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Comments

1. At 12:20 PM on 14 Jun 2007, Lisa K wrote:

   This song is intense! Kinda of angry... but not angry (if that makes sense, which it probably doesn't) I love it!

2. At 02:08 PM on 14 Jun 2007, Kat wrote:

   Okay first thing’s first, you need to stop using the word “emo” so much. It is one of the most useless words available for categorizing music, it carries too much of a stigma to be taken with any real meaning anymore. Not only that but it really does not describe this song accurately at all.

   Second, as much as I enjoy a good essay, you could have condensed that one and still have left a very good, possibly better, review. The part about Hayley’s looks for example was just not necessary. Saying ‘she just doesn’t seem as attractive as she should’ and that you can’t avoid discussing this simply feeds back into the commercialization of females which you say frightens you. If you don’t like something then stop doing it yourself before criticizing others for it, please.

   Hayley herself said it was the most shameful song on Riot!, but I think you’re taking it even further than she meant it. “Once a whore” comes right after the line “Second chances they don’t even matter, people never change”. Instead of simply being name-calling, “once a whore’ assumes reasonable justification for calling the girl a whore and then just goes on to say that since people never change she’ll always be one. It’s a small point but it does make a difference to the emphasis.

   “Well there's a million other girls who do it just like you
   Looking as innocent as possible to get to who
   They want and what they like it's easy if you do it right
   Well I refuse, I refuse, I refuse”

   I really don’t see the problem here. She herself does not appear to be advocating the “look all cute and coy” or “I’m going to get what I want” attitude that you say is so rife in magazine (which ones do you read?). Earlier in the song she even points out that she WAITED 8 months while the boy was taken instead of just making a move regardless. So yeah, I’d say you two are yelling about the same thing more than you might think. Just because she called a girl a whore doesn’t mean she’s tossing it around like other singers might.

   “Girls cannot be trusted, they are shallow and will hook up with your best friends at the slightest provocation.” Really, I think in music in general this theme is applied more to males than females. Maybe you just notice things which suggest that females are whores more often because it annoys you more. I’m not going to comment on ‘emo’ because like I said, I find it a useless category. Genres in general are also becoming vaguer as bands mix and match much more often.

   With regards to “the way Hayley sings the song on behalf of her boyfriend”, it’s common for someone who cares about a person to take even more offense to someone else wronging the person that the person themselves does. It does, in fact, back up the theory that she really liked this guy and the other girl didn’t treat him right, not suggest it’s a game.

   And “She's got a body like an hourglass that's tickin like a clock” is a fantastic lyric, why don’t you like it?
   

3. At 04:20 PM on 14 Jun 2007, kirsty wrote:

   I actually love this song
   I don't think you could call Paramore emo tbh
   That phrase is used to much these days
   This song is showing that girls know they have flaws, even though it's a bit exagerated i must admit.
   The music itself it great, something you can dance around to and Hayley's voice is amazing, I would give anything to be able to sing half as well as she can
   I don't think your rating does this song justice
   But I guess it's down to your own personal tastes
   (And i personally think this is an amazing song)

   (p.s - please dont insult Cute Is What We Aim For - They are lovely! & Teasing To Please is one of my favourite songs )

4. At 04:51 PM on 14 Jun 2007, tasha wrote:

   Kat, I'm so happy I'm not the only one who leaves comments almost as long as the review on this site!

   And yeah, emo is waaaaaay over-used, and the song is better than 2 stars.

5. At 08:58 PM on 14 Jun 2007, wrote:

   everything kat wrote is spot on, and clearly there is agreement amongst the CB clan as no one has written back to fight their argument.

   as been as 'emo' is mention an awful lot here i urge you to please stop using the word, especially since the stupid message written in the daily mail has just reached the other side of the atlantic. the kid who these people interviewed (who slit his wrists) interviewed him to to paint a bleak picture about the 'emo culture' and he clearly wanted to be anywhere other than in that interview and as stated at the end of the video clip he ran away from home afterwards. hes only 15 and needs help....argh this issue aggrevates me sooo much! and i dont want to go over it again as i wrote my own blog on this last night and it will take ages so instead im gonna give you a link so if anyone is interested please check it out

6. At 10:31 PM on 14 Jun 2007, wrote:

   Response (NB I am the reviewer; I can't comment like Fraser does because he mods this blog and I'm just a contributer) -

   I use the word 'emo' because I'm not referring to the emo "scene," I'm referring to a distinct form of rock/punk music which has been around for many years now; it has the song structure of punk in many ways (short, poppy, screamy) but is more introspective and about "feelings" etc. It has been around for years, I am not taking some Daily Mail line, as Kerri suggests, I am using a word I have been using to describe the works of Taking Back Sunday etc. for about the last four years, if I remember correctly. There is a distinct pattern throughout the music that turns it into a genre; if something as diverse as electropop can be a genre than this can also be and since there hasn't been any better word provided than 'emo' (and I'm definitely not calling it punk) I don't know what else I could use to summarise these bands. :) It's not being used in any way to try and cause offense, it's just the word I use for that music, a lot of which I happen to like.

   The review actually started off A LOT longer than it is now! Fraser edited my collosal ramblings down. :D

   I commented on Hayley's appearance because a) I am attracted to girls with red hair, so it seemed like she ought to seem hot but doesn't, which is a slightly frivolous reason, I'll admit but there you go and b) because she has, in the video for this single, chosen to stuff it right in your face; she's clearly meant to be hot there. I meant that Hayley was pretty but she turns me off with her attitude, basically.

   I'll admit I technically haven't read a girly mag for years but I generally find them almost uniformally horrible, encouraging a particularly nasty, spiteful image of femninity. Possibly they have turned into bastions of intellectualism in my absence but I doubt it.

   What exactly has the girl done to earn the title of 'whore,' though? She seems to be hot, from the lyrical description and she seems to have got a boy that Hayley wanted... ok, yeah, it sucks when another girl gets someone you've been chasing but 'whore?' That's a bit strong, to be honest, especially when you're gloating at them eight months later (and how do we know she didn't ditch him cus the boy sucked, playing devil's advocate...) and yes, she's gloating and it's really quite unpleasant. The girl in the video implies that the girl's a bitch but otherwise there's not really a huge amount that describes what she might have done, other than "steal" Hayley's man.

