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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: KevShmev on December 11, 2019, 03:44:12 PM
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In this thread, I will feature songs I (the general "I") can't believe were as big a hits as they were, and with a topic like this, I will be able to hit different genres and whatnot. And when I say "hit," it doesn't necessarily have to be a song that was a hit in the pop charts.
As is normal with these Song of the Day threads, please let me feature the songs, and if you have an idea for one to feature, please PM me and I will feature it (sooner rather than later).
There are many reasons one could point to a song and say, "How was that song as popular as it was?" So, all of these songs will not fall into the same category in that regard. Some songs will be ones I like a lot, but maybe have unconventional things going on that you wouldn't have thought would appeal to the masses. In other threads, this will not be a "KevShmev trashes popular songs" thread (the first entree below notwithstanding). I will keep this thread going as long as there is interest, and I am sure there will be days I feature more than one, and days I miss as well.
Today's Song of the Day is the one that inspired me to start this thread:
4 Non Blondes - What's Up?
This song is right at the top of my "how in the world do people like this song?" list. That vocal performance is atrocious. I heard it at work the other day and I wanted to rip my ears off and throw them across the room at the speakers in the hopes that that would make it stop. I have to think that standards for good music in the mainstream had slipped in 1993, which explains why so many people like this bag of donkey piss.
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Totally ridiculous song. It is literally the same three chords over and over for the entire song. Verse, chorus, bridge, whatever. Same chords, over and over. The vocal performance is horrible. Some other band covered it, and it was even worse.
And yet, we've had three different singers in our band who wanted to do the song. Well, two, plus one who wanted to audition for us and sing that song. Our drummer flat out refused to play it for the audition, told her to pick a different song. Singers love the song for some reason. Maybe because it has almost no substance to it, so it's an opportunity to make something out of it with a truly special rendition. Except the song sucks, so why bother?
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I think it's pretty unique, and honestly, while it's goofy, I never had a problem with it.
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4 Non Blondes - What's Up?
This song is right at the top of my "how in the world do people like this song?" list. That vocal performance is atrocious. I heard it at work the other day and I wanted to rip my ears off and throw them across the room at the speakers in the hopes that that would make it stop. I have to think that standards for good music in the mainstream had slipped in 1993, which explains why so many people like this bag of donkey piss.
I had to YouTube it. Didn't think I'd ever heard it until the chorus started, and it sounded vaguely familiar. Couldn't tolerate it past about the 1:45 mark. Wikipedia tells me that it was a #1 song in a bunch of countries and hit #14 in the U.S. Music was pretty fucked up in 1992.
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It's a fine song I don't get why so many people passionately hate it
The he-man version is better tho
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Kinda like that song.
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Totally ridiculous song. It is literally the same three chords over and over for the entire song. Verse, chorus, bridge, whatever. Same chords, over and over. The vocal performance is horrible. Some other band covered it, and it was even worse.
And yet, we've had three different singers in our band who wanted to do the song. Well, two, plus one who wanted to audition for us and sing that song. Our drummer flat out refused to play it for the audition, told her to pick a different song. Singers love the song for some reason. Maybe because it has almost no substance to it, so it's an opportunity to make something out of it with a truly special rendition. Except the song sucks, so why bother?
Probably because they hear it and think, "Hell, I can sing it better than that."
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I didn't know that song was hated, I have always liked it, it bring so many memories. I still like it.
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It's a fine song I don't get why so many people passionately hate it
The he-man version is better tho
I hated the song. From her voice to the mid tempo. There was something that just didn't click with me.
The lead singer went on to be a fantastic singer,/songwriter/producer.
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For all the ragging on the singing, I kind of always got the impression that she thought she was NAILING it. Linda Perry went on to work with some pretty big names, and it had to stem from that, no?
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I remember this song being huge. I think I liked it and wouldn't run to change the channel when it came on MTV or the radio. I can't imagine listening to it now. I don't even care to for the sole sake of curiosity.
In the spirit of the thread, I can actually sorta believe this song was big at the time, despite how it probably shouldn't have been.
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I used to hear it all the time at my store. Didn't mind it, but it's not that great.
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Today I learned that that song isn't by Melissa Etheridge. I don't know why I thought she sang that song. I'd never seen the music video nor saw who sang it, I've always just heard it in the background. I learned something today.
I don't know, I don't really mind it. I can kinda see why it became a hit at the time, it sounds very early 90s to me. It's catchy, that's for sure.
I also didn't realize Linda Perry went on to become quite the prolific songwriter and is in the Songwriter's Hall of Fame
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Never had an issue with it. The same three chird thing I didn't know and is pretty interesting. I wouldn't say it's a brilliant song or anything.
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Atrocious song that is very similar to the not very much better Don't Worry Be Happy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0mMPLDIzlg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0mMPLDIzlg)
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As is normal with these Song of the Day threads, please let me feature the songs, and if you have an idea for one to feature, please PM me and I will feature it (sooner rather than later).
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If this is directed at me, have you watched the provided link? It's not that I wanted to feature another song, just to show how similar the featured song is to Bobby McFerrin's.
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There's a hippy-chick busker with an acoustic guitar who stands outside my local supermarket most Saturdays. She sings the "hey hey ya ya I Said what's going on" line of the song, strums her guitar for a few bars, then sings the same line again. I'm convinced that's all she knows.
At the time that song came out, it was quite kooky, quirky, fresh and unlike anything around at the time. That's why it was a hit. Since then we've had Alanis Morisette and all sorts of hippy chick folk-rock singers doing it so much better, but at the time it was good. Looking back on it now - yeah, it's not so good, and really annoying.
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If this is directed at me, have you watched the provided link? It's not that I wanted to feature another song, just to show how similar the featured song is to Bobby McFerrin's.
