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The Sounds of Our Lives (formerly General Music Discussion)


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2 hours ago, UYI said:

A poster advertising the Winter Dance Party Tour they were on, and reminder of what would have been.

I live in Mason City, which has the airport where they took off that night, and every year around this time, our local oldies station honors Holly, Valens, and the Big Bopper. It's been especially heavy this year, of course, given it's been 60 years and all. 

That plane wreckage in that newspaper photo. Jesus. There's practically nothing left of it. 

I read on the Wikipedia article about this tragedy that apparently Clear Lake was a last minute decision. 

Quote

On Monday, February 2, the tour arrived in Clear Lake, having driven 350 miles from the previous day's concert in Green Bay. The town had not been a scheduled stop, but the tour promoters, hoping to fill an open date, called the manager of the local Surf Ballroom, Carroll Anderson (1920–2006), and offered him the show. He accepted, and they set the show for that night.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Music_Died

Makes you wonder how things might've played out had they not taken that slot and just kept traveling. Or if they'd chosen to stay in a hotel in either Clear Lake or Mason City that night instead, or waited until the next morning to take the plane to Minnesota (if they'd left early enough in the morning, I would imagine they'd have made it there in a decent amount of time). 

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I'm a Buddy Holly fan, so it's heartbreaking to look at photos of the wreckage.  Yikes. :(

Anyway, here are a few artists I like that a lot of people seem to hate.  Let me know if you like/dislike them:

Avril Lavigne

Barenaked Ladies

Britney Spears

Carly Rae Jepsen

Counting Crows

Demi Lovato

Gwen Stefani

Hanson

Jessie J

Katy Perry

Kesha

Kylie Minogue

Miley Cyrus

Natalie Imbruglia

Nick Jonas

P!nk

Spice Girls

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1 hour ago, Shakma said:

Anyway, here are a few artists I like that a lot of people seem to hate.  Let me know if you like/dislike them

I absolutely love P!nk.  I like some songs from many of the rest on your list, quite a few songs when it comes to Counting Crows.  Of those I know (a few of them I've heard the name but can't associate it with a song), I don't hate any of them.

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2 hours ago, Shakma said:

Anyway, here are a few artists I like that a lot of people seem to hate.  Let me know if you like/dislike them.

Well, my first CDs ever were the Spice Girls' first two albums, so they will always be close to my heart. If I could afford it I would see one of their reunion concerts in a heartbeat.

Britney Spears is someone I loved as a 10-11 year old girl, thought I was too good for as I became a teenager (yes, I was one of THOSE people), and now, I just look at her and see a goddamn awesome survivor and all-around performer. No, she's not a great singer, and she may not have the most deep/versatile catalog, but really, she doesn't have to be/have to, and I finally can see her as someone who does what she wants to do and what she loves and is good at. I may never find every song she does as something that fits my own personal tastes, but I can appreciate them for what they are. And make no mistake: she single-handedly changed the sound of pop music of the late 90's going forward, and she did it between the ages of 16/17. Pretty impressive for a young girl (as she was then) from small-town Louisiana.

 

I watched Demi's YouTube documentary last year, and my admiration grew about a thousand-fold. She cares so much about her sobriety, and it gutted me when she overdosed last summer. But she just celebrated six months of sobriety! I hope she'll be performing again someday, and I expect her to, but I also hope she takes as long as she needs to recover.

This is fun, @Shakma. I'll post some more thoughts on the other artists as I think of them. :)

Edited by UYI
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I'm rewatching "The Eighties" & I'm on the episode called "Video Killed The Radio Star. It's about MTV & the rise of the music video. At one point they discuss the fact that MTV didn't play black artists, & they showed part of an interview with David Bowie & Mark Goodman (an MTV VJ) from 1983. David Bowie asks Mark why there are so few videos by black musicians shown & Mark's reply made my jaw drop, I can't believe he actually got away with saying that. I'll let you listen for yourself. The whole interview is about 4 1/2 minutes, but Mark's answer is around the 1:30 mark.

Edited by GaT
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On 2/2/2019 at 11:29 PM, UYI said:

 

I'm honestly a bit shocked by that. I'll admit that I was busy these last few months and lost track of some of the charts until a bit more recently, but with the airplay she had/is still getting now, I really thought Sweetener sold a LOT more. And you're right, debuting at number one doesn't have to mean anything; it certainly didn't mean much for Katy Perry, as you pointed out (she's someone else who has grown on me more recently, and I'm probably one of about five people on Earth who thought Taylor Swift returning her music to Spotify on the same day Katy released Witness was cruel, immature, and petty in the worst way possible--talk about kicking someone when they didn't need to be kicked any further).

