The Sounds of Our Lives (formerly General Music Discussion)

[Brianne Chantal]

She released a new song with Martina McBride today. It's called "In The Basement" ...check it out below.

[Brianne Chantal]

I was never a fan of her music but I surprisingly like her new album and love her on The Voice!

[jhlipton]

Not only is she So. Darn. Cute!!!!!!! but she knows music, she knows how to talk about it, she knows how to handle multiple genres and 6 or 7 languages.

I didn't really know about her until The Voice -- now I want her in Xtina's chair full-time.

[Brianne Chantal]

Brandon Blackstock’s alleged mistress writes open letter

Brandon Blackstock’s alleged mistress has come out swinging in a new open letter penned to the music manager and husband of Kelly Clarkson, who’s expecting her first child with Brandon later this year.

As you may recall, it was back in December when rumours first surfaced about Blackstock’s wandering eye. Soon after, Brandon’s ex-wife, Melissa Ashworth, called the rumours false. However, Brandon never flat out denied the reports.

Now, a woman by the name of Justine says she has given birth to a child she claims was fathered by Blackstock, and has penned a rather scathing open letter to him, posting it on social media for the entire world to see.

“He is only 3 weeks old and already I have watched you disappoint our son repeatedly,” the letter begins. “The security that is supposed to come from a boy’s relationship with his dad will never develop because you refuse to acknowledge his existence, and my heart absolutely breaks for him. Especially knowing that you were providing for your other family.” In closing, it reads the following: “I forgive you and I forgive myself, for I have bearded my cross in front of God, and now you have to do the same. I pray that you will one day make amends and do right by our child.”

Of course this could be one big giant hoax, especially since there have been at least 3 or 4 different women come forward claiming they’d had affairs with the guy, but considering Brandon’s lack of denial, I’m led to believe that maybe, just maybe there’s an inkling of truth to these rumours after all. Besides, this isn’t the first time that allegations of cheating have been levelled against him – and you know what they say…once a cheater, always a cheater. Is Kelly Clarkson really so desperate (pregnant or not) that she has to stay with a man with such a twisted past?

http://wp.me/p4qElg-5d

[27bored]

I figure we could use one of these just to have a place to speak (and throw shade) generally.

 

I heard Demi Lovato's latest song "I Really Don't Care" today and it's kind of a cute song, but she's starting to grate. I didn't really care about her until she came out with "Skyscraper" after went to rehab for unspecified reasons (see: burgeoning drug addiction; eating disorder). I've noticed she tends to push her voice a lot, and not in the interesting way Christina does, but she always seems like she's almost straining to get her songs out. Like maybe her songs are all written a step-and-a-half too high for her range. It's hard to really appreciate the shades of her voice given that she's always on the gas pedal, so to speak.

 

And...well, I've seen her perform live a few times and she's kind of like Rihanna in that a lot of her charisma seems to fizzle when she sings live. Demi sings her pretty little head off on her records but live she's like Top 8 Performance Night: Songs From The 2000s on American Idol. Good, but a bit unpolished and amateurish.

[BizBuzz]

Thanks for starting the thread @27bored - I love general discussion threads.  ::giggle::

 

Usually during the day when I work, I turn on the soft rock station on my cable and just let it play in the background.  I get turned on to a lot of new music this way.  The latest find has been George Michael's remake of Terrence Drent D'Arby's Let Her Down Easy.  Even though Terrence's version is good, George's version is mesmerizing.  I can't believe that after 30 years of being on the music scene, his voice can give me goosebumps.  Great song.

[ramble]

I am strangely eclectic in my musical preferences. I go on jags where I only want to listen to one style or one artist & then I completely change. My iPod is a hodge podge of randomness. One of my favorite bands through thick & thin is Blue October. I stinking love them. Nostalgia wise I still love INXS. They are just like a teddy bear to me in their familiarity. One of my best friends plays & sings & occasional records his stuff & I love it, but I'm probably one of four people who have heard it. I was raised on a lot of country & Johnny Cash sounds like home to me. Due to me kiddos I've been listening to Ariana Grande & The Wanted & fortunately I don't mind them. Also as cliched & ubiquitous as Taylor Swift is I still sing along with her songs all the time. 

[Pickles Aplenty]

I've always been a big Prince fan, and a couple of weeks ago I decided to listen to every one of his albums in chronological order.  It's fascinating to hear/see how he evolved as an artist, and I'm unearthing a lot of gems I never really noticed before ("17 Days" from The Hits/The B-Sides is stuck in my head, and I love it).

 

Aside from that "project", I am listening to a lot of power pop, like  Weezer, Big Star, Squeeze, and Supergrass.  Guess I'm just a pop girl.

