagation]

I thought Doja said she was a cow?

[@misstressfoxtail05]

@@RectPropagation I was legit about to comment this.🤣

[@thepepperpig42069]

@@cjn0211 So Doja Cat is a cat, yet she’s not a cat because she doesn’t say meow. Hence, we can conclude that she both is and isn’t a cat at the same time, thus, making her ‘Schrödinger’s cat’.

[@Pimp.My.Forklift]

Todd's covered so many of Meghan's songs he should change the channel to Todd in thee Shadows

[@HollyAnneThePaganChaosWitch]

I second this motion!

[@TheMovies102]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@deinnydoes5356]

I read this as referring to Trainor and got confused for a second 😭

[@timmy841212]

Ba dum tss!!!

[@ChrisTopher-id4mz]

@@deinnydoes5356 to be fair, they're both all about that bass

[@criesinkoreaboo7269]

"She wound up writing a verse about how she hates Adam Lavine, I don't blame her because that's what I would have written to." 💀💀💀

[@diegomontes1966]

@criesinkoreaboo *too

[@SahloFolina2161]

Todd’s never-ending feud with Adam Lavine continues.

[@applemask]

@@SahloFolina2161 It's not really a feud when one of them neither knows nor cares that it's happening

[@tatehildyard5332]

I will say that his cameo in Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping is one of the few times Adam Levine has made something better by being there.

[@xrrgr]

@@applemask t’was joke

[@junebunchanumbers]

I'd take an earnest guess from the lyrics that the song was originally called "The Sweetest Ride" if I could think of a single reason why anyone, anywhere, ever would think "The Sweetest Pie" was a better option.

[@ArcherSuh4721]

This could genuinely be a case of a typo at some point down the line that nobody bothered to correct.

[@thestorm5735]

It's a reference to the well known Oasis masterpiece "magic pie"

[@Sydney-Casket-Base]

@@thestorm5735 XD of course!

[@josjoererg]

only if “bite” was originally “try” or something idk

[@dunnowy123]

That makes too much sense to not be true

[@gaildess]

In an interview, Megan has admitted she's a huge horror movie fan. I can 100% believe the concept for the video was hers, with extremely questionable execution from Dave Meyers.

[@nejdalej]

Actually I don't think the concept is bad. That weird body horror stuff worked on Thot Shit, but it is so out of place here. And the execution is not good at all oh my god.

[@everwhatever]

Thot shit has horror references done well (I mean... I'm not a fan of the last shot of the video but it was much more effective as body horror than Dua Lipa's pie face) so that tracks

[@MrRogerogerio]

He sure mutilated that video concept like Michael Myers.

[@Firegen1]

That's more depressing. Either he straight up heard "horror movies" and thought Hansel and Gretel and the Salem Witch trials are a thing and smushed them together like dried out toy slime. Or more depressing, Megan thinks any of those themes are scary on anything other than an ethical level. 😑

[@TenApplesforTime]

oh she needs to do a collab with clipping. then. with their crazy production and meghans brutal verses they could make something really cool

[@swimswim4144]

I feel like a lot of comments calling out Todd by saying “can you feel the love tonight” was a hit are missing the point of why he chose “I just can’t wait to be king” as his example. The first one is a one-singer ballad with lyrics that can be removed from the context of the movie to be played on the radio, hence why it got radio play, and the second is an ensemble piece with lyrics referencing specific plot points, which would make it difficult for people listening to the radio to enjoy it without having watched the movie. Bruno is more analogous to can’t wait to be king, which is why Todd is remarking at the oddity, especially since Disney teed up other songs like surface pressure and dos oruguitas to be radio hits and instead got blindsided by a plot-heavy song gaining tiktok fame.

[@justarandompeep8945]

I definitely expected “dos oruguitas” to be on the radio instead, and honestly enjoy it more as a radio play, it’s pretty confusing why a Disney song like “we don’t talk about Bruno” is consistently on the radio???

[@natestern2021]

Also since elton john had different lyrics for his versions of can you feel the love tonight and circle of life, and ya know....hes elton John

[@thoomolong]

Reading your post, I just figured out why Disney pushed for Dos Euroguitas to be best song at the Oscars instead of Bruno. That's the song that was written to be the more accessible radio hit.

[@ojl5055]

People can hate tiktok all they want but I love how chaotic the energy is and how it can make the most random songs blow up

[@Dan_Jacob]

Thanks for that, very good explanation. So you'd probably also be good at answering my question. Who is Bruno? Is he like, someone from fightcl... umm my bad, probably shouldn't talk about it or him. I just have to wonder if we're not supposed to, why's everyone got to keep bringing it up?

[@spencerloschiavo9888]

Todd: Doja Cat only sings about kissing. Doja Cat's hit single: I feel like fuckin' somethin'!

[@dualtahunter4043]

And she also made juicy

[@capn_l]

"Cyber Sex"

[@DitzeeDoo]

The phrase "go girl, give us nothing" was coined in response to a Dua Lipa performance. No surprise it describes this song to a tee.

[@amandas2639]

Dua Lipa just baffles me. Like, I love her music. I really liked her debut album too, and of course Future Nostalgia is a gem. But as a performer, I just...I feel nothing with her, and I have no idea why. Is it because she started out as a model and that "dead-eyed hot model" thing is so ingrained in her that she hasn't lost it yet? I don't get it.

[@mish375]

@@amandas2639 As much as I like Dua Lipa's music for how fun it is, at the end of the day she doesn't have much depth to her. Even when she tries to do a deeper song like Boys Will Be Boys it falls flat on its face. She seems to also cash in on trends: like the women are strong thing and the desperate attempt to get in with the gay crowd with the Elton John song remake in the wake of the Levitating scandal with that rapper. I think when Dua Lipa sticks with what she's good at: the fun dancy pop, she's fine. But I don't think she has the intelligence to branch out into cerebral territory.

[@PoetryJesusY2K]

Up until Future Nostalgic, Dua Lipa was consistently the most “meh” pop artist constantly getting pushed for radio

[@JahlisMan]

@@amandas2639 yeah, in terms of charisma she... doesn't have any. maybe her kind of vibe is hot for some people, but for me it's very funny when she sings about passionate and sexy stuff... while seeming to be bored out of her mind:D

[@eirorire5546]

She’s kinda like the Gal Gadot of pop music. Talented and pretty but just no charisma to make you actually interested.

[@broadway331]

In fairness to “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”, I think Disney was prepared for literally any other song from Encanto to become the pop hit (“Surface Pressure” was released to KZbin not long after the film’s release, for example, and “Dos Oruguitas” was framed as the Awards Song and is performed by Sebastian Yatra, an actual musical artist) and it might have made sense. But “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” really caught on on TikTok. Still wild to hear it on the radio though.

[@alex_flamer267]

I haven't heard it on the radio yet, even after checking the recently played songs on their website. It didn't turn up anywhere. But I wouldn't be surprised if they do start playing it based on how long it's been in the top 10. The radio also has a habit of playing catch up for certain songs due to their own play list schedules.

[@bthsr7113]

It really is the most niche of the songs to seize the radio, aside from maybe the first one.

[@R3DR0PE]

It's a real shame because Dos Oroguitas was my favourite song from the movie and it totally deserved a spot at the Oscars for how beautiful it is alone

[@TheAlexSchmidt]

I gotta say I have no idea why that song in particular got big after watching the movie. Maybe its chorus was the most catchy, which probably matters a lot in this TikTok age? Maybe since Surface Pressure's title is less obvious from the lyrics, less people looked it up?