At the same time, though, saying that Sweetener was a flop doesn't feel as accurate as it does for Witness. Maybe "underperformed" is the better word here?

With the success of the two TUN singles so far, though, I'm curious if she'll do better in regards to album sales this time around, especially since it comes out this Friday (and of course, "7 Rings" going to number one probably--again, pretty much like you said--probably had A LOT to do with the hype of being a brand new single; I can see it continue to get good streaming numbers, but radio may be turned off by it and it could drop from number one pretty fast, although I can see the album's release being this Friday MAYBE giving it one more week at the top). 

I only call it a flop in terms of sales in comparison to her past albums. I agree underperformed is a bit more charitable, but I gotta be honest Sweetener wasn’t a good album to me. It felt thin. Ariana already has that show biz kid obsession with hitting her marks, so her success has only validated that. She comes off like a glorified demo singer, not a pop star.

13 hours ago, Bastet said:

I absolutely love P!nk.  I like some songs from many of the rest on your list, quite a few songs when it comes to Counting Crows.  Of those I know (a few of them I've heard the name but can't associate it with a song), I don't hate any of them.

I love P!nk too. I think it’s remarkable that she’s made a career on pop songs that aren’t necessarily love/sex songs. 

12 hours ago, UYI said:

 

Britney Spears is someone I loved as a 10-11 year old girl, thought I was too good for as I became a teenager (yes, I was one of THOSE people), and now, I just look at her and see a goddamn awesome survivor and all-around performer. No, she's not a great singer, and she may not have the most deep/versatile catalog, but really, she doesn't have to be/have to, and I finally can see her as someone who does what she wants to do and what she loves and is good at. I may never find every song she does as something that fits my own personal tastes, but I can appreciate them for what they are. And make no mistake: she single-handedly changed the sound of pop music of the late 90's going forward, and she did it between the ages of 16/17. Pretty impressive for a young girl (as she was then) from small-town Louisiana.

 

I watched Demi's YouTube documentary last year, and my admiration grew about a thousand-fold. She cares so much about her sobriety, and it gutted me when she overdosed last summer. But she just celebrated six months of sobriety! I hope she'll be performing again someday, and I expect her to, but I also hope she takes as long as she needs to recover.

This is fun, @Shakma. I'll post some more thoughts on the other artists as I think of them. :)

With Britney, I felt like she should’ve cut her hair and gone a bit more unplugged or organic with her sound about ten years ago. After her public meltdown, they tried to rebuild her as America’s Sweetheart and it just looked desperate. It’s funny because I feel like Christina tried to be grown too soon and I feel like Britney didn’t mature quickly enough. 

As for Demi, I...don’t know. I think she tried to commit suicide. To be honest, I’ll be concerned if she tried to come right back in a few months. I don’t think she’s strong enough to cope with the pressures of fame without reengaging with drugs. At least not yet. And that’s assuming she’s still sober. 

Speaking of Christina, she was on Watch What Happens recently and...ugh. I see why someone so talented is consistently underachieving. 

Christina, it’s a different day and age. People have to feel a connection and relatability to you in order for them to care about your output. This whole Disney child star, always-say-the-right-thing shtick is tired, especially for someone who has a famously bad attitude. You have to realize nobody is really checking for you like that, so you need to give a little more or else you just come off like someone who doesn’t realize she’s not really famous anymore.

14 hours ago, 27bored said:

Speaking of Christina, she was on Watch What Happens recently and...ugh. I see why someone so talented is consistently underachieving. 

Christina, it’s a different day and age. People have to feel a connection and relatability to you in order for them to care about your output. This whole Disney child star, always-say-the-right-thing shtick is tired, especially for someone who has a famously bad attitude. You have to realize nobody is really checking for you like that, so you need to give a little more or else you just come off like someone who doesn’t realize she’s not really famous anymore.

What did she say, exactly?

I don't think Christina learned how to be relatable to anyone, because her big voice carried her through the first ten years of her career.  I used to work with a woman who was a Christina superfan, and she always talked about how BIG and AMAZING Christina's voice was.  Never had much to say about her as a person or artist, though, it was all about THE VOICE.  You aren't going to evolve if everyone kisses your ass for belting out a few tunes like a dying farm animal, especially if you've been doing it since you were 15, and that's all you know.  But, I hear Christina has a Vegas residency now, so good for her?  At least it's a steady paycheck.

