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Thread started 01/15/23 3:56pm

ShellyMcG

Michael & Janet - Scream

Ok so I'm currently working my way through Michael Jackson's discography, much like I did with Prince last year. I've now reached the History album and I have to say that this song is absolutely, positively brilliant. I've heard this song several times before but I've never really listened to it until now. Both Michael and Janet's vocals are top notch. The song itself is catchy as hell and it's impossible to sit still and not sing along. I'm really loving a lot of Michael Jackson's more uptempo stuff. Plus, the video is great too. Reminds me of my childhood, which was probably the last time I saw it.

It makes me wonder though, why they didn't team up more often. This is, to my knowledge, their only collaboration if you discount Janet singing backing vocals on some of his earlier songs. They complement each other so well, it's a real shame that they didn't do more together.
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Reply #1 posted 01/16/23 4:03am

Vannormal

And that remarkable video still is top notch.

Very well done.

Someone made a color version of that video, check it.

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves. And wiser people so full of doubts" (Bertrand Russell 1872-1972)
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Reply #2 posted 01/16/23 5:49am

TrivialPursuit

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They don't need to do more collaborations. Being such huge names, they only need to do it once. That keeps it special and unique. The Flyte Tyme remix is great, and samples "Thank You" by Sly, so it harkens to "Rhythm Nation" a lot that way.

I'm not sure how I feel about HIStory even after all this time. It sorta feels as chaotic as his life was at the time, so int hat regard I guess that's reflective of who he was then.

I think "Stranger in Moscow" is way too slow or sparse. The melody is overly simplisitic, spartan, not in an artistic way. "HIStory" is a mess. It's part "Morphine" and part whatthefuckever.

I could revisit it, but I remember never listened to it very much over the years. It wasn't as cohesive as other records from him. But, it rates higher than Invincible.

I remember when "Scream" came out, Janet's vocal was mixed really low. She called MJ about it and they redid it a bit on subsequent releases. She had said (maybe in her documentary) that it was fine when she listened to it in the studio, but it was changed before release.

I also remember the Jewish slurs in "They Don't Care About Us" getting a lot of attention, and were subsequently sorta covered up. So if folks ever find a copy of HIStory to buy, listen to that song first. If those words don't have a sound fx over them, you have a first pressing.

By the way, the best part of the "Scream" video is Janet flipping the bird, and her standing over the toilet like she's got a dick, pissing standing up. I thought that was so ballsy at that point for her and in general when a lot of music and videos had gotten muddled and neutralized.

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #3 posted 01/16/23 6:10am

ShellyMcG

TrivialPursuit said:

They don't need to do more collaborations. Being such huge names, they only need to do it once. That keeps it special and unique. The Flyte Tyme remix is great, and samples "Thank You" by Sly, so it harkens to "Rhythm Nation" a lot that way.

I'm not sure how I feel about HIStory even after all this time. It sorta feels as chaotic as his life was at the time, so int hat regard I guess that's reflective of who he was then.

I think "Stranger in Moscow" is way too slow or sparse. The melody is overly simplisitic, spartan, not in an artistic way. "HIStory" is a mess. It's part "Morphine" and part whatthefuckever.

I could revisit it, but I remember never listened to it very much over the years. It wasn't as cohesive as other records from him. But, it rates higher than Invincible.

I remember when "Scream" came out, Janet's vocal was mixed really low. She called MJ about it and they redid it a bit on subsequent releases. She had said (maybe in her documentary) that it was fine when she listened to it in the studio, but it was changed before release.

I also remember the Jewish slurs in "They Don't Care About Us" getting a lot of attention, and were subsequently sorta covered up. So if folks ever find a copy of HIStory to buy, listen to that song first. If those words don't have a sound fx over them, you have a first pressing.

By the way, the best part of the "Scream" video is Janet flipping the bird, and her standing over the toilet like she's got a dick, pissing standing up. I thought that was so ballsy at that point for her and in general when a lot of music and videos had gotten muddled and neutralized.



Overall, I'm really liking History but of the 5 albums I've listened to so far, it's probably my 5th favourite. Which probably says more for the quality of the other albums than anything else.

What I'm finding so far with Michael Jackson is that his uptempo songs are all amazing. Even the ones on Dangerous and History where I can't understand a word he's saying in the verses, the choruses are super catchy and have an almost addictive quality to them. I'm not a big fan of his ballads though.

Interesting insight there regarding the Jewish slurs. It doesn't seem like a very "Michael Jackson" thing to do. I wonder what the story was behind that.

