Unpopular Opinions about Music

[UYI]

I like Black Widow, too.

And I even kind of liked Iggy's song "Team", which came out last year, and I find her friendship with Demi Lovato oddly endearing. 

[Blergh]

I've never understood why (posthumously) Janis Joplin has been endlessly hailed as the Female Voice of the 60's instead of Cass Elliot? I mean, IMO, Cass Elliot had a much more textured, subtle and  richer voice and could adapt herself to an infinite variety of styles while it was was Rock and Blues  only for  Miss Joplin. I guess I'm saying I can take or leave Miss Joplin's songs okay( yes, even "Me and Bobby McGee") whereas I adore virtually everything Cass Elliot ever sang in except those Mamas&Papas tunes where they stupidly decided to shunt her to a virtual nonentity.

Edited June 20, 2017 by Blergh
clarity

[truthaboutluv]

On 5/13/2017 at 11:12 PM, SerenityInSpace said:

James Blunt is highly underrated and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise.

Ok, I won't. I have the arm strength of a noodle.

I can't believe I missed this comment. I absolutely agree and I am especially over all the "too cool for school" people who now try to act like You're Beautiful was the most awful song ever, like they weren't fully bawling their eyes and singing loudly to it back in the day. I feel like it's now become the cool thing to hate on James Blunt and act like his songs were the cheesiest thing every and I call bullshit on that. Goodbye My Lover came up on my shuffle some months ago and damn if that song still doesn't get me. 

[Wiendish Fitch]

On 6/17/2017 at 10:25 PM, Blergh said:

I've never understood why (posthumously) Janis Joplin has been endlessly hailed as the Female Voice of the 60's instead of Cass Elliot? I mean, IMO, Cass Elliot had a much more textured, subtle and  richer voice and could adapt herself to an infinite variety of styles while it was was Rock and Blues  only for  Miss Joplin. I guess I'm saying I can take or leave Miss Joplin's songs okay( yes, even "Me and Bobby McGee") whereas I adore virtually everything Cass Elliot ever sang in except those Mamas&Papas tunes where they stupidly decided to shunt her to a virtual nonentity.

Her rendition of "Dream a Little Dream" is the quintessential version, IMO. 

Love the Mamas and Papas, though I think "Creeque Alley" has it all over the dreadfully overplayed "California Dreamin'".

[proserpina65]

On ‎07‎/‎15‎/‎2017 at 7:26 PM, truthaboutluv said:

I can't believe I missed this comment. I absolutely agree and I am especially over all the "too cool for school" people who now try to act like You're Beautiful was the most awful song ever, like they weren't fully bawling their eyes and singing loudly to it back in the day. I feel like it's now become the cool thing to hate on James Blunt and act like his songs were the cheesiest thing every and I call bullshit on that. Goodbye My Lover came up on my shuffle some months ago and damn if that song still doesn't get me. 

I absolutely adore Bonfire Heart.

[27bored]

Yeah, James Blunt is pretty underrated. "Goodbye My Lover" is a tear-jerker.

I just wanted to post that I think Drake is one of most egregious purveyors of the Madonna/Whore trope in modern music. If you listen to any song by Drake that's about love or sex, the female is either the most wonderful woman in theor she's a conniving succubus who is out to break his heart. It's very strange that so many women like Drake given how he seems to view women. Even when you look at his personal life -- which is a little judgmental, but I'm moreso talking about a pattern than anything -- Drake seems to enjoy the strippers/Hooters girls/porn stars in life.

[TrininisaScorp]

As a 80s/90s girl, I grew up on and love boybands.  My UO:  I think boybands like New Edition and NKOTB weren't just flash in the pan, corporate greed, but they really contributed to and moved along the pop music game.  Having rediscovered my love for both groups in the mid 2000s, I find myself going back to that music (NE Heartbreak and Home Again are amazing records, as are NKOTB's Hangin' Tough and Step by Step and some of their newer stuff like The Block or 10) over and over again.   I feel like I hear New Edition's influence in a great deal of modern R&B (and NO ONE touches that choreo from back in the day...see Sorry, You're Not My Kind of Girl).  Frankly, I think they were really underrated and it is nice to see them get some resurgence for their contribution to music.  With NKOTB, I think some of their music stands up beautifully today, not just the big hits like The Right Stuff or Step by Step, but the smaller ones like My Favorite Girl (check that chorus, though!) and If You Go Away.  NKOTB also really found their place in people's nostalgia and hearts since they came back together; I think the latest tour was one of the 3 highest grossing of the summer.  Much of my fav 90s music, like Boyz II Men and Jocedi and Nsync, pulled directly from the NE/NKOTB playbooks.

