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The Song Doesn't Remain The Same
By Gloria Diaz
Check out Gloria's Blog — Edge of Gloria!
Fort Wayne Reader
2009-02-24
I’ve reached the age where current music doesn’t mean very much to me. The occasional song, like “Sexyback” breaks through and I say, “hey, I like this,” but for the most part, I don’t have a current favorite group that’s still intact. I like the Beatles, but I knew a long time ago a reunion was out of the question.
I don’t listen to the radio, unless I’m in a situation where I have to. If I find out about new music, it’s usually from a movie, or television. A Target commercial had a great song, so I went searching on the internet to see if I could figure out what it was. I eventually found it (“A Little Bit More” by Jamie Lidell) but thought it was ironic that I had to special order it from Wooden Nickel, because Target didn’t carry the music from the artist. The company should seriously consider putting together a compilation CD of the music they’ve featured on their commercials.
Anyway, I was looking at CDs the other day. I tend to look at compilation CDs of music I’m familiar with, because there’s a better chance of getting more music that I like. If there’s anything I hate, it’s buying a CD, and only liking ONE song. Even if I’m flush with cash, I cringe when I realize I’ve spent $15 or more for one likable song. One CD I looked at was the latest in a series. I looked to see who was on it. I didn’t really recognize a lot of the names, but what struck me as odd is the amount of artists who were paired up. Nearly every song was performed and/or written by “so and so, featuring so and so.” Are today’s artists so untalented that they can’t write and sing a decent song on their own? I know collaborating isn’t illegal, but here’s my age showing: I can’t think of any groups in the 70s and 80s that did a whole lot of collaborating. Sure, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney come to mind, but does anyone think “Ebony and Ivory” is a great song? Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger’s “State of Shock” was sort of interesting, but I don’t think it ranks up there as being their best work.
I personally can’t wait for Eminem and Miley Cyrus to collaborate. I can see the CD title now: “Miley and Eminem: Together At Last!” I also read about Kelly Clarkson’s new single, “My Life Would Suck Without You.” The title alone is screamingly obvious that the song was written by someone under the age of 30. A title like that makes me long for the days of “I Can’t Smile Without You,” when Barry Manilow ruled the radio with stuff that seemed schmaltzy back then, but now sounds downright classical compared with the so-called love ballads of today. Nice to know though, that women write lyrics almost as vulgar as those penned by men. Maybe someday technology will find a way to create a button that will eliminate the lyrics of a song on command, so even if you like the music, you don’t have to put up with some 20-year-old screaming, “let me stick it in you baby, all night, all right, you be tight, make it right, let me stick it in you baby,” etc.
Wow, typing that last sentence gave me a little thrill. Perhaps I’ll start writing songs. But I promise if I do, I’ll have a collaborator. After all, I want to be successful. And from browsing the CD racks, I know I can’t do it all by myself, all night, all right, etc.
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