Switching up topics, but I finally gave Halsey a real chance today, after hearing her singles on the radio, and...I don't get it.  This girl is completely underwhelming, and sounds like every raspy, baby-voiced female singer coming out, these days.  I listened to track after track and kept waiting to be wowed, but it never happened.  What am I missing? 

3 hours ago, Shakma said:

What did she say, exactly?

I don't think Christina learned how to be relatable to anyone, because her big voice carried her through the first ten years of her career.  I used to work with a woman who was a Christina superfan, and she always talked about how BIG and AMAZING Christina's voice was.  Never had much to say about her as a person or artist, though, it was all about THE VOICE.  You aren't going to evolve if everyone kisses your ass for belting out a few tunes like a dying farm animal, especially if you've been doing it since you were 15, and that's all you know.  But, I hear Christina has a Vegas residency now, so good for her?  At least it's a steady paycheck.

 

It was annoying seeing her dance around certain questions, like her issues with The Voice, whether she tried to punch Pink, which celebrity has she had to curb, stuff like that. It’s like, that show is meant to be messy and gossipy. I’m not saying be like that all the time, but it’s like our version of those British chat shows where they ask silly and at times inappropriate questions. Nobody cares that much, but Christina seems tense the whole time. 

I think you’re right about her voice carrying her hroughout her career, and as eerie as it sounds, back when she was beefing with Kelly Osborne, I remember her saying the same thing. 

As for Halsey, yeah, she’s pretty underwhelming. She’s like Rihanna’s aesthetic with Lorde’s mood and Lana del Rey’s sound. Seriously, there’s a video floating around comparing several of her songs to Lana del Rey’s and they sound eerily similar. 

I will say, the remix to Without Me, featuring JuiceWrld, is interesting. I gotta admit that it’s amusing to see young black male rappers are totally bringing Emo back. He literally screams “LIFE’S NOT FAIR” on the remix. I laughed when I first heard it.

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14 hours ago, 27bored said:

It was annoying seeing her dance around certain questions, like her issues with The Voice, whether she tried to punch Pink, which celebrity has she had to curb, stuff like that.

I didn't know anything about beef between Christina and Pink, so I googled it.  I was on Pink's side at first, since it allegedly started with Christina saying she would take all the high notes in Lady Marmalade, but then Pink had to get jealous over Christina collaborating with Linda Perry and have Christina blow-up dolls on tour, and she lost me.  She really should have taken the high road, there.

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Hey @Shakma, one of the artists you said love that a lot of people seem to hate is Natalie Imbruglia. Really? I know "Torn" probably got overplayed in 1998, but I always loved it; in fact, it was one of the first popular songs I really knew of at all outside of teen pop (I'm not really familiar with any of her other songs, though). What's the issue people have with her?

You also mentioned Hanson...oh boy. When I was a kid, I got a Hanson t-shirt for my birthday, but I don't think I ever wore it because of a lot of friends/classmates made fun of them. And the weird thing is that I don't think I really was that familiar with their music at the time, even though it was at their peak! Bizarre. lol

Now, of course, I think it's really cool that they are still a band and have a lot of respect among those who like alt rock, since that's what they shifted to making once the "MMMBop" days were over. And they all seem to have their heads on straight, too, despite becoming famous (infamous in some circles) at such a young age. 

6 hours ago, UYI said:

Hey @Shakma, one of the artists you said love that a lot of people seem to hate is Natalie Imbruglia. Really? I know "Torn" probably got overplayed in 1998, but I always loved it; in fact, it was one of the first popular songs I really knew of at all outside of teen pop (I'm not really familiar with any of her other songs, though). What's the issue people have with her?

"Torn" was more than overplayed, it was on non stop. For someone (me, for instance) who didn't like the song to begin with, hearing it being played all day, every day was enough to make me hate Natalie Imbruglia forever.

11 hours ago, GaT said:

"Torn" was more than overplayed, it was on non stop. For someone (me, for instance) who didn't like the song to begin with, hearing it being played all day, every day was enough to make me hate Natalie Imbruglia forever.

Yeah, this is why.  I remember hearing Torn every morning on the bus, every afternoon on the bus, and again, at home.  It took me a while to listen to it again without cringing.  I like Natalie's other songs just fine, though I wouldn't say I'm a big fan.  She's just someone I enjoy, minus her biggest hit.

I saw The Weeknd’s video for Starboy today and I had a weird thought. A unique thought similar to how I said I’d like “Look What You Made Me Do” if Britney Spears sang it.

I think I’d like The Weeknd a whole lot better if he were gay.

Here me out!

