Robyn - Handle Me

Handle ME?

  • 10

    Votes: 7 53.8%

  • 09

    Votes: 2 15.4%

  • 08

    Votes: 4 30.8%

  • 07

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 06

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 05

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 04

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 03

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 02

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 01

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 00

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    13
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So listening to the RSD Robyn reissue has reminded me of this BLACK SHEEP of the Robyn singles catalogue. Released as the follow up to With Every Heartbeat, it seemed to get quite a FROSTY reception from fans online who'd have rather Be Mine! or Who's The Girl.

Robyn herself seems to be NOT TOO KEEN, having seemingly ditched it from her live sets despite the song being a UK top 20 hit.

What do you think about this track (if ANYTHING?), and was it the correct choice of follow up single..?

Original video:


UK video:
 
I adore it, of course, but it was a fucking stupid single after With Every Heartbeat when they had Be Mine in the wings. I truly believe that would have been another huge hit- and the fact it went top ten as the third single, when a lot of the radio had disappeared after Handle Me, vindicates that I think.
 
Oh yes, I seem to remember the remix package being REALLY STRONG for this, I'll have to re-investigate on Spotify later.

I SORT OF understand the strategy behind releasing this as a single, they were clearly going for a long burn campaign for the Robyn album in the UK and presumably had faith Be Mine! would be a hit regardless.

However as Sheena mentions above, I think releasing this after WEH actually harmed Be Mine!'s chances of being AS BIG A HIT as it could have been.

From memory Radio 1 support was locked for almost the entirety of the campaign, albeit dwindling somewhat with each single release. I fully believe they would have got behind BM! as strongly as they did WEH had it been the follow up (and let's be honest, Radio 1 championing WEH was pretty much the main reason as to why it was such a big UK hit).
 
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They did the same thing with Agnes- save the potential huge follow up hit (On and On) to third, put out a lesser second (I Need You Now), which didn’t do as good as expected and radio moved on.

I never understood the strategy then and I sure as hell don’t now...
 
OMG WHAT was that Agnes follow up single :D I have vague memories of her looking quite BEMUSED herself by some sort of space-age car in a desert in the video. Utterly unmemorable as a follow up.

The On & On UK remix was the perfect follow up to Release Me, and I assume would have been a decent hit had it received some airplay.
 
wurst said:
OMG WHAT was that Agnes follow up single :D I have vague memories of her looking quite BEMUSED herself by some sort of space-age car in a desert in the video. Utterly unmemorable as a follow up.

The On And On UK remix was the perfect follow up to Release Me, and I assume would have been a decent hit had it received some airplay.
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You’d THINK so, wouldn’t you? It still upsets me now- more than Robyn. I think On and On in theory had potential to be bigger than Release Me even.
 
She was kind of a bop, but it was no With Every Heartbeat. They should have released Who's That Girl.
 
lolly said:
I think it was the wrong choice as a follow up to WEH, but it's a fucking CORKER however you present it.

And for me it's all about the OrtzRoka Death To Disco Dub

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I played that remix every other song back in 2007.
 
It was a remix from a ballad original and it showed. And it wasn’t even Big Blue Wall, which was the best ballad she had.
 
This is my absolute favourite song on the album

it should have been number 1 then, and still should be number 1 today
 
Handle Me > Who's That Girl > With Every Heartbeat >>> Be Mine

it's a simple fact, huns :disco:
 
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Who's That Girl > Be Mine! > With Every Heartbeat > Handle Me

All 13/10, of course
 
Be Mine! > Who’s That Girl > With Every Heartbeat > Handle Me

And I agree with Lolly’s scoring. But Handle Me should have been final single at best.
 
Handle Me > Who’s That Girl > Be Mine > With Every Heartbeat
 
With Every Heartbeat > Be Mine! > Who's That Girl >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Handle Me ( > Dream On)

I don't actually like Handle Me that much AT ALL tbh. If it wasn't by Robyn I doubt I'd even listen to it outside of remix form.

I'm so happy she didn't pursue the sassy-pop style of Handle Me and Should Have Known much in her music post-Robyn. A world without her string-drenched sad bangers and slinky melancholia of the Honey album wouldn't be worth LIVING IN!
 
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Sheena said:
They did the same thing with Agnes- save the potential huge follow up hit (On and On) to third, put out a lesser second (I Need You Now), which didn’t do as good as expected and radio moved on.

I never understood the strategy then and I sure as hell don’t now...
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If I remember correctly, Radio 1 actually told Agnes' UK label that On & On was 'too European sounding' and indicated that they wouldn't playlist it. So they panicked and whacked out that limp I Need You Now remix.
 
Agnes, Infernal, September, Robyn and I'm going to mention Deetah because I want to - the no doubt white cis male misogynist UK record execs and radio playlisters sure know what's best for following up hits with songs that suck out the good bits. Robyn is a different case as her songs weren't throwaway and I can't imagine her yielding much. Infernal not getting A to the B or Keen On Disco was just astonishing.

Back to Rob, the OrtzRoka remix is da bomb - some might even say outrageous.
 
Just had Be Mine! pop up on a long forgotten playlist. I refuse to believe it wouldn’t have gone top 3 as the WEH follow up. As much as I prefer Who's That Girl, it clearly would never have been as big. Although probably still bigger than Handle Me.
 
Much as I love Be Mine! I do wonder if maybe it was always going to be a touch 'gay interest only'.

I just don't feel like Handle Me harmed her momentum as much as people are implying.
 
VoR said:
If I remember correctly, Radio 1 actually told Agnes' UK label that On & On was 'too European sounding' and indicated that they wouldn't playlist it. So they panicked and whacked out that limp I Need You Now remix.
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RADIO 1 caused BREXIT :evil:
 
VoR said:
Much as I love Be Mine! I do wonder if maybe it was always going to be a touch 'gay interest only'.

I just don't feel like Handle Me harmed her momentum as much as people are implying.
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Absolute nonsense! As much as I love it, Handle Me was too much of a curveball for those she got onboard with With Every Heartbeat. Be Mine! was the same vein but different enough to be a worthwhile successor. Handle Me should have been third single at absolute best, really final.
 
SDF said:
But no one heard Honey
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