Round 5: Blown Away vs. Forever Changed

[allamericangirl8]

Cole asked me to continue this game, so I will. As you can see, Blown Away barely squeaked by. The lovely Do You Think About Me put up a tough fight.

So, in the most unbiased way, I just want to say that I hope the vastly overrated Blown Away has fun against the majestic Forever Changed.

 

[carebearcarrie]

I LOVE Blown Away. But i cannot stop listening to Forever Changed. <3 She soulds angelic, and its like she is whispering the song to me. I FEEL this song <3 AND its the best Lyric on the whole album.

 

[supercarriefan]

Forever Changed is my favorite song from BA. It is one of the most beautiful things Carrie has ever done. I hope many people feel the same way, and vote for it .

 

[Burst]

Forever Changed is beautiful and all, but I still like Blown Away better. It's actually already my most played song of the past two years.

 

[Carrieflattsfan]

I love Blown Away, but I think Forever Changed is one of the most beautiful songs Carrie has ever done. Even though I know it stands no chance against BA, I'm voting for it anyway. Shame it's so underated, really.

 

[simonplay]

Voted for Blown Away ! FC its ok but BA its better!

 

[teesharky]

Forever Changed is a lovely song, but I hate that part with the baby crying. Sorry but to me that is a bit cheesy, and it sort of ruins it for me. Otherwise, I do love the song. Very well written.

But Blown Away is a better radio single by far. Forever Changed is a lovely, emotional, beautiful album track, but I wouldn't want it as a radio single.

 

[allamericangirl8]

We're not voting on singles. We're voting on the better song.

 

[CUFan7]

Forever Changed is a lovely song, but I hate that part with the baby crying. Sorry but to me that is a bit cheesy, and it sort of ruins it for me. Otherwise, I do love the song. Very well written.

But Blown Away is a better radio single by far. Forever Changed is a lovely, emotional, beautiful album track, but I wouldn't want it as a radio single.

It's not even the baby that is crying, it's the mother...

She remembers the change in her body
The blooming within
And how her heart seemed to flutter with the wind
Then one night as the days grew longer
That Indian summer
She brought love into the world
Cried and held me then


I find these to be beautiful lyrics that convey the love for her child with imagery (tears of joy).
​With that said I voted for "Blown Away".

 

[carebear4eva]

Carrie's vocals on FC are beautiful and pristine as always and I especially like the echo-ey distant effect they added to her voice in the last chorus (Nothing ever stays the saaaaammmeee).

That said it's a highly average song. The songwriting is poor - the lyrics are cliche and hackneyed beyond belief. Simply trying way too hard to convey an emotion that ought to come naturally. My mom lost her mom recently (my Gmom) and she actually went through a lot of the things described in the song (in her last few weeks, my Gmom bugged everyone in the family by insisting that deceased relatives were waiting outside the door, or sleeping on the floor when they ought to be offered a nice bed, or going hungry when the family ought to be cooking up something for them).

However the song has little to no effect on either one of us (or anyone I know who has heard it). Emotions should be evoked on their own not jarringly forced down. Sorry but FC is extremely skippable for me. Vastly inferior to TH, which was somewhat along the same lines, but SO much better.

 

[Carrieflattsfan]

Carrie's vocals on FC are beautiful and pristine as always and I especially like the echo-ey distant effect they added to her voice in the last chorus (Nothing ever stays the saaaaammmeee).

That said it's a highly average song. The songwriting is poor - the lyrics are cliche and hackneyed beyond belief. Simply trying way too hard to convey an emotion that ought to come naturally. My mom lost her mom recently (my Gmom) and she actually went through a lot of the things described in the song (in her last few weeks, my Gmom bugged everyone in the family by insisting that deceased relatives were waiting outside the door, or sleeping on the floor when they ought to be offered a nice bed, or going hungry when the family ought to be cooking up something for them).

However the song has little to no effect on either one of us (or anyone I know who has heard it). Emotions should be evoked on their own not jarringly forced down. Sorry but FC is extremely skippable for me. Vastly inferior to TH, which was somewhat along the same lines, but SO much better.

I'm surprised by your criticism of FA, but everyone has different tastes. It took me a few listens to appreciate it though. The one thing I love is the great imagery; I can see the story play out in my head. Carrie's emotion is unlike anything she's put on record, especially during the last verse. Sometimes I think Carrie doesn't have the best taste in material, but she makes up for it in delivery. She has an incredible ability to feel her songs now, and it shows.

The thing I love about her as an artist now is that she has learned what moves her so she can convey it to the listener. You can sing the most beautiful lyrics, but if the emotion isn't there, how are the listeners going to connect to it? Above all, Carrie believes in what moves her, and it makes her great, in my opinion.

I can honestly say I've never heard Carrie sing and thought, "wow this is so manufactured." Even if I don't care for a song she sings, I feel like it's her story. That's what I love about BA; she chose songs that move her and didn't worry about labeling them. That's the great thing about Blown Away, though. There's something for everyone.

Anyway, sorry I didn't mean to nitpick. I just thought you brought up some interesting points.

 

[teesharky]

I am
Not talking about the lyrics. The lyrics to Forever Changed are flawless.

What I was referring to is the sound effect of the baby cooing that comes right when carrie is singing about the changes to her body from the pregnancy. That was a production choice and I don't like it.

Other then that baby noise- the song is flawless.

I would say the lyrics are stronger then Blown Away but the melody of BA is catchier.

 

[teesharky]

It's not even the baby that is crying, it's the mother...

