The Sounds of Our Lives (formerly General Music Discussion)

[Jaded]

I really loved Roxette back in the day when they were popular and continued to be a fan after that. I was sad to read that the female part of that duo Marie Fredriksson died from what sounds like a recurrence  of a brain tumor she had dealt with previously. 
 

[UYI]

And here's Bruce and John singing "Glory Days" together. Seriously, seeing them together just warms my heart so much. ❤️ 

[WendyCR72]

5 hours ago, Jaded said:

I really loved Roxette back in the day when they were popular and continued to be a fan after that. I was sad to read that the female part of that duo Marie Fredriksson died from what sounds like a recurrence  of a brain tumor she had dealt with previously. 
 

I just read this on Rolling Stone. Never knew their American success happened because an American student was in Sweden on an exchange program, heard "The Look" there, bought the CD, and gave it to a DJ he/she knew, and started the ball rolling.

I loved "It Must Have Been Love", too.

May Ms. Fredriksson rest in peace. At least her suffering is now over.

[UYI]

I actually DID know the story about how Roxette became famous stateside--when I was 12, I got the Billboard Book of Number One Hits for Christmas, and it's featured in the blurb written about "The Look", which was their first number one hit in America in 1989 (the year I was born!).

And of course, "It Must Have Been Love" was originally a Christmas song--the version in Pretty Woman removed the original version's holiday-related lyrics and sleigh bells.

Personally, I've always loved their last big hit, "Fading Like a Flower."

RIP, Marie. 😢

[Bastet]

5 minutes ago, UYI said:

Personally, I've always loved their last big hit, "Fading Like a Flower."

That's my favorite Roxette song.

[Annber03]

I'd not heard that song before-just gave it a listen.

I like it :). 

[Was-MArsenault]

John Frusciante has rejoined Red Hot Chili Peppers.

[UYI]

Linda Ronstadt was one of this year's Kennedy Center Honorees, and Carrie Underwood performed "Blue Bayou" and "When Will I Be Loved" for her at the ceremony.

Linda herself, sadly, can no longer sing due to the effects of Parkinson's Disease. 😢

[UYI]

Meanwhile, Trisha Yearwood--who has long said that Linda was/is her biggest influence as a singer, along with Patsy Cline--got to perform Linda's duet "Don't Know Much" with Aaron Neville.

[UYI]

And here's Trisha performing Linda's "You're No Good."

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, UYI said:

Carrie Underwood performed "Blue Bayou" and "When Will I Be Loved" for her at the ceremony.

I didn't like her rendition of "Blue Bayou," but good job on "When Will I Be Loved".

2 hours ago, UYI said:

Meanwhile, Trisha Yearwood--who has long said that Linda was/is her biggest influence as a singer, along with Patsy Cline--got to perform Linda's duet "Don't Know Much" with Aaron Neville.

I can't stand that song, no matter who sings it.

2 hours ago, UYI said:

And here's Trisha performing Linda's "You're No Good."

Wow; that reminded me just how much I love Linda's version, and why hers is the most popular, because as great as Trisha sounded, it still paled in comparison to Linda's performances. 

(And, ugh, to the shot of Trisha's toad of a husband - at least there was just the one.)

It had to be a bittersweet night for Ronstadt; an incredible honor, and beautiful tributes, but to watch others performing your songs when you know you can't do it yourself anymore has to hurt, too.

Edited December 16, 2019 by Bastet

[UYI]

The mariachi band Flor De Toloache also paid tribute to Linda by performing the song "La Cigarra" from her album Canciones de Mi Padre, which honors her Mexican roots.

And finally, some words from her friends Emmylou Harris and Don Henley.

[27bored]

Apparently Mariah Carey’s modern Christmas classic, “All I Want For Christmas” is back at the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s cool that song managed to hit the top spot over 20+ years after it was released. Good for Mariah. I like that she was gracious to Lil Nas X when he broke her record earlier this year. Mariah now has nineteen #1 hits and if this song keeps the record in 2020, she’ll be one of the only artists in history (if not the only one) to have a number one in the 90s, 00s, 10s, and 20s. 
 