The Weeknd has this muted Michael Jackson thing in look and sound that works for him because it seems organic and he’s usually wise enough not to lean into it too much. I Can’t Feel My Face was about the closest he’s ever come to full-on parody, but he even acquit himself well because that’s a strong song.

The one consistent thing about Weeknd is he tries to portray himself as a bit of a bad ass. Maybe not a tough guy, but more of a lothario. Contra that with someone like NeYo, who tends to write strong female characters and doesn’t make big strides to portray himself as a big shit.

Because of this, The Weeknd comes off kinda phony and a tad awkward not unlike when MJ did it. Weeknd has a high voice, he over enunciates, and he went from that weird Basquist hairdo to just not having a shape-up. So seeing him rap-singing in the Starboy video in all black walking down the hall turkey-necking was just funny to me.

Thats why I say I think I would like him way better if he were gay. Some of these contradictions would make more sense. Just sayin’.

On 2/3/2019 at 4:11 PM, Shakma said:

Anyway, here are a few artists I like that a lot of people seem to hate.  Let me know if you like/dislike them:

P!nk

 

 

On 2/3/2019 at 5:25 PM, Bastet said:

I absolutely love P!nk.  

 

On 2/4/2019 at 6:45 AM, 27bored said:

 

I love P!nk too.

Well I have some good news for you guys!

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I agree. No shade to Ariana, but I wish the money they spent on promoting another album by her six months after her last album would’ve gone to another artist. They should’ve made Ari promote Sweetener first, or rerelease it with 3-4 new songs. I guess it worked out, but eh.

I just listened to Pink’s new song. At first it sounds like Pink fronting Mumford & Sons. Then, it starts sounding like fun. I mean, the band. At first I thought Jack Antonoff produced it, but apparently he didn’t. Nate Ruess, lead singer of fun., did co-write it.

It’s a bit of a shrug, to be honest, but I see it doing its job. Pink’s nothing if not consistent.

6 hours ago, 27bored said:

I just listened to Pink’s new song. At first it sounds like Pink fronting Mumford & Sons. Then, it starts sounding like fun. I mean, the band. At first I thought Jack Antonoff produced it, but apparently he didn’t. Nate Ruess, lead singer of fun., did co-write it.

Given that they did this song together on The Truth About Love, I guess that's not too surprising (and it was a number one hit, too, which makes it even LESS surprising).

On 3/13/2019 at 5:21 PM, Colorado David said:

Best James Bond title song:

Goldfinger. Then probably Thunderball or Live and Let Die. Your opinion?

I'd agree about Goldfinger, but Live and Let Die came on the radio the other day and I was thinking about how much I hated it.  I'd say A View to a Kill would be the second best.

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This article has gone viral since it was posted yesterday. A woman sets out to prove why she thinks Jagged Little Pill is a bad album...only to instead lament that it doesn't speak to her the way it did in middle school, which is not the same thing.

https://themuse.jezebel.com/jagged-little-pill-is-actually-very-bad-1833542975

Good reads, those articles-I like hearing different takes on this album. I'm on the side of that second article, myself-I was definitely among those who loved Jagged Little Pill as a teenager, and I thought her lyrics were really interesting and different, and thoughtful. "Ironic" was one of my favorite songs ever, and "Head Over Feet"-I wanted a relationship like that. And yes, "Perfect" was very relatable. 

It's been ages since I've actually listened to the album in full, but I'll still hear the big hits from it from time to time, and they all hold up even now, I think. Mind, I could see somebody feeling a bit burned out on those songs, 'cause they were played a LOT back in the day. But setting that issue aside, I think the songs in and of themselves are strong. "You Oughta Know" is such a perfect "fuck you" rant, and I love that women have songs like this that can let them unleash that kind of anger and frustration. 

And I'll just always have a soft spot for so much of the music that came out in the '90s in general, 'cause that was my decade and there was so much good stuff out then and...yeah. If her music isn't somebody's thing anymore, though, eh, to each their own. 

Hm. I should go give the entire album a listen again. 

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5 hours ago, UYI said:

This article has gone viral since it was posted yesterday. A woman sets out to prove why she thinks Jagged Little Pill is a bad album...only to instead lament that it doesn't speak to her the way it did in middle school, which is not the same thing.

https://themuse.jezebel.com/jagged-little-pill-is-actually-very-bad-1833542975

The bolded is why this was such a stupid article. Of course there are things that you loved when you were younger that when you get older, you can see may not have been as great as you once thought. Maybe the writing wasn't as clever and intelligent as you once thought, the melody not as interesting, etc.