She remembers the change in her body
The blooming within
And how her heart seemed to flutter with the wind
Then one night as the days grew longer
That Indian summer
She brought love into the world
Cried and held me then


I find these to be beautiful lyrics that convey the love for her child with imagery (tears of joy).
​With that said I voted for "Blown Away".

I wasn't referring to the lyrics. They are beautiful and perfect. That is how you write a song!

Iwas referring to the sound effect they created of the baby crying. I found that distracting and unnecessary.

 

[Marie2011]

I wasn't referring to the lyrics. They are beautiful and perfect. That is how you write a song!

Iwas referring to the sound effect they created of the baby crying. I found that distracting and unnecessary.

Baby crying? i listen to forever change a ton of times and I haven't heard a baby crying, maybe I need to listen harder, that or all of the worrying you have been doing is starting to effect your hearing.

 

[Burst]

I am
Not talking about the lyrics. The lyrics to Forever Changed are flawless.

What I was referring to is the sound effect of the baby cooing that comes right when carrie is singing about the changes to her body from the pregnancy. That was a production choice and I don't like it.

Other then that baby noise- the song is flawless.

I would say the lyrics are stronger then Blown Away but the melody of BA is catchier.

I love the lyrics too.

I've never noticed the baby cooing noises... I'll have to listen more closely.

 

[supercarriefan]

Carrie's vocals on FC are beautiful and pristine as always and I especially like the echo-ey distant effect they added to her voice in the last chorus (Nothing ever stays the saaaaammmeee).

That said it's a highly average song. The songwriting is poor - the lyrics are cliche and hackneyed beyond belief. Simply trying way too hard to convey an emotion that ought to come naturally. My mom lost her mom recently (my Gmom) and she actually went through a lot of the things described in the song (in her last few weeks, my Gmom bugged everyone in the family by insisting that deceased relatives were waiting outside the door, or sleeping on the floor when they ought to be offered a nice bed, or going hungry when the family ought to be cooking up something for them).

However the song has little to no effect on either one of us (or anyone I know who has heard it). Emotions should be evoked on their own not jarringly forced down. Sorry but FC is extremely skippable for me. Vastly inferior to TH, which was somewhat along the same lines, but SO much better.

First, it is your opinion that the song is average, and the songwriting is poor. It is not fact. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but your comments came across as though you were stating it as a fact. Stating that it is "vastly inferior to TH" is a bit much, IMO.
I happen to think this song is beautiful, and I can certainly relate. I am dealing with my grandmother and grandfather's dementia right now, and that last verse makes me cry every single time I hear it. We are dealing with them not knowing us, thinking deceased relatives are visiting, etc.
Just because your family doesn't feel any emotional connection to the song doesn't mean that many others going through a similar experience won't feel something. The emotion I feel when I hear this song isn't forced. It comes naturally because the lyrics remind me so much of my grandparents' life together from their courtship to having their children, and finally to where they are now dealing with illness.

 

[CUFan7]

I wasn't referring to the lyrics. They are beautiful and perfect. That is how you write a song!

Iwas referring to the sound effect they created of the baby crying. I found that distracting and unnecessary.

I just listened and I hear what I think you are talking about but in no way would I relate that to the sound of a babies' cry. Also, if that merits the song "cheesy" for you, I'm a bit confused.

 

[BlownAway2012]

Baby crying? i listen to forever change a ton of times and I haven't heard a baby crying, maybe I need to listen harder, that or all of the worrying you have been doing is starting to effect your hearing.

I just about peed my pants laughing soo hard at this. lulz

 

[allamericangirl8]

There is no baby crying. x) That's just some string instrument. Sooo, change your vote, Tee!

First, it is your opinion that the song is average, and the songwriting is poor. It is not fact. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but your comments came across as though you were stating it as a fact. Stating that it is "vastly inferior to TH" is a bit much, IMO.
I happen to think this song is beautiful, and I can certainly relate. I am dealing with my grandmother and grandfather's dementia right now, and that last verse makes me cry every single time I hear it. We are dealing with them not knowing us, thinking deceased relatives are visiting, etc.
Just because your family doesn't feel any emotional connection to the song doesn't mean that many others going through a similar experience won't feel something. The emotion I feel when I hear this song isn't forced. It comes naturally because the lyrics remind me so much of my grandparents' life together from their courtship to having their children, and finally to where they are now dealing with illness.

I agree with this 100%. I'm not even going through something like this, and I always feel like I'm gonna break down when I hear Forever Changed.

I don't think the lyrics are forced at all. They take you to another time, another place. I love that. You feel like you're transported into a totally different world until reality punches you in the gut during the final verse. I won't even talk about Carrie's delivery since I think we can all agree that this is at least one of her best vocal performances ever, and if not, well, that's fine. It's your opinion. But I honestly believe it's her best vocal performance of all-time. This is the only performance that can compete with How Great Thou Art. Maybe they can be co-champions.

I'm rambling. Anyway, I just love that the song is so simple, yet it's so loaded. It's like a Nutella sandwich. It's nothing much from a technical standpoint, just bread and Nutella, but when you take a bit out of it, your tastebuds just go berserk.

[Edit] Not that I'm biased or anything.

 

[teesharky]

It sounds like it is intended to be a baby cooing. It comes on right before the verse about the body changing. That is not just random strings. It is a baby cooing or cryiing. I have listened to it a 100 times by now. lol

It is not really crying-- more like cooing.,

It comes on around 1:17-1:20. Several people in my family asked why is their a baby cooing in the middle of the song.


I am not crazy nor do I have hearing problems.

I am actually shocked that you guys never noticed it. How odd. Lots of impartial people heard it.