   I deliberately acknowledged that there was plenty of music which hated on men, however, I feel it is perfectly relevant to talk about emo bands (most of them talk about a genre of the same name) and to observe that they are really quite united in their testaments to the hatefulness of females. Fair enough if that's their experience, I suppose but it just seems they could put their anger to something more useful.

   Possibly I am just rather tetchy about the whole thing because I had a not-boyfriend who was in an emo band (actually probably still is in an emo band somewhere) for awhile and can't help thinking there are some horrendously derogatory things about me somewhere. On the other hand, there was also an excellent article on the subject written by Jessica Hopper, (called 'Emo: Where The Girls Aren't') which you can now find in the Da Capo 'Best Of Music Writing' 2006 (it's not online anymore as far as I can tell- I read it last year) which is well worth a read if you get hold of it and which examines the same topics and as I mentioned in the review, it has been discussed by a member of a prominent band which, even if you won't acknowledge is in the same genre as Paramore, runs their record label. The bands on which all sound rather similar as though they are part of a genre...

   I don't use genre terms to be obnoxious, I use them because it is useful to describe what music sounds like (as in 'emo' means 'sounds a bit like Fall Out Boy or whatever') when you are writing a textual review of a song. Please get over this obsession with the word emo being an insult, it's just a useful term for crying out loud, what do you want me to use? ' US guitar-driven, punk-influenced emotional pop' sounds equally ridiculous.

   That lyric is everything that is wrong with lyrics that sound like that. I dislike the over-cleverism lyrical fad from US bands at the moment (although the worst lyric EVER remains 'I've got the gift of one-liners and you've got the curse of curves' and I'm sorry whoever liked them but Cute Is What We Aim For are actually dreadful, to my ears) although since one of my favourite lyrics is 'he started as a squeeze and pretty soon became a tourniquet' (from 'Real Life' by Girls Aloud) perhaps I am just mean.

   I think I addressed everything there. I only just got back from work, which is why I didn't respond before. I won't pretend I'm being unbiased in my review, there's no such thing as objective music writing but I did carefully consider my review and so I feel I have the right to defend myself.

7. At 11:11 PM on 14 Jun 2007, wrote:

   i know you werent using 'emo' in the daily mail way, but i just think it was a bad time to even mention it. and ok, 'emo' music, forgetting the fact its meant to mean emotional music, i dont really get what an emo band is, it seems to be anything popular these days! i mean how can panic! at the disco and say afi be put into the same musical group as there seems to be so many different music genres now and to me they shouldnt be classed in the same one. p!atd are musically very different to afi or am i wrong?

8. At 11:43 PM on 14 Jun 2007, wrote:

   I actually think Panic! At The Disco and AFI circa. Decemberunderground are reasonably similar, sonically. I do see that they are quite different overall, however and obviously AFI have been around much longer than Panic have. I would always say that AFI were goth-punk rather than emo and that they've only been dragged in because of the singer's association with Jeffree Star.

9. At 11:58 PM on 14 Jun 2007, Ross wrote:

   The bit in the video at 1 minute to go til the end.

   I'm sorry, but if thats not acting like a whore, then I really don't know what is. And that's what Hayley is trying to get across in the bit where she sings "once a whore you're nothing more, I'm sorry that will never change".

   There is an example there, it's not just calling her a whore for the sake of it.

   P.S Aaaaaaaaaaace song =]

   [That's the video. The review is about the song. They actually made that woman act like a nasty lady for the video to illustrate their song, but clearly the woman the song is about didn't do all those nasty things. She'd have been beaten up long before Paramore got to line up against her, all hard and 'scary'. No, the one in the video is an actress. That's why she lets Hayley whip her falsies out at the end, rather than throwing her in the bin. Seriously, have you SEEN the size difference between those two?

   PS: 'If that's not acting like a whore I don't know what is'? Doesn't that cavalier use of the term rather prove Hazel's point? - Fraser]

10. At 12:01 AM on 15 Jun 2007, Kat wrote:

    Aye, Tasha, well what we have to say is just as important so why not! ;)

    Kerri, that is one rant you have there! Unfortunately I'm exhausted so I'll have to read it tomorrow! :P

    Hazel, of course you have a right to defend it. I’d be rather disappointed if you didn’t.

    I recognize that maybe the word had a genuinely musical place at one point. However now it has been used in other ways to such an extent that it is no longer very helpful to apply it to music, its use causes more problems that it solves. You seem pretty smart, I’m sure you could find away around using it as much. Personally I’d just go with naming a few examples to set the tone.

    There is a middle ground between “encouraging a particularly nasty, spiteful image of femininity” and being “bastions of intellectualism”, it’s very large. Depends what you’re reading, the ‘decent’ mags or the ones that are really designed for those in the possession of more children than IQ points.

    As to what the girl could have done, maybe ‘whore’ IS the explanation. Sure she might not have been paid for sex exactly, but she could have slept with someone as the means to an end. Personally I think that’s worse than prostitution, at least in the latter both are being honest about the situation.

    The gloating, yeah she is. And she never meant to. Don’t you know that feeling where you finally have what you’ve been wanting and you want to be the better person and just keep quiet and happy.. but damnit if you don’t just have to tell someone!

    I’m assuming you mean it’s been discussed by Pete Wentz? Paramore are on Fueled by Ramen, Wentz has a vanity label/imprint within FBR called Decaydance, no?

    I think clever lyrics have their place. Personally I find they add to the song, but I have a long history of loving nice twisty metaphors and so on in writing so maybe it has just carried through to music.
    

11. At 12:43 AM on 15 Jun 2007, Hazel R wrote:

    I might be wrong here but i don't think cutting people's ponytails off is a regular practice and could thus easily be deduced from the song lyrics...?

12. At 12:02 PM on 15 Jun 2007, lachlan wrote:

    If you not 'getting all daily mail' on us the i take it your refering to the real meaning off emo - which is stuff like dashboard confession and that shizz.
    if you mean it in another way then why does emo even have to come into it, stop using it as a derogitory term.
    if you going to say i' not going to do some thing and then do it it really really is annoying. it's like going 'with all respect' or 'no offence ment.' but that really doesn't matter.
    the song is trying to make a point, weather or not you agree with it is you choice but it doesn't mean you should slate the song.
    i would say 'not that i'm telling you how to do you job' but that would be hypocritical but you've gotta be less bias when rating stuff.
    it's har
    And haley is HOT!!!
    trust!
    but so is the rest of the band. remember 'paramore is a band!!!'
    but that has nothing to do with it anyway.
    loves
    xxx
    (the lyrics mate are not awful. bit of a petty thing to end an artcle on tbh.)