IMO, pretty, touching ballads like "Can You Stand the Rain" or "If You Go Away" or "Baby, I Believe in You" aren't getting radio play anymore.  

Another UO:  I HATE Hangin' Tough; it sucks. This is sacrilege for a BlockHead like me.  LOL

(B/c I'm shameless...Ralph Tresvant and Jordan Knight girl 4eva)

Edited August 9, 2017 by TrininisaScorp

[Annber03]

I like boy band music, too. I was too young for NKOTB when they originally came out, but I've heard their songs since then and I can definitely see their influence on future similar pop acts. Same with New Edition. 

And that's precisely why I don't knock people for liking acts like One Direction or Justin Bieber and so on who are popular today. I remember what I was into when I was a teenager-the Backstreet Boys, the Spice Girls, Britney Spears, etc., and I don't see the pop music of today as being all that different in that regard. Every generation has their teen pop craze, this is nothing new. 

I totally get where that kind of music doesn't appeal to some people, of course, but I don't understand why some of those who don't like it still feel the need to get all snobby and dismissive towards those who do. I just want to tell those people mocking that music and its fans, "Well, yeah. of course you're not going to 'get it'-it's not targeted at you."

Edited August 9, 2017 by Annber03

[Hanahope]

I feel like "boy bands" skipped my generation.  When I was young, my sister listened to the Monkees, so I grew up liking their music. (and even the Monkees eventually played their own instruments, but they were still "manufactured").  But when I was a teen/20s, (late 70s into 80s), I don't recall any boy bands.  Maybe I just ignored whoever was out during that time because I was listing to rock bands (people that actually played their own instruments and wrote their own music).

[UYI]

1 hour ago, Hanahope said:

I feel like "boy bands" skipped my generation.  When I was young, my sister listened to the Monkees, so I grew up liking their music. (and even the Monkees eventually played their own instruments, but they were still "manufactured").  But when I was a teen/20s, (late 70s into 80s), I don't recall any boy bands.  Maybe I just ignored whoever was out during that time because I was listing to rock bands (people that actually played their own instruments and wrote their own music).

There were the Bay City Rollers ("Saturday Night"), but they didn't last very long, and I'm not even sure they count as a boy band, now that I think of it (full disclosure: I was born in 1989, so I probably should zip it on this subject after this post, lol).

And Shaun Cassidy was around too, although obviously he was a solo act and not part of a band.

And UO: I love "Da Doo Ron Ron" by Shaun Cassidy. And he was hotter than David, damn it! 

Edited August 11, 2017 by UYI

[MyAimIsTrue]

2 hours ago, Hanahope said:

I feel like "boy bands" skipped my generation.  When I was young, my sister listened to the Monkees, so I grew up liking their music. (and even the Monkees eventually played their own instruments, but they were still "manufactured").  But when I was a teen/20s, (late 70s into 80s), I don't recall any boy bands.  Maybe I just ignored whoever was out during that time because I was listing to rock bands (people that actually played their own instruments and wrote their own music).

I was born in 1965 and don't recall too many "boy bands" in the 70's or 80's either, at least not by my definition of acts that don't play their own music.  The only possibility I can think of is New Edition but I wasn't into them as I listened to classic rock and British new wave during those years.

[Hanahope]

1 hour ago, UYI said:

There were the Bay City Rollers ("Saturday Night"), but they didn't last very long, and I'm not even sure they count as a boy band, now that I think of it (full disclosure: I was born in 1989, so I probably should zip it on this subject after this post, lol).

And Shaun Cassidy was around too, although obviously he was a solo act and not part of a band.

And UO: I love "Da Doo Ron Ron" by Shaun Cassidy. And he was hotter than David, damn it! 