Sorry, no I haven't clicked the link. Fair enough, my fault.
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All's good, no problem. :D
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The vocal performance is horrible. Some other band covered it, and it was even worse.
Oh come on. Soft Cell's Tainted Love it is not.
It's not a song I've listened to in 20+ years but now I've been reminded, yeah, it's a decent tune. Very in keeping with the early 90s when hair metal was getting pushed out of the mainstream and the look of the lead singer was quite striking in the video that was released for it.
Personally I'd like to nominate Oasis' Wonderwall. What a miserable, tepid, dirge of a song.
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All's good, no problem. :D
I checked it out and yeah they work pretty well. It does sound slightly forced but was more sold when Bobby's verse came in.
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I don't mind that song that much really, I'd say it's perfectly fine. Nothing super special but not terrible either.
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one of the worst songs I've ever heard.
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I mean, it's not a great song, but it's weird and quirky and not unpleasant. I don't see the big deal with it.
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Awful song. I appreciate the unique vocal approach but the delivery is just horrendous.
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Boring, and I've never liked it. Not even a little bit.
There are certainly worse songs, of course. Just nothing here that appeals to me in the slightest.
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Totally ridiculous song. It is literally the same three chords over and over for the entire song. Verse, chorus, bridge, whatever. Same chords, over and over.
Is that inherently bad? Countless songs do exactly that. Most big hits actually do exactly that...
I YouTubed this 4 Non Blondes song. 781 million views?! I've never heard of this before (but I was only 1 when the song came out...) - the singer sounds familiar... that big rising, slowly falling melody in the hook sounds very familiar, too. Maybe I have heard this band before but maybe it was another song. Either way, I've heard far worse...
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I have to admit to not hating the song back when it was out. It wasn't anything special, but I don't listen to much radio so I mostly ignored it. But after having to learn the song (which took about 30 seconds) and play those same three chords over and over for two and a half years, I have come to truly hate it.
You're correct that a lot of hits do the same thing, the same progression for the verse, chorus, everything. There's a beauty to the simplicity, the song is easy to learn and therefore sing along with, and it gets stuck in your head pretty easily as well. Those are all things can help make it a hit. So I guess in that sense, I can believe the song was a hit. But every one of those songs that do that? They all suck.
:millahhhh
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Today's Song of the Day is...
R.E.M. - Losing My Religion
Really good song, one I was never that big on until recently, and a tune I am not surprised at all was popular, but for it to be the band's biggest and most popular song (arguably) ever is a bit surprising. I mean, who figures a rock tune with no chorus and where a mandolin is the lead instrument is going to be that big?
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Losing My Religion is a great tune, though I might agree slightly just because they've made so many great tunes.
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Great song. Always liked it.
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So I guess in that sense, I can believe the song was a hit. But every one of those songs that do that? They all suck.
:millahhhh
Damn this made me laugh :lol
How the hell did LMR get a Grammy? This song is truly the embodiment of average imo.
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Today's Song of the Day is...
R.E.M. - Losing My Religion
Starting off this thread with some heavy early 90s flavor. I never have been an REM fan. This song is ok. I certainly don't find it distasteful. It's catchy enough. But it's nothing special IMO. For my money, the best thing REM ever did was "Furry Happy Monsters" on Sesame Street. For whatever reason, that song kept my son's attention like nothing else when he was 1-3 years old.
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For my money, the best thing REM ever did was "Furry Happy Monsters" on Sesame Street.
BRB, checking YouTube...
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Holy Shit! :eek
Furry Happy Monsters prompted me to watch (but not listen to) Shiny Happy People for comparison, and somehow it has escaped me until now what a babe Kate Pierson is. Maybe because I always found the B-52s to be either silly or annoying (or both) and thus didn't pay much attention to them. But... damn!
This thread has already been a rather eye-opening experience thus far.
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"Losing My Religion" has befuddled me as to how it became a popular hit song for as long as I can remember.
I have nothing against the song itself, it just seems like an odd choice to be released as a single.
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This song shouldn't be in this thread. R.E.M. was stretching out musically here. Bandmates were playing different instruments than their normal instruments. Trying to change sonically and a breath of fresh air in the early 90's.
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I don't even like REM (respect them though) and I love Losing My Religion.
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"Losing My Religion" has befuddled me as to how it became a popular hit song for as long as I can remember.
I have nothing against the song itself, it just seems like an odd choice to be released as a single.
Hmmm, it's almost like you can't...wait for it...believe it was a hit! :P
Starting off this thread with some heavy early 90s flavor. I never have been an REM fan. This song is ok. I certainly don't find it distasteful. It's catchy enough. But it's nothing special IMO. For my money, the best thing REM ever did was "Furry Happy Monsters" on Sesame Street. For whatever reason, that song kept my son's attention like nothing else when he was 1-3 years old.
Yep, the Furry Happy Monsters thing they did on Sesame Street is awesome. You could tell they had a blast doing it (except for maybe Peter Buck, who was supposedly the one guy in the band who hated Shiny Happy People :lol).
Holy Shit! :eek
Furry Happy Monsters prompted me to watch (but not listen to) Shiny Happy People for comparison, and somehow it has escaped me until now what a babe Kate Pierson is. Maybe because I always found the B-52s to be either silly or annoying (or both) and thus didn't pay much attention to them. But... damn!
This thread has already been a rather eye-opening experience thus far.
:tup :tup
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I'm with King and TAC. If you want to put a REM song here, "Man On The Moon". I thought the whole Andy Kaufman thing was blown WAY out of proportion.
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I'm with King and TAC. If you want to put a REM song here, "Man On The Moon". I thought the whole Andy Kaufman thing was blown WAY out of proportion.