[@NikkiBudders]

I think the thing with Surface pressure not getting as famous is because you either strongly relate to it or you don't.

[@ShinyGaara65]

I hear this song, and I'm legit waiting for someone to sing "There's nothing holding me back!"

[@larissabrglum3856]

THAT'S IT! I knew that melody sounded familiar!

[@theglutenfreegamer8074]

THATS WHAT IM THINKING ABOUT

[@Chatman666]

THANK YOU. IT WAS DRIVING ME CRAZY. 👏🏼

[@noway718]

I don't really listen to pop, and I was sure those were the same songs at first.

[@alex_flamer267]

Maybe that Shawn Mendes song and this have the same writers and production team? They're just reusing the same formula making the songs they create for performers interchangeable.

[@KoalaTulip47]

The melody of this song sounds much too close to Shawn Mendes's There's No Holding Me Back, and got confused when it was played on the piano

[@kevindube7096]

I might be wrong but this track feels like one of the clearest mashups of direct influences in any recent pop song 🤷🏽‍♂️ The chord progression & rhythm is basically a modern, re-engineered version of “My Boo” by Ghost City DJs

[@DallasVakarian]

I feel like a lot of Dua Lipa songs these past few years have just been mashups of other songs chewed up and spat out into something "new". Don't get me wrong, I love her and her music, but you can find at least one pre-existing song inside most if not all of her recent hits

[@alex_flamer267]

It's just the music industry recycling their formula with the same production and writers to make songs that are interchangeable.

[@braydenfitzsimmons6824]

Both songs sample the melody of “Movin Too Fast” by the Artful Dodger

[@Unsilence409]

@@kevindube7096 doesn't help that both songs have that ubiquitous 2-5-1-6dom⁷ progression

[@johannabelle]

Thank you SO MUCH for alerting me to the culprit behind all the worst videos of the last couple years. I couldn't believe how overdone and offputting this one was.

[@pickles224]

I watched this MV when it came out and was floored by how absurdly terrifying it is.

[@alex_flamer267]

David Meyers seems more like the Tim Burton of music videos instead of the Black Eyed Peas.

[@jadewolfe5473]

it’s good to put a name to the crimes

[@Trixiethegoldenwitch]

You always say Hot Girl Summer wasn't a hit, but I lived in VA Beach for 2 years and heard it consistently on the radio nearly every day... probably for the tourists.

[@moonlightEquinox]

Oh god fr, VB gang tho

[@1stKindChris]

@Finn McKenty Slander Account how has the novelty worn off and Meg is still a thing?

[@chasebrown6996]

You have such taste Trixie it is cool to see you also like Todd

[@josiahbartlet7840]

The ironically funny thing is Todd used to live in VA Beach

[@stephaniewozny3852]

It's called "flash in the pan."

[@capngeeoff]

Megan Thee Stallion should work with Carrie Underwood to make a song about violent retribution on some no good men. I bet that would be a cross-over hit!

[@JebusMatoi]

Not happening. Carrie's gone christian now.

[@jazzphotos]

Thaaaaat kinda genius. I'd listen 👀

[@DJKidd301]

She should make a song abour why she thought it was appropriate to sleep with the man her best friend was sleeping with at the time. That'd be a hit in my eyes

[@ruminationstation4200]

I completely agree Megan is playing against her strengths here. She has girl boss meets dominatrix energy. I'm sure there's a way to tone down the dominatrix element and be child friendly, but trying to go soft and fluffy pop is not the way to go. She needs to have a HARD pop jam more like the anthems Gaga used to put out, not the soft & subtle earworms of Dua Lipa.

[@ruminationstation4200]

@@psychonaut1502 radio makes a TON of money compared to streaming. You can't blame Megan for wanting to get paid, especially considering how common it is for black women to be A-list among black people and still get NO radio play (and thus none of that money the white singers get). Like oh wow, what a coincidence that the only black women to breakthrough in the past DECADES are all light skin. I absolutely want to see someone like Megan FINALLY allowed to get some radio play after decades of women who look like her being held back from that degree of monetary success.

[@williamapple7705]

I'll contend that if Nikki can do it Megan can too, though Nikki hit the scene when pop was a lot different than it is now. We'll see what comes of Megan trying to do more pop songs, I get the feeling she's not close to done.

[@kingoftropes922]

@@williamapple7705 Yeah it's important to remember how different the landscape was compared to now. I almost feel like she probably would have done a bit better had she came out around the time Nikki did where there were a lot more hard-hitting party jams.

[@trenthenry4986]

So are you saying Lady Gaga and Megan should collab

[@pingidjit]

@@trenthenry4986 That or Megan and P!nk. I think either duo would be epic.

[@morganqorishchi8181]

The fact that it took us until April to get a song worth writing a review about is a grim omen for 2022. Edit: to the people who think this comment/watching Todd means I don't listen to anything other than pop, 1. that makes no sense, and is illogical since you watch Todd and also listen to non-pop music and 2. I'm aware other genres have good music. If I have to specify to you on a pop music channel that I was referring to pop music, maybe you should go back to KZbin Kids where things are simple enough for you to understand.

[@slick3996]

and it's not even worth writing a review about

[@dannyhargreaves1326]

He’s also done song vs. song

[@alex_flamer267]

Yes it is! This year has been pretty weak so far. (Probably not as bad as 2016 or 2018, but still nothing to write home about.)

[@drix..]

if you only listen to pop then yeah

[@adamf1980]

I agree, its not worth the time reviewing. Though I do appreciate Todd doing it. I'd listen to an hour long Todd review of an autotuned queef by Iggy Azalea.

[@philly_sports1558]

“Start putting stock in Dua Lipa.” - Todd, 2018 A Todd prediction that actually aged like a fine wine.

[@trenthenry4986]

That's rare for him.

[@Drogon7102]

I think hes actually been better at predictions more recently. There hasnt been bad prediction since the whole thing where he put a morgan wallen song on his best of 2020 list.

[@ddjsoyenby]

todd was finally right for once.

[@bigboineptune9567]

Might be time to sell now…

[@RozWBrazel]

@@bigboineptune9567 y

[@dunstonlion1342]

"That awful Maroon 5 song" I'm sorry, you're going to have to be WAY more specific 😉

[@ZachChraazy]

…The specific Maroon 5 song that Megan Thee Stallion was on.

[@misszee007]

I think the issue is Megs trying to bail from her label so there’s a lot of behind the scenes issues there as to why she isn’t getting the best feature offers. I have high hopes for Meg and once she’s a free agent she’ll be back better than ever.

[@meep4198]

She literally gets the best features though - Beyonce, Nicki, Cardi, Dua Lipa, Ariana, BTS… literally all the top artists of all genres (r&b, pop, rap, k-pop). She is having label issues but her actual management team is on point & seems to give her big opportunities as she should since she’s a hard worker.

[@VestaBlackclaw]

"Trying to be Doja Cat" more like trying to be whatever Dr Luke wants her to be. Doja prior to hitting mainstream was a lot raunchier than she is now, but now so much of it is cutesy male-gaze songs. I really hope Megan can figure out her niche without compromising herself... because she sounds so angry right now and justifiably so.