Yeah, that Scream video is great. And like I said, Janet's vocals are fantastic. I've probably heard maybe 3 or 4 Janet Jackson songs in my life and didn't like most of them but this song makes me want to check out more.
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Reply #4 posted 01/16/23 8:29am

RJOrion

Some of the then new songs on History are criminally underrated.

Scream
This Time Around
2 Bad
Strangers In Moscow
Tabloid Junkie
Money
History

Hearing MJ collaborate with JimmyJam & Terry Lewis should have had way more attention and accolades...Scream, History, Tabloid Junkie, and 2 Bad are great R&B songs
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Reply #5 posted 01/16/23 9:35am

ShellyMcG

RJOrion said:

Some of the then new songs on History are criminally underrated.

Scream
This Time Around
2 Bad
Strangers In Moscow
Tabloid Junkie
Money
History

Hearing MJ collaborate with JimmyJam & Terry Lewis should have had way more attention and accolades...Scream, History, Tabloid Junkie, and 2 Bad are great R&B songs


I'm with you on all those except for History. For one reason or another, that song just doesn't do it for me.
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Reply #6 posted 01/16/23 10:45am

RJOrion

HIStory LP was the first time (i think) Michael ever sang the words "fuck" and "shit" during songs, in addition to as TP mentioned, MJ referring to Jews as "kike"...

That type of uncensored lyricism WAS a relatively big deal coming from MJ in 1995
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Reply #7 posted 01/16/23 12:38pm

TrivialPursuit

avatar

ShellyMcG said:

Overall, I'm really liking History but of the 5 albums I've listened to so far, it's probably my 5th favourite. Which probably says more for the quality of the other albums than anything else.

What I'm finding so far with Michael Jackson is that his uptempo songs are all amazing. Even the ones on Dangerous and History where I can't understand a word he's saying in the verses, the choruses are super catchy and have an almost addictive quality to them. I'm not a big fan of his ballads though.

Interesting insight there regarding the Jewish slurs. It doesn't seem like a very "Michael Jackson" thing to do. I wonder what the story was behind that.


There's no real story about him using them. He's making a point about painting someone with a negative stroke.

Dangerous is probably my top MJ record. The whole first side of New Jack Swing, which I enjoy.
The second half is a wide variety of genres, from ballads, gospel, pop, some rap, rock n' roll, etc. The whole second side (from "Black or White" onward) is an album unto itself.

I've actually removed "Heal The World" from my tracklist, and taken out the skit before "Black or White." And while I never gravitated toward "Can't Let Her Get Away" and "She Drives Me Wild," they're in there, and I don't mind them. "Why You Wanna Trip On Me" is one of my favorite songs on there, as well as "Keep The Faith."

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #8 posted 01/16/23 2:07pm

ShellyMcG

RJOrion said:

HIStory LP was the first time (i think) Michael ever sang the words "fuck" and "shit" during songs, in addition to as TP mentioned, MJ referring to Jews as "kike"...

That type of uncensored lyricism WAS a relatively big deal coming from MJ in 1995


I never even thought about the swearing. But yeah, it must have been weird to hear his say those things for those who grew up listening to his earlier music.
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Reply #9 posted 01/16/23 2:12pm

ShellyMcG

TrivialPursuit said:



ShellyMcG said:


Overall, I'm really liking History but of the 5 albums I've listened to so far, it's probably my 5th favourite. Which probably says more for the quality of the other albums than anything else.

What I'm finding so far with Michael Jackson is that his uptempo songs are all amazing. Even the ones on Dangerous and History where I can't understand a word he's saying in the verses, the choruses are super catchy and have an almost addictive quality to them. I'm not a big fan of his ballads though.

Interesting insight there regarding the Jewish slurs. It doesn't seem like a very "Michael Jackson" thing to do. I wonder what the story was behind that.


There's no real story about him using them. He's making a point about painting someone with a negative stroke.

Dangerous is probably my top MJ record. The whole first side of New Jack Swing, which I enjoy.
The second half is a wide variety of genres, from ballads, gospel, pop, some rap, rock n' roll, etc. The whole second side (from "Black or White" onward) is an album unto itself.

I've actually removed "Heal The World" from my tracklist, and taken out the skit before "Black or White." And while I never gravitated toward "Can't Let Her Get Away" and "She Drives Me Wild," they're in there, and I don't mind them. "Why You Wanna Trip On Me" is one of my favorite songs on there, as well as "Keep The Faith."