[GaT]

Oh good, I've been wanting to ask this question, but I couldn't find a thread for it. Does anyone else think that Ed Sheeran's song Sing sounds just like Justin Timberlake? The only songs I know from him are Lego House (meh on the song, I like the video with the Legos) & the song with Taylor Swift (which I don't like), so I thought he was one of those folky, ballad kind of singers. When I heard Sing on the radio, I thought it was Justin Timberlake. Then I saw the video & I thought that it was Justin Timberlake with Ed Sheeran until I finally realized Justin Timberlake had nothing to do with it. Did Ed Sheeran change his style? 

[Ambrosefolly]

Rest in Peace Casey Kasem. I never listen to the top 40 countdown after Ryan Seacrest took over and Shaggy wasn't quite the same either!

[sunshinelover]

She's been gaining popularity recently and it seems like everyone either loves her or hates her...Personally I love her retro style and haunting sound.

[Rick Kitchen]

RIP, Gerry Goffin.  Carole King's first husband, and one of the most prolific of song writers.  He wrote 59 Top 40 hits.

[twilightzone]

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/behind-the-light/id860371899

 

Love, love Phillip Phillip's new CD, Behind The Light!

[CrazyDog]

I'm going to use this thread to finally admit to liking her music. I can understand why people don't like her, though the hate seems somewhat over the top. But after seeing her horrendous performance on SNL, I looked her up out of curiosity, and came across a lot of the stuff she did as Lizzy Grant...and I like quite a bit of it. I'm not sure what I think about Ultraviolence yet though.

[JTMacc99]

Wow. Paul's Boutique turns 25. It really was a great album.

[BizBuzz]

I have seen Billy Joel 3 times in concert. One of the best times was a dual concert with Elton John. There isn't anything quite like seeing two legendary piano players on stage at the same time.

I was just a kid when Billy first started, but my teenage angst years were filled with songs from The Stranger, and made them a bit easier to bear.

My first marriage was in 1981, and my first gift from husband to be while we were dating was the Glass Houses album.

What's your Billy Joel story?

[LuckyBitch]

I have seen Billy Joel 3 times in concert. One of the best times was a dual concert with Elton John. There isn't anything quite like seeing two legendary piano players on stage at the same time.

 

I was going to say the exact same thing! They were terrific together.

 

Back in the early  to mid 80's, I knew someone who had a striking resemblance to Billy Joel. He actually fooled some people in bars a couple of times back then. People would ask if he was Billy Joel and his friends would try to pretend like he just wanted to be left alone, and then people would get more interested in is that really him? It was pretty funny.

Edited August 3, 2014 by LuckyBitch

[BizBuzz]

Where did you see them @LuckyBitch ? I saw them in Hawaii in an outdoor stadium ... It was a gorgeous night that added so much to the experience. I was mesmerized with the both of them!

So, curious ... has anyone seen this?

Just a moment you go awwwwww:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pttf5RPXBmc

[photo fox]

Wow, what a thrill for that kid!

I'd love to see Billy Joel in concert. I've watched his Shea Stadium show on PBS probably a hundred times.

I'm really too young to have been a fan in his first run - I was born the year The Stranger was released. I became a Billy fan because of my brother, but totally unintentionally on his part. He had one of those Columbia House memberships, where they sent you # albums a month and you had to return them if you didn't like them, which of course he never bothered to do. He preferred harder rock stuff, but this kid sister did her best to wear out Billy's Greatest Hits Volume I & II. I still put it on sometimes when I visit my parents, even though it's scratched to hell now. (Ah, vinyl, how I miss thee!)

[OnceSane]

I've been a BIlly Joel fan for years.  But I've only seen him in concert once during his River of Dreams tour.  My whole family went to the show.  & my sisters & I had to canvass (protesting a measure cutting school funding) before we were allowed to get in line for tickets with my mom. The concert was freakin' awesome.  & now my son likes to do his dances to Billy Joel.  Hell, even my bf is sold on him. 

[LuckyBitch]

@BizBuzz, great video. Thanks for posting it.

 

I'm trying to remember whether I saw them together at Madison Square Garden or in NJ. Throughout the late 80's to about the mid to late 90's, I went to several Billy Joel concerts at MSG and also at Giants Stadium in NJ. I also saw him once at Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. 

[Shannon L.]

I've loved Billy Joel for a long time.  I was lucky enough to see him in concert a number of years ago and I had a great time.  My husband listens to more than I do, though--I tend to stick to mostly the radio releases, he listens to whole albums.  But, it's because of him that I've found other great songs that weren't released on the radio and because of the two of us, our kids can sing along to most of them.  Our 13 year old daughter loves Italian Restaurant and I just love listening to her sing along.