I’m not a chart watcher, but credit where credit is due. 

[UYI]

10 minutes ago, 27bored said:

Apparently Mariah Carey’s modern Christmas classic, “All I Want For Christmas” is back at the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s cool that song managed to hit the top spot over 20+ years after it was released. Good for Mariah. I like that she was gracious to Lil Nas X when he broke her record earlier this year. Mariah now has nineteen #1 hits and if this song keeps the record in 2020, she’ll be one of the only artists in history (if not the only one) to have a number one in the 90s, 00s, 10s, and 20s. 
 

I’m not a chart watcher, but credit where credit is due. 

Not back, there for the FIRST TIME EVER. Despite its iconic status, this song has never been number one until now. I posted about this in the Holiday Music thread earlier today. 😉 

And yes, she would be the only artist to have a number one hit in four consecutive decades if this streak goes into the first week of 2020.

This is also the first Christmas themed song to hit number one since "The Chipmunk Song" ("Christmas, Christmas time is here") in 1958-1959. So, there's that, too. 🙂 
 

More info can be found here:

https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/12/16/21024823/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-mariah-carey-stream-billboard-top-100

Brenda Lee--who just turned 75 last week--also reached a new peak this week with her classic song "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", which now stands at #3. 

Edited December 17, 2019 by UYI

[UYI]

11 hours ago, 27bored said:

I’m not a chart watcher, but credit where credit is due. 

I AM a chart watcher (and an all around trivia nerd in general, hee!), and I think it's only fitting that a year with as varied and interesting and historic (in OTR's case, specifically) as this one has been could end with a number one song that originally came out 25 years ago, when I was five years old.

And of course, the hilarity that this is the last number one hit of the decade. 😄 

[27bored]

Yeah it is neat that that song hit #1 at the end of this decade. Not sure why I figured it was a hit when it came out. I guess it’s because out of all the Christmas pop songs that have been released that seems to be one of the few original ones that has legs. 

Anywhoodle, I came here to talk about “The Middle”.

I kinda feel like we need more pop songs like that. Maybe not in that same vein, but songs that encourage large groups of people to sing at the top of their lungs.

I listened to it today and I realized that I kind of wish they had kept looking for a singer. Quick backstory: they went through over a dozen vocalists and no one could sing it like Sarah Aarons, one of the co-writers, who did the demo. NYT did short film about the song:

Go to 1:20 to hear her do the first take of the chorus. It’s so...good. Affecting. Emotional. I wind up going back to listen to that part from time to time. There’s a mixture of anger, frustration, and sadness. They really wanted to find a singer who could conjure that up. They settled on Maren Morris whose tone sounds like Sarah’s, but Maren’s not emotional enough. She’s way too into being hot. IJS. Every time I’ve seen her perform I’ve thought she put more effort into dressing snazzy than how she performed.

Anyway. I find myself listening around her during that song, if that makes any sense. It’s a good pop song. Close to “pop perfection”, a concept I’ve talked about before. Just wish the vocals gave me more life than they do. 

I’ve often thought that some songs would work well if the singer learned the song then sang it in like 1-2 takes. This is one of them. 

Edited December 20, 2019 by 27bored

[UYI]

3 hours ago, 27bored said:

Yeah it is neat that that song hit #1 at the end of this decade. Not sure why I figured it was a hit when it came out. I guess it’s because out of all the Christmas pop songs that have been released that seems to be one of the few original ones that has legs. 

 

Sorry, it WAS a hit when it first came out, I thought you had said it was a number one hit before this week. There apparently was a rule at one point about holiday singles being ineligible for the charts, although that obviously was reversed before now. That was me just reading something the wrong way, I need to be more careful about that. 🙂 

I do like Maren Morris a lot, and while it's clear that she is perfectly fine with crossover success (not just "The Middle", her song "The Bones"--the second single off her sophomore album GIRL--is being pushed to pop as well as country radio), her work with the Highwomen makes me think she is more committed to country than many give her credit for. I guess we'll have to wait and see. 