Heal The World, Earth Song, Black Or White etc are definitely big skippers for me. I'm with you on the majority of Dangerous though. Some very good songs on there. Who Is It is probably my favourite but Remember The Time, Why You Wanna Trip On Me and She Drives Me Wild (sorry) are right up there for me.
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Reply #10 posted 01/16/23 2:16pm

RJOrion

ShellyMcG said:

RJOrion said:

HIStory LP was the first time (i think) Michael ever sang the words "fuck" and "shit" during songs, in addition to as TP mentioned, MJ referring to Jews as "kike"...

That type of uncensored lyricism WAS a relatively big deal coming from MJ in 1995


I never even thought about the swearing. But yeah, it must have been weird to hear his say those things for those who grew up listening to his earlier music.


100%...Jackson 5/The Jacksons fans...and fans of Off The Wall, Thriller, and Bad, were shocked and somewhat intrigued by Mike's sudden displays of overt anger...we had to rewind them joints to be sure we were hearing what we thought we heard forreal....i loved it...
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Reply #11 posted 01/16/23 7:49pm

thesexofit

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I love all his music but "Scream" isn't one of my favs. Great album opener, great video, great production but ? Its all production and little melody (by MJ standards) which reminds me of another track Jam/Lewis did for Lionel Ritchie around this time called "I wanna take you dowin".

Still, was a great pairing and it worked at the time. Getting Janet to team up with Michael after the 93 allegations was a much safer pill to unleash than a solo effort. Credit to Janet for being game as I bet a few of her advisers woulda been against it. So glad this duet exists though. I love the asian guitar twangy thingy on the break LOL

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Reply #12 posted 01/16/23 7:56pm

thesexofit

avatar

As we are talking "History", glad to see the rise of "They don't care about us" over the years. "Scream" is typical media bashing which is fine but the latter is just gut wrenching autobiography. Much better song.

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Reply #13 posted 01/17/23 1:08am

ShellyMcG

RJOrion said:

ShellyMcG said:



I never even thought about the swearing. But yeah, it must have been weird to hear his say those things for those who grew up listening to his earlier music.


100%...Jackson 5/The Jacksons fans...and fans of Off The Wall, Thriller, and Bad, were shocked and somewhat intrigued by Mike's sudden displays of overt anger...we had to rewind them joints to be sure we were hearing what we thought we heard forreal....i loved it...


Without wanting to get dragged into THAT conversation, if we look at things from his point of view, he had every reason to be angry. So it would have been even weirder if he'd just continued releasing the same kind of thing he'd always done and not acknowledged a lot of the stuff that was being said about him.
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Reply #14 posted 01/17/23 1:11am

ShellyMcG

thesexofit said:

As we are talking "History", glad to see the rise of "They don't care about us" over the years. "Scream" is typical media bashing which is fine but the latter is just gut wrenching autobiography. Much better song.



In terms of lyrical content, maybe Scream is not as good as some others on there. But I can't really understand what he's saying most of the time so I only really judge it on what it's like to listen to lol
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Reply #15 posted 01/17/23 1:56am

RJOrion

ShellyMcG said:

RJOrion said:



100%...Jackson 5/The Jacksons fans...and fans of Off The Wall, Thriller, and Bad, were shocked and somewhat intrigued by Mike's sudden displays of overt anger...we had to rewind them joints to be sure we were hearing what we thought we heard forreal....i loved it...


Without wanting to get dragged into THAT conversation, if we look at things from his point of view, he had every reason to be angry. So it would have been even weirder if he'd just continued releasing the same kind of thing he'd always done and not acknowledged a lot of the stuff that was being said about him.


Well said... when Mike sang, "Stop fuckin wit' me.." on Scream, you can tell Mike meant that shit.
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Reply #16 posted 01/17/23 6:49am

leecaldon

ShellyMcG said:

TrivialPursuit said:

They don't need to do more collaborations. Being such huge names, they only need to do it once. That keeps it special and unique. The Flyte Tyme remix is great, and samples "Thank You" by Sly, so it harkens to "Rhythm Nation" a lot that way.

I'm not sure how I feel about HIStory even after all this time. It sorta feels as chaotic as his life was at the time, so int hat regard I guess that's reflective of who he was then.

I think "Stranger in Moscow" is way too slow or sparse. The melody is overly simplisitic, spartan, not in an artistic way. "HIStory" is a mess. It's part "Morphine" and part whatthefuckever.

I could revisit it, but I remember never listened to it very much over the years. It wasn't as cohesive as other records from him. But, it rates higher than Invincible.

I remember when "Scream" came out, Janet's vocal was mixed really low. She called MJ about it and they redid it a bit on subsequent releases. She had said (maybe in her documentary) that it was fine when she listened to it in the studio, but it was changed before release.

I also remember the Jewish slurs in "They Don't Care About Us" getting a lot of attention, and were subsequently sorta covered up. So if folks ever find a copy of HIStory to buy, listen to that song first. If those words don't have a sound fx over them, you have a first pressing.

