Hello, friends! Laura here. Sometimes I remember I have a blog. Sometimes that reminder comes in the form of Julia, and sometimes that reminder comes in the form of the Grammy nominees being announced.
Here are the nominees for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Best New Artist. I'd LOVE to hear your opinions! Who are you rooting for? Who do you think will win? Are those answers the same person? How do YOU pronounce Bon Iver? What DOES happen If I Die Young? Answers, people. I need answers.
Record of the Year: Remember: this means a single song, and it's for excellence in sound engineering. Think, "recording of the year." It's also come to mean "The Recording You Couldn't Escape This Year." (Think: "Single Ladies.") So Adele might have this one on lock. The nominees are:
Rolling in the Deep - Adele
Holocene - Bon Iver
Grenade - Bruno Mars
The Cave - Mumford and Sons
Firework - Katy Perry
My producer friend Brendan loves Firework, and I tend to default to him on all things music editing. But I can't deny that all of these recordings are stellar. Again, if it goes to "The Recording You Couldn't Escape This Year," Adele takes it.
Song of the Year: for excellence in songwriting. I tend to give this category a mental "Acoustic Coffeehouse Check" and see which song still stands after you strip away all its production. So what do you do with Kanye's "All of the Lights"? In my opinion, that song is a work of art, and the orchestration of the whole thing IS a product of the artists' creativity, not an afterthought of the engineers. It unravels otherwise. So that song just might be my pick, though the nominations are all excellent. What do you think?
All Of The Lights (Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie) Jeff Bhasker, Stacy Ferguson, Malik Jones, Warren Trotter & Kanye West, songwriters
The Cave (Mumford & Sons)Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford & Country Winston, songwriters
Grenade (Bruno Mars) Brody Brown, Claude Kelly, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Bruno Mars & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters
Holocene (Bon Iver) Justin Vernon, songwriter
Rolling in the Deep (Adele) Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth, songwriters
Album of the Year: the whole CD. For the sake of full disclosure, the only one I've heard in its entirety is Gaga's, and it's a work of art. If you listen to the radio, however, you've heard several songs from all of the following albums. I love me some Foo Fighters. Then again, Adele had a huge year. Then again, Rihanna cranked out the hits like a champ in 2011. Then again, I begrudgingly acknowledge that Bruno Mars is talented. (But only begrudgingly. Why is that? You're with me, right?) Thoughts? Insights? Do you know any of the unreleased stuff?
21 - Adele
Wasting Light - Foo Fighters
Born This Way - Lady Gaga
Doo-Wops and Hooligans - Bruno Mars
Loud - Rihanna
Can we also acknowledge what a bitch Adele is for naming them after how old she is when they're released? It's like she's rubbing it in. Pardon me while I work on my debut solo project, "26."
Best New Artist: the nominees:
The Band Perry
Bon Iver
J.Cole
Nicki Minaj
Skrillex
I know Julia hates The Band Perry. Wait. Maybe it's Lady Antebellum she hates. I get the two confused... (I don't, but you see my point.)
I'm hot and cold with Bon Iver, people. Rant starts here: I saw a friend tweet about their album, so I picked it up. Though beautiful, I honestly found it to be a bit redundant. I also don't understand why someone with such a naturally sexy, gritty, baritone voice would spend an hour singing to me in falsetto.
When it was announced that they were nominated for a Grammy, I, like a sheep, thought that I must have overlooked their genius and somehow owed the album another listen. Besides, when you play the 10-second-awards-show-snippet of each nominated song back to back, Bon Iver's ethereal orchestra is downright beautiful.
Then, I stumbled across the New York Times article of lead singer Justin Vernon saying that the Grammys don't matter. And while I agree with much of what Vernon says about the motivations behind the people in the popular music industry, I believe there is a time and place to say so. There's "too cool for school" and there's "ungrateful," and I think you have to toe that line carefully, especially if you want people to continue to support you and your music in this economy. So although the hipsters will love you for saying the Grammys don't matter, I take offense. I am someone who writes blog posts about the Grammys, you see.