Edited December 20, 2019 by UYI

[27bored]

4 hours ago, UYI said:

Sorry, it WAS a hit when it first came out, I thought you had said it was a number one hit before this week. There apparently was a rule at one point about holiday singles being ineligible for the charts, although that obviously was reversed before now. That was me just reading something the wrong way, I need to be more careful about that. 🙂 

I do like Maren Morris a lot, and while it's clear that she is perfectly fine with crossover success (not just "The Middle", her song "The Bones"--the second single off her sophomore album GIRL--is being pushed to pop as well as country radio), her work with the Highwomen makes me think she is more committed to country than many give her credit for. I guess we'll have to wait and see. 

Okay, you were right both times, though I misstated my point. Originally I meant to say it was back on the charts after all these years. I didn’t necessarily assume it was a #1 hit, even though that’s what I wrote, though I figured it must have charted pretty high for the song to be an enduring classic the way it is. I corrected myself in my follow-up post and still wound being confusing. Sorry!

As for Maren Morris, yeah, the vibe I get from her is that she wants to be a star more than anything. And I feel bad for nitpicking her fashion sense because maybe she just likes looking cute, so who am I to judge? But she just gives me Halsey vibes. Like, early on Halsey seemed more into playing the role of pop star even when she didn’t quite have the hits yet. Maren Morris was three singles in to her solo career before she featured on The Middle. 

[UYI]

Continuing his trend of having his top 10 worst list out early since...well, last year only, really, here are Todd in the Shadows' Top 10 Worst Hit Songs of 2019!

 

[UYI]

The final top two hit songs on the Billboard Hot 100 of the year 2019 and the decade of the 2010s are two old Christmas songs. Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" stays at number one for a second week. If it stays at the top for one more week, it will not only be the first number one song of 2020 AND the decade of the 2020s, Mariah will be the first artist in history to have a number one hit in four consecutive decades (the 1990's, 2000's, 2010's, and now the 2020's). 

At number two: Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", which puts it only behind her two number one hits--"I'm Sorry" and "I Want to be Wanted", both from 1960--as her biggest hit ever. Oh, and did I mention that she just turned 75 YEARS OLD two weeks ago?

Seriously, I hate seeing her so overshadowed by Mariah. She and Wanda Jackson both are still living legends of rockabilly! 

Nevertheless, I'm happy for them both. What an achievement. 

Edited because I thought the first Billboard chart of 2020 began this week, due to the week of each chart technically holding a future date. As a chart watcher, I should know this. -_-

 

Edited December 24, 2019 by UYI

[UYI]

Also:

Christmas Queens. ❤️ 

Edited December 24, 2019 by UYI

[Was-MArsenault]

Allee Willis, ‘September’ and ‘Friends’ Theme Songwriter, Dies at 72

https://variety.com/2019/music/news/allee-willis-dead-dies-songwriter-1203451705/

Edited December 25, 2019 by MikaelaArsenault

[CountryGirl]

On 12/16/2019 at 9:41 PM, UYI said:

And yes, she would be the only artist to have a number one hit in four consecutive decades if this streak goes into the first week of 2020.

 

Cher already did that back in the 90s and did her two decades better if you include #1s from the Billboard Dance/Club chart

1960s - "I Got You Babe" (1965)

1970s - "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" (1971), "Half-Breed" (1973) and "Dark Lady" (1974)

1980s - "After All" and "If I Could Turn Back Time" (1989)

1990s - "Believe" (1999)

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/473595/cher-shines-with-no-1-in-sixth-consecutive-decade

[UYI]

That's true and I'm overall a much bigger fan of Cher's music, but in terms of the Billboard Hot 100 alone and number ones without a duet partner, Mariah's number is higher.

And with her third official week at number one with AIWFCIY, Mariah Carey is the first artist to top the charts in the 2020's.

