(Disclaimer: This post may cause me to make fun of some "older" songs you like. And "Cruise." I'm gonna make fun of "Cruise" again. Get used to it.)
The most glaring issue--for me--with pop music today is the fact that it takes no effort to get famous. You just have to pluck a generic, 4/4 beat, then add in some "catchy" vocals (lalas, nanas, and dootdoos are not words, thank you Strong Bad), and all of a sudden, you have a successful, stupid, charting song. There are some exceptions to this, of course. I think that "Cups" is actually pretty good, and Adele has really surprised me in the past with her talent, both live and in a recording studio. More recently, Avicii has made some good stuff, and yeah, Macklemore isn't terrible, honestly.
But then you have stuff that is passed off as artistic. (Hint: changing pitches in half steps? Not impressive.) Or a song that is just a lazy rehash with a terrible extra "verse" added in. Or even a song that's just... tired. The formula, the lyrics, the beat... everything about it just feels exhausted. Do you know why that is? I'll give you a muffin if you can!
(Another hint: It's not because country music takes any effort. It doesn't. All the songs sound the same. And "Cruise" still is not country.)
(I will review Jason Aldean's new turd if it touches the Top 10 of Billboard. Called it.)
Anyway, we could spend weeks at a time dissecting why this crap is popular, but I figure we'll dive right into my favorite part of why these things go wrong: THE WORDS!
Now, there have always, always been songs that have terrible writing, but were said to be great--even genre-defining. Truth is, they aren't. Some songs capture the essence of how bad things were. "Total Eclipse of the Heart," as much as some people love to defend it, really shows just how bad music could be in the 80's... but still be called good.
Andrew and I have had this discussion before. Sometimes songs can get famous just because of the people who wrote and record them (I'm looking at you, Yellow Submarine!) In reality, the songs are pretty lazy in general--whether it was inspired by drugs, a lack of time, or a lack of passion--some music was put on this earth and glorified, even if it was bad.
Like, really really bad. But at the same time, even crappy songs can have some redeeming qualities...
I read an interview between a journalist for Scene Magazine and Flo Rida, around the time "Whistle" was released. The interviewer said and I quote: "It's nice to see a song that has gotten popular and can--can really show--uh, a lot of symbolism in it. The song I mean."
I still have trouble disagreeing with that statement, because he is both wrong and right at the same time. On one hand, yeah, the song does have symbolism in it. It's all about blow jobs, so it isn't good symbolism, but it's still more subtle than anything Nicki Minaj has ever done. (I refuse to link anything)
"Cruise" is about as subtle as a hammer to the face, and while "Whistle" sucks, the guy doing the interview is right. The song has more craft in it than most of the garbage on the radio today. Hell, even Feel This Moment has some hidden lines and symbolism in it.
Again, this does not excuse these songs for being bad, not by any means, but at least they're trying harder than some other things with their words. They're trying to put in some meaning, even if it's either A) The wrong meaning or B) A stupid meaning that misses the mark.
At the same time however, we have to look at the bigger picture here. Songs nowadays are not really all-that popular for the words--you slap on something catchy and you've got it. They're popular because of something else entirely... something that still manages to stay unfortunate to the cause and why I believe we're in the declining age of great lyrical genius.
Well, two things, actually. Beats. And music videos.
If you clicked that, you just went through a drug trip, but one that you probably didn't hate. You found yourself tapping your foot or bobbing your head, and not fully understanding what was happening. Maybe you didn't really like it--but at the same time, you probably didn't flat-out hate it. C'mon, admit it. It's okay, I didn't hate it either.
Without looking up the words, or listening to it again, tell me more than one stanza of the song. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it's pretty difficult. Now I may be wrong here, but I'm placing money that Kanye West didn't create this--um, experience--for it to be catchy. Symbolical? Probably. Catchy? No.
This isn't a song you would sing in public. It's one you would remember the constant thumping to while sitting in church, or at work, or in class. That is what you would remember. Along with the creep music video, what you would envision is the beat to the music and the music itself.
You're probably asking, "how does this relate to lyrics?" Well, I'm getting there, keep your pants on. I showed the above example because the above example shows this: for something to be popular now, it doesn't need to have creative lyrics. It just needs a popular name behind it, accompanied by a beat and a music video you will remember. As long as those things are kept in mind, then you will remember the song.
Don't believe me? Then why is it that "Friday" by Rebecca Black was universally panned in every way, shape, and form, but a song like "Starships," which is essentially the same thoughtless, repetitive garbage we have come to expect from Minaj, broke Billboard records and stayed in the Top 10 for over 21 weeks?
Have you read the lyrics to Starships? They're about as well thought out as Friday, maybe even less so.
We'll explore more aspects of what makes today's popular music lazy in the future, but for now, just remember: it isn't about words anymore. It's about names, beats, and sometimes music videos. I know there are a lot of examples where I'm wrong, I admit that--but there are a lot where I'm right.
Just something to chew on.
Do you want some songs with some awesome writing? Some of these are pretty old, but the songs are drenched in symbolism and are fun to listen to. This entire album is a masterpiece, and every line in this means something different. More recently, Outkast has hit some it with some good stuff, and even Kanye West can do some things right. The Killers stay pretty consistent, and hey--I don't like everything they do, but Coldplay even has had some good stuff over the years.
Have a suggestion or want me to write about something? Just say so and I'll get to it.
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