There's no denying Nicki Minaj had a huge year, but last year the relatively unknown Esperanza Spalding took home the award, so we can't eliminate the possibility it could be Skrillex or J. Cole.
What is a Skrillex? You know Skrillex. The techno song with the "OH MY GOD!" sample? See, I thought you did.
What is a J. Cole? I, uh... don't know.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Popping Up 80s and 90s (Is Nothing Sacred?!)
So I've been contemplating the use of 80s and 90s guilty pleasures in 2011 commercials for a while now. I think it all started when Old Navy and Target launched these campaigns around late summer/early fall:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFz4pCl5CE4&noredirect=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp3COgnacmE&feature=related
I took notice because FACT: I may or may not have owned a Billy Ocean 45 AND/or Debbie Gibson piano book as an eight year old. I did, in fact, want to BE Debbie Gibson, so I found Old Navy's "Only in My Jeans" commercial blasphemy. You can't mess with Debbie! She's sacred!
Here's the REAL video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IivGqwQvdCI&feature=related
I mean, she was only 16! And wrote all her own lyrics! Which is probably most evident in the song "Electric Youth" (which inspired the 90s perfume by the same name....LONG before J Lo's Glo or Spears' Curious...):
Zappin it to ya...the pressure's everywhere! Goin' right through ya...the fever's in the air! Oh, yeah! It's there! Don't underestimate the power, of a lifetime ahead....
I mean, any song that can start with the phrase "Zappin' it to ya" is nothing short of lyrical genius. Please.
Then there were M&Ms and State Farm respectively:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucHCgc48Z1s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjO1AQZu2g0
And I started to take notice. Why the sudden interest in all my 80s and 90s pop music guilty pleasures?! Is nothing truly sacred anymore? Dirty Dancing? (Patrick Swayze, RIP) TLC? (Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopez, RIP).
And, sadly, it took my mother to point out to me: Julia, YOU are the demographic marketers are marketing towards now.
So, in other words: I'm 30 and I'm old.
These marketers- particularly the State Farm TLC commercial- assume that my peer group a.) has the money and b.) the power to use it. They also apparently assume we are all married with children which- if they were to even consult with my 89 year old grandmother, she would all to eagerly point out this is NOT the case for all of us, namely yours truly (and this pains her greatly. She would "just like to see a wedding before she dies, already/" Ahem.)
I actually feel a little insulted that a.) I am now old enough to be the market target for these companies and b.) that they feel the need to distort my favorite pop memories and pull on my nostalgic pop heartstrings.
I suppose these campaigns are effective and that some of my peers actually do have the money to be their target focus group. Me, however? I just have a pop blog and a deep affinity for all things 80s and pop. Which is enough, I guess.
ps- Who's ready for the Grammys, huh?!?! It's that time of year again! Yeah!
Peace,
Julia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFz4pCl5CE4&noredirect=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp3COgnacmE&feature=related
I took notice because FACT: I may or may not have owned a Billy Ocean 45 AND/or Debbie Gibson piano book as an eight year old. I did, in fact, want to BE Debbie Gibson, so I found Old Navy's "Only in My Jeans" commercial blasphemy. You can't mess with Debbie! She's sacred!
Here's the REAL video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IivGqwQvdCI&feature=related
I mean, she was only 16! And wrote all her own lyrics! Which is probably most evident in the song "Electric Youth" (which inspired the 90s perfume by the same name....LONG before J Lo's Glo or Spears' Curious...):
Zappin it to ya...the pressure's everywhere! Goin' right through ya...the fever's in the air! Oh, yeah! It's there! Don't underestimate the power, of a lifetime ahead....
I mean, any song that can start with the phrase "Zappin' it to ya" is nothing short of lyrical genius. Please.
Then there were M&Ms and State Farm respectively:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucHCgc48Z1s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjO1AQZu2g0
And I started to take notice. Why the sudden interest in all my 80s and 90s pop music guilty pleasures?! Is nothing truly sacred anymore? Dirty Dancing? (Patrick Swayze, RIP) TLC? (Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopez, RIP).