But the author essentially based her opinion on the album not speaking to her like it did back then when she was still a damn kid. Like woman, of course an album that spoke to you in a certain way at 12, will not in the same way in your 30's. But that doesn't automatically mean it wasn't a good album and to say it was actually very bad? Spare me. No, it just means you don't relate to it anymore in the same way you once did.  

There are plenty of songs/movies/shows I loved when I was younger that don't hold up as much to me now but Jagged Little Pill is not one of them. I still blast that album from beginning to end and scream along to every damn song. Your House is still one of the most brilliantly haunting creepy stalker ass songs ever. Taylor Swift wishes she could. 

You Learn, Mary Jane, Forgiven, Head Over Feet...woman please. That said, we all know this was likely click bait driven and it obviously worked so props to her on that. Well played. 

Edited by truthaboutluv
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I was 22, going on 23 when "Jagged Little Pill" hit. I loved the rage of "You Oughta Know" and basically just really liked the album. But then, by that time, I liked ragey, dark songs, as one that also listened to the grunge bands from the earlier '90s, so... One song I liked on that CD wasn't even an "official" track but was hidden after the "You Oughta Know" reprise. It's unofficially titled "Your House" from what I've seen.

"Ironic", however, drove me crazy. Still does. Because, maybe aside from the guy being afraid to fly then going down in a plane crash, the rest of the stuff was NOT ironic. Hee.

If anything was not that great (and I know opinions vary), I think it was "Jagged Little Pill" being re-released in an all acoustic version. I think some songs really lost the bite they had. Just seemed TOO mellow. I quickly got rid of that CD (remember those?) way back!  

Just my $1.50.

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1 hour ago, WendyCR72 said:

"Ironic", however, drove me crazy. Still does. Because, maybe aside from the guy being afraid to fly then going down in a plane crash, the rest of the stuff was NOT ironic. Hee.

The story that Alanis goes with on that is that the irony of the song is that NONE of the incidents she sings about are, in fact, even ironic at all. Whether she intended that all along or latched on to that theory to cover her ass after someone asked her if that was the point of the song, is up for debate, of course. 🙂 

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I don't know if I would rank Jagged Little Pill as one of my favorite albums, but I listened to it a lot in junior high, and I still like it.  Is it unpopular if Right Through You and Perfect are my favorite songs?  Oddly enough, they were my least favorite, back in '95.  So, it's like my opinions changed, or something.  Huh.

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On 3/26/2019 at 5:34 PM, UYI said:

This article has gone viral since it was posted yesterday. A woman sets out to prove why she thinks Jagged Little Pill is a bad album...only to instead lament that it doesn't speak to her the way it did in middle school, which is not the same thing.

https://themuse.jezebel.com/jagged-little-pill-is-actually-very-bad-1833542975

The most frightening part of this article is that Alanis Morissette concerts apparently have moshpits.

1 hour ago, BuyMoreAndSave said:

The most frightening part of this article is that Alanis Morissette concerts apparently have moshpits.

Given her role in giving young women a chance to feel angry without shame when they listened to her music, I am perfectly fine with the idea of a bunch of passionate, feminist women moshing to their hearts' content at her concerts. 🙂 

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19 minutes ago, UYI said:

Given her role in giving young women a chance to feel angry without shame when they listened to her music, I am perfectly fine with the idea of a bunch of passionate, feminist women moshing to their hearts' content at her concerts. 🙂 

I guess...personally as a "young woman" who has loved angry music since the time I knew angry music existed, a) I don't really consider her music to be that angry, and b) gender never factored into my ability to enjoy or relate to music (although it would be nice if there were more women in the genres of music I like).

13 hours ago, BuyMoreAndSave said:

I guess...personally as a "young woman" who has loved angry music since the time I knew angry music existed, a) I don't really consider her music to be that angry, and b) gender never factored into my ability to enjoy or relate to music (although it would be nice if there were more women in the genres of music I like).

Overall, maybe not--there was the Riot Grrrl movement shortly before that, and they were much more DIY (Do It Yourself) and unwilling to engage with the media outside of Sassy magazine, and their media "blackout" did hurt them in terms of mainstream reach--which songs like "You Oughta Know" had. 

(edited)
7 hours ago, Shakma said:

I have no idea what that is.  I am so out of the loop.

Ask and you shall receive! (ETA: I know you didn't ask @Shakma, I just wanted to help. 🙂 )

And here's the remix with Billy Ray Cyrus:

If you don't about the controversy surrounding this song, here's a story about that:

https://www.vulture.com/2019/04/lil-nas-x-old-town-road-controversy-explained.html

Edited by UYI

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