I have a fuzzy memory of the Bay City Rollers, but that one song only.  And I had a pre-teen crush on both David and Shaun Cassidy, lol (oh and Andy Gibb too).  And that was pretty much the end of my interest in solo acts, I went rock bands all the way, there was so many to listen to back then.  Not so much these days it seems.  

[Annber03]

4 hours ago, Hanahope said:

I feel like "boy bands" skipped my generation.  When I was young, my sister listened to the Monkees, so I grew up liking their music. (and even the Monkees eventually played their own instruments, but they were still "manufactured").  But when I was a teen/20s, (late 70s into 80s), I don't recall any boy bands.  Maybe I just ignored whoever was out during that time because I was listing to rock bands (people that actually played their own instruments and wrote their own music).

The Osmonds were popular with teen girls at one point, weren't they? Somewhat close to a boy band.

And some teen pop artists can play their own instruments and write their own music. Look at Hanson. 

(My mom was a huge Monkees fan when they came out, and still loves their stuff to this day :D. I'm very familiar with their music, and their show, thanks to her. They were fun.)

[Hanahope]

1 minute ago, Annber03 said:

The Osmonds were popular with teen girls at one point, weren't they? Somewhat close to a boy band.

I vaguely recall when "The Osmonds" meant more than Donny and Marie.

[Silver Raven]

Quote

And some teen pop artists can play their own instruments and write their own music. Look at Hanson. 

And 5 Seconds of Summer.

[MyAimIsTrue]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

The Osmonds were popular with teen girls at one point, weren't they? Somewhat close to a boy band.

Don't tell anyone but I had an Osmonds album back in the day.   Yeah, they pretty much fit the boy band mold with telegenic looks and a bubblegum sound.

[GaT]

5 hours ago, Annber03 said:

And some teen pop artists can play their own instruments and write their own music. Look at Hanson. 

 

5 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

And 5 Seconds of Summer.

And The Beatles or The Rolling Stones or The Who, or any other band that was very popular with female fans & consisted of young males. The concept of a "boy band" is relatively new, but they've been around a long time. 

[Shannon L.]

16 hours ago, MyAimIsTrue said:

Don't tell anyone but I had an Osmonds album back in the day.

I didn't have an album, but Down by the Lazy River still puts a smile on my face and a bounce in my step.  I can still sing along to it, too  :)

[Hanahope]

I always considered a 'boy band' or 'girl band' to be a group of singers only.  They don't play instruments and mostly sing songs written by other people.  They just sound harmonious and look good, and are together solely to sell songs, not to really 'make music.'

[Yokosmom]

I would never consider the Beatles, Stones or Who a "boy" band.  If you consider every band with a large female fanbase a boy band, well, that's almost all of them.

[KatWay]

3 hours ago, Yokosmom said:

I would never consider the Beatles, Stones or Who a "boy" band.  If you consider every band with a large female fanbase a boy band, well, that's almost all of them.

I definitely think the Beatles were a "boy band" before that became a thing, they had a huge, hysterical female fanbase, they each portrayed a "type" for the girls to latch onto, the fact that they made their own music was secondary to that in the beginning.

There are boybands that play their own instruments (5 Seconds of Summer) and those that write/produce their own songs (BTS, who are also a dance group which is why they don't play instruments on stage). Even One Direction tried their hand at writing their own songs, and all of them seem more or less able to continue that with their solo careers. They never danced, but also didn't play instruments on stage. (I feel like you could argue about the level of attractiveness in these groups - mostly it's the cheerleader effect, with only one or two actually handsome) So these groups are pretty different from each other and also from the big boybands of the past like Backstreet Boys and Nsync, but all of them are boybands. I think the term just means a group of boys where there's more than one vocalist and who are mainly popular with young girls.

[Yokosmom]

Quote

 I think the term just means a group of boys where there's more than one vocalist and who are mainly popular with young girls.

Oh, we have different definitions then.  That is far broader than mine.  I view boy bands as "manufactured" and put together for looks more than music.   Whereas, the Beatles, Stones, etc. were working bands long before they had massive fanbases of young girls. 