[ExplainItAgain]

I love Billy Joel, thanks to my mom. I grew up in the 80s and she would put on Billy Joel, blast it and we would clean the house. It was always Billy Joel or Barry Manilow; consequently I love both as they remind me of dancing around while washing windows and sweeping floors!

 

I've seen Billy Joel in concert only once - we had terrible seats. The people next to us were the lucky ones to get upgraded to the front row by answering a Billy Joel question (I think he does this at all his concerts?). The concert was great though.

[Kromm]

Excluding Weird Al, since he has his own topic here.

 

 

 

[spaceytraci1208]

Ooh, I've got one! Not sure how many are familiar with Tom Joyner's radio show, but one of the co-hosts, Jay Anthony Brown now and then will do a parody of a song in a segment he calls "Jay Murders The Hits." By far, my favorite that I've heard is his parody of Jermaine Jackson's "Don't Take It Personal"...he even did a video for it! Enjoy :D

 

[VCRTracking]

Kelly and Brandon take the ALS Ice Bucket challenge(she was challenged by Reba McEntire) and the results were expected as they were hilarious. SMH at people commenting on her weight. She just had a baby two months ago! (Anyway she's got a nice house):

 

https://www.facebook.com/kellyclarkson?hc_location=timeline

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1P_hDM2lao

[Bastet]

People have been commenting on her weight ever since she came into the public eye, even though she has never looked anything other than healthy to me.  She has always had a great attitude about it in the press, and I hope that reflects reality because no matter how much one knows it's all bullshit, it has to be hard to hear that crap over and over again. 

[aradia22]

I decided to make a thread to discuss songs that sound awfully similar, past/present charges of plagiarism, and grumpy comments about how all pop music today sounds the same anyway.

 

I'll kick it off with something I'm curious about. For anyone who is a lawyer or involved in a legal profession, what kind of credentials do the judges need to decide plagiarism and copyright cases? Do they have to take music theory? If not, how are they expected to accurately judge the similarity of two pieces of music?

[aradia22]

I think my first glimpse of Lana Del Ray was in an issue of Vogue where she just had a small blurb. She was wearing a flower crown. I can't remember if that was before or after they played Video Games in an episode of Gossip Girl.

 

Then I saw her on SNL, promptly rolled my eyes and lost any desire to listen to her music.

 

Then her songs started to appear on my Pandora radio stations. I got Spotify listened to her albums and fell in love with her sound. Paradise and Born to Die are real albums. I enjoy almost every song. Ultraviolence doesn't work as well for me. There are some songs I like but too much of the album just doesn't make an impact. The lyrics aren't as strong and the music packs less of a punch.

[AimingforYoko]

My favorite case of course has to be when Fantasy Records sued John Fogerty for plagiarizing himself. Due to a bad record deal, Fantasy Records owned the rights to all the Creedence Clearwater Revival songs. So when John recorded "The Old Man Down The Road" for his solo record Centerfield, Fantasy contended it was a ripoff of the CCR hit "Run Through The Jungle". John won the case.

If not, how are they expected to accurately judge the similarity of two pieces of music?

In this case, Fogerty played the two pieces live for the judge.

[spaceytraci1208]

I've got one I've been wanting to get off my chest since college and I think this is the right place to do it lol. For Christina Aguilera's album "Stripped", Alicia Keys "wrote" a song called "Impossible". Loved it when I heard it...then I happened to be listening to Aretha Franklin's "Ain't No Way" and dammit if it ain't the same song with some word replacement!

 

Impossible:

 

Ain't No Way:

 

 

Thoughts?

[Jeebus Cripes]

^^^ First time listening to both tracks, and they do sound alike.

 

I'm always hearing chord progressions or beats that sound like other songs, but now that it comes time to think of any... I'm drawing a blank. I'll have to come back later.

[BizBuzz]

Ya'll remember the thing with George Harrison and My Sweet Lord vs He's So Fine?  That litigation lasted for almost a decade.

 

I always thought Locked Out of Heaven (Bruno Mars) reminded me of Roxanne (Police).

[GaT]

When they both start, I still can't tell the difference between Sara Bareilles's Brave & Katy Perry's Roar. Not to mention the themes are pretty much the same thing.

 

[aradia22]

 

 

If not, how are they expected to accurately judge the similarity of two pieces of music?

In this case, Fogerty played the two pieces live for the judge.

