There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” features, I can average their ratings into one mega-score and place them in a pantheon alongside other acts.
As always, this feature has some rules of its own. I’m including any “Song Review” ratings as part of this graph, including Japanese releases and collaborations with one other artist. I’m not including Buried Treasures or solo/sub-unit releases. For the ratings themselves, I’m using the most current number on this blog, so if a song was part of a “Risers and Fallers” or “Legendary Songs Inauguration” post, that’s the rating you’ll see displayed here. That means there will still be a few ratings here and there I find slightly inaccurate, but it’ll mostly reflect my up-to-date feelings.
Finally, these scores are completely subjective. Feel free to agree, disagree and argue (that’s part of the fun!), but know that this chart reflects the opinion of only one person (me).
Check out TWICE’s placement on the ULTIMATE ARTIST RANKING page!
TWICE: A Career In Song Ratings
The Breakdown
Highest Rated Songs
Lowest Rated Songs
Imperial Phases
Like Ooh-Aah -> Knock Knock (2015-2017)
Slump Phases
None
Rating Average: 8.06
Overall Trendline:
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Nick, what do you think of the NMIXX highlight medley?
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Nothing really stuck out to me, but that’s pretty typical for their highlight medleys. I often find them difficult to parse because the actual songs end up sounding quite different than the previews.
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fancy only being a 8.75 even though it was top 20, and feel special is a 9 now even tho it was around the bottom half..time rlly does change lol
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*top 50 of 2019 to clarify
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i’m quite shocked how CONSISTENT the slope is despite being an active group for 10+ years..
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Or maybe because they are an active group for 10 years they are so consistent. JYP just know what Twice was and is and will be all about, and are just going with it. The girls also had a role in this as they are one of the hardest working groups in kpop. There were some years when they had so many comebacks, it was crazy.
Anyway, I have played Knock Knock over over more more, imagining an alt-dance on roller skates, and bopping along. The harmonies are also great and easy to sing along with.
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I was just coming here to say this. I’m so impressed at how they’ve stayed so high for so long. I feel the overall ranking of 8.06 doesn’t capture that achievement.
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Yes, this is the unlikely case where a steady 8.06 is more impressive than a higher-rated act with a bunch of clunkers and a couple of classics.
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Sorry if this comment makes you uncomfortable but is the picture on your profile of you? If that is the case, you’re a very handsome lad.
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Haha yes, but it’s me about a decade ago. People still think I’m in my 20s, though, so I’m hoping I haven’t changed too much!
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wait, can I ask how old you are if that’s okay? Because when I realized that was you in profile, I thought you were in your mid 20’s, but at the same time you’ve been doing this blog for 10+ years (not to mention how you used to have another blog before that)
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42, which perfectly matches my status as a TWS fan lol
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that’s really you!!! I thought it was some Indie artist or something.
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In general, my favorite period for Twice is that initial phase, roughly their first 7 singles. And I’ve always loved BDZ – maybe it’s my favorite song by them? Or wait, when Cheer Up begins, I always think, *This* is my favorite Twice song! (Something about it reminds me of ’50s space age bachelor pad music and exotica, particularly Martin Denny’s classic albums. I’ll bet no one here knows that I’m talking ’bout, lol.) In recent years, Alcohol Free’s my favorite – an unpopular opinion, I’m sure!:)
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I Can’t Stop Me is still their crowning jewel for me! Though it’s also wild to see how Fancy and Feel Special are within the first half of their releases…I still mentally group these songs as “modern Twice” since it marked the start of their successful concept maturation but we’re farther away from I Can’t Stop Me than it is away from their debut!
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top 6 title track for me: Fancy, I can’t stop me, Talk that talk, Feel Special, Yes or Yes and Likey. Anyway their quality of music is so stable, though after their contract renewal I barely found any song better than Talk that talk and Strategy. They are one of the kpoppest ggs in my heart, if someone asked me who can represent Kpop then Twice is always the right answer.
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I’m surprised I thought they would have had at least a couple of 10s with all their hits
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It’s just a matter of personal taste in this case. I like a lot of their songs and appreciate how huge and culturally significant they are, but for an iconic song to be rated a “10” it also needs to be something I’ve played a crazy amount of times and actively seek out often.
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How often would you say you listen to a 10 rated song vs a 9 rated song? I can’t tell it my standards are wonky for my taste but I’m an intense looper and a what I’d deem to be a 10 might be something I sporadically loop if i happen to hear it, vs a 9 being excited to listen to it but not instinctively the craving to loop it again
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TWICE!!!!!!!!!
The fact they’ve kept a steady rating with the amount of songs they have speaks a lot for their discography. TWICE is my favorite k-pop group, all of their title tracks are a hit to me, really catchy and fun songs and their evolution and consistency is so wonderful to see ❤
Wake Me Up still being that low though is criminal hahaha. Guess that’s their fromis_9 Fun! for you 😛
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I just noticed you didn’t do SNSD/2ne1 😲. are you planning on doing those soon
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Definitely, but they take longer since I haven’t rated many of their singles yet so older groups will be doled out more sparingly for now.
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Thank you for the clarification!
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btw what are your thoughts on janet jackson’s early singles, the ones pre-control? asking for a friend
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They’re pretty inessential, to be honest. The songs are polished and enjoyable, but they’re just not *her* so it all feels a bit anonymous. I’ve always liked “Come Give Your Love to Me,” though! (And “Say You Do” is very MJ Off The Wall era which is of course fun)
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when i did my own michael jackson singles ranking, i decided to leave out his motown singles in favor of his post-motown era, which is where his legendary singles come from, the motown singles are fine but like you said they feel anonymous and they’re not representative of what he would release in the future
just wondering if i were to do my janet ranking i should do the same, separating those early singles from her legend ranking
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Depends on if you’re ranking every single or just your favorites, I guess. Only one pre-Control song (Dream Street) has an mv. A few songs from her debut album charted, though.
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I’m genuinely surprised to see Fancy at just 8.75, it’s such a perfect pop song. A career highlight in my view.
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Just how steady and consistent they have been is a huge achievement in itself. I enjoy most of their tracks, old and new all the same.
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I started listening to K-pop before TWICE debuted but they became the greatest K-pop group of all time for me. They are different from any group out there. I feel many of their songs are rated too low.
I always enjoyed this:
“Internationally, Twice’s notable bubblegum pop sound and distinctive choreography has led to the group receiving recognition by Time magazine as among the stand-out groups in K-pop. With much of K-pop’s success in the United States being attributed to most Korean acts employing either hip-hop or EDM as their sonic base, Billboardvhas noted the success of Twice in making their bubblegum sound attract Western appeal, following the group’s release of their song “Dance The Night Away”.”
There are some great clips on YouTube discussing TWICE like this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT012mk6FPk
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I also like this one about how TWICE beat the seven year curse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etoHmGbBbUE
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im so happy i got to see them in concert!! they are such a special group and one of my absolute favorites. their first couple years are so iconic and nostalgic for me i’d honestly give everything from 2015-2018 a 10. cheer up is my favorite title overall and talk that talk is my favorite from the last couple years so i’m glad to see them both rated highly!
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