[KatWay]

6 hours ago, Yokosmom said:

Oh, we have different definitions then.  That is far broader than mine.  I view boy bands as "manufactured" and put together for looks more than music.   Whereas, the Beatles, Stones, etc. were working bands long before they had massive fanbases of young girls. 

 

What about groups like Hanson, the Jonas Brothers or 5 Seconds of Summer though, they all more or less "formed themselves" to make music (they weren't cast by a company) but I'd still call all of them boybands? I guess strictly speaking they're not. They do have the exact same target audience though.

[Ohwell]

I had heard so much about that Despacito song, so I finally saw the video on youtube and I was....not impressed at all.

[Silver Raven]

3 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I had heard so much about that Despacito song, so I finally saw the video on youtube and I was....not impressed at all.

It's already the most viewed video of all time on YouTube.

[27bored]

Yeah, Despacito doesn't do anything for me either. Like, I don't even find it compelling in a Latin pop kind of way. Not sure why it's so big.

Re the boyband thing. I always thought that was a snarky way of diminishing groups like N Sync and BSB. They're not grown men, they're boys. You don't see groups like Boys II Men being called about band, or really any other R&B group.

[Ohwell]

9 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

It's already the most viewed video of all time on YouTube.

Oh I know that, which is why I put my comment in the UO thread.

[CaughtOnTape]

8 hours ago, 27bored said:

Yeah, Despacito doesn't do anything for me either. Like, I don't even find it compelling in a Latin pop kind of way. Not sure why it's so big.

Re the boyband thing. I always thought that was a snarky way of diminishing groups like N Sync and BSB. They're not grown men, they're boys. You don't see groups like Boys II Men being called about band, or really any other R&B group.

That's exactly what it is.  A misogynistic way of making them "girly" or not manly enough to be liked by men.  Only adolescent young girls could like them!  They have no musical ability!  They don't even play instruments!

Newsflash:

Every member of BSB plays an instrument and has played one on stage.

Niall Horan from 1D is known for walking around with a guitar as another appendage and Harry has also started to do this on his solo ventures.

Jordan Knight can play the piano better than he can sing.

That's why I like it that songs like I Want It That Way have done their part for killing the stereotype that only young girls can like their music.  That song is universally loved by just about everyone.  And men seem to love it more than women.

[UYI]

On 8/15/2017 at 7:33 PM, Ohwell said:

I had heard so much about that Despacito song, so I finally saw the video on youtube and I was....not impressed at all.

I like the Bieberless version. :) 

[Ohwell]

10 hours ago, UYI said:

I like the Bieberless version. :) 

Then enjoy!  I still don't like it! :)

[Watermelon]

On 8/16/2017 at 2:40 PM, CaughtOnTape said:

 

That's why I like it that songs like I Want It That Way have done their part for killing the stereotype that only young girls can like their music.  That song is universally loved by just about everyone.  And men seem to love it more than women.

IWITW is the go to song for a set of my friends at any karaoke. Never gets old. Neeeeever

[27bored]

You know, IWITW is one of those songs that make no sense, but people got their entire lives off of it. Same way with Summer Girls by LFO. 

I think if I were going on to do karaoke, and a ballad, I'd do For the Girl Who Has Everything. Or Gone.

[Cherry Bomb]

One musical artist I just don't get is Nicki Minaj. I know she has made tons of cash rapping and being somewhat foul, but have you ever heard her actually sing normal. She has a fantastic voice. When I heard her just singing I had no idea it was actually her. She was flipping swear words every other word and it sounded like a nice R & B sound. I don't understand why she don't go down that path as she definitely has some talent there.

[RHJunkie]

On 2017-08-19 at 2:29 PM, Cherry Bomb said:

One musical artist I just don't get is Nicki Minaj. I know she has made tons of cash rapping and being somewhat foul, but have you ever heard her actually sing normal. She has a fantastic voice. When I heard her just singing I had no idea it was actually her. She was flipping swear words every other word and it sounded like a nice R & B sound. I don't understand why she don't go down that path as she definitely has some talent there.

