In her recent post at helium.com, Jamiee Martindale argues that there are two sides to the music of today: you either love it, or your hate it. She says that people who hate the modern era of music it, hate it for its lyrical content, and that 20 or 30 years ago, the lyrics reflected the changing beliefs in society.
So I decided to look at the top 40 chart from today November 15, 2010 and then look back 30 years to see the top 40 chart in November 1980. Would there be a difference in lyrical content? Let's find out.
The number one single in America right now is....Rhianna and Drake's "What's my Name." Lyrically, I guess I'd have to say it's exactly how I thought it would be. There's no depth to these lyrics but it's a good track.
In November of 1980, the number one track in the country was "The Tide is High" by Blondie. Personally, this is one of my favorite tracks of all-time. This track is a cover of a song. It was originally written in 1967 by John Holt. Lyrically, "The Tide is High" isn't a masterpiece of any kind. It has good lyrics, but not far superior lyrics to that of the Rhianna song.
What I'm really trying to get at with this post is that for Martindale to say that today's music has less lyrical content is a completely subjective statement. There are plenty of musicians today that speak of important social issues, and just because that's not reflected on the charts, doesn't mean our musical acts are any less socially aware then artists of the past. For her to say you either love today's music or you hate it is a pretty big conclusion. Besides, not all music has to make a social statement to be of importance. Sometimes, all we want to do is dance!!!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
New Generation of Stars
There once was a time when super bands existed and ruled the air waves. Bands like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin sold millions of albums and sold out arenas all over the world. From Elvis Presley all they way to Metallica, throughout the 20th century there were plenty of artists who reached this extreme level of international fame and success.
But in this new age of technology and rapid communication, the era of super bands has come to a close and has been replaced. Replaced by whom you ask? Replaced by music lovers like you and me!
The social networking site myspace, before it was bombarded with individual pages, was originally created for bands and artists to present their music to the masses for free. It allowed easy access to their music, gave background information, and displayed upcoming gigs which allowed people to hear bands and see them like never before. Myspace allowed bands to reach the public without the backing of a record label. Eventually, it would be taken over by everyday people and used for personal reasons. Myspace, even though it is considered prehistoric in the realm of social media, is still an important part of exposing your band and absolutely necessary if you plan to make any musical connections.
Everyday there new breakthroughs in music technology. We can sit in our rooms and create beats with our cell phones. No longer do we need big-time music producers to create hits. Easy to use software programs like Fruity Loops allow people to sample, loop, and produce their own hits. Mike Posner wrote and recorded his smash hit "You Think You're Cooler Than Me" in his dorm room at Duke University. Now add these easy to use computer programs with a medium like Myspace and anybody, as long as they write a good song, can create a hit and have people all over the world dancing.
Using social media to help young artists promote their music will continue to grow and evolve, just like the technology used to create music. It will become easier to make your beats and share it with the world. The following song was written, recorded, and produced in his bedroom.
But in this new age of technology and rapid communication, the era of super bands has come to a close and has been replaced. Replaced by whom you ask? Replaced by music lovers like you and me!
The social networking site myspace, before it was bombarded with individual pages, was originally created for bands and artists to present their music to the masses for free. It allowed easy access to their music, gave background information, and displayed upcoming gigs which allowed people to hear bands and see them like never before. Myspace allowed bands to reach the public without the backing of a record label. Eventually, it would be taken over by everyday people and used for personal reasons. Myspace, even though it is considered prehistoric in the realm of social media, is still an important part of exposing your band and absolutely necessary if you plan to make any musical connections.
Everyday there new breakthroughs in music technology. We can sit in our rooms and create beats with our cell phones. No longer do we need big-time music producers to create hits. Easy to use software programs like Fruity Loops allow people to sample, loop, and produce their own hits. Mike Posner wrote and recorded his smash hit "You Think You're Cooler Than Me" in his dorm room at Duke University. Now add these easy to use computer programs with a medium like Myspace and anybody, as long as they write a good song, can create a hit and have people all over the world dancing.
Using social media to help young artists promote their music will continue to grow and evolve, just like the technology used to create music. It will become easier to make your beats and share it with the world. The following song was written, recorded, and produced in his bedroom.
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