From their most adventurous album.
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Not particularly surprised on this one.
I'm with King and TAC. If you want to put a REM song here, "Man On The Moon". I thought the whole Andy Kaufman thing was blown WAY out of proportion.
Can we start a thread called 'I can't believe people found this "comedian" so funny' and lead off with Andy Kaufman?
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I'm with King and TAC. If you want to put a REM song here, "Man On The Moon". I thought the whole Andy Kaufman thing was blown WAY out of proportion.
While I agree about Kaufman, I think the song would have been popular anyway without that angle.
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Yeah, that wasn't a bad song either.
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As a relatively new R.E.M fan (after 30+ years of only liking a handful of songs or so), I can say that Automatic for the People is pretty damn fantastic from start to finish.
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Okay, someone has to be the one, so it seems it is me:
Losing My Religion is the most bland and boring song ever to have been recorded. Nothing, and I repeat: NOTHING in that song is enjoyable. It's good that it has no chorus because I'm sure it would have been even more boring and bland than the rest. I'd rather listen to Linda Perry in duet with a cat that is being strangled for a whole day than listen to Losing My Religion again.
So yeah, I can't believe this hit was so popular.
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Holy Shit! :eek
Furry Happy Monsters prompted me to watch (but not listen to) Shiny Happy People for comparison, and somehow it has escaped me until now what a babe Kate Pierson is. Maybe because I always found the B-52s to be either silly or annoying (or both) and thus didn't pay much attention to them. But... damn!
This thread has already been a rather eye-opening experience thus far.
I went to see the B-52s earlier this year, they put on a great show, and they've got more great songs than you'd think. Kate is 71 now, and she's absolutely still got it.
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I actually used to think R.E.M were quite boring and bland and in a group of rock bands there was no edge to their sound, it was just kinda calm and boring. But my dad was a fan so I've been exposed to their music a bit and it's an interesting case of how your outlook on things can change as you grow older. I recently said "screw it" and acquired all their studio albums and my plan is to go through them one by one because I really like the hits and I want to get more into detail.
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Hmmm....I'm not an REM fan but Losing My Religion is a well written, unique and very creative song. Wonderful songwriting and just a great song.
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I know next to nothing about REM, but I can't find anything that bad about Losing My Religion. I'm sure there are better REM songs just like there are better Metallica songs than Nothing Else Matters and better Maiden songs than Fear of the Dark (or better Cranberries songs than Zombie), but leaving aside the overplaying factor, I don't think it's such a shame that Losing My Religion is so famous.
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Never heard of the song by 4 Non Blondes, though it does sound familiar. But I enjoy it? I also enjoy Losing my Religion.¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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I know next to nothing about REM, but I can't find anything that bad about Losing My Religion. I'm sure there are better REM songs just like there are better Metallica songs than Nothing Else Matters and better Maiden songs than Fear of the Dark (or better Cranberries songs than Zombie), but leaving aside the overplaying factor, I don't think it's such a shame that Losing My Religion is so famous.
IMO it's not that Losing My Religion is bad, it's just so freaking bland. I don't get what stands out about it so much. The vocals alone could put me to sleep!
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I actually used to think R.E.M were quite boring and bland and in a group of rock bands there was no edge to their sound, it was just kinda calm and boring. But my dad was a fan so I've been exposed to their music a bit and it's an interesting case of how your outlook on things can change as you grow older. I recently said "screw it" and acquired all their studio albums and my plan is to go through them one by one because I really like the hits and I want to get more into detail.
This sounds a lot like me! My younger brother, who has been telling me for decades how good R.E.M. is, recently said my sudden fandom is my biggest 180 ever. :lol :lol
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I actually used to think R.E.M were quite boring and bland and in a group of rock bands there was no edge to their sound, it was just kinda calm and boring. But my dad was a fan so I've been exposed to their music a bit and it's an interesting case of how your outlook on things can change as you grow older. I recently said "screw it" and acquired all their studio albums and my plan is to go through them one by one because I really like the hits and I want to get more into detail.
This is the way to do it. I'm actually a HUGE REM fan, and for me, with only a few exceptions, the more popular a song of theirs is the less I like it (Losing My Religion is an exception, as is Radio Free Europe). Theirs is a catalogue that is best understood as a catalogue. They're a lot like Rush in that regard; there are patterns to their records, there are leaps and starts in their catalogue, there are albums that have songs that are throwbacks, and songs that are looks ahead...
I love the "Out Of Time" album, but the key songs are the ones that didn't really get airplay: "Near Wild Heaven" (which was a single), and what's called the "Memory Side" (side B of the record, for you fogies), with "Belong", "Half a World Away", "Texarkana", "Country Feedback" and "Me in Honey".
A lot of their records - Monster is the best example - are of a kind, meaning they are musically themed. Not that they aren't varied, but you're not going to get a Queen album, which veers from a 50's rocker to a 20's pastiche, to a 70's prog opus, to a dance hall ditty, etc. etc.
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I'm not surprised about Losing My Religion being a big hit. There are many REM songs I would take over that one, but it's a pretty solid tune to be radio-friendly.
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I'm actually a HUGE REM fan, and for me, with only a few exceptions, the more popular a song of theirs is the less I like it (Losing My Religion is an exception, as is Radio Free Europe). Theirs is a catalogue that is best understood as a catalogue. They're a lot like Rush in that regard; there are patterns to their records, there are leaps and starts in their catalogue, there are albums that have songs that are throwbacks, and songs that are looks ahead...
I love the "Out Of Time" album, but the key songs are the ones that didn't really get airplay: "Near Wild Heaven" (which was a single), and what's called the "Memory Side" (side B of the record, for you fogies), with "Belong", "Half a World Away", "Texarkana", "Country Feedback" and "Me in Honey".
