I have been rockin out all day. Its the end of the year. Each year I compile my Top Ten lists, not because I enjoy the process, but because everyone else is so bad at it. I dont share them, because why would you care what I like. Still, I make lists for best movies, best innovations, greatest loses (people who died), best books, best songs, best moments, etc. Most of the categories are easy enough each year, I collect the nominees as the year progresses, I dont wait till the end. You forget things that way. So books, movies, innovations, and most of the others came together easily. Until I came to best songs and best albums. I had almost nothing. For the first time since 1971, since I started this process, there wasnt a single new, original song for the entire year. There were a couple of nice remakes, but nothing approaching a rockin good new song. Last year Sara Bareilles took the top spot with Brave. But nothing like it this year. How can this be? I didnt believe it. Eventually I went to iTunes and YouTube and started playing all the top rated songs of 2014...rockfest? No, crapfest. I started doing searches for performers who have delivered in the past, looking for something new I might have missed. Nada. I dont know how the minds at Google work. I dont know how they contrive the logic of a request for the: Best songs of 2014, but among the other suggestions provided in the column to the right on YouTube was Little Peggy March - I will follow him What? I said 2014, not 1814. I remember the song. It came out in 1963. I remember liking it, but nothing special, but after 40 minutes of watching Miley Cyrus stick her tongue out, Beyonce jiggle like Jell-o, and Katy Perry screech, I was defeated. I clicked the Peggy March suggestion. I loved it. I played it over and over. A fabulous melody. A fabulous voice. It was upbeat and fun. Then I started clicking some of the other odd selections and listened to several other fun old songs that I remembered, but hadnt starred in my musical memory. I have no musical ability, but what is so hard about creating an enticing melody and finding a talented singer to belt it out to a rockin beat? I dont blame Selena Gomez or The Black Eyed Peas for the lack of hits this year, I blame the layering of tracks of overdubs, auto tunes, and drum machines. Producers think they can make hits without melodies. And, technically, they do...but sadly, not on the ultimate stack of tracks, the KBMC Top Ten. A word of advice, music world, you dont have to dump the technology or the twerking, but start with melodies that are intoxicating. Let me give you an example. Heres Little Peggy March on the the Perry Como Show, April 28, 1963. No elaborate dance routines, no wall of sound, no posse of minions, just a girl with a big voice and a great melody. https://youtube/watch?v=jgPMYQTINNk
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 23:52:19 +0000
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