By the way, the best part of the "Scream" video is Janet flipping the bird, and her standing over the toilet like she's got a dick, pissing standing up. I thought that was so ballsy at that point for her and in general when a lot of music and videos had gotten muddled and neutralized.

Overall, I'm really liking History but of the 5 albums I've listened to so far, it's probably my 5th favourite. Which probably says more for the quality of the other albums than anything else. What I'm finding so far with Michael Jackson is that his uptempo songs are all amazing. Even the ones on Dangerous and History where I can't understand a word he's saying in the verses, the choruses are super catchy and have an almost addictive quality to them. I'm not a big fan of his ballads though. Interesting insight there regarding the Jewish slurs. It doesn't seem like a very "Michael Jackson" thing to do. I wonder what the story was behind that. Yeah, that Scream video is great. And like I said, Janet's vocals are fantastic. I've probably heard maybe 3 or 4 Janet Jackson songs in my life and didn't like most of them but this song makes me want to check out more.

I agree that his choruses were super catchy in this period, but the verses weren't quite as strong (Tabloid Junkie being a great example). That was to carry on with his last couple of albums, especially the title track to Blood on the Dancefloor.

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Reply #17 posted 01/17/23 9:47am

ShellyMcG

leecaldon said:



ShellyMcG said:


TrivialPursuit said:

They don't need to do more collaborations. Being such huge names, they only need to do it once. That keeps it special and unique. The Flyte Tyme remix is great, and samples "Thank You" by Sly, so it harkens to "Rhythm Nation" a lot that way.

I'm not sure how I feel about HIStory even after all this time. It sorta feels as chaotic as his life was at the time, so int hat regard I guess that's reflective of who he was then.

I think "Stranger in Moscow" is way too slow or sparse. The melody is overly simplisitic, spartan, not in an artistic way. "HIStory" is a mess. It's part "Morphine" and part whatthefuckever.

I could revisit it, but I remember never listened to it very much over the years. It wasn't as cohesive as other records from him. But, it rates higher than Invincible.

I remember when "Scream" came out, Janet's vocal was mixed really low. She called MJ about it and they redid it a bit on subsequent releases. She had said (maybe in her documentary) that it was fine when she listened to it in the studio, but it was changed before release.

I also remember the Jewish slurs in "They Don't Care About Us" getting a lot of attention, and were subsequently sorta covered up. So if folks ever find a copy of HIStory to buy, listen to that song first. If those words don't have a sound fx over them, you have a first pressing.

By the way, the best part of the "Scream" video is Janet flipping the bird, and her standing over the toilet like she's got a dick, pissing standing up. I thought that was so ballsy at that point for her and in general when a lot of music and videos had gotten muddled and neutralized.



Overall, I'm really liking History but of the 5 albums I've listened to so far, it's probably my 5th favourite. Which probably says more for the quality of the other albums than anything else. What I'm finding so far with Michael Jackson is that his uptempo songs are all amazing. Even the ones on Dangerous and History where I can't understand a word he's saying in the verses, the choruses are super catchy and have an almost addictive quality to them. I'm not a big fan of his ballads though. Interesting insight there regarding the Jewish slurs. It doesn't seem like a very "Michael Jackson" thing to do. I wonder what the story was behind that. Yeah, that Scream video is great. And like I said, Janet's vocals are fantastic. I've probably heard maybe 3 or 4 Janet Jackson songs in my life and didn't like most of them but this song makes me want to check out more.


I agree that his choruses were super catchy in this period, but the verses weren't quite as strong (Tabloid Junkie being a great example). That was to carry on with his last couple of albums, especially the title track to Blood on the Dancefloor.



Blood On The Dancefloor is my new favourite song!!! Ok, so maybe that's going a bit too far, but I really really love that song. Plus I'm really liking the red suit in the video.
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Reply #18 posted 01/17/23 12:55pm

TrivialPursuit

avatar

ShellyMcG said:

"Blood On The Dance Floor" is my new favourite song!!! Ok, so maybe that's going a bit too far, but I really really love that song. Plus I'm really liking the red suit in the video.


I listen to that at least a couple of times a month.

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #19 posted 01/17/23 4:12pm

thesexofit

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The track "Blood on the dancefloor" would make my top 5 MJ songs. I love it. The tough vocals on the verses, that killer bridge with that funky guitar and then a classic MJ chorus. Rumours say there is an original version as it was a "dangerous" outtake. Bboy87 would know more LOL.