    [Actually 'emo' as a word has had a multitude of meanings over the years. From hardcore '80s punk to softcore '00s pop-with-guitars (see for a brief history). Right now (and in this review) it's being used to mean the latter more than the former, and like it or not, there's a common approach to a lot of the bands who fall under this umbrella term. At no point was the word emo used as an automatically bad thing (which is what the Daily Mail did), just a convenient label to separate Paramore from, say, Linkin Park.

    You could just as easily call it post-Fall Out Boy articulate pop-rock or whatever you like really. The point of the review is that there's some nasty stuff going on, not what you call the bands who're doing it. - Fraser]

13. At 03:17 PM on 15 Jun 2007, lachlan wrote:

    Thanks for the note mate.
    i supose you right.

    i'll make sure i read what i've written next time.
    :P

    saying that that kind of stuff has gone on in music for ages. it's almost the point of music to help expand peoples mind, it shouldnn't be broken down into little chuncks for analysis cos thats where things become misenterpited.
    that's just opinion though so there you go.

    the article refers to how the song talks about girls using there body for maniplulating people but it could be easily altered to boy's. and saing haley does it seem a bit odd as it's the media that insist that paramore is haley's backing band but haley has said nothing of the sort, it's only because paramore is one of the only female fronted bands in the genre that it gets blown out of proportion. if you look at many other bands its the same thing but because it's so common it doesn't matter so much, the singer is the main part of the band, thats how bands really work.

    in terms of nasty stuff it's hardly the epitimy of evil. a song about a regreted experiance is not a mass cult of sexual preditors manipulating every one. it's a problem, old blues bands sang of the opretion of people but there was no real reason for condeming thing.

    i'm propably (am) speaking rubbush but exams to that to people.

    i still don't see the problem with the lyrics btw.
    anybody care to explain??

    [Totally agree with a lot of what you've said here, Lachlan. In some ways it's a shame that it's the band with the girl singer that gets the grief for the misogyny when loads of blokier bands get away with it. But it's still a point worth making. - Fraser]

14. At 07:58 PM on 15 Jun 2007, Kat wrote:

    ooh.. Lachlan!

    I'm sorry, I just love that name :P

15. At 08:57 PM on 15 Jun 2007, Zach wrote:

    Fair point. However, like you mentioned there is a lot of women hating and man hating music out there.But maybe you should consider what the point of the song is before you start taking the lyrics and meaning so personally. The song isnt there to make any poignant social observation it's just a song written and sung by somebody who may have experienced that situation themselves. therefore its not trying to say 'all women are whores' just that person in particular is a whore. I'm not sure why you have taken this song, and others like it, to heart. Its just a story and the best stories have an element of truth in them. maybe this girl was a whore and maybe this person wants to sing about it. If you dont like it try listening to some sort of positive power pop to get your spirits up! but seriously its just a song and most songs are about relationships even if they're dressed up differently. from the beginning of music to probably the end of music you're gonna get people calling women 'sluts' and 'whores' and men 'chauvanistic pigs' and 'arseholes'. just dont take it too personally.

16. At 10:15 PM on 15 Jun 2007, Hazel R wrote:

    Oh god people. Sorry if any of this sounds angry, I don't intend it to; I'm just trying to make myself clear once and for all.

    Just for some perspective here:
    It. Is. A. Review. Which means I have to be biased because a review implies your own opinion being touted, albeit the best reviews are done in a considered and explanatory manner which makes the thought of the reviewer accessible to those reading it. I thought I had explained my thought on the matter in this review but apparently not and so yeah, it seems to have sucked as a review given how little I seem to have managed to get my point across but ANYWAY, here is the original point much condensed in all its non-glory:

    "I am slightly surprised by the fact I don't like Paramore but then also consider it rather inevitable, since I see Hayley Williams as hypocritical and the band as totally unexceptional aside from having a female vocalist, which garners them more media attention than their peers in a lot of ways"

    Are we all happy now? Good.

    Things I did not intend to imply and indeed, do not agree with:
    "emo is a threatening social movement which is lurking under ur bedz, stealin ur childrenz"
    I think I mentioned near the start of the review that I LIKE emo. Until these comments I had no idea that 'emo' had become a blasphemous word! Personally I am going to continue to use it because I am using it to refer to a form of music which I consider a valid genre or at least description. Banning the use of the word on the basis it has acquired certain negative connotations in a few circles does nothing for the bands involved or the form of music or the fans, does it? Besides, outside of the pages of screaming semi-fascist rags, I have seen very little negatively written about emo as a genre, except criticisms of the form of music.

    I think maybe people are missing the fact that most of the review is written in a reasonably light-hearted manner? I know it gets a bit bogged down in the last third or so but I was kind of hoping people might comment on the Spazzys reference rather than my choice of wording but heigh ho.

    I think the song is, basically, cruel. The lyrics gloat over the misery of and suppose things about a girl over something which is largely unrevealed; the lyrics come over bitchy, obnoxious and slightly brattish. The use of the word 'whore' is objectional because as far as the song goes, the only thing the girl has done is bag a boy that the singer wanted and I don't blimmin care what a video director suggests she might have done in the video- that's as by-the-by as the fact the girl who's 'so whatever' in 'Girlfriend' by Avril happens to be ginger in the video. Of the two, I prefer 'Girlfriend' on the basis it does just come out with that 'I don't like your girlfriend, ditch her for me' when clearly this is what the Paramore lyrics imply the singer has been thinking for EIGHT MONTHS (surely this is the stuff of restraining orders?) but that wasn't what was relevant to my review. What I was saying was that I found the song obnoxious in confirming the stereotype of girls which is offered by bands of the same genre as Paramore, rather than challenging it and whilst I don't want to see a name-calling session over the medium of download-only singles or something awful (actually that would be ace wouldn't it, especially if Lily Allen waded in but nevermind) I am disappointed in this as their first major transatlantic single. They've done better songs and far less offensive ones; this characterises something nasty about the sort of rock music that's selling right now if it's going to be their big commercial break.

    HOWEVER, as I acknowledged in the review I am perfectly willing to write all of this off to my own jealousy! I really don't see how I could have written this in a less offensive manner. Music criticism/review should challenge and raise questions, to my mind but to be honest I was pretty much just thinking this was, y'know, a review...

