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You're Number One!

Edgy DC Apr 20 2011 07:44 AM

UConn student listens to every number one through history, and draws interesting if dubious conclusions. Looking at his online presence, he's apparently a Beatles fan, but it's hard to accept that he thinks "Pop Muzik" is the #1 worst in US history. In fact, that kind of hurts. I mean, to deride a song about talkin' 'bout pop music when you are, in fact, talkin' 'bout pop music seems spectacularly un-self-aware.

metsguyinmichigan Apr 20 2011 08:01 AM Re: You're Number One!

If "Funky Town" reached No. 1, then "Pop Muzik" has competition.

Edgy DC Apr 20 2011 09:07 AM Re: You're Number One!

Thre's a lot worse out there than "Funky Town" too. Fun songs aren't a sin. Sometimes they're cruel or give too much comfort to the shallow or wrongheaded. But I sometimes feel I've got to make a move to a town that's right for me, and I'm not going to apologize for that.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 20 2011 09:40 AM Re: You're Number One! Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 20 2011 09:57 AM

Stuff like "Running Bear" and "Mr. Custer" are real tough listens. If I had to nuke one song, my finger would linger for a tremulously long time over "Eve of Destruction." What's striking, though, really, is how-- if you remove your own aesthetic (Nickelback, say, or disco) or lyrical (in my case, say, "You Light Up My Life" or the Britney stuff) preferences from the mix and go based strictly-- most everything that hit #1 has SOMETHING to recommend it. That said, even if I'm straining to be charitable, some of the later stuff-- "I'm Real" (Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule), "You're Beautiful" (James Blunt), latter-day Britney Spears-- is still a difficult swallow.

Edgy DC Apr 20 2011 09:50 AM Re: You're Number One!

I'd mostly agree with that. It's very sad to hear how technology is making the band irrelevant. They can be useful from a marketing standpoint --- and it's a lot easier for a band to survive an internship of years on the road and pitching demos than it is for a solo act --- but who really needs them to make the record they want made once a major label owns them. Once No Doubt had it made, after 15 years, you knew it would be long before their vocalist would go solo.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 20 2011 10:00 AM Re: You're Number One!

Forget the band-- technology is rapidly and inexorably making MUSICALITY largely irrelevant (at least as regards the "performer") in crafting workable pop.

G-Fafif Apr 20 2011 03:28 PM Re: You're Number One!

New York. London. Paris. Munich. Four world capitals can't be wrong.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 25 2011 10:48 AM Re: You're Number One!

Edgy DC wrote: UConn student listens to every number one through history, and draws interesting if dubious conclusions. Looking at his online presence, he's apparently a Beatles fan, but it's hard to accept that he thinks "Pop Muzik" is the worst in US history. In fact, that kind of hurts. I mean, to deride a song about talkin' 'bout pop music when you are, in fact, talkin' 'bout pop music seems spectacularly un-self-aware. Yeah, wtf Jesse.

Ashie62 Apr 25 2011 01:00 PM Re: You're Number One!

"Pop music losts its' taste, so get another flavor, Pop music, pop pop pop pop." Adam Ant...