Clappy vs Billboard Hot 100

[Wumbo]

Wait what the heck she's 16. Okay, that's impressive.

 

Regardless, I think "Royals" was lucky to make it into the Top 10. If this was still 2012 and acts like Gotye and fun. were reaching #1, then maybe. But I can see "Wrecking Ball" being the next #1 song after "Roar". It's gained some kind of cult following on tumblr.

 

Which reminds me, it's high time for another 5 Billboard songs.

[Clappy]

So this past week, the #5 song rose to #4.

 

Jay-Z (featuring Justin Timberlake) - "Holy Grail"

 

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AIdXisPqHc

 

I'd rather not comment on the music video.  While the visuals are nice, I am annoyed with how they mix up the parts of the song.  It just doesn't work out and makes the video a massive disappointment.

 

So yeah, everyone knows how much I am a fan of Justin Timberlake.  I'm so glad he jumped back to the music industry.  While he is a much better actor than one would assume, I missed him making music so much.  Meanwhile, Jay-Z is one of my favorite rappers.  He is not Kanye West or Eminem in terms of the personal favorite spot, but I would definitely have Jay in my Top 5 rappers.  But yeah, 2013 has definitely been a huge bromantic year for these two artists.  Jay not only guest spotted on Justin's comeback single "Suit and Tie", but he was one of the writers as well.  Then these two spent their whole summer together touring.  How sweet.  Oh and whenever Beyonce's new album comes out, Justin apparently has a song on there with her.

 

But yeah, with Jay helping out on Justin's song, it only seems fair that Justin should return the favor.  Hence we have this lead single from Jay's "Magna Carta Holy Grail" album.  Now let me be perfectly honest about his new album in general.  It was incredibly disappointing.  With all the hype and all the time Jay spent promoting it, I think it's one of his worst albums he has ever done.  Almost the whole album is entirely forgettable and I only liked three tracks tops.  Which leads me to one of those three songs: "Holy Grail".

 

Now why did I bring up the album before I mentioned this song?  Because while I do like this song, just like the album it's on, I am left wanting more from it.  You have two of my favorite all time artists collaborating together on a lead single and you have Justin singing the hook, the bridges, and a verse.  Oh and you even have a Nirvana reference thrown in between that is absolutely amazing.

 

I know nobody to blame
Kurt Cobain, I did it to myself

And we all just entertainers
And we're stupid, and contagious
Now we all just entertainers

 

So awesome.

 

But after a while, you guys have to think.  That was it?  This is the best that these two can come up with?  I wouldn't say that this song is overrated, but I just think this could have been written so much better.  Especially Jay's verses.  They are just so dull and boring.

 

Blue told me to remind you *censored*

 

Fuck that shit y’all talkin' about

 

Oh well I'm honored to hear that your daughter told us to fuck that shit we're talking about.  Such language from a one year old.

I'm the *censored*, caught up in all these lights and cameras
But look what that shit did to Hammer
 

Yes compare yourself to one of the biggest one hit wonders of all time.  Jay I don't feel sympathetic for you.  I feel sympathetic for Hammer.

 

God damn it it I like it
bright lights is enticing
 

*yawns* Overused line is overused.

 

But look what it did to Tyson
All that money in one night
30 mill for one fight

But soon as all the money blows, all the pigeons take flight

 

Mike Tyson is still one of the most associated names with boxing.  So how is he forgotten?  But I do like the jab about pigeons since Mike Tyson had that reality show about his pigeons for awhile.

 

Fuck the fame, keep cheating on me
What I do, I took her back, fool me twice

 

How is fame cheating on you?  You are still one of the biggest names in rap music.

That's my bad, I can't even blame her for that
Enough to make me wanna murder

 

Welp, there is your testimony when you go to court for murdering your own fame...just what?

Momma please just get my bail
I know nobody to blame
Kurt Cobain, I did it to myself

 

And then we're back to that Kurt Cobain line again that I love so much.