A lot of their records - Monster is the best example - are of a kind, meaning they are musically themed. Not that they aren't varied, but you're not going to get a Queen album, which veers from a 50's rocker to a 20's pastiche, to a 70's prog opus, to a dance hall ditty, etc. etc.
I'm with ya regarding their hits, more specifically the 80's hits. The One I Love, Superman, Orange Crush and It's the End of the World... are all solid tunes, but I have little interest in hearing them outside of full listens of the albums each comes from. In fact, I think my lack of love for most of their hits is why I never bothered digging deep with them until recently. On the flip side, I have always liked Stand and Shiny Happy People a lot, as both are lots of fun, and What's the Frequency, Kenneth? is a tune I've always liked a lot. Bang and Blame is one I liked from the start as well. Too bad I am finding most of the rest of Monster to be pretty average.
And I with ya on Out of Mind as well. The deep cuts on that record are really, really good. Texarkana sounds like it was made for listening to when cruising on the highway on a sunny day. :hat
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I also think What's Up is a pretty lame song.
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Furry Happy Monsters prompted me to watch (but not listen to) Shiny Happy People for comparison, and somehow it has escaped me until now what a babe Kate Pierson is. Maybe because I always found the B-52s to be either silly or annoying (or both) and thus didn't pay much attention to them. But... damn!
Furry Happy Monsters saved me from insanity when we needed a break from my kid (he screamed a lot). I don't think I'd ever seen the Shiny Happy People video before today. I generally think Kate's look is a bit TOO whatever it is, but yeah, she looked really good in it.
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I also think What's Up is a pretty lame song.
formulaic I guess.
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Today's Song of the Day is...
Metallica - One
The fact that this was such a popular song among metal fans is no surprise whatsoever, but for those of us who were there at the time, a thrash song that was this heavy becoming a mainstream hit was pretty shocking. I remember when the video started getting regular rotation on MTV and it catching on like wildfire. I never really like much metal until the early 90's - and am still, to this day, much more of a rock guy than a metal one - so it didn't a whole lot for me initially, but I was seemingly in the minority. To younger peeps for whom metal has always been kind of a mainstream, One being as popular as it is probably seems normal, but in 1988/1989 it was pretty remarkable.
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The video was unreal. Super serious and haunting and I'm guessing it was unlike anything else on MTV at that time. I was only a kid when the song came out so I wasn't part of any music scene, but I'm guessing a lot of the "metal" that was popular in 88/89 was hair/glam metal type shit and Metallica probably seemed like the only authentic thing around for people who thought hair metal was stupid. Plus it's just an awesome song.
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Losing My Religion not being a good song is a genuine hot take tbh :lol
like i don't think it's amazing but it's always been mildly enjoyable and i've genuinely never seen anybody dislike it before
One is good also. One of the few Metallica songs I actively like honestly. But I think it's less of a discussion of "wow this is bad" and more "how did this get popular" in this case yeah
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Today's Song of the Day is...
Metallica - One
I think this song fits the thread really well. The first half of the song isn't super METAL!!!! except for the lyrics, but the second half is very thrashy and fast, and I think it's more than a little surprising that a song with that sort of section and lyrics about a solider in that condition begging to die became popular at the very end of the 80s. A song like Fade to Black had more potential to be a "hit," but who knows? My view of this song is that there are many other Metallica songs that are better at the things this song does well.
My friend and I watched Johnny Got His Gun, and I about wanted to kill myself. I just read that Metallica ended up buying the rights to the movie.
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One is great but I never thought it was one of their best. I think my hot take would be it's not in my top3 songs from AJFA.
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Today's Song of the Day is...
Peter Frampton - Do You Feel Like We Do?
This one is more for the older, classic rock crowd. This has to be one of the unlikeliest hits of the 70's, given that it was the 14-minute live version that became a hit and put Frampton on the map as an artist of note. Granted, I believe the live version that made the charts was edited down to around 6 minutes or so, but the 14-minute version became a rock radio staple and apparently is still played in full on many classic rock stations today. Really good song, one that put the talk box in the mainstream.
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this song is terrifying as hell to full combo in guitar hero because the hardest parts are smack in the middle and right at the end
and it's 14 minutes
that's my experience with this song. they put it in guitar hero
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The only thing I know about this song was this was the song featured on The Simpsons and when Frampton was trying to do his inflated pig trick at the end, he couldn't do it because Homer ruined it at a previous Hullabalooza show and this was the ending quote that he said: "Homer Simpson ruined my pig, Cypress Hill stole my orchestra, and Sonic Youth is in my cooler."
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Is there another classic rock song where the live version is the default version such that the studio version has become an inconsequential afterthought? Amazing song that I loved from the first listen and will never change the channel if I hear it come on rotation.
I cannot comment on it in the context of this thread.
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Is there another classic rock song where the live version is the default version such that the studio version has become an inconsequential afterthought? Amazing song that I loved from the first listen and will never change the channel if I hear it come on rotation.
I cannot comment on it in the context of this thread.
Bad by U2 is, yes.
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this song is terrifying as hell to full combo in guitar hero because the hardest parts are smack in the middle and right at the end
and it's 14 minutes
that's my experience with this song. they put it in guitar hero
I can confirm.
I didn’t even know this was such a big hit. But then again I wasn’t born back then :laugh:
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MTV played the hell out of it. It was their 1st video so it got a ton of airplay.
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Is there another classic rock song where the live version is the default version such that the studio version has become an inconsequential afterthought?
Yes, the other two hits from Frampton Comes Alive: "Baby, I Love Your Way" and "Show Me The Way". Once in a while some radio station will play the studio version, but it's the live versions of these songs that everyone knows.