    Fair point re: Fueled By Ramen, whoever said that- I did actually mean to say that FOB were labelmates of Paramore but got it twisted somewhere in the typing

    Yes of course the end comment is bitchy, it's how most people end negative reviews but it's not like I said 'to be honest I just think Paramore should go walk under a bus,' is it? I do think that lyric completely blows and actually it may well have been what really turned me off the song.

    And, y'know, calm down folks I wasn't trying to attack you. I'm quite friendly really.

17. At 10:54 PM on 15 Jun 2007, jack wrote:

    wtf?? Cute Is What We Aim For r Amazing there lyrics are amazing so metaphoric and clever so shut up; paramore are not emo just coz they sing bout heart break doesn't make it so. Bands like From First To Last and Hawrthrone Heights are emo nit CIWWAF and Paramore

18. At 11:05 PM on 15 Jun 2007, wrote:

    see my point from before...are hawthorne heights emo or is panic! and fob?! hawthorne heights are way better than panic! and fob anyway

    [You lot do make me smile. Here's a review making the ground-shaking claim that a lot of modern rock songs seems to hate women, and you're all arguing over the word 'emo'. Hazel has explained what she meant by it, so that should really be good enough in the context of the review that she wrote. The fact that no-one has actually said anything about the misogyny issue beyond "Well, what if the girl in the song IS a whore, eh?" raises two questions. Either 'whore' has become, like 'gay', a meaningless derogatory word which in this case just means "I don't like you, lady", or calling a girl a prostitute for kissing the boy you fancy is so commonplace no-one has a problem with it. So which is it? - Fraser]

19. At 11:35 PM on 15 Jun 2007, Kat wrote:

    Hazel, your review was actually perfectly alright even with the length (though it would have been better more condensed). Emo is just a hot potato of a word right now, using it tends to provoke comments. Don’t know the Spazzys song so couldn’t comment on that, but I know I appreciated the 10 Things I Hate About You reference before I got to grumbling about the other stuff!

    Still think you’re a bit harsh on the song, but that’s your call. Funny @ restraining orders, though the song is mirroring my life except after longer so who am I to talk.

    To my way of thinking, you have your fun writing the review and we get ours yelling about it afterwards (or at least I do..). It saves us from falling into the habit of becoming sheep and just reading things without even thinking to disagree. Please don’t take it personally ;)

    [The point of the review is to stimulate debate, which we've all done and are still doing. And it's a good debate to have. Hopefully no-one is taking anything which doesn't tally with their own personal views as a personal attack. - Fraser]

20. At 11:43 PM on 15 Jun 2007, wrote:

    im talking about emo as a few days ago i watched an american news report that made me very angry. if you click on the link the i posted (comment 5) that may give you an idea as to why, for me, that word and this time wasnt a good combination

21. At 11:23 AM on 16 Jun 2007, wrote:

    Hello everybody...look who's back! :) Haha! Anyway....i quite like this song. The cutting of the hair part reminded me of what i want to do to a girl in my class that annoys me sooooo much...;]
    Anyway.....how is everybody? Lolz bye everyone.,..BYE FRAYMOND! :]

22. At 12:36 PM on 16 Jun 2007, Susan Flowers wrote:

    well i dont mind bein thort of as dangerous and seductive. mayb 'whore' is goin a bit far. n for sum crazy reason i happen to enjoy the emo music more than the rnb/pop/man-hatin music. perhaps im jus a little messed up. n yes i hav noticed dat pretty much ALL emo bands r guys, but dat doesnt bother me. i think perhaps ur jus spazzin out a little wen u shudnt b. but hey its ur job, u can say wateva u want.

23. At 01:27 PM on 16 Jun 2007, DaNnY wrote:

    Fraser M, you cannot write reviews, every review has been poorly revised and biased to music that the public will buy, you need to be fired and exiled from ±«Óătv chart blog, this song is excellent.

    [DaNnY, you cannot read reviews. I didn't write it. - Fraser]

24. At 04:40 PM on 16 Jun 2007, Kat wrote:

    Lol.. I think it's because of the name at the top... it confused me at first too.

    Crazy-Rachel (PBG)... I need to ask.. how do you manage to be so chirpy all the time?!??! It's amazing.. lol.

25. At 04:50 PM on 16 Jun 2007, ~Rachel~ wrote:

    I dunno, I'm confused! I think the problem is mixing up reality and fantasy, and knowing where one ends and the other begins...I do think we have to stop wondering who the song is 'about', and what she's done. It may not be about anyone in particular - it's a song, about nothing more than its own story, at least as far as we're concerned - but that brings the attitudes in it all the more into focus.

    I agree that there's a lot of spite in it, which is unattractive, especially as there's no need if what it says is true, and the singer now has her man! The whole thing seems to be about rivalry and triumphalism between females, and doesn't the fact that she concentrates on that just point to some sort of hatred of her own kind?..or of how her kind is seen generally? Is it just female fantasy, the flipside of male fantasy? Or a male fantasy of female fantasy - I'm thinking of the video here, as I haven't heard the song without it, so it's difficult not to!

    Actually, whoever's fantasy it is, I wouldn't be keen on dwelling on it - resentment, unkindness and treating people like possessions aren't things to celebrate in either gender, are they?

    I'm not sure about the 'whore' thing - it could be just the worst thing she could think of calling the other person, and not to be taken literally: like swearing at her. But if that's how a lot of men see women in these type of songs, it seems a bit self-defeating to be agreeing with it!

    I'm not saying it's not a good song, though...just a nasty take on a situation, rather than a nice one - and who's to say girls can't be nasty as well as boys...be nice, everyone!

26. At 11:09 PM on 16 Jun 2007, Lydia wrote:

    i actually love paramore. they are my favourite band at the moment, and i don't conisider myself an emo, i just really like their music. they've done better songs than misery buisness, and they have better lyrics. misery buisness sounds a bit too avril lavigne-ish. my favourite song would have to be pressure or emergency.

    but this song deserves way more than 2 stars. and obviously the people here agree too, so i cant be the only person with a different opinion on this song and on music in general! x

27. At 07:49 AM on 18 Jun 2007, james wrote:

    they are a good band you need to listen to goos music

28. At 07:13 PM on 18 Jun 2007, sal wrote:

    i would disagree.
    the song is amazing
    you obviously know nothing about paramore if your throwing the words emo and avril lavinge in there.