 

 

Listen, I do like this song.  It's definitely one of the better ones out there.  It's just that this doesn't do anything to really differentiate itself from any other song about "tortured artists".  It goes through every cliche in the book and it's really disappointing because I want to love this song so much with the talent that is involved.  It's just slightly underwhelming by the end of the nearly six minute long song.  However, I do like the Justin Timberlake portions of the song because he at least tries to sell the somewhat lazy writing and succeeds.  Oh and obviously the Kurt Cobain/Nirvana lyrics too.  I just think that this could have been so much better than it turned out to be.  Oh well.

 

Rating: 3.5/5

[Ron]

Wait what the heck she's 16. Okay, that's impressive.

 

Regardless, I think "Royals" was lucky to make it into the Top 10. If this was still 2012 and acts like Gotye and fun. were reaching #1, then maybe. But I can see "Wrecking Ball" being the next #1 song after "Roar". It's gained some kind of cult following on tumblr.

 

Which reminds me, it's high time for another 5 Billboard songs.

 

P!nk's Just Give Me a Reason and Bruno Mars's When I Was Your Man both hit #1 earlier this year, and those are both very non-pop-ish songs. I doubt Wrecking Ball will hit #1, it has no staying power. 

[Young Nug]

I think you misinterpreted a few lines in Holy Grail. But nonetheless, good review.

[Clappy]

I doubt Wrecking Ball will hit #1, it has no staying power.

This. Absolutely this. The only thing buzz worthy about the song is the music video, which reeks of desperation if Miley has to strip down to nothing to make it talked about.

However, I am concerned that the video is making the song more popular since it jumped to #1 on iTunes. More on that at a later time and date.

[Clappy]

I think you misinterpreted a few lines in Holy Grail. But nonetheless, good review.

What lines? I welcome other's opinions.

[Young Nug]

I'm the *censored*, caught up in all these lights and camerasBut look what that shit did to Hammer Yes compare yourself to one of the biggest one hit wonders of all time.  Jay I don't feel sympathetic for you.  I feel sympathetic for Hammer. 

But look what it did to TysonAll that money in one night30 mill for one fightBut soon as all the money blows, all the pigeons take flight Mike Tyson is still one of the most associated names with boxing.  So how is he forgotten?

Fuck the fame, keep cheating on meWhat I do, I took her back, fool me twice How is fame cheating on you?  You are still one of the biggest names in rap music.

Most notably those 3 lines.

As I'm sure you know, Holy Grail is a song about the upsides and downsides of fame, and how fickle and cruel it can be ("One day you're here, one day you're there, one day you care, it's so unfair"). The Hammer line isn't Jay comparing himself to Hammer, especially considering he's taken shots at Hammer in the past. Jay is using Hammer as an example of fame gone wrong, because MC Hammer fell into the traps of fame and went bad for it.

It's the same with the Tyson line. Tyson's not forgotten, but the fame he garnered nearly destroyed his life. And the "fame cheating on me" line is because fame cheats on everyone that's famous. It seems like a great thing, but it comes with paparazzi, no sense of privacy, and pressure from the media, etc. ("You got my laundry in the streets, dirty or clean...Give it up for fame") Jay then talks about how he takes fame back anyway, then explaining that that's his fault. It's never explicitly stated whether this was a good or bad decision, and that sets up the duality of the whole song.

Sorry if I sound nitpicky, but this is like the best song on the album and I've analyzed it so much

[Ron]

Most notably those 3 lines.

As I'm sure you know, Holy Grail is a song about the upsides and downsides of fame, and how fickle and cruel it can be Jay 

 

lady gaga already did this. :3

[Wumbo]

The reason I see "Wrecking Ball" hitting #1 is partly because of the video, actually. It's how songs like "Harlem Shake" and "Blurred Lines" reached #1 this year. It's how "The Fox" reached the Top 40. This video is blowing up on YouTube. If it doesn't reach #1, I predict at least a Top 10 finish.

