Talk:Cups (song)

Lulu and the Lampshades or Anna Kendrick?
From what I've seen elsewhere on Wikipedia, standard protocol is to give the original version and artist the most prominence even when the cover is more famous. This case is a little more complicated, given that the Lulu and the Lampshades version is still technically a "cover" of the Mainers Mountaineers' original, but the changes made seem substantial enough to warrant giving Lulu and the Lampshades the top billing in this article. What seems certain is that this shouldn't be primarily credited to Anna Kendrick, given that her version is basically a carbon copy of the Lulu and the Lampshades rendition. Thoughts? (RobtheJohnson (talk) 20:26, 19 May 2013 (UTC))
 * The article is about the song, not about Mainers Mountaineers, Lulu or Kendrick, I doubt there is much verifiable info to be found about recordings by the first two, but would have no problem seeing more info about the song being added. I do note that the songwriters are not noted, who must be integral to the song, but that's another story! --Richhoncho (talk) 09:31, 26 May 2013 (UTC)

The verse lyrics were written by Luisa Gerstein in 2009, and since these new additions comprise the majority of the lyrics, Lulu and the Lampshades should be considered the primary contributor. Moreover, the verse lyrics from the A.P. Carter version were dropped from the Pitch Perfect arrangement, in favor of the 2009 Lulu verses. --(BebopPete (talk) 11:31, 27 October 2013 (UTC))

I fixed this issue. The article is now clearer about the origin of this version of the song, and deals with the primary contributor first. I am a bit concerned, though, that When I'm Gone (Carter Family song) redirects here. There had previously been a stub article on that song. Since the Carter family version came first, it seems to me that if that title redirects here, this article needs to deal with that version as the primary one. Comments?--Srleffler (talk) 06:29, 26 June 2015 (UTC)


 * I know this issue is kind of dead, but the Carter Family song is kind of the root version, and while it no longer redirects here, it is barely more than a stub. A single page that really covers all versions makes a lot more sense to me than this one having a massive page, the Carter family version barely having a page, and the Moutnaineers' version not even having a page. All these songs are in dialog with each other, why not bring it together to give a more complex and complete hisstory? Leisurely historian (talk) 14:43, 17 July 2024 (UTC)
 * (Pardon my typo, I meant to say it was the root RECORDED version.) But yeah. Leisurely historian (talk) 14:44, 17 July 2024 (UTC)

Anna Burden cover
I think it should be mentioned somewhere in the article about the cover of this song by Anna Burden. Her cover made it to the front page of Reddit. Also, Anna Kendrick got the idea to use the Cups song in the movie Pitch Perfect because of the cover by Anna Burden, so I think her cover or information about her cover warrant inclusion in this article. Andise1 (talk) 20:34, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

Letterman
Not sure if her performance on Letterman was notable or not so mentioning it here, and maybe others will find more than one sources and add it somewhere appropriate.
 * Jezebel, Anna kendrick on Letterman — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.78.203.40 (talk) 04:03, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Original Song (pre-Carter Family)
The song goes back further than this page states--it was originally written by W.H. Delehanty and T.H. Hengler in 1874. http://www.folksociety.org/2015_16/CharlotteSessions/CharlotteSessions.shtml The Carter family probably heard it via Blind Alfred Reed's early 1900s cover. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZF4gLh7gh0 SumnerH (talk) 16:43, 15 September 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
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 * Added archive http://www.webcitation.org/66T9QbjFI?url=http://nztop40.co.nz/chart/singles to http://nztop40.co.nz/chart/singles
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130604153636/http://www.riaa.com/newsitem.php?content_selector=riaa-news-gold-and-platinum&news_month_filter=5&news_year_filter=2013&id=C19496E7-CEC0-C453-D8A1-BD80E56E610F to http://www.riaa.com/newsitem.php?content_selector=riaa-news-gold-and-platinum&news_month_filter=5&news_year_filter=2013&id=C19496E7-CEC0-C453-D8A1-BD80E56E610F
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20140328195045/http://dutchcharts.nl//jaaroverzichten.asp?year=2013&cat=s to http://www.dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=2013&cat=s

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Lede
I don't know if you're still working on this article,, but I thought I'd leave some comments for you on the lede.
 * The song uses a cup game for its percussion - Beyond the song title, no explanation is proferred as to why this is significant, particularly since this is the only comment made about the music itself.
 * Kendrick first performed the song as part of her character's performance in the musical comedy Pitch Perfect (2012) - Performed/performance is repetitive. The song was first performed by Kendrick [as part of her role] in the musical comedy Pitch Perfect (2012). I don't think it is necessary to clarify that she played a character in a film, that seems obvious. The bit in brackets is optional, and I'd opt to leave it out to cut down on words expended.
 * ... Republic Records released a remix sub-titled "Pitch Perfect's When I'm Gone" as a single on ... - You could cut down on the verbiage here by rephrasing to ... Republic Records released a remixed single sub-titled "Pitch Perfect's When I'm Gone" on....
 * Both the movie and remixed versions are included on the soundtrack to Pitch Perfect - The linked article indicates that the soundtrack was released on September 25th, 2012. The remixed single was released six months later on March 26th, 2013. Something here doesn't add up. Is there more than one version of the soundtrack? are the dates provided incorrect? was the Republic Records remix made earlier but released as a stand-alone later? or have time and space collapsed?
 * The song received positive reviews on release. It reached number six on the US Billboard Hot 100, giving Kendrick her first US top-10 hit and was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It reached the top 20 on charts in Canada and the Netherlands. Its music video was directed by Pitch Perfect director Jason Moore and released in April 2013. The video depicts Kendrick working in a diner and imagining staff and customers drumming their cups with her - I have several comments about this section.
 * After the first sentence, the next three all start with 'it/s'. Needs variety.
 * Rewrite the first sentence: "Cups" received positive reviews on release. The song peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 .... I'm borrowing a stylistic choice from another FA Smells Like Teen Spirit where three of the four paragraphs start with "Smells Like Teen Spirit".
 * Suggestion, replace 'reached' with 'peaked' (i.e. it peaked at number six) as standard terminology used. Also, in the next sentence, It reached the top 20 on charts in Canada and the Netherlands I think perhaps It charted in the top 20 in Canada and the Netherlands.
 * Instead of Its music video ... perhaps The [song's] music video [for the song] .... I also dislike the 'directed by ... director' formulation, it strikes as repetitive, but it is difficult to avoid here.
 * The video depicts Kendrick working in a diner and imagining staff and customers drumming their cups with her - In it, Kendrick is depicted ... as the previous sentence establishes that the music video is being discussed it does not need repeating.
 * Kendrick performed the song on the Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. - Significance?

Those would be my comments on a first pass of the lede, though I still think there is quite a bit of work that needs to be done that I can't really assist in. The lede is - in my opinion - by far the most difficult part of an article to write (let alone to write well). I recently began to nominate an article I had worked on for FA, but pulled it before even triggering the nomination to rewrite for the third time the lede, and I'm still not satisfied with it (the first paragraph in particular is mediocre). Mr rnddude (talk) 22:23, 6 January 2021 (UTC)