Wikipedia:Peer review/4 Minutes (Madonna song)/archive1

4 Minutes (Madonna song)

 * A script has been used to generate a semi-automated review of the article for issues relating to grammar and house style; it can be found on the automated peer review page for July 2009.
 * A script has been used to generate a semi-automated review of the article for issues relating to grammar and house style; it can be found on the automated peer review page for July 2009.

This peer review discussion has been closed. I've listed this article for peer review because I believe this article has all the signs of being a Featured article on Wikipedia, however there can be issues with the prose since the article is quite huge. I request reviewers to scrutinize the prose and comment on what can be done to make it perfect for FA.

Thanks, --Legolas  ( talk 2 me ) 09:19, 2 July 2009 (UTC)


 * Anybody please ? --Legolas  ( talk 2 me ) 14:05, 7 July 2009 (UTC)


 * It is on the backlog (with 24 othger requests, 14 older) so someone will get to it in the next several days. Ruhrfisch &gt;&lt;&gt; &deg; &deg; 00:52, 8 July 2009 (UTC)

Brianboulton comments: This is a comprehensive and informative article. Its greatest weakness at the moment is ts prose. Sentences tend to be overlong; there are repetitions; there are redundancies; punctuation is wayward. I have been through the lead in detail and highlighted the main prose glitches. What these indicate is that the whole article needs a top-to-bottom copyedit. I don't have the time to do this myself, but another editor with experience of "song" articles might oblige.

Here are my lead points:-
 * It is not clear whether Timberlake and Timbaland, or just Timbaland, co-wrote and produced the song.
 * "from getting destroyed" is clumsy phrasing. "from destruction" would be much neater.
 * What does "instead of distracting oneself" mean? This sentence, incidentally, is far too long.
 * "Lyrically the song has a message of social awareness in it and was inspired by Madonna's witnessing of the suffering of the people of Africa". You don't need "lyrically, "in it" or one of the "ofs". Thus: "The song has a message of social awareness, and was inspired by Madonna's witnessing the suffering of the people of Africa."
 * I think "praised" is probably a better term than "appreciated", in this context
 * What is a "hooky chorus"?
 * Another overlong sentence: "Although reviewers called the song one of the most thrilling things Madonna has done in decades and one of Hard Candy's best moments, they also noticed how Madonna appeared more of a featured artist in the song than Timberlake whose vocals were compared to Michael Jackson's." It's not actually clear what point is being made here - "Madonna appeared more of a featured artist in the song than Timberlake whose vocals were compared to Michael Jackson's." What does this mean?
 * "It became Madonna's thirteenth UK number one single thus making her the female artist with the most number ones in Britain." Again, this prose is heavy-footed. Try "It became Madonna's 13th UK No. 1 single, the highest total for any female artist in the UK charts."
 * "portrayed...portrayed" in close repetition. Why not "depicted" for the second?
 * "in the end" → "finally"
 * "It was called heart-pounding" – what was? In any event, "heart-pounding" needs to be in quotes.
 * Comma required after "heart-pounding", and best refer to 'Michael Jackson's "Thriller"' (there may be a couple of recluses somewhere who need to be told that).
 * Another awkward sentence: "Madonna performed the song in the Hard Candy Promo Tour and the Sticky & Sweet Tour where it was performed as the opening song of the rave segment of the tour."  Links required for the two tour names. Lose the "performed repetition and shorten the phrasing. Thus: "Madonna performed the song in the Hard Candy Promo Tour and also in the Sticky & Sweet Tour where it was the opening song of the tour's rave segment." You might consider a link on rave, although the link article is pretty substandard.
 * Comma required after "robotic dress"
 * "...Timberlake and Timbaland appeared on the video screens, during the performance." Er, doing what?

I hope that these comments will help you to develop the article toward an eventual FA. Brianboulton (talk) 20:38, 13 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Thanks a lot Brian. --Legolas  ( talk 2 me ) 10:54, 17 July 2009 (UTC)

Anything else?

Anything else that needs to be done? Please guys, respond. I'm trying my best to push it up for FA. --Legolas ( talk 2 me ) 06:24, 23 July 2009 (UTC)