"Do You Feel Like We Do?" -- the live version -- has one of my favorite guitar solos of all time. That solo at the end is incredible. I can understand why people get a bit bored in the middle. I don't, but for non-musicians it does seem to go on for a while as Peter plays with the Talkbox, but what the hell. It's live.
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Great, great song, mesmerizing live guitar tone, and a classic performance.
I'm not the least bit surprised it was a hit in the '70s. Rock radio (who frequently were influenced by and followed the lead of college radio) was way different and much more experimental than radio today. DJ's could essentially play whatever they wanted to as long as they didn't piss off the program director. When the long version became popular on FM album rock stations, the AM pop stations were quick to pick up the shorter edit. Just different times.
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Is there another classic rock song where the live version is the default version such that the studio version has become an inconsequential afterthought?
Yes, the other two hits from Frampton Comes Alive: "Baby, I Love Your Way" and "Show Me The Way". Once in a while some radio station will play the studio version, but it's the live versions of these songs that everyone knows.
Turn the Page by Bob Seger comes to mind as well.
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Molly Hatchett - Flirting With Disaster. The vocals are just cringeworthy to me on that song. :lol
Lenny Kravits - I Want to Get Away. annoying and repetitive chorus.
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Is there another classic rock song where the live version is the default version such that the studio version has become an inconsequential afterthought? Amazing song that I loved from the first listen and will never change the channel if I hear it come on rotation.
I cannot comment on it in the context of this thread.
"I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick
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We could start a whole thread about "live versions that are better than studio versions". Passage to Bangkok by Rush, the live version from Exit Stage Left blows the studio version out of the water.
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We could start a whole thread about "live versions that are better than studio versions". Passage to Bangkok by Rush, the live version from Exit Stage Left blows the studio version out of the water.
I'm sure someone will :D
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Yeah, let’s not derail this thread, please. :)
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Sorry for the derailment, it was just the first thing that came to mind when I thought of that song.
And I am honestly a little amazed it is 14+ on Comes Alive. It never felt that long to me, even before I really got in bands who traditionally wrote longer songs.
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Is there another classic rock song where the live version is the default version such that the studio version has become an inconsequential afterthought? Amazing song that I loved from the first listen and will never change the channel if I hear it come on rotation.
I cannot comment on it in the context of this thread.
"I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick
This, with "Rock And Roll All Nite" a distant second.
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Today's Song of the Day is...
Run-DMC with Aerosmith - Walk This Way
In 1986, it was pretty unheard of to combine rap and rock, especially when that song had already been a big rock hit a decade earlier, but Walk This Way broke the barrier and became a monster hit. It's success was surprising when you consider how segregated music fans were in the 80's. Would rock fans approve of a classic rock being transformed into a rap song? Would rap fans like a rap act covering a rock song? The answer to both questions was a resounding yes, and the song was a major success. This song was actually my introduction to both Run-DMC and Aerosmith, and to me it was just a good song by two bands that seemed quite different from one another. I can't say I ever listen to this version anymore, but I enjoyed it a lot back in '86.
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I'm not surprised at all that the song made it big. It combined two generations of music, what was just recently big but fading, and what was becoming huge. It made perfect sense.
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I hated this. It's not about "genre", though I'm not a huge rap guy (I do like Run DMC, though). I just don't like that sound, that cadence that most rap-rock has. I didn't like it when Anthrax did it, I friggin' hated Limp Bizkit, and don't like it now when bands do that (I'm thinking of Imagine Dragons).
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It was okay but I always thought that the original Walk This Way had so much more groove.
I didn't like it when Anthrax did it, I friggin' hated Limp Bizkit
What Anthrax did was good imo :metal :metal :metal, Limp Bizkit were just wannabes and posers. :biggrin:
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I hated this. It's not about "genre", though I'm not a huge rap guy (I do like Run DMC, though). I just don't like that sound, that cadence that most rap-rock has. I didn't like it when Anthrax did it, I friggin' hated Limp Bizkit, and don't like it now when bands do that (I'm thinking of Imagine Dragons).
I'm pretty much right with you on this (although, if I've ever heard a Limp Bizkit song, I wouldn't know it, and the only Imagine Dragons song I know for sure I've heard wouldn't be described as "rap-rock"). The Run DMC/Aerosmith thing was god-awful, but it did make sense and, while I hated it, I can understand why it was popular.
Anthrax's "I'm the Man" was amusing at first, but it got old pretty quickly, although it does hold some nostalgia value for me.
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I'm The Man is really just a joke song. It is what it is.
While I've never really gotten on with the Public Enemy collaboration of Bring The Noise, I will say that that song goes over great live, especially during the Bush years. Probably my favorite live song of theirs.
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My mention of Imagine Dragons was in reference to the song "Believer", I think. The verses have that rap-y cadence (god, I sound so old and unhip) that I don't like.
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I was more refering to Bring The Noise, the Anthrax/Public Enemy collaboration. I'm The Man was never meant to be taken seriously, it's kinda funny the first time you hear it and gets more annoying with each repeated listening.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r3Cx5941oE
John Bush rules! :metal
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I'm pretty much right with you on this (although, if I've ever heard a Limp Bizkit song, I wouldn't know it, and the only Imagine Dragons song I know for sure I've heard wouldn't be described as "rap-rock").
(https://media.giphy.com/media/13jAFZph7vH1Di/giphy.gif)
If you don't know that song you must have been on mars in the early 2000's :lol
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r3Cx5941oE
John Bush rules! :metal
Indeed he does :metal :metal :metal
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I'm pretty much right with you on this (although, if I've ever heard a Limp Bizkit song, I wouldn't know it, and the only Imagine Dragons song I know for sure I've heard wouldn't be described as "rap-rock").