And, sadly, it took my mother to point out to me: Julia, YOU are the demographic marketers are marketing towards now.
So, in other words: I'm 30 and I'm old.
These marketers- particularly the State Farm TLC commercial- assume that my peer group a.) has the money and b.) the power to use it. They also apparently assume we are all married with children which- if they were to even consult with my 89 year old grandmother, she would all to eagerly point out this is NOT the case for all of us, namely yours truly (and this pains her greatly. She would "just like to see a wedding before she dies, already/" Ahem.)
I actually feel a little insulted that a.) I am now old enough to be the market target for these companies and b.) that they feel the need to distort my favorite pop memories and pull on my nostalgic pop heartstrings.
I suppose these campaigns are effective and that some of my peers actually do have the money to be their target focus group. Me, however? I just have a pop blog and a deep affinity for all things 80s and pop. Which is enough, I guess.
ps- Who's ready for the Grammys, huh?!?! It's that time of year again! Yeah!
Peace,
Julia
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Just a Holy Fool Part 2
Okay, so I totally didn't intend to be writing a follow up to my last Gaga post because I totally didn't intend to give Ms. Gaga a second thought. Or buy her second album. But then our friend @robcasal informed @lauravand and I that Gaga's new album was only .99 on Amazon and I said "FINE. I'll BUY IT. And I might even listen to it."
And listen I did. And now here I am giving you my play by play. It is a little of what I expected but a little better than I thought. Let me tell you why!
To do this, I really need to go through the album as a whole, because I believe that Ms. Gaga must've thought of this as a concept album. As the past 2 blog titles imply, there is lots of religious imagery. And while that may seem trite for a twenty-something singer/song writer ("we GET it. You are CONTEMPLATING stuff. You have deep thoughts and whatnot....") I think Gaga is grappling with her Catholic roots and does pay them homage. She also uses the line: "I'm just a holy fool" in not one, but two songs, so while she's thinking about stuff, she's clearly not using a thesaurus.
In fact, before I give the play by play, I must warn I have many "Colbie moments" with Gaga's lyrics. For example, I really wanted to like Gaga's tune- "Bloody Mary". It starts off haunting (as many on the album do) and it is interesting. We have the twisted Catholic image of a "Bloody Mary" which again, okay, is trite, but whatevs. But then she's all: "Hands, hands, hands, dance, dance, dance..." and I'm like: "might as well have gone with: nose, toes, froze, close....")
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The album as a whole is a religious, horror-show, theatrical disco with an attempt of an international fair (like the kind we have back home where all the different cultures in the town set up various vendor stations of cuisine and do cultural dances and stuff. You don't have those? Eh. I'm from Ohio.) Anyways, Gaga speaks like four languages in this album. Five if you count 'Gaga'-ese.
I also think (much like Sara Bareilles' sophomore album which we've discussed) Gaga must've thought of what this album would be like live. 'Cause it's got a 'Phantom of the Opera' kind of freak show written all over it.
The album starts with a haunting "Marry the Night" which I can just picture Gaga at her piano in the dark with candles lit in some obscure costume to begin her show. Cut to a few measures later when the track starts pumping and we are suddenly in a gay disco. Yup. Sounds about right. Typical Gaga, but I do actually really like this track. I like her concept of "Marrying the Night". It is kind of a lonely anthem, kind of like a Cher's "Song for the Lonely" but empowering and hopeful at the same time. She's not going to to let her loneliness get to her. She's gonna 'Marry the Night' which I imagine many rockstars end up doing in a way. Hey, the night probably talks back less and is a cheap date. Am I right?
Next is the anthem for acceptance that I've already written my 2 cents about (only 97 more and you have what I purchased this album for! Ha!). "Born This Way" has been covered by Glee and even last night's American Idol contestants (which I was a little surprised by, but whatevs). It is what it is and it's been embraced by America, so good for it.