[@doggo2995]

IDK what y'all are talking about Need To Know is raunchy as fuck

[@myloveisgod]

i think that's because a lot of people didn't listen to her prior to fame. i was listening to her back in the soundcloud days when she was rapping/singing about being smacked in the ass and getting baked and tied up. granted she still has a lot of music like that but no radio hits

[@mish375]

@@myloveisgod Sounds like she doesn't have a lot of creative thematic ideas other than sex and doing drugs, which is typical for the genre. Not surprised she hasn't hit that huge fame milestone because there's not much to distinguish her from other artists.

[@myloveisgod]

@@mish375 um. not true. actually, i'd argue sex and drugs are thematic in most genres? i mean, the beatles and rolling stones wrote about sex and drugs ffs. besides that, doja cat also wrote a lot of fun and goofy music or romantic tunes. she still does.

[@mish375]

@@myloveisgod I don't know. I just find that whenever Todd reviews a song by her and her videos appear, she strikes me as the typical dress super sexy and shake it, while doing party girl stuff to seem edgy star. No depth and not much creativity. Seems formulaic. There's not much there to distinguish Megan from the pack.

[@legofarm13]

It’s kind of insane how different the indie and popular music scenes have been this year. There have been new Black Country New Road, Big Thief, Beach House, FKA Twigs, Denzel Curry, Animal Collective, and Mitski albums from 2022 just in the first quarter, and all of them ranged from pretty good to genre defining. And yet not a single new thing has managed to hit pop radio.

[@kyoungt14]

Denzel Curry is one of my favorite rapper, but I can’t ever expect the radio to play his singles. Clout Cobain from 2018 was not only great, but a song that could’ve been on the radio, but they said fuck it. There’s other songs that I felt like had mainstream appeal(Like Quicksand by Morray)but just never had any chart success.

[@tomchillen3039]

MGK and Charli XCX dropped good albums last week as well. MGK is the only one that might actually get some radio play

[@deacon6453]

Still can't believe Ants From Up There, Time Skiffs, and Laurel Hell all released on the same day, and at least one of them will prob be in my top 10 for this year

[@satandie3405]

@@tomchillen3039 don't call that mgk album good

[@dyldragon1]

Are we really gonna call Denzel indie? He's a much bigger star in rap than you're letting on here and well deserved, he's dope as fuck

[@songweretson1513]

You could absolutely do a music video with the sexy witches seducing and trying to off men, and even burning the city down... But this isn't how you do it. I absolutely LOATHE these trippy music videos.

[@trenthenry4986]

Thank you I feel like the whole Spider Demon Witch shit is just too bizarre for the video, Dave should've cut it out.

[@songweretson1513]

@@trenthenry4986 I don't even think that concept in the problem. Just the fact they went for quantity over quality, without actually building up the concept. Instead with get Dua Lipa pulling a slice out of her face. Is that sexy to anyone? How many drugs is this guy on?

[@somethingsuperbland8829]

Especially bc this video paints the men as being in the wrong for it. That just comes off as “I hate men” more than anything and I’m tired of that shit.

[@songweretson1513]

@@frederickshaibani5655 She clearly needs some focus. Not just on one genre. Just on what she's doing. And maybe that will mean setting aside her anger, and just focusing on her fans. But I don't think she can have it both ways.

[@jeremyusreevu237]

Trippy music videos are awesome!

[@stanbtsburneracct7553]

i feel like megan can be a pop crossover without going cute but going more relatable. she’s started doing these tiktok vlogs that people love bc she’s open and honest and funny, and if she can translate that to song i think she’d be set

[@ddjsoyenby]

agreed the cutesy thing doesn't work for her.

[@jonathanhoush2384]

This feels like a "well, that happened" song. I'm used to hearing that in filk, but that's a genre that's, like, the opposite of everything Megan Thee Stallion. This isn't "Shadow Lover" or "Rhododendron Honey", where it's emphasizing a theme that will be done better later in the album, it's a single with two of the biggest artists alive!

[@kevindube7096]

“Rhododendron Honey”? “Shadow Lover”? “used to hearing that in filk” Can you explain these references because I feel like I’m tripping

[@MissaBrevis]

@@kevindube7096 Filk is, roughly, music made by sci-fi and fantasy fans for sci-fi and fantasy fans, frequently based on or referencing works in those genres. I'm not familiar with Shadow Lover, but I remember Rhododendron Honey as being a Leslie Fish song about poisoning a tyrannical politician and his henchmen so I'm equally curious about that comparison

[@gildedpeahen876]

Rhododendron honey 👌

[@SPofSaturnProduction]

@@kevindube7096 I'm gonna take shot on this since it's what popped into my head. Shadow Lover is a Mercedes Lackey Song about death and the excepting of it when time comes, the Shadow Lover is literally death. It's on of my favorites of hers. Most of her songs tie into her fantasy novels. @Mackenzie Cole explained the rest

[@galactor123]

I have to respect someone who goes on and listens to a man's opinion on a current pop song and decides that the best way to make it relatable is to relate it to... filk. Possibly one of the most insular genres in music. Genuinely, well done, that takes some hefty cajones.

[@Caernath]

A Stallion who's dressed as a Spider, and who envies a Cat who once sang about being a Cow. I'm sure there's some material here to make a elementary grade fairy tale or something.

[@DarthUmbra]

Well, what does the Fox say?

[@possum1093]

@@DarthUmbra I don't think there were any spiders in that.

[@Myndir]

@@possum1093 How about cannibalism?

[@kingoftropes922]

Maybe a fable about someone who is big and strong jealousy of someone more popular who is seemingly more weak and feeble, so they try to be weaker and feebler rather than play to the strengths they already have?

[@trenthenry4986]

I love it

[@TCovenantUnbeliever]

Dua Lipa has no persona. She has good songs and I'd recognize her in a crowd, but her lyrics lack even the faintest trace of autobiography.

[@gpgp1841]

I feel the same way!

[@8bitdiedie]

Everything about her just reads “generic female popstar”. It’s like she was made in a factory using a pre-built mold.

[@romanticplacebo3693]

Fever by her was the first time I considered whether her lyrics were autobiographical, and it was mainly because the Form of the song was an actual relationship with Angèle.

[@pysq8]

Zero "it" factor. It feels like she's playing in a biopic of an industry plant.

[@pickles224]

Who says lyrics need to be autobiographical?

[@lalaunascope]

Calling Megan trying to cross over into pop the way that someone like Doja does and why it hasn't currently been working is right on the money. But I disagree with "Doja sings songs about kissing." She is maybe not Megan levels of raunchy, but Doja isn't exactly subtle.

[@amandas2639]

lol I about lost it when Todd said that. Like...has he ever noticed how heavily censored a lot of her stuff is to make it onto radio?

[@codywhite7898]

I think the difference he was trying to get at is that Doja can write songs about something as trite as kissing without it feeling too inauthentic whereas Megan seems the most comfortable on songs like "Cry Baby"

[@Mel-go2pz]

@@codywhite7898 Sounding inauthentic or not is based on personal perception though. One could say if Doja tried to hop on a hard ass cypher/100% hip-hop beat (like Megan or even Cardi do), she’d sound crazy & misplaced af. Doja is a melodic rapper/singer more than a hip-hop rapper or MC/lyricist, which is why people excuse her hyper-sexual lyrics & visuals because it’s packaged in palatable pop. Don’t be fooled.

[@GamerTowerDX]

@@Mel-go2pz Yes. Was that supposed to be a counter-argument?

[@dualtahunter4043]

IF YOU CAN SEE IT FROM THE FRONT WAIT TILL YOU SEE IT FROM THE BACK

[@andrewbair7810]

Legit laughed at loud at your "step on my balls hot" description of Megan Thee Stallion. Yes Mistress Megan, thank you Mistress Megan.

