The votes have been counted and verified, and to our surprise the winner of this week’s Song Off is Cher Lloyd with ‘Want U Back’ – well done to all 553 Little Brats who voted for her!
Don’t agree with the final result? Think One Direction should have come first? Leave a comment below and let us know what YOU think.
Welcome to the greatest chart battle that might ever happen - or not, we’re not psychic y’know. Last time, Cover Drive emerged triumphant with ‘Twilight’ over Lana Del Rey and Professor Green – this time around it’s the battle of the third singles with Cher Lloyd taking on her X Factor rival One Direction’s new cut as well as Scottish chanteuse Emeli Sandé’s new tune from her debut album. But which is best? Find out who we chose below and vote for your favourite.
The contenders:
Cher Lloyd: ‘Want U Back’
One Direction: ‘One Thing’
Emeli Sandé: ‘Next To Me’
Category One: Most appeal
CL: With more naysayers and internet bullying than any of us can really justify, Cher’s had to put up with a hell of a lot more than the odd mean comment – fortunately she’s come out on top and has earned a lot of respect after the ‘Swagger Jagger’ incident.
OD: The hottest boybad in the UK (and soon the US too, if reports are believed), One Direction has a supremely loyal following (most of whom seem set on marrying their favourite member one day) and the album sales showed it, clocking in near 140k. That is a lot of Harry Styles obsessives fans out there!
ES: Emerging as one of the best new voices in the UK, Emeli’s produced an astonishingly good debut album and has won a bucketload of awards and laudits, all without garnering any noticable negative press or letting that blonde mohawk falter for even a moment.
The winner: One Direction
Category Two: Best video
CL: Coming from the rainbow and uplifting bounce of previous single vid ‘With Ur Love’, Cher keeps things brightly bratty here – freezing time to mess with her cute ex and his new blonde beau as well as reminiscing on the past. Cute, funny and that helicopter moment at the end: so bizzare it’s either genius or insane (maybe both).
OD: With their smart attire and their London bus joyriding, One Direction score a lot of points on the fan front – taking photos with fans, Niall playing the guitar, playing cutely in a park and Harry’s immaculate locks. And the Inbetweeners dance comes in – always a bonus, guys.
ES: Warehouse ahoy as Emeli plays a largely downplayed scene with just her, her piano and a drummer or two – simplistic, effective and the cut scenes with papered walls and bright colours play as cool contrasts with each other. Possibly the most American-looking video of the three – which is not a bad thing.
The winner: One Direction
Category Three: Best artwork
CL: Brighter than staring directly into the light reflecting off Simon Cowell’s teeth, the cover for ‘Want U Back’ sends a turquoise-backgrounded Cher looking tougher and simultaneously sadder than we’ve seen before – the perfect encapsulation of everything she’s about. The fact that she resembles a certain Ms. Cole in the picture doesn’t do any harm either.
OD: The boys walking along the Thames embankment - a bit tame, but with an appearance on US phenomenon iCarly in the cards, this could be the image that sparks a thousand tweenage hearts. (The digital cover is plain black by the way - no thanks).
ES: In the same vein as the monochrome covers of both previous singles and the new album, Emeli looks pensive and melancholic, but stunningly gorgeous as always. Could have been the album cover – that’s how good.
The winner: Cher Lloyd
Category Four: Best chorus
CL: Not as brattishly irritating as ‘Swagger’ but not as blissfully and surprisingly brilliant as ‘Ur Love’, the chorus skitters along on a tambourine-and-handclaps wave of ear-snagging mix that’s somewhere inbetween begging and yelling for her ex’s love.
OD: Admittedly on their strongest effort, it seems like the paler imitation of the irresistible ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ – same themes and even the same Sixties guitar-led production. Not bad by any means: just not as good as they could be.
ES: A euphoric blast of pianos and bells that has Emeli proudly proclaiming her love for whoever it is she’s extolling the virtues of – a gospel-dappled scorcher of a chorus that would sound as good at the BRITs as it would on ‘Glee’ (Amber Riley/Naya Rivera cover? Pretty please…)
The winner: Emeli Sandé
The award goes to… One Direction who beat off the competition to secure our vote for this round’s champions – but who do you think should have triumphed? Cast YOUR votes in the poll below and check back on Monday, February 20th to see who’s our official winner!
THIS POLL IS NOW CLOSED.