Now, the next track I really wanted to like. And I kind of do...if it didn't just repeat the word "hooker" over and over again. And not that I'm prudish or anything- what ladies of the night do is not for me to judge- but because I'm sure in her mind, Gaga thought she was making some kind of political statement, but kind of fails at doing so. I think she could've done it in another lyrical way. The lyrics totally ruin the song for me, which is what I have to say about MOST of this album.
Judas I've done talked about too, but I will add: having now seen the video, it is TOTALLY NOT the worst, most scandalous video that she's done and the video actually makes me like the song MORE.
Enter Lady's first international attempt on the album a la"Alejandro" aka "Americano". The woman still thinks she's in Spain or something, but I actually like this tune because there's something really artsy about it. It also sounds like anything by ABBA, which you really can't go wrong with ABBA- it's so fun! It's typical Gaga, but it's what she does well- artsy, fun, and weird at it's best.
Hair. Ugh. I can't listen to this song because of the lyrics. I love the beat (though it sounds a little like "Edge of Glory" AND the unicorn song that I'll have to look up the actual title to in a second) but I can't do it. I don't know what she was thinking talking about how she wants to be "free like her hair". You couldn't think of any other analogy? Free like birds? Free like Ladies Night? Free like Buy One Get One? Really? Nothing else?
I can't even spell the next song BECAUSE MY COMPUTER DOESN"T DO GERMAN. But I like this song. It's like a feminst anthem. Or something. In German.
I've already spoken my piece on Bloody Mary.
"Bad Kids" is like a "Born this Way" for troubled teenagers. I also can't listen to this song because the lyrics are trite and I think of my angsty teens who I describe as "not liking themselves or anyone else" and who wants to think about that on the weekends?
Highway Unicorn is EXACTLY like "Edge of Glory" but less good. And it says nothing about unicorns.
Heavy Metal Lover is exactly just that. Gaga's tribute to Heavy Metal. It's a more rockin' tune, but again, trite. And she brings up "Born this Way" again. Not sure why.
Electric Chapel is interesting to me because it is super religious and haunting like "Marry the Night". She uses her "holy fool" line again and I really think this song is like her John 3:16 in a sense (to use religious reference myself!) It's a culmination of all the songs- a little heavy metal, a little electronica, religious imagery, dark....
I love "You and I". It is the "Speechless" on this album for me. I could listen to it over and over again, and I do. I first started to love it when Hailey sang it on Idol. The judges poo-pooed her, but I loved it. And I also loved Hailey. Girl can sang. But this song is good, chill, and I can see Gaga at her piano slow-jamming it with Elton John which is how I like her best :)
I also love "Edge of Glory". When I heard it on the radio, I just remembered it's awesome sax solo and it made me think of the 80s and that awesome Sergio skit from SNL. (Apparently some other dude thought the same thing!) That's really all I needed to think this song awesome, but I think it has an inspiring message too- standing on the edge for love, putting yourself all out there....it's one of the few songs for me that doesn't lyrically suck.
Overall, I was kind of impressed with the albumm though my expectations were kind of low. Like I said, it was a lot of what I expected, but Gaga does do what is expected of her exceedingly well- she's weird, she can sing, and she's artsy. Mission accomplished. And it was 99 cents!
It was definitely worth the buck for sure! And I'd probably even pay a little more...
Definitely want to see the girl in concert sometime. For now I'll just see her EVERYWHERE else (seriously the girl is everywhere! She even has her own Google commercial!
Anyways, meet you in the Electric Chapel...whatever that means....wherever that is...
Peace,
Julia
And listen I did. And now here I am giving you my play by play. It is a little of what I expected but a little better than I thought. Let me tell you why!
To do this, I really need to go through the album as a whole, because I believe that Ms. Gaga must've thought of this as a concept album. As the past 2 blog titles imply, there is lots of religious imagery. And while that may seem trite for a twenty-something singer/song writer ("we GET it. You are CONTEMPLATING stuff. You have deep thoughts and whatnot....") I think Gaga is grappling with her Catholic roots and does pay them homage. She also uses the line: "I'm just a holy fool" in not one, but two songs, so while she's thinking about stuff, she's clearly not using a thesaurus.