Nicki can spit a rhyme though. She can have a bigger impact on the rap genre and her exposure to the mainstream just for the sheer fact that female rap artists are a rare commodity. The fact that she's good at it means that she's going to get the airplay. And no matter who how outrageous she dresses or acts (which I think is authentic because I really don't think she gives a crap about what people think), no one will ever discredit her fame because she can stand alone as a rap artist. As a singer, it takes more than just the talent to make it. It's takes a more well crafted image to stand out because the competition is so vast. As a result, you will undoubtedly get more people claiming that your success is less to do with your talent and more to do with your image.

That said, she could still incorporate more singing into her rap songs. I didn't realize she could sing. I guess in songs like Super Bass, she's the one doing the singing parts?

[Jac]

I don't totally hate Taylor Swift's Look What You Made Me Do. Is it petty? Yes. Is it immature? Yes? But is it also catchy as all get out? Yes! I don't like Ready for It at all though.

[UYI]

I've said this before and I'll say it again: I like LWYMMD in a way different from most people: I like in the sense that she sounds like she's on the verge of losing her mind. 

Her best album is Speak Now, though. I really think that, at the end of the day, her first few albums will be her legacy, rather than 1989 or anything from Reputation. The more fame she's found, the less recognizable she's become in terms of her songwriting and musical style. 

[truthaboutluv]

7 hours ago, Jac said:

I don't totally hate Taylor Swift's Look What You Made Me Do. Is it petty? Yes. Is it immature? Yes? But is it also catchy as all get out? Yes! I don't like Ready for It at all though.

Personally, my hatred for the song has nothing to do with it being immature or petty because petty and immature is simply who Taylor is. I've long made my peace with that. But I can take petty and immature when the song is a banger and for me, Look What You Made Me Do is not.  It's repetitive as hell and just plain boring. Of course now I'm thinking I was too quick to judge because Ready For It is even worse. I literally had to force my way through that one only because I like to give something a complete listen before I dismiss it. No worries, the cult of Taylor Swift will still make the songs and album a hit. 

[27bored]

Yeah, if Taylor wasn't Taylor, Look What You Made Me Do would work as a good girl gone bad song. But it's just as put-upon and petty as all her other shit, minus any hint of Country, so that just leaves a song that's destined to be played over a promo for a Lifetime movie about a crazy high school girl who wants to get revenge on the captain of the cheerleading squad.

Edited September 4, 2017 by 27bored

[Annber03]

12 minutes ago, 27bored said:

that just leaves a song that's destined to be played over a promo for a Lifetime movie about a crazy high school girl who wants to get revenge on the captain of the cheerleading squad.

I'm already seeing it being used in commercials for ABC's TGIT lineup. 

[UYI]

27 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

I'm already seeing it being used in commercials for ABC's TGIT lineup. 

Taylor's a big fan of Grey's Anatomy (one of her cats IS named Meredith, after all!), so I have no doubt Shonda Rhimes pushed for that on purpose.

To get back on topic, THIS is my favorite version of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds:

[Annber03]

Did not know that about her liking that show. That explains it, then. 

[Blergh]

OK, let me state that I'm very sorry that Tom Petty died and will always admire his music and have no major issues with him as a person- and I know he's dead and what's done can't be undone. And yes, what I'm about to say is an Unpopular Opinion (in the get off my lawn whippersnappers category).

 

 However; I have to wonder what was he thinking re attending a private Oval Office invite at the behest of then- President Obama wearing a vest, white-collared shirt- with jeans and laceless pink chucks?  I know he was a musician but surely he could have tried to find more apt attire for this rare privilege   meeting . Did he not have a pair of dress slacks he could have worn? And, instead of sneakers, there ARE loafers and other dress shoes for men as soft and supple as moccasins he could have worn that would have made him look as classy as the occasion called for but still had been quite comfortable.

Edited October 9, 2017 by Blergh
terminology

[Shannon L.]

I like Miley Cyrus.  She went through a train wreck phase that had me rolling my eyes, but now I think she a lot more settled and just a big goof ball--but in a fun way. 

[27bored]

I have a half-baked theory that I'm not entirely ready to defend, but I did want to toss it out there for discussion:

Everybody knows and acknowledges that gender double standards and sexism exist in popular culture, including pop music. But it seems like sometimes we as a society are selective in when we want to discuss it or apply it to a particular situation based on whether we like the man or dislike the woman.