29. At 07:15 PM on 18 Jun 2007, sal wrote:

    the song is from HAYLEYS perspective not the dudes. do more research next time please.

30. At 08:44 PM on 18 Jun 2007, quitch wrote:

    first of all these reviewers need to be stop being so godamn patronising it's like the use of the termology 'whore' within the song the way you derive people who want to debate a different key word to the one you had in mind.

    And as far as 'whore' goes within this song it's actually used in an effective way to show [as hayley mentions in multiple interviews] what it is like wtaching someone around you make a mockery of and break down a person you deeply care about. Sure I've gone off Hayley recently due to the uhm *cough* slightly egocentric interviews she gives, but I think the song in itself, although clearly being 'angry girl music' [the greatest termology ever scripted], is a musically entertaining song. Although it may be slightly shallow, thats kinda what people want because arent we all slightly shallow?

    so yeh my rant is over I promise x

31. At 11:17 PM on 18 Jun 2007, Hazel R wrote:

    Rachel- You get 100x bonus points for understanding what I was saying!

    DaNnY- It's called *CHART*blog, of course it's about music the public is liable to buy!

    quitch- the point I am making about the word 'whore' is that I am rather disturbed by the way male musicians in the genre which Paramore belong to use it semi-casually to refer to any woman who has, in any way, perceivedly wronged them. The point, anyway, is not the word, it is the attitude and the attitude which Hayley also exudes; there is something self-righteous and self-justifying at the derogation of others which is, fundamentally, a very dangerous and unfortunate human trait. It's evident in politics, it's evident in music, it's very evident in culture like the magazines I mentioned and as the genre which Paramore come from is at the fore of popular music currently, I thought it was worth discussing this. The misogyny was an easy and obvious way to get into it since it's a very present issue in discussion about this kind of song. Fish on a bike, did anyone read this review?

    And it is *not* patronising! It's about reasonably complex socio-political issues for god's sake and I'd like to see the kind of syntax chartblog (not just me, everyone and especially Fraser and Steve) uses in other writing about pop music... I was thrown by the fact everyone wrote about my use of the word 'emo' originally because I was more expecting people to be disturbed that I'd accused an entire musical genre of misogyny than that I'd described it as something the Daily Mail has had a hysterical fit about.

    I did research the review and I've been vaguely following Paramore for about a year now -I've quite liked some of their previous stuff. I threw the Avril Lavigne references in (whoever it was that complained about that) because the songs are a) reasonably similar in topic, b) reasonably similar sonically, c) both on release currently.

    Next time obviously I'll just say 'OMG I LOVE PARAMORE' and have done with it. It will take me a lot less time and apparently cause everyone less trauma!

    (NB: The above may well have contained JOKES)

    [See what you did, people? You made Hazel have to be funny. I just hope you're happy now. And to echo her point, PLEASE READ THE REVIEWS BEFORE COMMENTING. A simple knee-jerk yell about the star rating DEMEANS ALL OF US! - Fraser]

32. At 01:54 PM on 19 Jun 2007, wrote:

    That was way too overally critical! And so what if she uses teh word 'whore' alot, she is American, and this is a female singer, so she would use it differently to what we're used to. Also what is your problem with Cute is What We Aim For? They are an amazing band! Also you keep on saying it's 'emo' as though because of that this song is rubbish? Also 2 stars? This deserves much higher!

33. At 02:56 PM on 19 Jun 2007, Jess wrote:

    dude. you got this all wrong haha.

    from the eyes of her boyfriend? what? did you even listen to the song?
    its about a guy having a girlfriend but hayley, if you will, fancying him.
    the girls a whore, they break up, hayley gets the boy, hayley wins.

    AND
    if hayley doesnt turn you on then there no hope.

34. At 04:53 PM on 19 Jun 2007, quitch wrote:

    did i say you have to love paramore? OMG I HATE PARAMORE [or i highly dislike hayley at any rate] and i agree the way whore is used in such a light hearted and slanging manner does seem to make it appear more acceptable for the general public these days to address any young woman as it. However, my point was I felt that you should not reply in anger to your replyers debating the word 'emo' ,howver many times that argument has been heard. I agree perfectly well that the song may be slightly full of teenager like attitude and melodrama but please, thats what sells right now and thats what teenagers who buy music want [and a high proportion of the music buying public, in particular the ones who read chart blog, are teenagers]
    

35. At 07:48 PM on 19 Jun 2007, tasha wrote:

    *first of all i havent posted on this before. i am a different tasha*
    okay, everyone seems to be bickering over "emo" and "whore", wether the song is good or not, wether the review is good or not.
    everybody CALM DOWN1!
    cant it just be about the music rather than labels, and deeper meanings?

    sorry its just that whole sort if thing has been annoying me recently, as its not about the music, its about the label.
    hmph

36. At 10:02 PM on 19 Jun 2007, Jai wrote:

    Hey,
    I've been a fan of Paramore since they started.
    I had loved them way before they even released a single in Britain.

    
    First thing...
    "She just doesn't seem as attractive as she should"
    Well I think she is stunning
    && I would kill to look like her.
    I love her red hair
    && Yes, what has it got to do with her music?
    Nothing!

    Second thing...
    She said that Misery Buisness is one of the most shameful songs on the new album
    && Using the word whore?
    I'm sure everyone used that word once in a while.
    Isn't such a big deal...

    Third thing...
    If you listenned to their first album would know that this is pretty much the first time she has used a lyric with a "bad word" in it.

    && Fourth thing...
    They aren't very emo.
    Not as emo as some other bands.

    So instead of slagging off a band which you hardly know anything about
    Why don't you go
    && Listen to their first && second album!
    && Understand how good this band is.
    I'm addicted to their music
    && Can really relate to it!
    But if you have listenned to both their albums
    && Don't like them, then fair enough.
    Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
    But as the saying goes...
    Don't judge a book by its' cover...

37. At 12:09 AM on 22 Jun 2007, Josh :) wrote:

    Emo?! lol i don't think theyre emo! and i think most people who love this band would agree!
    
    If you listen to the album, a few songs sound more like sheryl crowe than anythin remotely emo! and that wasnt a knock at paramore, they rock!

