28 January 2016 - Selena Gomez - Same Old Love

Do you know how hard it is not to type "feat. Charli XCX" on this?

You aren't imagining things.  That's her, on the chorus, uncredited.  It's obvious.  Some critics have even been critical of it, calling it a Sucker outtake (which may or may not be true). 

It's also the rawest song Selena Gomez has ever sung, and it shows real musical maturity.  I, for one, am proud of her growth as an artist.  The song, as performed, isn't catchy because some hip songwriting Brit decided to allow her backing vocal to remain on the final cut.  It's catchy because it's expertly delivered by Selena Gomez.

27 January 2016 - Elle King - Ex's and Oh's & Kocaine Karolina

I assume that, if you are reading this, you are probably not a first-time reader of this blog.  If you are, catch up.  I'll wait.

Now that you are a long-time reader, you cannot be possibly surprised I am going to like a throw-back, big-female-vocal, straight-ahead pop song like this. I'm not saying I like every huge female vocal ever, but Elle King just looks like she's having so much fun with this.

Let's not even get into the fact that she's Rob Schneider's daughter (her mother is model London King).  I could go on for days on that one.



I'd like to add that I am very happy to see a young singer/songwriter who is getting heavy pop radio rotation not afraid to play a guitar. We need to see more of that!



But what I really made you scroll down for was to see her play a banjo. And also to see that she's been around awhile.  Overnight sensations don't always happen overnight.  And yes, this song feels a lot more country (the banjo might have something to do with that), but that's part of the appeal of Elle King - she's a versatile artist with a depth of influence.

11 January 2016 - David Bowie - China Girl

I couldn't NOT pay tribute to the great David Bowie.  And, normally, I would have called for a guilt-free edition, but by not doing so, I can share with you....

This is the first David Bowie song I remember hearing.  The original video and song use imagery that is of another time period.  There's no doubt about that.  And yet, it's still a deep, dark, and compelling song, just like everything else the man did in his career. 

The original video was so borderline offensive, I cannot find it.  But here is the song.

6 November 2015 - The Weeknd - Can't Feel My Face

I know, this may come as a surprise, but I don't think that all music has to be deep and substantive to be good.  There's room for fluff on the radio.

This song doesn't fall into that category.  It's catchy, funky, and has pretty decent imagery.  And Mr. Weeknd (real name: Abel Tesfaye) has a huge voice that this song perfectly showcases. 

Plus, he's on fire at the end of this video.  So there's that.

1 October 2015 - My Chemical Romance - Welcome To The Black Parade

For MONTHS - MONTHS! - my daughter Juliana has begged to take over my blog.  She keeps wanting to post one song.

This is that song.  It's hard-rocking while retaining its goth feel. It wouldn't normally be a song I would post - it's not terrible, mind you, but c'mon, I'm mostly posting pop music here - but I'm glad I did.

Also, it's Juliana's birthday, so if you see her, wish her a happy birthday.

30 September 2015 - Eddie Rabbitt - I Love A Rainy Night

Every once in a while, there's a song that transcends genre.  Eddie Rabbitt released one of these in 1980, with "I Love A Rainy Night".  The song topped both the Billboard Country and Hot 100 (which is pop) charts.

I mean, the song is catchy, even all these years later.  Admit it - you started singing it as soon as you saw the title of this post.

Also, I, too, love a rainy night. 

 

So catchy, even Quagmire loves it!

29 September 2015 - Ty Dolla $ign feat. Charli XCX & Tinashe - Drop That Kitty

Subtle.

I mean, we know what Ty Dolla $ign ACTUALLY means here.  He isn't talking about cats here, despite the prominent feline heads here.  He wants the ladies to drop it like it's hot.  That doesn't mean he didn't perform a very catchy song.  He seems to be competing with T-Pain in the Autotune sweepstakes (and winning).

He's kind of wasting Charli XCX and Tinashe (who both co-wrote the song - Charli was working on it for another artist before Ty came on board), though.  And they STILL manage to steal the show and get you to not notice Wiz Khalifa in the background.  I'd actually like to see what these ladies could do without anyone with a dollar sign in his name. 

But back to this subtle performance.   I mean, the real message kind of sneaks in there.....

28 September 2015 - Beyoncé - Single Ladies

You like it?

Then you should have put a ring on it.

Let's face it - this isn't a flashy video.  It was cheap to produce.  And yet everyone - EVERYONE - knows this song and this dance.



And I do mean everyone.

23 September 2015 - Demi Lovato - Cool For The Summer

Back when Scott Colvin was my co-author, there's NO WAY I would have been able to beat him to this song.

Well, times have changed.  And this is the best thing she's ever done.

And so, on this first day of autumn, I give you an ultimate summer anthem.

(Update: 6 June 2023) Because we posted about the rock version of this song, I felt it was important to note that a sped up version of this song was released last March - and it's not just some YouTuber doing this.  It's an official release.

No idea why she did this.  It's fun, though.

19 September 2015 - Fifth Harmony (feat. Kid Ink) - Worth It

The day has come.  I've broken down.

First of all, I'm posting something on a Saturday.  That's because my daughter Isabella loves this song, and today is her birthday.

But really, this is exactly the type of song you're coming to this blog to see.  And Fifth Harmony has.. well, harmonies... that I haven't seen since the days of En Vogue.  These ladies will have a great career as long as they can hold themselves together.  So I'm going to enjoy the ride while it lasts.

31 August 2015 - Major Lazer & DJ Snake Feat. MØ - Lean On

I almost didn't post this.   Not because it isn't a great song - it really is.  Because it is so damned hard to type MØ.

(Alt-0216, by the way, which I would have remembered had I just read my own post).

Ultimately, I determined it was worth the extra effort.  MØ (that's the woman dancing in the video, but you already knew that) is an amazing talent, and Major Lazer backs her up nicely.  Far and away the biggest hits yet for all concerned (even DJ Snake, although that's arguable), and deservedly so.

Also, the Bollywood homage is awesome.

19 August 2015 - Eminem feat. Dr. Dre - Guilty Conscience

I did see the movie Straight Outta Compton, which was excellent.  And mostly unflinching.

Except for one piece.  Dr. Dre came out looking pretty clean.  I mean, even Eminem mentioned Dee Barnes (at about the 3:05 mark of this song)! I remember admiring Dre for letting that happen back then - like maybe he was facing his bad choices honestly for a minute.

Now, let's talk about this song, which was an early Eminem single.  The call and response between him and Dre is masterful. I'm not personally the biggest fan of Mr. Mathers, but this is a high water mark for him.  Enjoy this good vs. evil masterpiece.

11 August 2015 - Alesso - Heroes (We Could Be)

Let's talk about Alesso.  He actually appears in his own video.... even though he's a DJ.  Hey, David Guetta, Skrillex, Avicii, and all you other DJs who like to remain anonymous - knock it off.  Alesso is seen as the future of Swedish EDM, the direct result of Swedish House Mafia and their demise.  I'm looking forward to hearing more from him.

But c'mon.  If you've been paying attention, you know I really posted this song because it features Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson on vocals.  This song was most people's first exposure in the US to Tove Lo, including mine. Of course, "Habits" would (pretty much concurrently) become a bigger hit, but this song shows a different, more impassioned side of her.  She's a true talent.

Let's not even mention that David Bowie got a songwriting credit here.

10 August 2015 - Smashing Pumpkins - Rocket

For a lot of years, I wouldn't have dared called Smashing Pumpkins a guilty pleasure.  They seriously rocked....

....and then they didn't.  They got wimpy.  Billy Corgan made his band into a guilty pleasure.

This song, from their 2nd album Siamese Dream, remains to this day one of my favorites of theirs.  Only recently have I learned that this was a song with a message.  You see, every grungy sounding band in the early to mid 1990's was compared, fairly or not, to Nirvana, and Billy Corgan was pretty adamant that he was not Kurt Cobain. 

30 July 2015 - Sia - The Girl You Lost To Cocaine

It's been too long.

So I decided to go a little old school.

This song was the 2nd single from her 2008 studio album Some People Have Real Problems.  Seeing that album displayed for sale at my local Starbucks was my first introduction to Sia.  Of course, I didn't actually hear her until years later.  And it is, of course, fantastic pop music that was criminally overlooked in this country, and really around the world.

No wonder she retired!

Also, notice that Sia is facing the camera - a lot! and smiling - and not relying on Maddy Ziegler as a stand-in.  That whole stage-fright assumption is a bunch of crap.

24 June 2015 - Dolly Parton - Here You Come Again

Did you know they did dirty country songs?

Dolly's been doing them for years.  I mean, she didn't need to build her career on her boobs - she is a brilliant songwriter, even to this day - but they sure helped.  This song isn't QUITE dirty, but she's certainly looking at an ex like a piece of meat here.  Still, entertaining. It's a song of regret and falling back into prior relationships....it's more subtle than I expect from a country song, and it makes for an enjoyable song.

23 June 2015 - Kacey Musgraves - Biscuits

Today, the great Kacey Musgraves releases her 2nd album, Pageant Material.  My former co-author, Scott, and I agree on the greatness of Kacey Musgraves, which is kind of a rarity.

I've not necessarily a huge country music fan.

Kacey Musgraves doesn't get much radio airplay (which is criminal)

Do you want any more reasons why it's strange that I would be posting this?  No?  Good.  I don't have any more.  This is just a fun song, the 1st single from album #2.  So enjoy a well-written, fun song.

18 June 2018 - Tove Lo - Talking Body

Queen of the Clouds might be the greatest album of the past few years that I've listened to from end to end.  (Yes, people - better than True Romance - happy?)  Before I listened to the whole album and just had heard this song, I thought it was a weak follow-up to "Habits" (and, to be fair, that's on my list of Best Singles of 2014, so I did think highly of it).  I just wasn't a great big fan.  It wasn't a bad song.  It just wasn't great.....

Until I heard it in the context of the whole album - a concept album going through a relationship, from early lust and passion (where this song lies), to the middle part where it gets real and the people in it start thinking about their futures, to the breakup and the aftermath (which is where you would find "Habits").  Then it made more sense to me.

Now I want to hear the next album.

4 June 2015 - David Guetta feat. Sia (and Mary J. Blige) - Titanium

It's amazing that I took this long to post such a powerful song.  And it has a great story!

"Titanium" started off life as a demo.... written by Sia, recorded by Sia, and sent to David Guetta, possibly for a collaboration with Katy Perry, or Alicia Keys.  Sia had retired from performing and recording her own music, since she was meeting with little to moderate success, and, as a pop star, she was done....

3 June 2015 - Madonna - Borderline

My least favorite days are when I can't think of something to post.  I mean, I love guilty pleasure music.  If my well is running dry, even for a minute, it's time to worry.

Thank GOD for Madonna. She's been making this music for so long, I will always have a deep catalog as a go-to. This is the first Madonna song I ever heard, and I was instantly hooked, even at a time when I was fighting against my love of commercial music.

2 June 2015 - Jason Derulo - Want To Want Me

Jason Derulo's new album Everything Is 4 is out today.  The first single from that album is today's post.... and despite being about what every Jason Derulo song is about (being naked with a member of the opposite sex), it's a fun throwback that shows off Jason's vocal abilities.  And it's lyrically damned catchy.

Also, if you look up the phrase "guilty pleasure" in the dictionary, Jason Derulo's picture is right there.



As an added bonus, here's a live performance of the song, from The Ellen Show.  Even in this performance, you can hear the song starts with a whispered "Derulo".

6 May 2015 - The Darling Buds - Please Yourself

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st 
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

21 April 2015 - Charli XCX - Famous (& Sucker)

I have a problem.

I know this.

But c'mon.  This song is fun, and this might be the most bizarre, inventive and awesome video in the last few year.  And as much as I just wanted to let this one go, and stop it with the Charli XCX posts...

1. She is one of the most original pop artists today.
2. She's a reasonably prolific songwriter.
3. Charli XCX posts are usually the most widely read ones on this blog.

So, yeah, I am a fan.  I won't deny that. But this is all about pandering.  And enjoying what is a truly great pop song.

Also, check at about 2:38, to hear the one song off the Sucker album - the title track - that can never be a single.



You know I always like to give you a bonus.  So how about a live version?   Here ya go!



And, here is "Sucker" live...... Completely different style... less pop... very angry... and she pulls it off.