[@DiamondAxeStudiosMusic]

2022 has been dire for pop music so far. The top streamed songs on Spotify are barely getting half a million plays per day, which is a drop of over 50% from a few years ago. I don't think a song has ever needed less cultural relevance to become a Billboard hit than it does right now.

[@gabingston3430]

Matter of fact, I have a suspicion that the entire concept of hit songs is becoming obsolete, since the radio, which used to be ubiquitous, is a dying medium when it comes to music (not to mention how there are so many more options for radio now than there used to be), replaced by streaming, which is private and highly individualized. The biggest songs right now are nowhere near as inescapable as the biggest songs from even a decade ago.

[@smoov22_sonic]

uhhhh sean did you check todays chart? i think there may be a new glaring exception to the rule

[@hiimemily]

Looks like my 16-year hypothesis might actually have legs. 1958 was largely an awful year for pop music. So was 1974, so was 1990, so was 2006... and so far, 2022 isn't looking too good. Sure, the top 20 has been at least mostly decent, but beyond that? Yeesh.

[@DiamondAxeStudiosMusic]

Yes, I know Harry Styles is coming in and absolutely wrecking house, but he's one exception to what has so far been an EXTREMELY hard and fast rule this year

[@juhaniaho6698]

I'm guessing the dropoff happened due to Spotify getting mired in controversy over the Joe Rogan-fiasco. But fear not, Harry Styles' newest single As It Was is apparently being streamed in RECORD-BREAKING numbers. The Heat Waves may finally recede...

[@heathersherr3904]

“Are you driving the pie?” absolutely destroyed me 11/10 commentary

[@kevinmilhim646]

To me, this song is just the female version of One Right Now by The Weeknd and Post Malone: both prove that putting two good artists on the same song doesn't automatically make it a good collaboration.

[@squeallymaniac]

True, but I'd say One Right Now is much better than this

[@DoktorEmilSchuffhausen]

Every time I see one of these "CGI vomit" videos, it makes me wonder if the people making it even care about the song as music. Now Todd says they're all by the same guy. Maybe Dave Meyers should get a side hustle as a surrealist painter to get it out of his system.

[@bigboineptune9567]

With this year and 1974, I’m beginning to see a strong correlation between high gas prices and bad pop music.

[@1sabella]

I mean at least 1974 gave us "Help Me" by Joni Mitchell

[@the_one_who_got_away]

1974 had Waterloo by ABBA so it had at least some reedeming qualities

[@abigailc8829]

Someone mentioned in another comment that they have a theory that every sixteen years, the music starts sucking. 1958, 1974, 1990, 2006, and now this year

[@captainayaaya28]

@@the_one_who_got_away there’s some good music every year but I feel like how you can tell if a it’s a good year for pop music or not is how many good (and to an lesser extent bad) songs are their and are they just good or are great.

[@Sleepy_Amelia]

“Is it a Piemobile?” just became my favorite part of any review. I very badly want there to be a Piemobile, although I also want it to be completely unrelated to this song.

[@devlinburgess2463]

I'm gonna echo Todd's call for a moratorium on food-focused sex jams. At this point I think I've lost some of my appetite for both.

[@v.958]

Wait but have you tasted my Cocoa Puffs?

[@toonaerovana]

song so bad u turned asexual

[@KaiseaWings]

Glad I'm not the only one who finds food sex metaphors weird, and it's not just asexual brain talking.

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

It only really works in the broadest circumstances. The more explicit you make the food in the metaphor, the weirder it gets.

[@winterx2348]

i think the music video was just her embracing the hate and saying "fuck it, fine, you want me to be a witch? i'll be a witch." from her perspective, it may seem like it's the only thing people want out of her.

[@TheSongwritingCat]

You know who that reminds me of? Taylor Swift. Yeah, let that sink in.

[@kevinwillems8720]

@@TheSongwritingCat why is there a sink outside of your house?

[@somethingsuperbland8829]

@@TheSongwritingCat so THATS why I hate this attitude so much! Thank you!

[@codywhite7898]

She would just get a lot more mileage out of playing to the people who love her stuff instead of focusing on the people who don't like her imo. Or hell if she wants to write about haters she should address it straight up instead of playing coy. Beating around the bush doesn't seem to fit her style at all.

[@spritenoicy1676]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one VERY put off by the video. Maybe it's just me but this sort of new music video trend where it's just sensory overload and trying to do too much ends up looking so corny.

[@LimeyLassen]

It's just bad taste with the money to inflate it

[@henryglennon3864]

It's very HR Giger, and it's difficult to tell if that was intentional or not...

[@billhicks8]

everything about it is: "quick! just throw a bunch of stuff together, graphics spooky action spiders song about pie so show pie cheek pie just put the video out now so someone anyone will consume it please ok its over good. Now next song..."

[@goatdeer8403]

The disembodied asses are some of the unsexiest things I've ever seen

[@spritenoicy1676]

@@goatdeer8403 It makes my skin crawl

[@Ashannon888]

Also, I see Megan is doing a "Sexy Lasy Dimitrescu" cosplay too.

[@NatCat102]

I literally stopped the video when you said Future Nostalgia didn't produce a number one single. I thought there's no WAY IN HELL those songs didn't reach number one. I hear them every time I turn on the radio even now. But Levitating and Don't Start Now both reached #2. That is insane to me.

[@outlawrip-offartist4161]

Me too I can’t believe future nostalgia didn’t have a number one hit.

[@Mateocabrera2389]

@@outlawrip-offartist4161 does it matter if it peaked at number one or not. Songs can be massive hits despite not peaking at the top spot (Bad Romance, Toxic, Thriller)

[@outlawrip-offartist4161]

@@Mateocabrera2389 No not really.

[@gabingston3430]

@@Mateocabrera2389 HOT TAKE: Toxic is one of the most overrated songs of all time. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad song by any means, but I don't get why everyone seems to lose their shit over it.

[@HYBRIDZHQ]

@@gabingston3430 I am personally just impresed by how vicious the whole song sounds and how layered the production is. I really like the staccato strings and that super high string melody. There's even a reese bass in there during the bridge. That sort of sound design is usually reserved for neurofunk or dubstep. From a production standpoint it's really good. But I can see why someone would call it overrated.

[@saml302]

"ya know, pop music became hardcore porno so gradually I didn't even notice"

[@gabingston3430]

4:09 The moment Katy Perry belly flopped to Shooting Stars may have been the exact moment she became irrelevant.

[@billhicks8]

she hoped she'd actually fly through a wormhole back to 2012

[@bentheg9793]

@@billhicks8 Instead it was more like a Shooting Stars video that ends with the flying thing crashing into something (like the World Trade Center)

[@myloveisgod]

there's just so much about this song that comes close to being good but misses the mark. the intro is sultry but the beat is WAY too fast to keep up with that theme. the term "sweetest pie" is just...bizarre? has anyone ever used that phrase at all prior to this? and the song doesn't fit into either artists' discography. too r&b to be a dua lipa song, too pop to be a megan thee stallion song. it felt like a poor attempt to do an ariana grande and doja cat project. just not a good fit for anyone.