    I don't like this article at all lol
    And i dunno what "fake" is meant to mean, cus loads of bands write stuff that aint totally true, long as it sounds good and people can relate to it! - even the Beatles admitted they wrote rubbish and just for fun tried to find a meaning in it! :P

    much love x
    

38. At 10:26 PM on 23 Jun 2007, wrote:

    I don't know why I am so chirpy.....I haven't been recently because of my OUT OF ORDER detention...but oh well. I'll put pins on my Maths teachers chair. Maybe she'll regret giving me a detention then.
    I'm just generally happy a lot. And the website link on my name now is my MySpace now, not my Piczo...confusing, I know!
    Bye everybody....see ya Fraymond!

39. At 12:41 AM on 25 Jun 2007, Amy wrote:

    its a good song.
    i like the story.
    but i hate people who use '&&'

    bah

40. At 12:53 PM on 25 Jun 2007, grr and grr again wrote:

    ok, lets get this straight...

    1. paramore aint emo
    2. hayley williams rules
    3. you obviously don't know the first thing about decent music.

    and last but not least...

    
    5. they already are very good.

    so i think maybe you need to stop using the word emo so much, and find a definition for it first. 'Emo', means emotional, so surely i means that any band who sings emotional lyrics and has loudish guitars is 'emo'? I dont think so, else we'll be brandishing the brush at Bon Jovi.

    'Emo' has been taken up as a lifestyle, and believe it or not, quite a few people like it, and to be honest its just like the chav phenomenon that took over the isle of Britian last year. The sane population of Britian, chose to be independent.
    Therefore, emo is indepepndent, and whatever people want it to be.

    
    SO STOP CALLING EVERYTHING EMO!!!

    [OK! OK! DON'T PUNISH ME ANY MORE!

    What was four again? - Fraser

41. At 01:49 PM on 28 Jun 2007, wrote:

    paramore in my eyes are the greatest band ever
    hayleys voice is stunning.
    there not emo. wudnt class hayley as emo eivr tbh
    have the potential to be very , very good indeed.
    i dont really know 1 person that doesnt like them and their damn amazing live :)
    then again their all opinions would highly recommend riot to to anyone who remotely likes them though .

42. At 05:10 PM on 28 Jun 2007, Lee wrote:

    Wow, okay everyone has their own opinion, but I doubt the review is majority opinion. 2 stars really? That's a slap in the face for this obviously fantastic underrated and under-appreciated band.

    Who allowed this review to go up? xD They were obv looking for a debate! Or uproar!

43. At 07:33 PM on 30 Jun 2007, wrote:

    I'm back everybody! I just gotta say...I love Hayley's hair. Thank you so much Fraser, until I listened to this song on here I'd never really heard of Paramore before. Now I'm hooked and I'm gonna get their album RIOT! soon. This song is awesome acoustic! Got to the link below and listen to them do this song acoustic.....
    
    v=KiR838VOCrA&mode=related&search=

    It is so good....I think so anyway. And Pressure is awesomeness on toast acoustic. Anyway.
    Fraser, I have a new game I like playing. I take a song name/band name/album name and replace one word with the words random or randomness. You should try it. It's fun. My favorite one is 'Three Cheers For Sweet Randomness' the original album name is 'Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge' and it's the album by MCR. bye again people!
    xxxxx

44. At 05:38 AM on 02 Jul 2007, Lauren wrote:

    Actually, "She's got a body like an hourglass, ticking like a clock:" is a very metaphorical lyric. Go join the daily mail; you are just as ignorant as the rest of them. Who cares if she isn't as plastic and fake as the other stars in the business? She's REAL. The type of person that girls who feel somewhat outcasted (because of the constant misuse of the term emo) can relate to. Why do her looks need to matter? Have you SEEN amanda palmer from the dresden dolls? She has no eyebrows and doesn't shave underneath her arms. But I could care less, I love her music. This article is crap, and it sounds like it was written out of jelousy almost. You point out every single flaw in the band, down to how horrible the lyrics are. Why do you do this? If you don't like 'em, don't listen to 'em.

    I'm sure everyone at the Daily Mail is proud of you.

    [Oh shush. Read it again, Lauren. The Daily Mail article was about how this 'evil emo cult' was encouraging teenagers to cut themselves. Hazel's review says calling a girl a whore because you don't like her is nasty, and it put her off the song. Tell me again how these two things are the same? - Fraser]

45. At 10:53 AM on 02 Jul 2007, Rach wrote:

    You know what? I hate this whole 'emo' thing. I also hate the way that your clearly flaming this song and this band just because they are 'emo'. And I totaly lov ethis song. I love the message it gives. I love the way it flows, and yeah okay so the video might be alittle cheesy but it's funny.
    And for the record 'she's got a body like an hourglass, it's ticking like a clock' Is the best lyric from the song and it's clever and TRUE so you can give the 'REALLY awfull' a rest, because like the rest of the song the lyrics are witty and clever ansd they stick in your head which is what they should do. And they're good enough for me to doodle them on stuff.
    And paramore has been around longer than just about a year cause i've liked them for way longer. And did i mention how biast your review is? No? Well i just did.

46. At 06:07 PM on 02 Jul 2007, wrote:

    Woah people.......this emo debate thing is really hotting up. I think people should just shut up about the emo thing. It doesn't matter now, does it? We don't want another Daily Mail issue do we?
    I really like the 'body like an hourglass...etc' lyric. I doodled it all over my homework diary for school. Yes, I know i'm sad. But my history lesson was boring. Okay?
    I love Hayley's hair sooo much! Okay sorry, but I had to say that! I want my hair like that, but i'm not allowed because of school. Bummer.
    But can I say, maybe the 'whore' part in the song might be because maybe (just maybe) the girl in the song has a new guy every week or something? I know that isn't really the actual meaning of the word, but you can't blame Hayley for using it. Loads of people use it without an actual reason, she's not the only one that uses it in that sense. But maybe this girl is actually a bit of a strumpet, but you have to read between the lines of the song because not all songs actually say everything. Take 'I Don't Love You' for example. They don't exactly say 'I don't love you like I loved you yesterday because you ate all the bread this morning' or whatever. You have to make assumptions about some of this stuff.
    Whew. I'm all talked out. See ya people! I gotta do my boring 'ole Geography homework. Earthquakes. What a load of phooey!
    xxxxx

47. At 02:39 PM on 03 Jul 2007, Kirsty.x wrote:

    Paramore rock
    This song is so good
    paramore is not emo!

    Get over it

48. At 03:07 PM on 04 Jul 2007, Emily wrote:

    Okay, first, they are a band that are making a living, they're obviously talented, and i don't think you are in any position to critisize them. Okay, maybe I would listen to you if you were a professional music critic, but I believe that you aren't.

    Second, please stop using the word 'emo' so much. Hayley is about as emo as a cheesecake, if anything, she's punk. And 'emo' is the worst word you can use to describe any type of music.

    Third, also, when stating the lyrics from the song, you left out the lyrics before and after, making it sound like the lyrics meant something that they were not intentioned to mean. It is you who has the sick mind.
    
    And fourth, stop saying she should be prettier. No wonder there are tons of girls going round anorexic because they feel pressured by society to be perfect. Sorry, but it is people like you who cause this.

    And last, I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just giving my opinion, like you gave yours, but to be honest, I think you were right when you said that it was your jealousy that made you say those mean things aboue Hayley and Paramore.

49. At 12:03 PM on 05 Jul 2007, Kat wrote:

    PARAMORE RULE!!
    WOO!!
    MISERY BUSINESS!!
    WOO!!
    KAT XXXX

50. At 10:05 PM on 05 Jul 2007, Kat wrote:

    NAME-TWIN! :P

51. At 02:16 AM on 13 Jul 2007, ashley wrote:

    Get over yourself.
    If you really don't like paramore or hayley and the lyrics to uhh ONE frikin SONG, then why did you just right a novel about it? Seriously, if you don't like something then why be obsessive on wasting your time over it?
    And another thing, if you really don't like how hayley writes the lyrics, well then let's see you do better. :)

    P.S. who cares how she referred to whores, just because you are one doesn't mean you have to get all EMO about it!

    [POINT PROVED! POINT PROVED! ASHLEY, YOU LOSE! - Fraser]

52. At 12:13 PM on 13 Jul 2007, Lee wrote:

    I know I've already commented on this but I still feel it needs to be stuck up for a little more, because I believe this is genuinely a fabulous song.

    No one made this much fuss when Avril was singing about nicking someone's boyfriend, or when The Pussy Cat Dolls were slagging off some guys girlfriend so they could hope into bed with them. So why the fuss over the word whore?

    The song is blatantly saying that she wanted the guy and was then jealous of some girl who got him even though the girl probably was using the guy, and is now enjoying the fact she has her man.

    So come on, there are worse songs to rant about than this, why not give them the rating down they deserve.

    Paramore are awesome :-D

    [Lee, the fuss over the word 'whore' is that it's bloody horrible calling someone that just because you fancy her boyfriend. And bearing in mind Paramore's immediate peers are also peddling this kind of 'women=sex-scum' trash, why shouldn't we point this out? Also, while similar in intention, Avril's song and the PCD songs are aimed at the actual boyfriend, and are therefore (a little bit) less nasty. If you're not offended by it, brilliant, enjoy your song. It's as simple as that. - Fraser]

53. At 03:06 PM on 13 Jul 2007, Lauren wrote:

    you are all, so gay.

    [I don't think you can be 'SO' gay. It's an absolute. Like 'perfect' or 'dead'. - Fraser]

54. At 02:45 PM on 15 Jul 2007, Lee wrote:

    Fair enough point taken. :-D

    However I think there are worse songs than this, you're probably right, then again there haven't been many songs that are very nice to women in the charts lately have there?

    And for the comment above - Why do you think calling some one Gay is an insult?

55. At 12:14 AM on 25 Jul 2007, wrote:

    honestly, after reading this well written article, i was disgusted.
    whoever wrote this doesn't understand the story behind the lyrics and the video.
    they are judging it solely on what she saw in the video.

    frankly, you know nothing except what emo portrays and is quick to judge any new band on fuse or mtv to be emo.

    you don't know the whole story behind this, as i have stated. that's the whole reason i was disgusted while reading this.

    you should've done your homework before writing anything about something you hardly know about.

    [The emo debate is clearly going to run and run. But even if Paramore were judged to be reggae, Hazel's point about casual misogyny is still valid. Plus since when did you have to do HOMEWORK in order to appreciate a song? Kind of defeats the point, doesn't it? - Fraser]

56. At 04:40 AM on 26 Jul 2007, wrote:

    excuse me, fraser, but you must not have understood what i was trying to say.

    the writer should've done her homework about the song itself and the entire story behind the song before she wrote anything. she clearly didn't know who the song was about or how it made hayley feel.
    sure, it may seem obvious that hayley felt angry and heartbroken, but there was more under all of that. what i was trying to say was that the writer just should've known that the song wasn't all about calling someone a whore or getting back at them or anything like that.

    i did not mean that once you hear a good single you like you should do your homework about it to have a valid point.
    what i meant was that before you go writing a review bashing a band, you should understand what they were trying to get across, what hayley was trying to get across.

    [Yeah, I get what you're saying. I think possibly you over-estimate the value of understanding where an artist is coming from in judging how well they make their art. The character Hayley takes on in the song is hardly heart-broken, is she? Victorious, yes. A bad winner, definitely, but not heart-broken. So even if this is a revenge song written after Hayley lost her man to another, it doesn't come across like that, and that's what really counts. - Fraser]

57. At 04:11 AM on 31 Jul 2007, sammie wrote:

    Paramore we're ok...there first album was listenable to. However now...what the hell has happened?! They've made no progression, no movement its just naother shurned out album with no real meaning.

    SAd thing is they have the potential to be a good band but are acting like t****.

