Oh Dear God. Risking the wrath of teenage girls the world over is a bit scary, but I just don't get this one. It's overproduced pop - not only the synths, but the guitar straight off a Dire Straights b-side. And with vocals that could have made 1980's David Gahan blush, which is tough to do. Ambiguous lyrics for 15 year olds to project directly onto.
Not for me, really.
RATING: 49
September 20, 2009
109. ABBA: The Day Before You Came
I HATE ABBA. Not sure how else to put it. PF500 tries to play this as ABBA getting serious, I guess about how "something's not right." I'm not wasting another second.
RATING: 0.
RATING: 0.
A Thought
My wife mentioned to me that reading this blog, when you don't know a song, and it isn't linked to, is absolutely maddening. It's really a fuck up on my part. So I'm linking everything I can find now, of course.
September 19, 2009
108. Michael Jackson: Billie Jean
Wanna Be Startin' Something seems to me to be the choice, here, if only because we get surreal "you're a vegetable" Michael. I've always felt in that song you got Michael saying "I'm doing surreal lyrics, I'm bringing in multiple instruments, I'm making this song go 2 minutes longer than it should," and I'm not even bringing up mamasaymamasamamamusa (I know, it kinda was Quincy saying all that, but still...)
I'm sounding too disappointed. Billie Jean is very solid, even before considering the video (but "Billie Jean" is actually mentioned in Wanna Be Startin' Something!?!).
The most surprising thing to me when I listen to Michael Jackson is that he's such a storyteller. From Thriller and thereafter, his best songs tend to put you in the middle of a particular situation (which is why Black and White sucks).
Much has been written about Jackson since his death. I tend to agree with the "we're really going to ignore that he was a total freak for 15 years?" school of thought, but the music is excellent. My kids, who slough off music all over the place, ask to hear Michael's songs. "Play a different one that's good" they say. And I always can find one.
RATING: 86.
I'm sounding too disappointed. Billie Jean is very solid, even before considering the video (but "Billie Jean" is actually mentioned in Wanna Be Startin' Something!?!).
The most surprising thing to me when I listen to Michael Jackson is that he's such a storyteller. From Thriller and thereafter, his best songs tend to put you in the middle of a particular situation (which is why Black and White sucks).
Much has been written about Jackson since his death. I tend to agree with the "we're really going to ignore that he was a total freak for 15 years?" school of thought, but the music is excellent. My kids, who slough off music all over the place, ask to hear Michael's songs. "Play a different one that's good" they say. And I always can find one.
RATING: 86.
107. Hall & Oates: I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)
Starts off a lot funkier than you remember, smoother. No one listening to the first 60 seconds would have predicted Hall & Oates. It's a bit of a shame, Hall & Oates seem like a punchline for those of us born in the early 1970s, with John Oates, mute-like-Teller, dancing around a la Andrew Ridgely of Wham, but this makes you step back and respect. The song meanders around a bit in a surprising way, with melodies a sharp above or flat below where you think they're going (like on the multiple variations of the slide on the "nooooo"), they really bring the soul, and there's a fair amount going on, and the Hall & Oates harmonies, whatever their other flaws, are always spot on. (I can do without the upper range tinkly shit, which they should've realized would doom them to easy rock hell, but hindsight is 20/20 I guess)
Can I just admit it and say that I cannot hear this song without thinking of a guy that hates to eat pussy? I Would Do Anything For Love by Meatloaf too. Anyone else? Is it really just me?
RATING:73 66
Can I just admit it and say that I cannot hear this song without thinking of a guy that hates to eat pussy? I Would Do Anything For Love by Meatloaf too. Anyone else? Is it really just me?
RATING:
106. Prince: Dirty Mind
I would imagine over the years that many guys watched prince seduce countless women and thought "I'm not sure I get this." And that's how I feel about his music.
I realize that prince turned into a punchline there for a while, with the symbol and stuff, and at the same time represented what happens to an artist when he fights too much with his record label, and of course he didn't deserve to be the butt of jay leno's jokes for too many years, but ... I've been crucified for this, and I've really tried, but at the end of the day, it's just not there.
And I think I know what it is for me, at least in part. I just don't believe that anyone should take their sexuality that seriously, song after song, year after year, decade after decade. It's a bit ridiculous, if you think about it, all that theatrical stroking of the little man. I certainly wouldn't want to be around a person like that, trying to talk about whether iced coffee is actually getting more popular or not, and having him suck on a straw. Enough.
This song is basic synth 101. Verse Verse Verse Bridge Verse Verse winddown. Or something like that. And the 3 chord synth line becomes annoying about 90 seconds into this 4 minute song.
RATING: 47.
I realize that prince turned into a punchline there for a while, with the symbol and stuff, and at the same time represented what happens to an artist when he fights too much with his record label, and of course he didn't deserve to be the butt of jay leno's jokes for too many years, but ... I've been crucified for this, and I've really tried, but at the end of the day, it's just not there.
And I think I know what it is for me, at least in part. I just don't believe that anyone should take their sexuality that seriously, song after song, year after year, decade after decade. It's a bit ridiculous, if you think about it, all that theatrical stroking of the little man. I certainly wouldn't want to be around a person like that, trying to talk about whether iced coffee is actually getting more popular or not, and having him suck on a straw. Enough.
This song is basic synth 101. Verse Verse Verse Bridge Verse Verse winddown. Or something like that. And the 3 chord synth line becomes annoying about 90 seconds into this 4 minute song.
RATING: 47.
105. Tom Tom Club: Genius of Love
While I think the inclination is to stick this in the electronica/club section, to me this is a nice and easy summer song. A farty bouncy 6-note synth riff, and the puffy female harmonies make this ideal for patio drinking. Steals the best of reggae in this regard.
That said, the rap verse and the german verse don't completely stand up to multiple close listens in a row.
Bo-hannon, bo-hannon, bo-hannon, bo-hannon.
Who? Hamilton Bohannon of course, Stevie Wonder's drummer.
RATING: 74.
That said, the rap verse and the german verse don't completely stand up to multiple close listens in a row.
Bo-hannon, bo-hannon, bo-hannon, bo-hannon.
Who? Hamilton Bohannon of course, Stevie Wonder's drummer.
RATING: 74.
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