[@alivinghuman8834]

Yea the beat is bad, it doesn’t fit in with the slow sultry vibe of the music

[@myloveisgod]

@@alivinghuman8834 so glad you understand! the beginning of the song gives off this slow and sultry r&b vibe that's instantly crushed the moment the beat kicks in

[@alivinghuman8834]

@@myloveisgod yea also the kick drum is just edited weak bass, the kick doesn’t sound like a kick at all. A more seductive R&B beat similar to Streets by Doja Cat with the song featuring a slower tempo would’ve suited the song better than this fast moving thrown in mess we got.

[@alivinghuman8834]

@@myloveisgod the song is stupid anyway, lyrics are bad particularly the chorus, sweetest pie is a stupid name (I think the song was originally called ‘The Sweetest Ride’), the highly sexual lyrics give it not a radio friendly vibe, the video is also stupid.

[@danic2514]

The beat sounds like it’s supposed to be on a rap song or for shaking your ass when the beginning was super slow and sultry

[@turgid_member8717]

Harry's new single is pretty good. Not world-shattering levels of greatness but hopefully a sign of good things to come.

[@timmy841212]

His music reminds me of 80s new wave, least in this new one.

[@baraka92]

It’s very good but it sound like an album cut, not a lead single.

[@samt3412]

It feels really toned-down and muted. The hook just doesn't hit, and man am I missing the guitar as an instrument more than ever

[@dunnowy123]

This is easily Dua and Megan's most generic, music-by-algorithm sounding song yet. My God. Everything about it is meant to stay in your head for a moment, but evoke no emotion whatsoever. I really like both of them too and Dua has collaborated with others and made some good stuff. So it's weird that with MEGAN THEE STALLION of all people, it falls so flat. I also think it's time for Megan to move on from "bad bitchness" a little. She's dangerously close to being a one trick pony (pun unintended)

[@gracecarpinter8623]

Yep. This song doesn’t feel like a genuine collab - it reeks of record company machinations.

[@MiloKuroshiro]

It doesn't uses anything from any of them. It's really.. Nothing

[@larissabrglum3856]

I've been feeling that way for a while. Megan is really, really good at her shtick, but she's been on the scene long enough that she really needs some more range. Even Cupcakke, known for hilarious dirty rap, dips into more serious subject matter once in a while. I do remember seeing a tweet from Megan saying that her next album will be more personal, so I hope that means she won't be in Bad Bitch Mode the whole time.

[@dunnowy123]

@@larissabrglum3856 Even Nicki, for all her missteps, demonstrated lyrical and stylistic range. She can be hyper sexual, she can be intimidating, she can be sweet, she can poppy...Megan just sticks to ONE thing. It's fun for a while, but I don't see how people aren't gonna tire of it eventually

[@mish375]

It gets boring after a while seeing her act like a tough girl. We know it's fake. So it seems like she has no other card to play.

[@DiamondAxeStudiosMusic]

The charts have been completely frozen in place, with no new music and very few up and down shifts. The last time this happened was in Spring of 2014... which was when Let It Go was in the Top 5. Maybe this is just what Disney songs do to the pop charts.

[@lilrqlovesanime650]

I’ve saw your recent video of the Winter Top 20…… And you’re completely on the nose on this one. When a Disney Song gets huge and rules the charts, the charts become VERY slow because of it

[@badgasaurus4211]

In America maybe

[@Adrian_1114]

@@badgasaurus4211 nah. radio stays the same but you don't even get to hear disney

[@slamwall9057]

2022 is basically the 2014 of the 2020s, except slightly better

[@yotomoe5953]

I love how this video feels more like an autopsy than it does a review. Like the song is only PART of the conversation here.

[@ironicdivinemandatestan4262]

In that respect, I think the review it most reminds me of is another complete left-fielder, "Trollz" by 6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj. It's more a review of the careers of the artists involved than of the song itself.

[@kingoftropes922]

Those kinds of videos, I feel, a Modern Todd's best since they often give him far more material to work with that fit into his more documentary style commentary that's bleeded through from Trainwreckords and One Hit Wonderland, especially given how much of a non-starter many modern pop songs are nowaday, even the good ones. He needs as much material as he can get.

[@kleptrep94]

A Musical Autopsy if you will.

[@ayanna6327]

Honestly: "abcdefu" is one of my least favorite songs currently in the top 40. I cannot wait for it exit the charts. I hate it. It sounds so whimpy and annoying. I cringe every time it comes on the radio. As for "Sweetest Pie" it's a cute little song, and that's about it. I actually prefer to listen to it over "W.A.P" even though "W.A.P" was clearly the big smash collab.

[@krzlcve]

it feels like dave meyers watched lil nas x' new videos and was like, yeah I can do that! He obviously can't.

[@idontevenknow9758]

It feels like a song I can imagine being played at a pool at a tropical resort echoing in among hordes of drunk or semi-drunk people. A one-note song that you can easily tune out after a few frozen margaritas.

[@KayJblue]

“Might as well call it Hot- Coochi-Poontang” I absolutely lost my shit.

[@trtx84]

Doja Cat only does songs about kissing? She's got "Go to Town" ...which is what this feels like. Someone took the bones of Doja's radio songs and gave it the lyrics of Doja's not so radio friendly songs.

[@mediocreme7798]

Yeah that line literally made me laugh since almost all of dojas music is about or at least mentions sex pretty explicitly. And I say that lovingly.

[@GigaWhitArtandStuff]

There's a whole section of the song Todd mentioned about the dude going down on her too 🤣 like yeah he's kissin something I guess

[@RectPropagation]

The first line of the first verse is, “I feel like f--ing something”.

[@theprettypurplepony]

Yeah, like what? Doja and Megan were both on that Ariana Grande remix of that song about 69-ing...she is in no way less raunchy

[@IsaacMayerCreativeWorks]

to be fair, Todd said Doja sings songs about kissing - he didn’t say she ONLY does songs about kissing. And while Doja definitely can and does sing about sex too, what’s more relevant here is that Megan does NOT sing about kissing

[@SadeN_0]

I'm pretty sure most of those terrible unnecessary visuals are 100% GIF bait for social media. It's super cynical and annoying but that's the world we live in

[@lucasmcinnis5045]

That makes so much sense. Especially the horrible hands coming out of her eyes like 🖕🖕

[@goatdeer8403]

oh my god that makes total sense

[@TheChannelJ1]

There was a fan remix of Dua Lipa's song "Levitating" where they replaced DaBaby's feature with Megan Thee Stallions feature on Phony Ppl's song "Fkn Around". It went viral on Twitter and I think that's why they did this collab together a few months later.

[@TheChannelJ1]

Here is the remix . Someone uploaded it to KZbin kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5bGlqBtlsmmm6c

[@brinka7918]

megan is amazing on those hard going songs she sounds weirdly out of place on a radio friendly song, like it's restricting her creativity, it's not her style. doja always has that soft edge she can play on words in a way that becomes radio hit but Megan likes to be on the spicy side

[@meep4198]

Same thing could be said in the reverse. Doja would sound misplaced AF on a hard hip hop beat or a cypher if her MC lyricist skills or hard flow would be questioned. At least Megan veers out of her roots/origin & doesn’t restrict herself to hiding behind palatable pop/melodic rap like Doja & her sons (Saweetie, Latto, etc) do.

[@xrrgr]

@@meep4198 doja doesn’t hide behind it though, she rides it because she’s good at it while latto and saweetie really aren’t.