In fact, the top four songs are all decades old Christmas songs! They'll all be seeing a STEEP drop after this week, though.

And one more Christmas song at number seven:

 

[Silver Raven]

Oh, my God, Bieber's "Yummy" is the worst piece of drek I've heard in eons.

 

[GaT]

3 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Oh, my God, Bieber's "Yummy" is the worst piece of drek I've heard in eons.

 

You know what? I'm just going to believe you without actually listening to it to see if I agree. I'll just agree. 🙂

[UYI]

What's really interesting is that he's the first big pop star to release a single this year--usually, January is NOT the time that people begin to release singles, and if an album comes out in January, it's usually because the label doesn't see the act as a high priority--it's a dumping ground month, as is December before it (which is why I'm kind of sad Little Big Town's new album is coming out next week--it's pretty clear their star power isn't what it used to be; otherwise their lead single "Over Drinking"--which was released in September--wouldn't have JUST hit the top 50-60 on the country charts in the past month). You have to have a LOT of star power behind your name to get away with something like this, which Bieber has, although given the near-universal bad response it's gotten, we'll see if name recognition alone will help him on the Billboard Hot 100 next week, when it's set to debut. Ariana Grande released "7 Rings" in January of last year, and it spent multiple weeks at number one, but it was polarizing rather than reviled, which this song seems to be. On the other hand, it could easily debut high due to his name, only to plummet the following week due to the bad buzz surrounding it.

...Sorry, the music nerd in me jumped out there again. It happens. 🙂 

 

Edited January 10, 2020 by UYI

[WendyCR72]

This one stunned me: Rest in peace to Rush drummer Neil Peart, dead at 67 of brain cancer. He is considered to be one of rock's premiere drummers.

[Hanahope]

19 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

This one stunned me: Rest in peace to Rush drummer Neil Peart, dead at 67 of brain cancer. He is considered to be one of rock's premiere drummers.

Not to mention an incredible lyricist 

[Silver Raven]

On 1/10/2020 at 7:49 AM, UYI said:

What's really interesting is that he's the first big pop star to release a single this year--usually, January is NOT the time that people begin to release singles, and if an album comes out in January, it's usually because the label doesn't see the act as a high priority--it's a dumping ground month, as is December before it (which is why I'm kind of sad Little Big Town's new album is coming out next week--it's pretty clear their star power isn't what it used to be; otherwise their lead single "Over Drinking"--which was released in September--wouldn't have JUST hit the top 50-60 on the country charts in the past month). You have to have a LOT of star power behind your name to get away with something like this, which Bieber has, although given the near-universal bad response it's gotten, we'll see if name recognition alone will help him on the Billboard Hot 100 next week, when it's set to debut. Ariana Grande released "7 Rings" in January of last year, and it spent multiple weeks at number one, but it was polarizing rather than reviled, which this song seems to be. On the other hand, it could easily debut high due to his name, only to plummet the following week due to the bad buzz surrounding it.

...Sorry, the music nerd in me jumped out there again. It happens. 🙂 

 

Selena Gomez's album is coming out this week, I think.

 

[UYI]

4 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Selena Gomez's album is coming out this week, I think.

 

It came out yesterday. (It's called Rare.)

Her last album, Revival, was released in 2015, so this could either be a "comeback" where her name alone is enough to carry it despite it coming out in January, or the time lag could hurt her, combined with the January release date. Judging by the mostly positive reviews, though, it looks like it's going to be fine.

None of that solves the problem of her lack of vocal range, though. There's a reason YouTube personality Shallon Lester calls her the "Whisper Goose", LMAO. 😄 

[Was-MArsenault]

I'm currently watching the music video for Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Kenny G, and noticed that it has clips from the original 1947 version of Miracle On 34th Street.

Was this version of the song made for the 1994 remake, or was it just an album cut from his Christmas album that just happened to have scenes from the movie for its video?