I swear Teddy Riley said at the time of release he was annoyed at MJ as he woulda remixed it for 1997. Its perfect the way it is though it flopped in America and is never played in England.

The Tony Moran remix wass great too.

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Reply #20 posted 01/17/23 6:42pm

LoveGalore

BOTDF is a great song. Wish it was a full album.
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Reply #21 posted 01/17/23 8:29pm

bluegangsta

avatar

TrivialPursuit said:

I remember when "Scream" came out, Janet's vocal was mixed really low. She called MJ about it and they redid it a bit on subsequent releases. She had said (maybe in her documentary) that it was fine when she listened to it in the studio, but it was changed before release.

There have been no revisions in the mixing of Scream since it was initially released.

Always cry 4 love, never cry 4 pain.
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Reply #22 posted 01/18/23 1:58am

leecaldon

bluegangsta said:

TrivialPursuit said:

I remember when "Scream" came out, Janet's vocal was mixed really low. She called MJ about it and they redid it a bit on subsequent releases. She had said (maybe in her documentary) that it was fine when she listened to it in the studio, but it was changed before release.

There have been no revisions in the mixing of Scream since it was initially released.

Yes, I'd never heard about this mixing issue before - would be interested to see any links on it.

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Reply #23 posted 01/18/23 2:02am

leecaldon

ShellyMcG said:

leecaldon said:

I agree that his choruses were super catchy in this period, but the verses weren't quite as strong (Tabloid Junkie being a great example). That was to carry on with his last couple of albums, especially the title track to Blood on the Dancefloor.

Blood On The Dancefloor is my new favourite song!!! Ok, so maybe that's going a bit too far, but I really really love that song. Plus I'm really liking the red suit in the video.

This was the first time MJ released something that was a 'surprise' in decades. To release another album (of sorts) while still touring the previous one was not part of his normal strategy. I wonder what the thinking was behind it.

BOTDF was also another UK #1 for him, making this period of 95-97 his most successful in terms of hitting the top of the UK charts.

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Reply #24 posted 01/18/23 3:36am

TrivialPursuit

avatar

bluegangsta said:

TrivialPursuit said:

I remember when "Scream" came out, Janet's vocal was mixed really low. She called MJ about it and they redid it a bit on subsequent releases. She had said (maybe in her documentary) that it was fine when she listened to it in the studio, but it was changed before release.

There have been no revisions in the mixing of Scream since it was initially released.


Not what's been said.

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #25 posted 01/18/23 9:11am

MrSharon

Somebody please have mercy be ause I just can't take this!
I love the history album.it is my favorite MJ album
Also a big fan of the music video.I remember when it was first released it was the most expensive music video ever made
I have always what animated show is featured in the music video with the character screaming?? I always thought it was Dragonball z but I don't think so

In lifetime Janet Jackson documentary that was put out a few years ago there is a footage of MJ and Janet in a hotel room writing the song together
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Reply #26 posted 01/18/23 10:30am

ShellyMcG

MrSharon said:

Somebody please have mercy be ause I just can't take this!
I love the history album.it is my favorite MJ album
Also a big fan of the music video.I remember when it was first released it was the most expensive music video ever made
I have always what animated show is featured in the music video with the character screaming?? I always thought it was Dragonball z but I don't think so

In lifetime Janet Jackson documentary that was put out a few years ago there is a footage of MJ and Janet in a hotel room writing the song together


I'm told that the anime shown in the video is a show called "Zillion" and that there is also a clip of the movie "Akira". I don't know how accurate this is but I trust the girl who told me because I don't think there's anything about Michael Jackson that she doesn't know.
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Reply #27 posted 01/18/23 11:33am

StrangeButTrue

avatar

Have u guys heard Red Astaire's They Don't Care its pretty good

https://www.youtube.com/w...toSShw9jY8

if it was just a dream, call me a dreamer 2
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Reply #28 posted 01/18/23 12:44pm

nayroo2002

avatar

TrivialPursuit said:

ShellyMcG said:

"Blood On The Dance Floor" is my new favourite song!!! Ok, so maybe that's going a bit too far, but I really really love that song. Plus I'm really liking the red suit in the video.


I listen to that at least a couple of times a month.

blood on any floor should only happen once a month

"Whatever skin we're in
we all need 2 b friends"
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Reply #29 posted 01/18/23 12:55pm

RJOrion

nayroo2002 said:



TrivialPursuit said:




ShellyMcG said:


"Blood On The Dance Floor" is my new favourite song!!! Ok, so maybe that's going a bit too far, but I really really love that song. Plus I'm really liking the red suit in the video.


I listen to that at least a couple of times a month.



blood on any floor should only happen once a month





falloff
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