Right but I'm not sure if any lay person is qualified to judge the similarity of two pieces of music. What's the difference between 

and 

and plagiarizing things note for note or altering the music slightly by transposing it up or changing the rhythm a little? I guess the burden of proof would be on the defendant and the person making the claim. Maybe they present the judge with the sheet music.

[aradia22]

I think the Brave/Roar thing doesn't bother me because I like them both and Brave really isn't one of her better songs. 

[Ankai]

I am not a big Tom Petty fan, so I heard "Won't Back Down" only a couple of weeks ago. Or maybe I had heard it before and just forgot it. In any case, when I heard it on the radio, my first thought was that Sam Smith ripped off that song big time. And many actual Tom Petty fans feel the same way. Has Sam Smith talked about paying homage in interviews or anything?

[Tabbyclaw]

Y'all may enjoy the "Similar Song Clips" quiz series on Sporcle: 1 2 3 4

[aradia22]

The Chuck Berry/Beach Boys one is called out in the movie Cadillac Records but it never gets resolved (in the movie).

[aradia22]

Stuck in the Middle With You sounds a lot like All I Wanna Do to me. Then again, I've never really liked Sheryl Crow to begin with.

 

Some Nights sounds different enough from Cecilia that I wouldn't be surprised if it was influenced by it but it doesn't seem like a ripoff.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Heard one that was alike (at least at the beginning of the song):

 

 

Vanilla Ice's take...

 

 

The original by Queen

[AimingforYoko]

Well, sampling is a whole 'nother can of worms, because that's not plagiarism, that's lifting a part of the actual previously recorded song. Rap had to go through some growing pains on that one and now gives credit where credit is due (in most cases).

[aradia22]

I'm conflicted about sampling. On the one hand, a lot of songs I like are covers or use samples. On the other hand, sometimes I think I like a song (or at least think of it more favorably) because it sounds like another song. And it's usually with groups that don't have a ton of credibility to begin with. For example, there's the Rixton song that is all over the place and One Direction is guilty of this a lot. What Makes You Beautiful is Summer Nights from Grease. I can't remember if their other song uses a song from The Who in its entirety or if it just uses the same beginning.

[Jeebus Cripes]

Ya'll remember the thing with George Harrison and My Sweet Lord vs He's So Fine?  That litigation lasted for almost a decade.

 

Who sings "He's So Fine?"

 

Well, sampling is a whole 'nother can of worms, because that's not plagiarism, that's lifting a part of the actual previously recorded song. Rap had to go through some growing pains on that one and now gives credit where credit is due (in most cases).

 

Didn't Vanilla Ice's stupid ass claim he didn't sample "Under Pressure?" I remember seeing an interview with him where he vehemently denied that it was the same baseline. Fooligan.

 

Here's one that I remember hearing and thinking "Wait a minute...!"

 

The guitar bit at around the 1:00 mark

 

Is basically this guitar bit at the 0:18 mark

[BetterButter]

[Shannon L.]

 

Didn't Vanilla Ice's stupid ass claim he didn't sample "Under Pressure?" I remember seeing an interview with him where he vehemently denied that it was the same baseline. Fooligan.

He sure did.  He even sung the difference (using "ding, ding, ding" for the notes) and there was one note that was different--in Under Pressure, the notes sound like they stay the same until the last one which goes down to a lower note.  In Ice, Ice, Baby, one of the middle notes goes high, then they go low again.  It's very subtle, but he used it in the "it's not the same thing" defense.

 

I'm not a musician or singer, so my apologies for not knowing the exact terminology.   

Edited August 31, 2014 by Shannon L.

[spaceytraci1208]

He sure did. He even sung the difference (using "ding, ding, ding" for the notes) and there was one note that was different--in Under Pressure, the notes sound like they stay the same until the last one which goes down to a lower note. In Ice, Ice, Baby, the second to last note goes high, then low again. It's very subtle, but he used it in the "it's not the same thing" defense.

I'm not a musician or singer, so my apologies for not knowing the exact terminology.

Don't apologize! Vanilla clearly didn't know the terminology either ;)

[Jeebus Cripes]

An awesome song, but let's not kid ourselves.

 

[Bastet]

For anyone who is a lawyer or involved in a legal profession, what kind of credentials do the judges need to decide plagiarism and copyright cases? Do they have to take music theory? If not, how are they expected to accurately judge the similarity of two pieces of music?

 

No, just like judges and jurors are not required to attend med school in order to preside over/decide a medical malpractice case.  They'll hear expert witness testimony and such as evidence.

Edited September 1, 2014 by Bastet

[BizBuzz]

Who sings "He's So Fine?"

It was The Chiffon's, and was written by Ronald Mack.

 

Here is a video that highlights the two songs: