16 May 2018 - BTS (방탄소년단) - MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix)

I was going to try to ignore BTS. I mean, they're really good for a seven-piece boy band.

This song is popular because an American of Japanese descent remixed it.  And let's be clear - this song was a big hit.  It made mainstream pop radio Top 30, which is rare for a song with very few English words.  However, BTS is pretty front-and-center in this very visually-interesting video.  At the end of the day, Steve Aoki's remix gives the song some polish, but their singing and dancing skills carry the day.

Also, no, guys, I have not seen your bag.

 

Incidentally, this song does exist in a version without remix. This Japanese version of the video shows a side without Aoki.

15 May 2018 - BLACKPINK - '붐바야'(Boombayah)

Today, let's talk about Korean girl groups.  Specifically, let's start with the new kids on the block.

BLACKPINK are a somewhat manufactured band that debuted in 2016 with this video.  From a Global chart standpoint, few Korean acts have done nearly as well, and they've done all this in a very short time.  With names like Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa, very easily translated to English, it's my suspicion that this was always the plan.They were always meant to take over the world.

Mission accomplished. Their songs historically perform stronger on the US Global Chart - with all five of their singles thus far making the top 5 on that chart, with 3 #1 hits - than even in Korea. But let's be fair - they're big stars back home. too. 

This song is catchy, even in Korean.  I mean, there's a fair amount of English in here.  You'll be singing about BLACKPINK in your area before you know it!

 

14 May 2018 - HYUN-A (현아) - '빨개요 (RED)

Let's start our K-Pop week with Hyun-a, Korea's Madonna - the big diva of their music scene. We've featured her here in the past.

In pop star terms, she's been around forever.  Really, it's only been about 10 years, but in the K-Pop world, that's a long time.  As someone who appeared in the video for PSY's worldwide hit "Gangnam Style" (and, if you are a long time reader of this blog, you know she recorded her OWN version), she's also arguably the first female Korean artist to have worldwide recognition.

This song isn't "Gangnam Style" and not even "Bubble Pop".  It's a more mature pop song from a serious artist.  Who likes to shock people in her native country (this video is borderline risque and Korean broadcasters refused to air what Rolling Stone called one of the ten best videos of 2014).

All in all, it's a great tune with both electronic and Middle Eastern influence.  Give it a listen.

9 May 2018 - Meat Puppets - Backwater

In 1980, the Meat Puppets formed.  They were indie rock darlings for a decade, attracting the attention of a lot of other musicians, but not really growing their audience.  In the 1990s, they decided to give major label music a try.

And then Nirvana invited them to participate in their Unplugged performance and covered three of their songs in 1993.

Which led to this 1994 hit, the biggest of their career.   And while the video hits all the 90's grunge cliches, the song itself doesn't.  It's rich and deep and has great harmonized vocals. 

6 May 2018 - The Darling Buds - Sure Thing

Admit it. You thought this was a one year joke. You thought I'd run out of material.

No. It's a real thing. And Darling Buds Day is actually noticed.  We'd like to think we are responsible for their new material.  I'm not sure that's true, but we're happy to take credit.

18 April 2018 - Eddie Rabbitt - Drivin' My Life Away

It's no secret that I grew up listening to a lot of country/rock fusion in the 1970's.  My mother was a big fan.

Eddie Rabbitt was one of the leaders in that genre.  This was one of his biggest crossover hits, hitting #1 on the Country charts and #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980.  But this ode to long-haul truckers  wasn't just a hit in the moment, though - it remains one of the most recognizable songs of the era.

11 April 2018 - The Knife - Heartbeats

This song has been called a "great opening to a creepy movie".

Accurate. But this song from the Swedish duo in 2003 also throws back with a synth-heavy 80's sound. 

3 April 2018 - Olivia Newton-John - Physical

This was by far Olivia Newton-John's biggest US hit. Heck, Billboard ranked it the 6th biggest hit of ALL TIME.   All for a trendy song and video made possible by the early 80's aerobics craze. A great song, to be sure.  A song full of double entendre and, well, suggestive lyrics and an accompanying video (let's just say ONJ wasn't talking about the latest Jane Fonda video when she was talking about a "suggestive movie"). A cultural phenomenon, which is still fondly remembered today.



It was such a cultural phenomenon, it was featured thirty years later on an episode of Glee, where Olivia did a duet of the song with Jane Lynch, somewhat parodying the video, and EVERYONE GOT THE REFERENCE.



Of course Juliana Hatfield covered this song, too.  Go over to Totally Covered and check that out!

26 March 2018 - Tove Lo - Disco Tits

I've got to be honest.  I've been hesitant to write a post about this song.

13 March 2018 - Lilly Wood & The Prick - Prayer In C (Robin Schulz Remix)

Fun story: I always thought that "Sugar", the song I posted about on Friday and which sampled "Suga Suga", sampled a song of similar tempo that I could not identify.  In fact, I started my post on Friday trying to identify THAT song, because that was a song I absolutely loved.

Mission accomplished.  And, since both songs are Robin Schulz mixes, hence the similarity.  This remix ended up being a huge hit worldwide, because, you know, apparently Robin Schulz can steal anything and turn it into gold.



Lest you think I'm kidding about the stealing part - Schulz remixed the song without authorization, just because he had a Lilly Wood & The Prick CD.  The original, by a French-Israeli duo who are relatively well-known in France, is a much more somber, much folkier song with a lot more flute.

12 March 2018 - Britney Spears - Womanizer

When Scott Colvin used to co-edit this blog, he used to make it a point to post Britney every March 12th....

I felt like he should get this gift today.  I guarantee you're getting "If U Seek Amy" next year.

9 March 2018 - Baby Bash ft. Frankie J - Suga Suga & Robin Schulz ft. Francesco Yates - Sugar

It's rare that we feature two different songs by two different artists in one post. In this case, we've got two songs so inextricably connected that we had no choice.

In 2003, "Suga Suga" was a rather big hit by hip hop group Baby Bash.  The song itself is kind of sweet, in a early-2000s sexist sort of way. At any rate, the woman referenced in this song, which is kind of a slow jam, is featured in a positive light.


This song was a big hit, making top 10 charts worldwide.

Fast forward to 2014".  German DJ Robin Schulz hears "Suga Suga" and loves both the chorus and the hook (itself somewhat lifted from Barry White).  So he hires Canadian vocalist to perform new verses and introduce the chorus, completely lifted from "Suga Suga".  Heck, the "Sugar" video even lampoons the "Suga Suga" video somewhat - the cop has a Baby Bash costume in his suitcase.

But it's a very different song.  The woman referenced here is very much not a positive influence.  The song is less slow jam and more dance floor smash. It was, however, an equally big hit.



Yes, mashups exist.  No, we're not sharing them. 

1 March 2018 - Lissie - Wild West

Like most of America, I first discovered Lissie during the Twin Peaks revival.  Most episodes of that show ended with a musical guest.  This one stood out from most of the rest. Whereas most of them fit the Julee Cruise airy, ethereal motif, or were just audibly interesting. Lissie brought straight-ahead rock to the Bang Bang Bar.

The performance was worthy of the show, and a star-making performance. (Update: The video is gone, but the audio still exists)

Yes, I put her Twin Peaks performance on top of this post, but let's be clear - there's a real music video for this song. Even that's interesting - she handed cameras to children and let them make it themselves.  Her appearance at the end, to take them for ice cream, is raw emotion in itself.

22 January 2018 - Fleetwood Mac - The Chain

I really intended to keep it to just a week. But there was too much good material.

Like this song.  This song was a bit of a happy accident, made by splicing together a bunch of stuff from the cutting room floor.  Little of the original song's instruments were recorded together, nor the vocals.  It was a spliced-up mess, right down to the seemingly nonsequetor closing baseline.  I've talked pretty extensively about how fractured the band was during the recording of the Rumours album. What a better allegory for that than a song that the players couldn't even get together to record!

And it STILL worked!

19 January 2018 - Fleetwood Mac - Hold Me

So many good Fleetwood Mac songs, right?  We're not done yet!

Released as the first single from the Mirage album in 1982, this is one of Fleetwood Mac's biggest hits, and yet it is often forgotten when discussing their best songs.  And, indeed, the band was a mirage at the time.  Notice how very little they are on screen together during this video.  That's because none of them were getting along.  At all.  Stevie Nicks was broken up with TWO of her bandmates, neither of whom were really fond of her.  Neither was the video producer, who complained about her diva behavior.  John McVie was largely drunk throughout the shoot, and Christine McVie was just sick of all the drama.... which didn't endear her to her bandmates, either.

Did you get all that?  I had to draw it all out.  But the Magrite-inspired video that ensured from the chaotic drama sure turned out pretty, and the song itself is a sweet Christine McVie-Lindsey Buckingham duet, written by McVie.

18 January 2018 - Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way

If you think Stevie Nicks looks pissed when Lindsey Buckingham sings "Loving you isn't the right thing to do", it's with good reason.  She is the "you" being referenced here.

That look could melt ice.