One of the dangers of having an "Oldies" or Big Hits radio station on your alarm clock is the potential to hear a song that can literally ruin your day. One you never liked when it was a hit, and can't get out of your mind when you hear it again.
This happened to me today. I'm hoping I find something to help me get over it.
Those Were The Days. And not the Archie Bunker version.
Now that the "The Brawl at Symphony Hall" is the most viewed video on CNN.com, the Boston Pops are going to take full advantage of their newfound (yet dubious) PR.
It's called PopSearch 2007. And it's a nationwide search for a singer to perform with the Pops at their annual July 4th concert on the Charles River Esplanade.
Aspiring singers can upload video clips to the PopSearch 2007 YouTube page or send in DVDs of their vocal performances. There will be finalists and online voting and all that good stuff. The winner will also receive $5,000--which is $5K more than what I received for winning the NFL's Super Bowl commercial contest.
Looks like singing competitions are showing no signs of stopping.
Let's just hope the fighting during Pops performances throws in the towel.
I travel quite a bit for work. In fact, I've been to New York City 17 times in the past 18 months. And I'm here again this week.
When I travel, there are artists on my iPod that simply feel like the places I'm visiting.
The two that stand out more than any other are Peeping Tom and The Postal Service.
Peeping Tom is an collaborative album created by Mike Patton, former lead singer of Faith No More. According to Patton, "I don't listen to the radio, but if I did, this is what I'd want it to sound like."
To me, it feels like Manhattan. When I walk the streets or ride in a cab, I play Peeping Tom.
Three thousand miles away, in Los Angeles, I always play The Postal Service. It's a side project from the founder of Death Cab for Cutie. And it feels like SoCal to me.
Sure, Patton is from California and The Postal Service is from Washington, but they feel different to me.
That's the beauty of music: listeners can interpret different things the artists never imagined.
Don't get me wrong, I love a catchy hook and a slammin' riff as much as the next person, but I think it's HILARIOUS and also slighty disturbing how people do not take into account the lyrical content of a song when using said song to promote a product.
Exhibit #1: The Psychedelic Furs song "Pretty in Pink" being used to hawk the pink RAZR phone. It apparently overlooked the fact that the song is about a girl who sleeps around and the nicest thing any guy can say about her is she looks nice in, well, pink.
Exhibit #2: "The Pina Coloda Song" that has been used execessively to promote countless liquors, bars, drink mixers, and once, ironically, a dating service. I say ironic because the song is about a man who intends to cheat on his woman by responding to a personal ad.
Exhibit #3: Pretty much any song by AC/DC being used to promote anything not related to the S&M, fetish, or the adult "service" industry. I mean, come on!!!!! There not singing about fluffy, cute kittens here people!!!
Exhibit #4: "The Seed (2.0)" by The Roots used to promote an HP laptop last year. Interesting choice since this song is about a man on a search for a woman who is not so stringent about contraception so that he may procreate.
There's an absolute disconnect between downloading music and opening a CD case and pulling out what is still referred to as the jacket liner, although jacket liners have to do with LP's (look up the term if you don't know it) where the lyrics are generally printed. I have many fond memories of those jacket liners. Reading the lyrics as I listen to a new song. Maybe beciase I like to actually be able tosing along to the music I'm listening to.
True story: before the Go-Go's released their first album in Australia, their song "Our Lips Are Sealed" was a number one hit, only the country thought it was "Alex the Seal", that was, until, they released the album and people READ the jacket liner.
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