(https://media.giphy.com/media/13jAFZph7vH1Di/giphy.gif)
If you don't know that song you must have been on mars in the early 2000's :lol
Nope. Just didn't listen to or watch any media outlet that would have stooped to playing something that awful (I could only make it about 70 seconds into the video, which means about 40 seconds into the actual song).
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I don't think I have ever heard any of their songs either. Not sure why anyone would think that I would have had to.
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It's ok. You're not missing out on anything, but for any wrestling fan in the Attitude Era (especially around 2000-2001), there's no way you do not know Limp Bizkit.
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It's ok. You're not missing out on anything, but for any wrestling fan in the Attitude Era (especially around 2000-2001), there's no way you do not know Limp Bizkit.
Damn I was going to pop in and say I was such an Undertaker mark I loved that song based on its association with him alone.
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I don't think I have ever heard any of their songs either. Not sure why anyone would think that I would have had to.
Because they were everywhere in the late 90s / early 2000s. Rock Radio, MTV, they even did a song for Mission Impossible 2. And then the news stories about Woodstock '99.
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I don't think I have ever heard any of their songs either. Not sure why anyone would think that I would have had to.
Because they were everywhere in the late 90s / early 2000s. Rock Radio, MTV, they even did a song for Mission Impossible 2. And then the news stories about Woodstock '99.
Everywhere except for the places I was. I knew who they were (much in the same way I know who Justin Bieber is but don't know any of his songs), but (1) the "rock radio" station I listed to around the turn of the century didn't play stuff like that; (2) I'm pretty sure almost no one over the age of 30 has watched MTV since the mid- to late 90s (the last thing I recall watching on MTV was the Real World Boston, which aired in 1997 (the year I turned 30), and that was only because my wife had moved to SoCal from Boston a few years earlier); and (3) while I saw MI2, I thought it sucked and don't think I've ever seen it since then.
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^Most of that. Except that I don't recall feeling that MI2 sucked. But I also don't remember most of it either, so it didn't make an impression. And for a song in a movie to make an impression, the short snippet that actually gets played generally has to be REALLY incredible or REALLY bad to make an impression if it isn't a band I am already familiar enough with for it to register.
So, yeah, "Everywhere except the places I was" is pretty accurate. I repeat: Not sure why anyone would think that I would have had to have heard their songs.
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TBH, the only song I remember from ANY MI movie is the theme by Schifrin, as covered by U2.
I also just learned that the main 5/4 rhythm from this song is based on the Morse code for "M" and "I".
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TBH, the only song I remember from ANY MI movie is the theme by Schifrin, as covered by U2.
Which, IMO, was pretty cool.
I also just learned that the main 5/4 rhythm from this song is based on the Morse code for "M" and "I".
Huh, interesting. I didn't know that.
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I am sure I'd know a Limp Bitzkit song or two if I heard it, but if asked to name one by title at gun point this instant, they'd be tagging my toe by morning.
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TBH, the only song I remember from ANY MI movie is the theme by Schifrin, as covered by U2.
Which, IMO, was pretty cool.
I also just learned that the main 5/4 rhythm from this song is based on the Morse code for "M" and "I".
Huh, interesting. I didn't know that.
as with YYZ. 5/4 time and morse codes seem to be a thing :D
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Eat my ass and balls.
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Today's Song of the Day is...
Run-DMC with Aerosmith - Walk This Way
In 1986, it was pretty unheard of to combine rap and rock, especially when that song had already been a big rock hit a decade earlier, but Walk This Way broke the barrier and became a monster hit. It's success was surprising when you consider how segregated music fans were in the 80's. Would rock fans approve of a classic rock being transformed into a rap song? Would rap fans like a rap act covering a rock song? The answer to both questions was a resounding yes, and the song was a major success. This song was actually my introduction to both Run-DMC and Aerosmith, and to me it was just a good song by two bands that seemed quite different from one another. I can't say I ever listen to this version anymore, but I enjoyed it a lot back in '86.
Couldn't stand this song personally.
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Except that I don't recall feeling that MI2 sucked. But I also don't remember most of it either, so it didn't make an impression. And for a song in a movie to make an impression, the short snippet that actually gets played generally has to be REALLY incredible or REALLY bad to make an impression if it isn't a band I am already familiar enough with for it to register.
It wasn't just a snippet, but IIRC the song was played over the credits, so you may not have noticed it. The main riff is basically the Mission Impossible theme.
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Yeah, that usually has about the same impact on me. Even though it's the whole song, since it's during closing credits, I'm generally tuned out and not paying much attention. So it's got to either be something I'm already familiar with or really catchy to get my attention.
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Someone did a version of the M:I theme, only it was in straight 4/4 (or maybe it was 6/4) instead of the classic 5/4. By straightening out the rhythm, it had a more classic headbanging impact, but lost something as well. Is that the version you're talking about?
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I hated this. It's not about "genre", though I'm not a huge rap guy (I do like Run DMC, though). I just don't like that sound, that cadence that most rap-rock has. I didn't like it when Anthrax did it, I friggin' hated Limp Bizkit, and don't like it now when bands do that (I'm thinking of Imagine Dragons).
Then I suppose you don't like RATM either? How about Beastie Boys? They also combined rap with rock.
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I hated this. It's not about "genre", though I'm not a huge rap guy (I do like Run DMC, though). I just don't like that sound, that cadence that most rap-rock has. I didn't like it when Anthrax did it, I friggin' hated Limp Bizkit, and don't like it now when bands do that (I'm thinking of Imagine Dragons).
Then I suppose you don't like RATM either? How about Beastie Boys? They also combined rap with rock.