In fact, before I give the play by play, I must warn I have many "Colbie moments" with Gaga's lyrics. For example, I really wanted to like Gaga's tune- "Bloody Mary". It starts off haunting (as many on the album do) and it is interesting. We have the twisted Catholic image of a "Bloody Mary" which again, okay, is trite, but whatevs. But then she's all: "Hands, hands, hands, dance, dance, dance..." and I'm like: "might as well have gone with: nose, toes, froze, close....")
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The album as a whole is a religious, horror-show, theatrical disco with an attempt of an international fair (like the kind we have back home where all the different cultures in the town set up various vendor stations of cuisine and do cultural dances and stuff. You don't have those? Eh. I'm from Ohio.) Anyways, Gaga speaks like four languages in this album. Five if you count 'Gaga'-ese.
I also think (much like Sara Bareilles' sophomore album which we've discussed) Gaga must've thought of what this album would be like live. 'Cause it's got a 'Phantom of the Opera' kind of freak show written all over it.
The album starts with a haunting "Marry the Night" which I can just picture Gaga at her piano in the dark with candles lit in some obscure costume to begin her show. Cut to a few measures later when the track starts pumping and we are suddenly in a gay disco. Yup. Sounds about right. Typical Gaga, but I do actually really like this track. I like her concept of "Marrying the Night". It is kind of a lonely anthem, kind of like a Cher's "Song for the Lonely" but empowering and hopeful at the same time. She's not going to to let her loneliness get to her. She's gonna 'Marry the Night' which I imagine many rockstars end up doing in a way. Hey, the night probably talks back less and is a cheap date. Am I right?
Next is the anthem for acceptance that I've already written my 2 cents about (only 97 more and you have what I purchased this album for! Ha!). "Born This Way" has been covered by Glee and even last night's American Idol contestants (which I was a little surprised by, but whatevs). It is what it is and it's been embraced by America, so good for it.
Now, the next track I really wanted to like. And I kind of do...if it didn't just repeat the word "hooker" over and over again. And not that I'm prudish or anything- what ladies of the night do is not for me to judge- but because I'm sure in her mind, Gaga thought she was making some kind of political statement, but kind of fails at doing so. I think she could've done it in another lyrical way. The lyrics totally ruin the song for me, which is what I have to say about MOST of this album.
Judas I've done talked about too, but I will add: having now seen the video, it is TOTALLY NOT the worst, most scandalous video that she's done and the video actually makes me like the song MORE.
Enter Lady's first international attempt on the album a la"Alejandro" aka "Americano". The woman still thinks she's in Spain or something, but I actually like this tune because there's something really artsy about it. It also sounds like anything by ABBA, which you really can't go wrong with ABBA- it's so fun! It's typical Gaga, but it's what she does well- artsy, fun, and weird at it's best.
Hair. Ugh. I can't listen to this song because of the lyrics. I love the beat (though it sounds a little like "Edge of Glory" AND the unicorn song that I'll have to look up the actual title to in a second) but I can't do it. I don't know what she was thinking talking about how she wants to be "free like her hair". You couldn't think of any other analogy? Free like birds? Free like Ladies Night? Free like Buy One Get One? Really? Nothing else?
I can't even spell the next song BECAUSE MY COMPUTER DOESN"T DO GERMAN. But I like this song. It's like a feminst anthem. Or something. In German.
I've already spoken my piece on Bloody Mary.
"Bad Kids" is like a "Born this Way" for troubled teenagers. I also can't listen to this song because the lyrics are trite and I think of my angsty teens who I describe as "not liking themselves or anyone else" and who wants to think about that on the weekends?
Highway Unicorn is EXACTLY like "Edge of Glory" but less good. And it says nothing about unicorns.
Heavy Metal Lover is exactly just that. Gaga's tribute to Heavy Metal. It's a more rockin' tune, but again, trite. And she brings up "Born this Way" again. Not sure why.
Electric Chapel is interesting to me because it is super religious and haunting like "Marry the Night". She uses her "holy fool" line again and I really think this song is like her John 3:16 in a sense (to use religious reference myself!) It's a culmination of all the songs- a little heavy metal, a little electronica, religious imagery, dark....