[@meep4198]

@@xrrgr Doja definitely does hide behind it. When she finally stepped out of it, she flopped and everyone saw how much of a terrible lyricist and MC she is. Look at how bad Scarlet did as an album after she hyped it up as “showing the haters real rap” 😂

[@xrrgr]

@@meep4198 u really think that’s why scarlet flopped? she’s in the middle of like 30,000 controversies, called her previous music trash and said the new music would sound nothing like it - immediately turning people off. has the image that she hates her fans and also has a new generation clutching their pearls at illuminati allegations. people were never gonna look for the new album to begin with. even the viral hit song Agora Hills isn’t racking that many streams because people simply don’t want to give her the money. But if you want to be biased and believe she can only “hide” behind soft pop like Dua despite having songs like Tia Tamera, then that’s on you.

[@meep4198]

@@xrrgr I said what I said. If you actully make good music, it will override controversies and outrage. Her “real rap” music just isn’t good. People only like her bubble gum pop music & have said this over again. She is not as versatile as she thought and this era proves that.

[@SuperJNG18]

Props for having enough taste to not have the ending song be "It's a Wonderful Day for Pie"

[@ProgShell]

For what it’s worth I was legit blown away that no Dua Lipa songs showed up on your 2021 list. The singles from Future Nostalgia felt like total Todd bait. They’re also my favorite songs in a long time.

[@iwakeupandboomimarat]

same i loved future nostalgia when it came out!

[@williamapple7705]

It's definitely a great album, I'm surprised it didn't get more love from him too.

[@kevinjohnston4923]

Levitating is a 10/10. We’ve all heard it a million times and it’s still not annoying.

[@roguishpaladin]

I definitely think that Levitating should have been on the list. It would explain why he can't see Dua Lipa as someone who had their great moment if Levitating didn't land for him, though.

[@Paulxl]

"Levitating" was one of my favorite songs from last year. I'm not going to lie.

[@MaxBennie]

“You know, the kind of thing that’s so important it gets announced ahead of time to build up hype before it drops?” I hadn’t heard about this song until now.

[@Adrian_1114]

I had that problem since 2016

[@ktownshutdown21]

I follow Dua Lipa on social media so that I saw the promos for it, but never the song itself. Hell, I didn't even know that THIS video existed until yesterday. Not even the algorithm cared about this song.

[@davidmelgar1197]

I kinda feel like Dua is just growing slowly tbh. First album and "New Rules" were pretty generic, Future Nostalgia was a step up in virtually every way, album, singles, videos, performances, etc. I'm optimistic about what's to follow, and hoping she doubles down on the disco

[@christopherb501]

Initial thought when you _started_ laying out the video's premise: "Is...is this Hansel & Gretel integrated with _Teeth?!?"_

[@Tirgo69]

Sure Bruno is "just a Disney song and not a pop song" but it's still easily the best and most interesting song on the top ten right now

[@nickiturner1164]

Megan's best pop song verse is her verse on the Butter remix. The whole song is basically about feeling yourself, which she's always great at so she fits right in!

[@jennyjune9667]

I’ve been a Megan fan since 2018 and I’m obsessed with her old projects and I feel the same way, I think a lot of things are working against Megan right now and unfortunately that coming through in her last couple of projects. She’s always said she wanted to be the rap Beyoncé but instead of actually find songs and writers for her that would suit her style, they keep throwing anything that maybe used for a current top forty hit and throwing it at her head trying not to make it suit her or anything. Also there’s a whole Megan hate train right now because she has legitimately anger towards her old label, that fucking hobgoblin that shot her, etc. Also let’s not lie Megan isn’t light skin so a lot of the hate has a nasty undercurrent of colorism and misogyny as well so rightfully she’s pissed. I feel like her current management (Roc nation) isn’t letting her evolve as a person/artist and Only let her try new shit if she stays close to her 2019 persona. Like compare her hottie blogs from 2018-early 2020 to the newer ones and those little tiktok vlogs she’s posting on tour and you get a sense that she’s over it and probably just wants to stay more private now but they won’t let her. It’s a fucking mess and it just feels cruel at this point cause their just throwing her out to the wolves

[@pysq8]

Good thing sHe has that degree!

[@future2097]

I’m still waiting for “Calling All Stations” by Genesis on the next Trainwreckords episode. That album really is a Trainwreckord. Critically, commercially and artistically.

[@tayloreh]

Great idea, esp since Genesis just played their final shows.

[@alejoparedes2388]

Totally agreed!

[@brintesiacirce9414]

Honestly, i know they're legendary and influential and real musicians and artist, but... I find their songs so. Very. Boring. A nice experience the first minutes but then it just d r a g s, like a masturbatory act of egotism made to be enjoyed by none other than themselves. (I prefer peter Gabriel solo act, that's fun)

[@AWSVids]

The only song I like from that album is Congo, which is good despite some problems. Among them, it has one of the worst fade out endings of all time, IMO. It literally feels like the song is still going and it just fades out. 🤬

[@alannahfisherman1321]

And perhaps "Double Dutchess" from Fergie.

[@Iluminatili]

I can't believe Megan yummyed herself

[@ilovescaramouche4734]

Also Megan and dua exist in this weird limbo where both are big but don’t really have stans. It could just be because they’re new but doja is fairly new and she has a huge Stan presence

[@SnowBaller985]

I mean I hope they don't end up being the next Katy Perry's

[@marcelcjr9313]

Disagree, hot girls

[@DavidGonzalez-oz8ns]

Really? I see tons of Dua and especially Megan stans all over social media. The hotties are a force to be reckoned with.

[@kbrownevan]

Dua? No stans? 💀

[@M.I.N.A.]

@Perverted Alchemist Megan had people watching her back from her Houston freestyle days. Like me. She does have stans but she doesn't have pop stans

[@dinofacedindividual9462]

The sense I get from the good videos that Dave Meyers has been apart of, is that he gets his best output from working with artists with a strong, singular artistic vision to them. Because otherwise they’re chaotic messes

[@nodmyhead6198]

Megan was the one with the horror stories motive idea. She's a huge horror movie fan so this video illustrates that. As for the song, I think it's nice. I dunno, I like Dua's contribution and I love the looks they have in the video, especially Dua's golden dress and spider outfit.

[@tomchillen3039]

Quavo

[@KremBotop]

Another song I've never even know it existed yet I'm still watching because of channel loyalty and guarantee of quality content from Todd! Keep up the good work

[@Sugarman96]

That's literally everything Todd reviews these days, I just come for Todd's commentary.

[@lizc6393]

Samsies. It's weird that I have a crush on a guy I've technically never seen.

[@TheHeroOfTomorrow]

Same.

[@tatehildyard5332]

Same boat. I actually end up somewhat educated by the end of these. I didn’t know who Olivia Rodrigo was until I watched Todd’s video.

[@kimorayn1733]

Ok, first time I've heard of Channel Loyalty but I'm stealing it, thx

[@kaitlyn1689]

"I haven't reviewed any new songs" Todd, I'll gladly listen to you cover obscure 70s songs from England by no-name bands for however long popular music is... like this

[@elizabethashley42]

I second the motion

[@cashkromsupernerd1193]

And even after!

[@littlekingtrashmouth9219]

I third. So it’s settled!

[@songweretson1513]

Same

[@DarthUmbra]

Hell, let's get a full top 10 worst of 74. He's mentioned how bad that year was several times.

[@victoriangm7774]

Todd is the only reason I know about new popular music at this point.

[@kittykittybangbang9367]

same

[@yanstein8464]

same

[@marvin5395]

When you use pie as a metaphor for sex. "Flavour that lasts" sounds like an STD bar.