Don't like RATM, though there are some things I like because the cadence is different. I kinda like when Zach yells ("Killing In The Name"). Indifferent on the Beastie Boys. Some things I like, some I don't, though there's nothing I LOVE, and nothing I HATE.
Contrast that with Limp Bizkit, where Fred does that silly rap/hip-hop sing-songy thing in pretty much every LB song I've ever heard (In Nookie, it's the "look into these eyes" part, about 0:30 seconds in; he does it later in the song too). I don't own any LB, but I have about three soundtrack CDs with them on it, and it's in every one of those songs.
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I will admit to liking 1 LB song, and that was "Rearranged" because I thought the music video was cool and the last minute or so of the song sounded good. I haven't listen to that song in a over 10 years, I am sure I wouldn't feel the same way now.
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Today's Song of the Day is...
Genesis - I Can't Dance
Okay, most of Genesis' hits once they jumped into the pop game with both feet are well written and catchy, and it's easy to see why they did so well, but I Can't Dance? I don't see it. The main riff is kind of jarring and the vocal hook is nothing short of awful. I love Genesis, but this song is just plain bad. How in the world did so many people like this monstrosity?
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When this song hit I only knew them as 80s/Phil Collins singing Genesis. I never really liked their music that I had heard, though l remember thinking this one was somewhat catchy. They also had cool videos so I think that also helped me like this song.
As to why it was a hit? I have no idea. But then I can't really understand why 80s Genesis was as big as it was.
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I like this song, it has a cool guitar riff that could have been lifted off an AC/DC song, it was quite unlike what you'd expect from Genesis. It had a funny video, which probably helped a lot in becoming a hit and Genesis were just huge back then, so I think everything they put out as a single would have been a hit regardless of the actual quality of the song.
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Someone did a version of the M:I theme, only it was in straight 4/4 (or maybe it was 6/4) instead of the classic 5/4. By straightening out the rhythm, it had a more classic headbanging impact, but lost something as well. Is that the version you're talking about?
Yeah, that's the one. It's in 4/4.
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Today's Song of the Day is...
Genesis - I Can't Dance
Okay, most of Genesis' hits once they jumped into the pop game with both feet are well written and catchy, and it's easy to see why they did so well, but I Can't Dance? I don't see it. The main riff is kind of jarring and the vocal hook is nothing short of awful. I love Genesis, but this song is just plain bad. How in the world did so many people like this monstrosity?
I had to refresh myself on this song via YouTube. I also had to look up its release date and was surprised to find out that it was released in 1991.
My introduction to Genesis was Abacab and 3 Sides Live. The self-titled album and Invisible Touch were big disappointments. While I bought We Can't Dance, I had basically given up on Genesis at that point, and I probably didn't listen to it more than a handful of times. Given the commercial success that Genesis had achieved in the 80s, I guess it's not surprising that this song was a hit, but it really felt like either a band just going through the motions or a bunch of guys trying to incorporate grunge elements despite having no acumen for it. The video is also dumb for about a dozen reasons, but the thing that bugs me the most is that Tony Banks is basically the "drummer."
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I'm with PG on the intro part - Abacab/3SL, but in contrast, I like the self-titled and Invisible Touch AFTER you get past the ballads/singles. I HATE "That's All", and I'm not a fan of "Land Of Confusion". I remember buying We Can't Dance out in California while living in Burbank, and really connecting with about half of it, and not at all connecting with about a third of it. I Can't Dance is by FAR my least favorite song on that record. I like Genesis' humor, but I don't like how sometimes they seem to pander, and that's in that song to me. I always consider that a "Rutherford" song, and I prefer the "Banks" songs, i.e. the stuf that sounds really simple but isn't ("Me And Sarah Jane").
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Today's Song of the Day is...
Billy Joel - Only the Good Die Young
Great song, and on the one hand, it's easy to see why it was so popular, given that it's catchy as hell and just a fun tune, but on the other hand, the lyrics were accused of being anti-Catholic/pro-premarital sex, which could have worked against it, but as often happens, the minor controversy and calls for radio stations to ban it only helped it and make it more popular. Heck, my mom, who has been a strict Catholic her whole life, knows what the lyrics are about, yet has always loved the song to pieces. Just goes to show you the power of a catchy hook.
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Today's Song of the Day is...
Genesis - I Can't Dance
Okay, most of Genesis' hits once they jumped into the pop game with both feet are well written and catchy, and it's easy to see why they did so well, but I Can't Dance? I don't see it. The main riff is kind of jarring and the vocal hook is nothing short of awful. I love Genesis, but this song is just plain bad. How in the world did so many people like this monstrosity?
I don't have that much of a problem with it, but I loved so many of the non hits on the album (No Son, Dreaming, Fading Lights and Spike, even Jesus He Knows Me actually) and I can see why people dislike it.
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Today's Song of the Day is...
Billy Joel - Only the Good Die Young
Great song, and on the one hand, it's easy to see why it was so popular, given that it's catchy as hell and just a fun tune, but on the other hand, the lyrics were accused of being anti-Catholic/pro-premarital sex, which could have worked against it, but as often happens, the minor controversy and calls for radio stations to ban it only helped it and make it more popular. Heck, my mom, who has been a strict Catholic her whole life, knows what the lyrics are about, yet has always loved the song to pieces. Just goes to show you the power of a catchy hook.
The hook in this song overrides any lyric that could be offensive. All of Billy’s radio songs are great and this one is no exception. The Stranger isn’t my favorite album of his but you can’t deny that he tapped into something special on it
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"Slept in the dust with his daughter,
Her eyes red with the slaughter".
I love that part!
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"Slept in the dust with his daughter,
Her eyes red with the slaughter".
I love that part!
Wait, what? Iron Maiden have a song named like a Billy Joel one, and on another song of the same album they quote verbatim this line?