I love "You and I". It is the "Speechless" on this album for me. I could listen to it over and over again, and I do. I first started to love it when Hailey sang it on Idol. The judges poo-pooed her, but I loved it. And I also loved Hailey. Girl can sang. But this song is good, chill, and I can see Gaga at her piano slow-jamming it with Elton John which is how I like her best :)
I also love "Edge of Glory". When I heard it on the radio, I just remembered it's awesome sax solo and it made me think of the 80s and that awesome Sergio skit from SNL. (Apparently some other dude thought the same thing!) That's really all I needed to think this song awesome, but I think it has an inspiring message too- standing on the edge for love, putting yourself all out there....it's one of the few songs for me that doesn't lyrically suck.
Overall, I was kind of impressed with the albumm though my expectations were kind of low. Like I said, it was a lot of what I expected, but Gaga does do what is expected of her exceedingly well- she's weird, she can sing, and she's artsy. Mission accomplished. And it was 99 cents!
It was definitely worth the buck for sure! And I'd probably even pay a little more...
Definitely want to see the girl in concert sometime. For now I'll just see her EVERYWHERE else (seriously the girl is everywhere! She even has her own Google commercial!
Anyways, meet you in the Electric Chapel...whatever that means....wherever that is...
Peace,
Julia
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Just a Holy Fool
Oh, HEY THERE, Spring! Hey there Passover, Easter, and all things regarding making things new and resurrected and whatnot. How timely to be talking about religious songs with religious themes!
Oh, HEY THERE, Lady Gaga!
I suppose you've heard about Gaga's latest? And what "Christians" have to say about it?
Holy over-reacting, Batman.
Sooo....I actually happen to teach religion and am working on my MA in Theology and I'm not saying that makes me an expert or anything....but....
No, for reals. That for sure does not make me an authority on this in any way. But I just have been asked by every. single. person. and their grandmother about what the Church and Christians have to say about this song. And I can only really speak for myself since I am pretty sure Benedict XVI himself has not yet wrote an encyclical about it or even heard it on itunes.
All I know is Gaga is starting to impress me less and less and we all know how I loved her. When "Born This Way" came out (heh) I was on the "it- sounds-just-like-'Express Yourself'- laid-over-top-of-TLC's-'Waterfalls'" train. And now this Judas business which even the students I work with acknowledge that it sounds strikingly similar to "Bad Romance".
But, yet, Gaga still has our attention, even if it is much in the same vain (pun intended) as Madonna before her. And Madonna's shoes are not necessarily bad ones to be in. I happen to think Lady Gaga is even more of a musician than Madonna. Madonna perhaps, though, had more of a defined vision. Both certainly have drive.
So, yeah, even with all the hype, I'm underwhelmed. Maybe that's because I was, oh, I don't know, ALIVE in the 80s when Madonna's 'Like a Prayer' controversy hit (albeit I was about 8 and totally making up choreographed dances to the song in the parking lot of my Catholic School that I attended. Blasphemy? Meh, irony maybe.)
I'm sure the video will be shocking (Um, I was a little disturbed by the video for "Born this Way". Not because of any kind of lyrics but that the beginning reminded me a little too much of The Miracle of Life videos shown in health class. No one likes to revisit those, Gaga) but really all I can speak for right now is what I think about these damned (heh) lyrics. So here goes:
The lady herself has said it is about being drawn to the wrong kind of guy, and that's how I take the song 'Judas' as well. I do think she used all the over-arching imagery (ie- "a king with no crown" and "I'll wash my feet with my hair") to be shocking, but I do think she is also making her point with it. She says in the song "Jesus is my virtue." I take the lyrics to mean she knows what is good, but yet she chooses to "wash the feet" of the wrong guy instead. She sympathesizes with the betrayer for some reason, even though she knows it's wrong and bad for her.
That's really all I got. Like I said, I'm underwhelmed. Maybe that's what comes with turning 30. Last year, i was dressing up like Lady Gaga, this year, I'm over the drama.