[UYI]

As usual, Todd's Best list is a month late. 🙂

 

[UYI]

What's even funnier is if you watch Mark Grondin of Spectrum Pulse's Worst and Best lists, and notice the more obvious..um..differences between his and Todd's lists. 😄

 

[Silver Raven]

Todd slagging Lewis Capaldi makes me feel like he's personally attacking me.  😄

 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Once again, the Kiwi girl brings perfection. She covers this song excellently. 

[Was-MArsenault]

I don't get why the Grammy's this year are in January instead of February.

[UYI]

1 hour ago, MikaelaArsenault said:

I don't get why the Grammy's this year are in January instead of February.

It's because the Oscars were moved to the second Sunday in February this year, right around the time the Grammys are usually held, and they both wanted to prevent any overlap (I'm sure Super Bowl Sunday played a factor in this, too).

[UYI]

KATY PERRY IS PREGNANT!

*ahem*

Anyway, yeah, she revealed it at the end of her video of her new song, "Never Wore White." This will be her first child with her soon-to-be husband, Orlando Bloom. She's apparently six months along now. This is something she wanted for SO long (she's 35 now), plus given how her last marriage ended (Russell Brand saying he wanted a divorce via text)...yeah.

I'm SO HAPPY for her. ❤️ 

Edited March 5, 2020 by UYI

[cpcathy]

I'm happy for her, but that song is...not good.

[catlover79]

I swear, Journey has had almost as much drama as Chicago and Fleetwood Mac over the years:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.billboard.com/amp/articles/business/legal-and-management/9328638/journey-fire-steven-smith-ross-valory-coup-lawsuit

[Was-MArsenault]

David Foster is canceling shows due to an unexpected medical procedure:

https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2020/03/06/David-Foster-cancels-shows-due-to-unexpected-medical-procedure/2311583513972/

[GaT]

I had NickMusic on the TV without really paying attention & I happened to look up & saw this video. I kept looking at the woman singing because she looked familiar, but I had never seen this video before. I suddenly realized who it was (and boy am I showing my age here), it's Debbie Gibson. Debbie Gibson has released a song. And I recognized her. Her hair looks like something out of the 70s, but that's a whole different conversation.

 

Edited April 7, 2020 by GaT

[WendyCR72]

I think I am more shocked that there is a channel that still plays music videos (looking at YOU, MTV and VH1!) than by the fact that Debbie Gibson is still making music.

[UYI]

3 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

I think I am more shocked that there is a channel that still plays music videos (looking at YOU, MTV and VH1!) than by the fact that Debbie Gibson is still making music.

CMT still shows music videos, too, and in fact, just recently committed to equal play: the same amount of videos for men AND women a day. 🙂 

[WendyCR72]

In a somewhat strange move, the Hallmark Christmas music channel has reappeared on SiriusXM. Obviously, it usually only runs during the holiday season. I wonder if it is meant as some sort of anxiety relief during this virus?

It's the only explanation I can come up with.

[UYI]

On 4/16/2020 at 1:50 AM, WendyCR72 said:

In a somewhat strange move, the Hallmark Christmas music channel has reappeared on SiriusXM. Obviously, it usually only runs during the holiday season. I wonder if it is meant as some sort of anxiety relief during this virus?

It's the only explanation I can come up with.

The Hallmark Channel started showing their Christmas movies again for that reason, so probably. 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

 

[janie jones]

Since Adam Levine's decidedly unsexy voice came up elsewhere, I'm curious.  What singers do you guys think DO have sexy voices?

The two who come to mind for me are Brian Fallon and Mike Ness (although I think Mike Ness's singing voice might be an affectation).

Brian Fallon:

Mike Ness:

 

Edited May 19, 2020 by janie jones
add videos

[GaT]

4 hours ago, janie jones said:

Since Adam Levine's decidedly unsexy voice came up elsewhere, I'm curious.  What singers do you guys think DO have sexy voices?

The two who come to mind for me are Brian Fallon and Mike Ness (although I think Mike Ness's singing voice might be an affectation).

I think JJ Julius Son, the lead singer for KALEO has an incredibly sex voice.