I'll give an example/background for this question: on the recent NYT Popcast, they were discussing Pink and how as late as 2010, she was opening up for Justin Timberlake. Given how talented and successful Pink is, it's a little amazing that she was opening for Justin Timberlake in 2010. They didn't go into this really, but I feel like there's a mild point about sexism to be made there.

I'll say, and I guess this fits in with the topic of this thread, my UO is that Justin Timberlake is one of the most overrated pop artists in modern times, he's had songs here and there that I've liked, but I've never found Justin to be deserving of this iconic status or to be held as the model for male pop stars. It seems like JT has gotten much more credit and accolades from making somewhat bland pop music than a female artist of his same caliber ever would. I know he seems like a lovable goofball when you see him on Ellen, but it seems like people just gobble up whatever he puts out and it's like, yeah, I don't know.

Meanwhile, Pink is a better singer, makes better pop music, and has been more consistent than Justin, and she's only recently been able to headline her own arena tours. It's a little nuts and I think that if we didn't like Justin so much, more people would point that out.

Same goes for The Weeknd. Maybe in 2011 before R&B became narcotized, soulless, and debased, The Weeknd's shtick was new and exciting. But after about four records, I gotta call it: he's boring. I figured out why "Love Me Harder" with him and Ariana Grande worked so well, they're basically the same version of each other. Ariana is the 2010s version of Mariah Carey without the personality, and The Weeknd is the 2010s version of Maxwell without the personality. They're both doing charmless yet precise versions of better artists who are past their prime. But: if The Weeknd was an ethnically ambiguous chick with weird hair, I...don't know that she'd be as big as he is.

Another double standard I'll quickly mention is sexuality, or sexual orientation, more specifically. Sam Smith has fans and is a star. Adam Lambert has a career (maybe not as a strictly pop artist, but he has fans). They're both openly gay, and it doesn't really seem to be an issue. They've decided if and when they wanted to make it an issue. On the other hand, take someone like Halsey who is bisexual. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like whenever Halsey's bisexuality comes up, it's always with a sigh and an eyeroll, almost like people don't believe it, or they don't like her, so her being bi somehow diminishes her. I think this is partially because we kinda don't like Halsey.

[Silver Raven]

There are a lot of people, both straight and gay, who side eye bisexuality as if it isn't really a thing.

[janie jones]

I don't like "Freebird."

[Wiendish Fitch]

7 hours ago, janie jones said:

I don't like "Freebird."

Nor I.

 

Here's a weird UO that definitely shows my age: I didn't like Jewel as a singer until years after she was popular and relevant. Sorry, but Jewel in her heyday was insufferable to me; her lyrics were pretentious and callow, her songs were overplayed, and I hated her singing style, especially on "Who Will Save Your Soul", where she sounded like Kermit the Frog (I'm not being mean, I'm paraphrasing Jewel herself). After 0304 sort of drove the final nail into the coffin of Jewel's popularity (though "Intuition" remains a guilty pleasure of mine), I was surprised by how much I liked Goodbye Alice in Wonderland; her singing had greatly improved, the songs were light and catchy, and it was overall pretty darn consistent and solid.

[MaryPatShelby]

18 hours ago, janie jones said:

I don't like "Freebird."

I like it when it switches to the fast tempo.  Do not like the leadup to that.

[UYI]

10 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Nor I.

 

Here's a weird UO that definitely shows my age: I didn't like Jewel as a singer until years after she was popular and relevant. Sorry, but Jewel in her heyday was insufferable to me; her lyrics were pretentious and callow, her songs were overplayed, and I hated her singing style, especially on "Who Will Save Your Soul", where she sounded like Kermit the Frog (I'm not being mean, I'm paraphrasing Jewel herself). After 0304 sort of drove the final nail into the coffin of Jewel's popularity (though "Intuition" remains a guilty pleasure of mine), I was surprised by how much I liked Goodbye Alice in Wonderland; her singing had greatly improved, the songs were light and catchy, and it was overall pretty darn consistent and solid.

You might like watching this, then:

[Wiendish Fitch]

5 minutes ago, UYI said:

You might like watching this, then:

 

Already saw it! Good stuff. :) I never miss Todd.