[@ekmad]

hmmm yeasty

[@HYBRIDZHQ]

Musicians should stop trying to write songs about sex with food involved it always ends up sounding disgusting.

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

Even if it doesn’t have anything to do with STDs, there are few flavors pertaining to the act of sexual congress that I would particularly like to linger on my tongue.

[@vivi_stardust]

can we all just agree that food is not sexy. like at all. it's gross. stop it. also this song is aggressively mid, and that's a shame because i like both of these artists very much.

[@fduranthesee]

FoOd Is NoT sExY ...I beg to disagree.

[@vivi_stardust]

@@fduranthesee you do that. to each their own.

[@urdnotstark8270]

Well I managed to avoid that Oscars performance, until this review. Thanks Todd haha

[@henryglennon3864]

Directed by Dave Meyers Concept by Megan Thee Stallion Based on melodies originally whistled by Garth Marenghi.

[@sabrinatheart]

I feel like this song is similar to “Wild Side” “or “Rumors” where everyone was hyped for the collab and it just. Gave. Nothing.

[@theglutenfreegamer8074]

Megan did a feature on BTS’s Butter and honestly it was good. She’s just got to hit on the right feature.

[@koneheadcokehead4981]

You know this song would of been perfect for Saweetie to be featured on.

[@carlcarlington7317]

Can’t wait for Megan to do a rap verse for “sincerely me” or “memory”

[@lucasmcinnis5045]

Waitress starting Megan as Jenna

[@tbmcqueen4259]

Todd: "Doja cat doesn't write about sex" Doja: "LIKE THE WAY YOU SAY IT'S YOUR MEAT WHEN I'M GRINDIN' ON YOUR FAAACE"

[@adambuckley2270]

Dua Lipa pulling that slice of pie from her jaw is some horror movie shit, I don't know why it freaks me out so badly.

[@technounionrepresentative4274]

I had to stop the video and think about my life when she pulled pie out of her cheek

[@HYBRIDZHQ]

It looks like a scene from a bizarre japanese horror movie.

[@Adrian_1114]

🌟🌟BODY HORROR🌟🌟

[@avosmash2121]

I kinda feel that was the intention though. Like the video was trolling and being sexy to lure us then be like HAHA BOI YOU GOT PUNKED/SPOOKED and is *trying* to be out of the blue surreal and freaky and unnerving on purpose, that way even if you dislike it it still sticks in your memory.

[@fduranthesee]

@@HYBRIDZHQ or Art Hause

[@leesfamilybreaks6089]

In 1994, we DID HEAR the lion King soundtrack all over pop radio actually. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" for instance

[@charlesdarwin7253]

And that Phil Collins song "You'll Be In my Heart," which was in Tarzan, came out around the same time. It was everywhere.

[@JulianaM2]

Yeah, but I feel like the point is that "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" can be heard independent of the movie's context, like it's just a random love ballad. But "We Don't Talk about Bruno" is so plot heavy, it doesn't evoke any kind of emotion, it just sets up a plot point in a Disney movie.

[@PlagueDragonRat]

@@charlesdarwin7253 You Can't Hurry Love wasn't on Tarzan - it was Phil trying to remake the song with the complete sixties sound.

[@DoctorSquirtle]

​@@charlesdarwin7253 Did you mean "You'll Be in my Heart"?

[@charlesdarwin7253]

@@DoctorSquirtle wha??? That's what I said! And I edited a different part of my comment not that part

[@Bluebaritone]

“By august, this could be the song of the summer” Hahah… haha… ahhhhh

[@Sliverpanda]

Question: does anyone else think the chorus sounds similar to there's nothing holding me back?

[@BeautifulSilence]

I was sitting here stumped as to how this was a new song because I could swear I've heard it before... But you've solved the mystery! Thanks, friend!~ ⭐

[@jefferykeltner9777]

I just don’t think Megan’s voice works for pop songs like say a Missy Elliot, Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj or even Lil’Kim.

[@jefferykeltner9777]

@Perverted Alchemist True but I would say that Lil’Kim and Missy were able to make a feature on a pop song work because they could switch themselves up to be able to fit on something like Lady Marmalade. While with Megan her voice and flow just isn’t made for Dua lipa or Maroon 5, it’s better suited on her rap music like on her project Something for the Hotties.

[@margaretmadole]

The second you revealed Dave Myer was a music video directed, I immediately knew he had to have directed the "Bad Habits" video. That was the only explanation for your revulsion. And sure enough, he did

[@BleachBlue04]

Hi, I’m from the future: It’s already the end of August and a lot of people already forgot about this song

[@morganburt2565]

saw the weird waterfall, knew it was the Me! video guy. there’s something so uncanny abt his cgi environments. as for the song… i cannot tell the difference between this and their other songs. it’s not bad, it’s just money pop

[@DeOneTrueSage]

I'm going to watch that music video while getting high as balls and see how fun or scary it would be.

[@billhicks8]

I'm absolutely sure you could have a better time with your drugs elsewhere

[@marycovey3353]

It IS funny to me that the one Dua Lipa song to appear on any of your best lists so far--"New Rules" in 2018--is from her debut album, and not anything off of Future Nostalgia.

[@jlo2715]

This was a... weird song. I feel like after the whole DaBaby thing happened, and Dua condemning him for his outbursts, people were ready for a new Levitating remix but with Megan instead, but that didn't happen, but the idea of Dua x Megan still had some pop stock, so enter this song. It's not bad, but it's not excellent either, it's kinda just there. As for new music, Harry's trying to step up and save us, but who else can there be? The Weeknd? Dawn FM is kinda not making much noise in the shadow of After Hours. Ariana? Wicked's got her booked the next several months. Taylor? Re-recordings and this current Alt/Indie Folk phase may prevent any Pop hits for the foreseeable future. Justin? Can we really rely on him to deliver? Post Malone? Maybe, but he's drip feeding that new album at this point. Dua? Probably not until she's done touring for Future Nostalgia. Olivia? Probably not till the Sour tour is done. Doja? She's still running on Planet Her. Lil Nas X? If rumors of his new album are true, maybe. Who else could potentially step in?

[@ftyropek]

milky chance needs to break through fr and step up

[@pickles224]

I actually think Post might be done with pop music.

[@sexbombombtheiv]

