Thursday, September 27, 2012
Worst songs ever? (Yeah, I'm bringing this to TOK now)
OK, this may not be overly TOK-ish but here it goes:
What is your least favorite song of all time?
This was inspired by a heated discussion on the Current's website today and I just wanted to hear a sample of what my generation hates (and loves) musically, just to compare with that post. And furthermore, what about any given song makes you hate it?
My bottom picks (debate away):
"Don't Stop Believing" by Journey (sorry, but it's a sugarcoated "inspirational" tune that was ruined before Glee even considered it)
"Video Games" by Lana del Rey (don't even bother with this one, it's just sad)
"She's Country" by Jason Aldean (I don't mind country but this pathetic attempt at "rock" is sleazy and borderline sexist)
"Sugar, We're Going Down" by Fall Out Boy (pretentious and not even emotional for being "emo")
"Modern Love" by David Bowie (a great artist but this number is droning and too poppy)
"We Are the Champions" by Queen (cliched and unoriginal, ditto with "We Will Rock You")
"The House that Heaven Built" by Japandroids (obscure, yet poppy yet abrasive and obnoxious)
"Only the Good Die Young" by Billy Joel (hey, let's all abandon our religion and be lascivious punks!)
"Jack and Diane" by John Mellencamp (have heard it for too many years and holds no nostalgic value)
"Brown-Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison (who has a chorus that lame with a voice that annoying?)
"Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond (if anyone sings the "bom-bom-bom" trumpet hook I will scream)
"All Summer Long" by Kid Rock (way to rhyme "things" with "things" and ruin Lynyrd Skynyrd for the rest of us)
And that's probably way too much to still be for educational purposes. But I want you all to ponder: what makes a certain song popular? Is it really that it has enjoyable musical qualities? Or is it because radio stations are paid to overplay it? Is pop-sensibility inherent? Or is it simply, well, populist?
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I like this post because it is something that slightly interests me.
ReplyDeleteHow dare you diss "She's Country!" While I don't really know how great of a song it is, and wont try to defend it to a large extent, it is catchy.
Queen is a god though.
Anyways, I think music is popular due to the mathematics behind it, but also because of the radio. First, KDWB (and their sisters) makes the song popular by playing it on repeat for days. Then, the radio stations play it on repeat for months! Many people feel like they have to buy it (or illegally download it) to make it go away.
I am going to hate on anything Nicki Minaj. Anything rap (although somewhat catchy). And screamo. If I had to take any of these three off the Earth it would be screamo (only because of the screaming. I like hardcore guitar and drums).
I love me some AC/DC.
I love Jack and Diane and All Summer Long! I think it's interesting the songs you put on your "bottom picks" list. I think that some songs become popular because they are very identifiable. (Hello Taylor Swift?) Another reason is publicity. The more air time and promotion a song or artist gets, the more popular it is going to be. I think there is also a certain "taste" in the public that changes every so often, and so artists try to conform their songs to this mood. Nice post Cody!
ReplyDeleteForgot about Taylor Swift. She's not very good either...
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