[Doctor Sex]

Tbh I hate Justin in Holy Grail 

[Clappy]

Coming Soon (today): "Wake Me Up" by Avicii

With some thoughts about this whole EDM fad.

[Clappy]

Today I tackle on this growing fad called EDM (electronic dance music).  The song?  This time it's:

 

Avicii - "Wake Me Up"

 

 

You know what I don't like about this growing fad?  How lazily it's being executed.  Dance music is fine as it is, but lately pop music is trying to add emotional messages in their dance music by trying to tell a story to add a beat that everyone can dance too.  What the music industry is doing is having electronica producers like David Guetta, Swedish House Mafia, Calvin Harris, etc. collaborate with singers like Rihanna, Florence Welch, Nicki Minaj, and other whose who of singers.   To be quite honest, I hate this fad.  No matter how good the song may be written, it's always underperformed, the beat is always too loud and obnoxious, and the emotional meaning is too heavy for the song to even be considered fun.  Sure every once in awhile, their is a song that simply works and it becomes a hit, but more than often the song just simply sucks.

 

With that in mind, here is the next super DJ that the music industry is trying to make successful as a stand alone artist: Avicii.  Some of you may recognize Avicii for this single:

 

Spoiler

 

Yeah Flo Rida sampled Avicii's song "Levels" for this song as Avicii also executive produced "Good Feeling" as well.  Tbh, I love "Good Feeling".  Yeah sure Flo Rida is incredibly mediocre as an artist, but if there is one thing that he does well, he knows how to make songs fun.  That's another thing I don't like about EDM artists.  They manage to somehow suck all the fun out of their stand alone singles.  Will "Wake Me Up" follow the EDM mold?  Well....

 

Feeling my way through the darkness
Guided by a beating heart
I can't tell where the journey will end
But I know where to start

 

They tell me I'm too young to understand
They say I'm caught up in a dream
Well life will pass me by if I don't open up my eyes
Well that's fine by me

 

So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn't know I was lost

 

...yes.

 

This is way too overbearing of a set of lyrics to make it fun dance party music.  God.  Someone give this guy some anti-depressants.  I want to dance.  Not feel doom and gloom.

 

Once again, Avicii falls into the same mold as all EDM DJs before him:

 

-Does he have a music video that makes no story sense and includes a scene of him head bopping to his own song?

 

Spoiler

 

Hell yes.  I hate this video so much.  It tells an absolutely confusing story involving a girl and her teen mom, a horse that just disappears, and everyone partying where they belong.  I don't know how they belong there, but whatever.

 

-Does he mix multiple genres into a dance mix?  Let's see he does country, folk, soul, electronica.  So....

 

Yes

 

-Which singer does he collaborate with on this song?  Aloe Blacc

 

 

I'll be honest I had to Google search this guy.  I had no idea who he was and Avicii should at least have given him some credit because if there is anything I find catchy about this song, it's this guys singing.  He sells it and makes this better than most EDM songs on the radio.  Oh and fun fact.  Another collaborator on this song with guitar rifts and writing is Incubus's Mike Einziger.  I didn't know that until....well Google.

 

So yeah, as a song, I am a mixed bag on this.  I don't particularly hate it, but it falls right into the EDM mold genre that I don't particularly like.  The beat overpowers the song and it's just in general underperformed.  On the other side, at least we feel a little bit of personality in Avicii's DJ-ing.  He sure is a hell of a lot better than David Guetta, Calvin Harris, and Swedish House Mafia.  Maybe some day, he'll actually surprise me with a great EDM song.  But until that day, this does absolutely nothing to make me change my stance on EDM in general.  It's just as stereotypical as my previous statement about the genre.

 

 

Rating: 2.5/5

[Ron]

EDM isn't a fad, it's been around for a long time. xD

 

Also, Wake Me Up isn't even all that EDM tbh

[Clappy]

EDM isn't a fad, it's been around for a long time. xD

Yeah but it's been a growing fad in pop music this year is what I meant.