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That's from The Evil That Men Do, though. ;) Maiden's Only the Good Die Young has some tasty verse lines as well, but their impact probably has a lot to do with Bruce's delivery.
I'll have to give The Stranger another spin later, that album hasn't struck a chord with me yet.
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MTV played the hell out of it. It was their 1st video so it got a ton of airplay.
This quote was apparently in reference to Frampton's "Do You Feel Like We Do", and as far as I can tell, it's simply not accurate at all.
It certainly wasn't their first video, which was "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles (or the second, which was "You Better Run" by Pat Benatar). And since MTV debuted 4 years after Frampton Comes Alive was released, I find it hard to believe that they "played the hell" out that song, behavior which was normally reserved for current hits/acts.
I also have no memory of it, but that can be unreliable.
What are you smokin', King?
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I'm with PG on the intro part - Abacab/3SL, but in contrast, I like the self-titled and Invisible Touch AFTER you get past the ballads/singles. I HATE "That's All", and I'm not a fan of "Land Of Confusion". I remember buying We Can't Dance out in California while living in Burbank, and really connecting with about half of it, and not at all connecting with about a third of it. I Can't Dance is by FAR my least favorite song on that record. I like Genesis' humor, but I don't like how sometimes they seem to pander, and that's in that song to me. I always consider that a "Rutherford" song, and I prefer the "Banks" songs, i.e. the stuf that sounds really simple but isn't ("Me And Sarah Jane").
A while back, I created a condensed version of We Can't Dance that looks something like this:
No Son of Mine
Jesus He Knows Me
Driving the Last Spike
Dreaming While You Sleep
On the Shoreline
Living Forever
Hold on My Heart
Fading Lights
Flows a lot better and gets rid of most, if not all, of the filler of that record. Works pretty well as a companion to Invisible Touch.
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"Slept in the dust with his daughter,
Her eyes red with the slaughter".
I love that part!
wut?
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I'm with PG on the intro part - Abacab/3SL, but in contrast, I like the self-titled and Invisible Touch AFTER you get past the ballads/singles. I HATE "That's All", and I'm not a fan of "Land Of Confusion". I remember buying We Can't Dance out in California while living in Burbank, and really connecting with about half of it, and not at all connecting with about a third of it. I Can't Dance is by FAR my least favorite song on that record. I like Genesis' humor, but I don't like how sometimes they seem to pander, and that's in that song to me. I always consider that a "Rutherford" song, and I prefer the "Banks" songs, i.e. the stuf that sounds really simple but isn't ("Me And Sarah Jane").
A while back, I created a condensed version of We Can't Dance that looks something like this:
No Son of Mine
Jesus He Knows Me
Driving the Last Spike
Dreaming While You Sleep
On the Shoreline
Living Forever
Hold on My Heart
Fading Lights
Flows a lot better and gets rid of most, if not all, of the filler of that record. Works pretty well as a companion to Invisible Touch.
It’s unfortunate that an album like Abacab with so much great additional material, or even Invisible Touch, was so restricted by the limitations of the vinyl format, but when Genesis made their first album in the CD era they loaded it up with so much filler (and still left out one of the strongest tracks in On The Shoreline).
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Today's Song of the Day is...
Billy Joel - Only the Good Die Young
Great song, and on the one hand, it's easy to see why it was so popular, given that it's catchy as hell and just a fun tune, but on the other hand, the lyrics were accused of being anti-Catholic/pro-premarital sex, which could have worked against it, but as often happens, the minor controversy and calls for radio stations to ban it only helped it and make it more popular. Heck, my mom, who has been a strict Catholic her whole life, knows what the lyrics are about, yet has always loved the song to pieces. Just goes to show you the power of a catchy hook.
I'm actually in a pretty big Joel mood right now - that's where I am in my CD ripping exercise - and I'm just blown away how good that album is. THere's not a duff song on it (though I can see not being in the mood for "Everybody Has A Dream" if you've just sat through the rest of it) but OTGDY is over-shadowed by the rest of the record for me. It's a good tune, and I get using it as a single. Having grown up Catholic, I don't quite get the controversy (it's not like he made Virginia a whore in the song; just the opposite). But for me, that song pales in comparison to Scenes (yeah, I know it's a cliche, but that's a damn good song) and my two favorites: Vienna and She's Always A Woman (The Stranger is up there too).
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Today's Song of the Day is...
Billy Joel - Only the Good Die Young
Great song, and on the one hand, it's easy to see why it was so popular, given that it's catchy as hell and just a fun tune, but on the other hand, the lyrics were accused of being anti-Catholic/pro-premarital sex, which could have worked against it, but as often happens, the minor controversy and calls for radio stations to ban it only helped it and make it more popular. Heck, my mom, who has been a strict Catholic her whole life, knows what the lyrics are about, yet has always loved the song to pieces. Just goes to show you the power of a catchy hook.
I'm actually in a pretty big Joel mood right now - that's where I am in my CD ripping exercise - and I'm just blown away how good that album is. THere's not a duff song on it (though I can see not being in the mood for "Everybody Has A Dream" if you've just sat through the rest of it) but OTGDY is over-shadowed by the rest of the record for me. It's a good tune, and I get using it as a single. Having grown up Catholic, I don't quite get the controversy (it's not like he made Virginia a whore in the song; just the opposite). But for me, that song pales in comparison to Scenes (yeah, I know it's a cliche, but that's a damn good song) and my two favorites: Vienna and She's Always A Woman (The Stranger is up there too).
I always thought Get It Right The First Time was a standout that gets routinely ignored. Same with Half A Mile Away on 52nd Street, though Billy seems to have come around to that one since he played it live for the first time this year.