58. At 02:39 PM on 31 Jul 2007, horsy wrote:

    being 'emo' means nothing, tbh i hate what it stands for, spesh wen it covers bands like 'my chemical romance' hu r TERRIBLE!; misery business is a good song, nothing special tho, so there shouldn't be any argument about whethr its emo or not :P

59. At 04:37 PM on 18 Aug 2007, livsxx wrote:

    i personally have nothing wrong with the review as all reviews are the reviewers opinions - if that makes sense lol
    if you like this song (i do..a lot) then dont be put off by a review or feel offended by one.
    get over the whole emo thing please people its getting old now
    and this probably says something awful about modern day society but i didnt have a problem with he word whore - there is a lot worse said out there
    and also... yes this does sound quite teenager-ish but in case anyone hadnt noticed hayley is only 18. that makes her a teenager and so if avril lavigne is allowed to sing about teenager stuff when she isnt one then why shouldnt hayley..who is? plus a lot of their target audience are gonna be in their teens and so are gonna be able to relate to this song whether its shameful or not
    livsx
    P.S - if you hate the lyrics stop reading into them so much and just enjoy the song for what it is - a pop-rock song with a catchy melody and fun video
    

60. At 07:44 PM on 19 Aug 2007, quitch wrote:

    This review must be like a long running headache over in the office :p

    Hazel this is clearly a quite exceptional review since what good is it if it doesn't bother a few people :p

    sorry how i got a little hayley-style "bitchy"!

    keep up the inspiring reviewing!
    makes me wanna be a journalist/blogger...

    x

61. At 07:48 PM on 19 Aug 2007, quitch wrote:

    This review is really rather inspiring and obviously excellent as whats the good in a review if it doesn't bother a few people :p

    It must be like a long running headache....

    sorry i got a little hayley-esque "bitchy"

    keep up the exceptional blogging....makes me want to do this stuff!!

    x

62. At 06:22 PM on 21 Aug 2007, Mo wrote:

    I think that this is such a stupid review!

    Its a song and can't youy guess its based of nothing

    She didn't actually say in words that all girls are whores!

    I think really that its stupid to use emo

    Everyone points it towards the nastier sides and yes i have friends who are in that kinda groups.

    I just think Hazel you should not take it so seriously

63. At 06:29 AM on 25 Aug 2007, Charlotte wrote:

    DUDE!
    You don't even know the story behind this song.
    And Hayley's far from being like avril.
    And you used emo too much.

    
    makes me want to punch you in the uterus. avril sucks my best friend's brother's left hairy ball.

    [Does she? Often? - Fraser]

64. At 02:16 PM on 22 Sep 2007, rayne wrote:

    Actually, I like this song very much. And I can't really get why you call them emo, since they're not.

    I don't get your point about Hayley being a feminist icon and yet one of the worst offenders. Because frankly, as far as feminism goes, you can't avoid the fact that there ARE infact girls who act like whores out there. Its just the truth.

65. At 12:30 PM on 11 Oct 2007, Rhianna wrote:

    this is kinda sad. although not every one may like paramore, they hardly use it as an excuse to moan about the opposite sex...so in all i find some aspects of the review very immature and others understandable...

66. At 12:15 PM on 14 Oct 2007, claude wrote:

    First things first....the emo word gets used far too much

    I actually first heard Misery Buisness in a video game (it's a track in the new NHL 08 game for the xbox360) I heard the Riot album from the girlfriend who was playing it in the car & It Is one hell of an album.

    Misery Buisness Is my favorite track of the album, worth a lot more than 2 stars.

67. At 03:35 PM on 27 Oct 2007, charlotte wrote:

    This is the song off of RIOT! that Hayley said she was most ashamed of and most proud of. She said that she learnt to express herself in a new way and she was able to be more open with her fans. So i am confused as to why we are punishing her for this. I think she was very truthful, outgoing and brave with this song and i think it payed off immensly.

    The word whore may be tossed around alot in the so called "emo" music catergory but i think Hayley makes it very clear here that she isnt reffering to every single girl and that she is nothing like fellow "emo" bands.

    I do wish everyone would stop comparing Hayley to such a talentless twit like Avril Lavigne because the two are nothing alike. They both just happen to be women in the same media business of music.

    Finally, just because Hayley is not a big boobed blonde bimbo does not mean she isnt as attractive as she should be. She is a stunningly pretty young woman and she has amazing fashion sense. People should stop instantly rejecting the unfamiliar and then you might realise that the thing you thought was so weird, so bad is infact one of the greatest things on the planet at the moment.

68. At 11:55 PM on 01 Feb 2008, Daniel Grant wrote:

    At the end of the day why should whether hayley is beautiful or not change what the music means.

    Paramore are a band and an extremely good one at that and the last thing compromise that is whether they're good looking or not.

    Music is the one thing that matters.

    The rest doesn't matter whatsoever.
    

69. At 06:05 PM on 05 Feb 2008, Nikki182 wrote:

    It's just a SONG! Why is there such a huge debate about it?!

    Hayley wrote an boastful song, big deal! People can't use their music to vent and let for some steam?

    How come you havn't reviewed any more of Paramore's singles, like 'Crushcrushcrush' or 'Hallelujah'? Havn't found anything to criticise in those? Or maybe there is nothing in them to back up your (for some reason) hate of Hayley?

    [Or maybe we did and you missed it.

    'Crushcrushcrush' is reviewed HERE
    'Hallelujah' is reviewed HERE

    So ner! - Fraser]

70. At 06:09 PM on 06 Feb 2008, Nikki182 wrote:

    -Why havn't you reviewed any more of Paramore's singles?

    -[Or maybe we did and you missed it.
    'Crushcrushcrush' is reviewed HERE
    'Hallelujah' is reviewed HERE
    So ner! - Fraser]

    Well obviously its hard to find on here. There's no way of begin able to search a certain artist or song etc on this website (or am i just blind? I really do apologise if there is) The whole site clearly wasnt designed very well, going through the months to find something is just long and boring..... (ha, bet this wont get publised, will be laughing if it does)

    [Prepare to laugh, cos here it is! Also...have you never heard of Google? Try putting "chartblog" and any band name you want into a search engine, and then go nuts! That's how I do it. - Fraser]

71. At 08:58 PM on 13 Feb 2008, Holly wrote:

    I think what you're saying about Paramore is really unfair. For a start they are not 'emo' and hate being called 'emo'. And the lyrics 'once a whore you're nothing more' is talking about girls who are bitches and get fun out of making people sad and seeing people unhappy. She wrote the song about a girl she knew who stole her boyfriend.
    Misery Business is an amazing song.
    I also think that Cute Is What We Aim For are also really good and not 'emo'. 'Emo' is a type of music which is emoitional and usually involves some depressed lyrics. Paramore and Cute Is What We Aim For are NOTHING like that. Get over it. Paramore are the best new band to be recognized. I think you should give them a chance.

72. At 09:29 AM on 03 Apr 2008, Debbie wrote:

    If you have a problem with a band, rather keep it to yourself than make the band enemies.
    I for one think Paramore is awesome, and your exessive use of the word 'emo' makes this article seriously ANNOYING to say the least.

73. At 03:24 PM on 09 Apr 2008, krystal wrote:

    PARAMORE ROXX MY SOX!!!
    KRySTaL

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