[Clappy]

Lana Del Rey - Summertime Sadness

 

Spoiler

 

 

Really?  This is the highest charting single of her career?  I thought for sure that Lana Del Rey was an artist that didn't care much about charting on Billboard.  I thought she seemed like the kind of artist that would be perfectly content having her cult following in the so called "indie scene" with Sia, Feist, Imogene Heap, etc.  Well I don't if "indie" is the proper term for Lana since she has done plenty of non-indie work like writing songs for movies like "The Great Gatsby", but I know that I NEVER hear her stuff on the radio.  What exactly made her song "mainstream radio quality"?

 

Spoiler

 

...of course it had to be remixed.

 

You know what forget me reviewing the original.  If the charts have the remix at #6 instead of the original song, I'll review the remix.

 

 

 

 

Lana Del Rey & Cedric Gervais - "Summertime Sadness" 

 

 

Did we really need to remix this song?  I actually liked the original and I really don't consider myself a Lana Del Rey fan.  That's why I was pleasantly surprised with Lorde's "Royals".  It was a much better version of anything Lana Del Rey has done.  I think the main reason I don't like Lana is because of her incredibly nasally voice.  I'll admit that her songs are usually ok to good-ish writing wise.  However, I can only tolerate that sing talk thing oh so much.  But as I said a few sentences ago, I like the original Summertime Sadness because it really does make me feel for her.  She let's out her emotions quite well through her writing and the whole "nothing scares me anymore" line is one of the more haunting lines of the song.  It's like she expected this to come from miles away and while she doesn't want it to fall through, she accepts it anyway.

 

But oh my god.  The remix.  It misses the point completely.  Fucking EDM.  I really don't want to sound like a broken record here, but you can't turn heavy emotional music like this into "let's all get on the floor and dance" club shit.  I don't know who this Cedric Gervais guy is and according to his Wikipedia page he has done absolutely nothing that I recognize.  I just know that he pretty much sucks the emotion out of the song and turns Lana Del Rey into a House Diva.  Granted that would be offensive to Lana Del Rey because her nasally voice is nothing of that of a House Diva.  I just think that Cedric Gervais overpowers the song with his crappy production and nearly ruins this song in general for me.

 

So final verdict.  Listen to the original.  The remix is just obvious mainstream radio attention grabbing shit.

 

 

Original - 3.5/5

 

Remix - 2/5

[Wumbo]

I think I've shown myself to be a fan of EDM, and I'll say why: I don't really consider it music I would dance to.

 

No, what these songs are good for is just to have that "fuck yeah" feeling. That feeling that you just listened to something awesome.

 

Also, I thought you liked Calvin Harris?

[Clappy]

I think I've shown myself to be a fan of EDM, and I'll say why: I don't really consider it music I would dance to.

No, what these songs are good for is just to have that "fuck yeah" feeling. That feeling that you just listened to something awesome.

Also, I thought you liked Calvin Harris?

I see where you are coming from, but if I want that "fuck yeah" feeling, I wouldn't give credit to the DJs. I would give credit to the performers. Most of the time, I don't like it because the songs are underperformed and overproduced. But hey I'll give you credit for your opinion.

Also I like Feel So Close. That's the only EDM song that gives me that feeling you are describing though.

[Wumbo]

Well, I think it's a combination of both. Of course lifeless DJs like David Guetta don't make me want to do anything other than fall asleep, but something like Swedish House Mafia has that "awesome" effect on me. I will concede that it's primarily the singer that usually sells it, but the DJs deserve credit sometimes.

[Clappy]

Eh I really did not like that Don't You Worry Child song by them. That put me to sleep rather fast after multiple listens.

[Ron]

I thought Summertime Sadness translated well to EDM, honestly. Lana Del Rey is probably my second favorite artist after Lady Gaga, she has amazing melodies, but her instrumentals and production are almost always bland and repetitive. Summertime Sadness should've been EDM in the first place, tbh, whereas songs like Born to Die and Radio are fine as they are.