i was sorta expecting light switch to be charlie puth’s big comeback after years of his own solo work being absent from the charts right when he was making some of the best music of his career, especially since we need more feel good dance music. but while it did eventually reach top 40, it’s all over tiktok, and it gets some decent airplay, it’s weirdly not going anywhere within the charts. i also expected every summertime to make a big splash and become niki’s big crossover hit considering she never really had even js a minor hit like some of the other 88rising stars like joji and rich brian, and we need someone like her in the current pop world, but it didn’t even chart despite it being literally everywhere on tiktok, and it even had a bit of airplay. another big disappointment was the failure of roddy ricch’s live life fast. i js rlly need more roddy in the pop circle. the most of the a list rappers such as drake, kanye, travis, eminem, etc. have all been running their course for wayyy too long and roddy would def be a great replacement, especially since he was touted as the next big rapper. unfortunately i sort of already knew that live life fast was not gonna do well and he was already on his way out when late at night js barely reached top 20. even so i still wanted 25 million or thailand to become decent radio hits, but yeah it was obvious that roddy hit a sophomore slump. it’s a shame that things look grim for his mainstream success because like what sean from diamond axe studios has said, he and dj mustard could’ve been the justin timberlake and timbaland of the 2020s. fingers crossed his upcoming mixtape will do better commercially. obv we’re still waiting for rihanna’s big comeback and i’m predicting it’s going to be like adele’s comeback where even when she’s gone for over half a decade she’s still the biggest popstar in the world. same goes for kendrick lamar and his long awaited comeback, except this time i’m sort of skeptical that he won’t be dropping it this year. i’m hoping i’m wrong tho. the unfortunate thing about the pop punk revival is that it seems like people are starting to get sick of it, and honestly who could blame them when the “prince of pop punk” has been doing some absolutely horrible crap in both his works and js as a person. honestly i just want a rock band to rise up and become a part of the top 40 world. i was expecting maneskin to be that but they haven’t gone anywhere since the success of beggin. maybe paramore can fill that mantle and have a late career comeback with their upcoming album? there’s also bts and them releasing a new project this year which is neat, but the group we really need to see comeback is blackpink bc after releasing their 2020 album, they can really go anywhere they want to, unlike bts who rlly had to capitalize on the success of dynamite. there’s still a lot of stars from the past 3 years we’ve been waiting to release new or substantial music like lizzo, p!tad, miley cyrus, etc. or hell, a new star that can do something different or fun and can see if they have a future in the pop industry.

[@pickles224]

@@sexbombombtheiv a few thing about what you said: Firstly, I was surprised about Light Switch too. I don’t mind that song or have any deep thoughts about it but I was kind of disappointed when it debuted as low as it did. Secondly, I heard Rihanna isn’t making music anymore; she’s doing other things. Even if she’s not, I wouldn’t expect any music from her now or in the near future considering the fact that she’s pregnant. And thirdly, I don’t think the pop punk revival is going away any time soon. Having Machine Gun Kelly as its frontman is problematic seeing as his last album isn’t very good. But in terms of the overall scene, I think people are still pretty lukewarm on that, and ever since Tickets I’m seeing more rappers continuing to experiment with rock music. Blackbear is coming out with a pop punk/rock album this summer, so we’ll see how that goes.

[@mattlanguedoc8634]

I was genuinely surprised Dawn FM didn't have any big hits, but I guess The Weeknd is at the point where, like Beyonce and Kanye, he's so big that he doesn't necessarily need pop hits.

[@EpicBeard815]

I haven't liked anything Megan has done that could be played uncensored. Kid friendly is a foreign land to her, and I wish she wouldn't endeavor. Also, forever shame on Todd for not having any Dua songs on either his 2020 or 2021 top 10

[@ddjsoyenby]

agreed it wasn't a good idea to try to make her family friendly.

[@peanutbutteroven2660]

Yeah he could've cut MGK's nasty ass out of the 2021 list to make room for a Dua song

[@evelalah7315]

Dua Lipa to me feels like a Paula Abdul or a Katy Perry. As long as she has the hooks she has the hits & as soon as those dry up she's done. Megan on the otherhand is a force of personality that could survive a slow period. Todd you're also spot on with your appraisal of where Megan is emotionally with her career. She has a righteous indignance to her, she's a fighter, she chose the absolute wrongest pop girl out rn to do a collab with. Dua Lipa is about fun times & parties & breakup songs. To get a song that worked with her intent Megan needed to find a pop girl who can sell a similar ethos, megan didn't need a dua lipa, she needed a miley cyrus or a halsey; artists that actually can deliver that righteous indignation that she feels.

[@seandudley556]

I think she chose Dua Lipa because of Tik Tok

[@24kgoldplatedvermeil]

Halsey? Lol

[@SeanStrife]

All I can hope is... Dua Lipa pulls a Bruno Mars and just keeps putting banger after banger out. Maybe she should kinda copy Bruno's formula but with more a disco/city pop/future funk vibe. Like, I don't even hate the glittery beat here, but maybe that's Dua Lipa's path to success is just doing the Bruno thing of being a pastiche of music gone by. THERE'S CLEARLY A MARKET FOR IT!

[@heymistercarter.]

Yea, it reminds me of what Todd said in his WITNESS TrainWreckords episode about the two types of pop stars; the ones with major personalities and followings who’ll be there for every release, and the flash-in-the-pan type who go away once they stop having hits for a second. Dua Lipa is dangerously close to ending up as that second type. She was able to stay relevant through 2023 with singles like Dance The Night and Houdini, but she may not keep that relevance for long if she stopped having those hits. Meanwhile, someone like Billie Eilish (who also had a big hit off that BARBIE soundtrack album) is closer to the first type, since she has a distinct-enough sound and personality to stand out from the crowd.

[@adamf1980]

1:40 I remember Can You Feel The Love Tonight getting a lot of airplay at the time.

[@theoriginalsache]

Yeah, the 90s was full of pop versions of Disney songs. The Elton John versions of "The Circle of Life" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?", Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson's version of "Beauty and the Beast", Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle's "A Whole New World," and Vanessa Williams charted for "Colors of the Wind." Michael Bolton's "Go the Distance," I think was the last time any of those got regular air play, but Disney still stuffs pop star covers on their soundtracks. From Christina Aguilera doing "Reflection" to Demi Lovato's "Let it Go" to all of the Brandon Urie bullshit on the Frozen 2 soundtrack.

[@someoneelse4579]

You know Dua Lipa didn't deliver when Camila Cabello's latest song is about to pass her up on the Global Spotify chart, especially after taking into account Dua's fantastic 2020-21 and Camila's comparatively horrible past two years.

[@sundropcenter6758]

I actually think the video for Harry Styles's Adore You works, because even though it has a strange concept, they play it a lot more seriously, and it actually ties in with the theme of the record But the other examples you listed are a bit harder to defend lol

[@sar0mee]

Yes I think there is lots of symbolism used in it that ties together with the song. Harry does that a lot, it’s not too easy to see sometimes

[@nejdalej]

I guess I'm the only one who cried a little when Harry Styles pushed his magic fish into the sea.

[@sundropcenter6758]

@@nejdalej Oh trust me You weren't the only one

[@inferiorinferno8859]

​@@nejdalej Absolutely not! The first time I heard this song was when I was on vacation in Berlin, and I was actually missing my cats so much I was watching a German tv channel that seemed similar to MTV, and this song came on. Watching that clip, made me BAWL. Dramatic images of my cats getting heartbroken and running away from home due to my absence just kept flashing through my head and I pretty much serenaded this song to my cats once I came back home. Whilst a romantic song, this song to ME, is about my loved ones in general.

[@sousleciel2416]

Honestly though i just wish it was the same concept but with brighter colors (one day i hope to recreate the video in animation but with brighter colors and a goldfish) But that's just my opinion 🤷‍♀️

[@monkeydoodle35]

I love to see Todd's deep seated hatred for Maroon 5 make an appearance!

[@jonathanriches4419]

The good news is that the new Harry Styles song is actually pretty solid. Toddstradamus... doesn't strike again?

[@alex_flamer267]

The new Harry Styles song is basically a lesser version of Take On Me by a-Ha similar to Blinding Lights by The Weeknd. (Blinding Lights is still the better song because at least it has a dark atmosphere and richer synth tones.)

[@JJ-fg2wd]

I feel like music videos have become increasingly visually bizarre and outrageous as pop music has become more and more bland and forgettable. Kinda like the video is trying to add the energy that wasn't present in the song.

[@claymccoy]

You can thank Will Smith for forgetting about the Megan thee Stallion cameo.