I'm just kind of over the drama, Gaga : ( I'm getting to old for this.
Peace,
Julia
Oh, HEY THERE, Lady Gaga!
I suppose you've heard about Gaga's latest? And what "Christians" have to say about it?
Sooo....I actually happen to teach religion and am working on my MA in Theology and I'm not saying that makes me an expert or anything....but....
No, for reals. That for sure does not make me an authority on this in any way. But I just have been asked by every. single. person. and their grandmother about what the Church and Christians have to say about this song. And I can only really speak for myself since I am pretty sure Benedict XVI himself has not yet wrote an encyclical about it or even heard it on itunes.
All I know is Gaga is starting to impress me less and less and we all know how I loved her. When "Born This Way" came out (heh) I was on the "it- sounds-just-like-'Express Yourself'- laid-over-top-of-TLC's-'Waterfalls'" train. And now this Judas business which even the students I work with acknowledge that it sounds strikingly similar to "Bad Romance".
But, yet, Gaga still has our attention, even if it is much in the same vain (pun intended) as Madonna before her. And Madonna's shoes are not necessarily bad ones to be in. I happen to think Lady Gaga is even more of a musician than Madonna. Madonna perhaps, though, had more of a defined vision. Both certainly have drive.
So, yeah, even with all the hype, I'm underwhelmed. Maybe that's because I was, oh, I don't know, ALIVE in the 80s when Madonna's 'Like a Prayer' controversy hit (albeit I was about 8 and totally making up choreographed dances to the song in the parking lot of my Catholic School that I attended. Blasphemy? Meh, irony maybe.)
I'm sure the video will be shocking (Um, I was a little disturbed by the video for "Born this Way". Not because of any kind of lyrics but that the beginning reminded me a little too much of The Miracle of Life videos shown in health class. No one likes to revisit those, Gaga) but really all I can speak for right now is what I think about these damned (heh) lyrics. So here goes:
The lady herself has said it is about being drawn to the wrong kind of guy, and that's how I take the song 'Judas' as well. I do think she used all the over-arching imagery (ie- "a king with no crown" and "I'll wash my feet with my hair") to be shocking, but I do think she is also making her point with it. She says in the song "Jesus is my virtue." I take the lyrics to mean she knows what is good, but yet she chooses to "wash the feet" of the wrong guy instead. She sympathesizes with the betrayer for some reason, even though she knows it's wrong and bad for her.
That's really all I got. Like I said, I'm underwhelmed. Maybe that's what comes with turning 30. Last year, i was dressing up like Lady Gaga, this year, I'm over the drama.
I'm just kind of over the drama, Gaga : ( I'm getting to old for this.
Peace,
Julia
Monday, January 31, 2011
Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Justin Timberlake
So... math is hard. And I'm not sure if the subject heading actually expresses what I want to say. What I really want to say is today is Justin Timberlake's 30th birthday and I'm celebrating.
My love affair with Justin started briefly in 1998 when I went to my first Nsync concert Senior Year in high school. I had seen Justin on the MMC (Mickey Mouse Club- DUH) back in '94, but I was still partial to the original members (like those from the short lived pop band "The Party". Remember them? I played that cassette tape OUT:
I later lived my dream of seeing one of the original members live when I saw Dee Dee Magno in a national tour of "Wicked". Yes, I = geek)
Anyways, back to Nsync. My friend and I waited in line to get tickets the morning of our senior Homecoming dance instead of getting our hair did. Britney Spears was the opening act and it. was. amazing. I had no idea what this pop prince and princess had in store for us in the '00s.
Nsync followed me to college and my friends and college roommate will tell you that obsession was at its height in 2000-2001. Justin lived on my cinderblock walls (as well as his bandmates. If I am honest, Lance was my *favorite*, which makes sense since I seem to have a pattern as *that* girl who falls for gay men. Sigh. Gay men and I just have so much in common! Broadway showtunes! Cute boys! Clothes! Fashion! Double sigh).
My heart was broken even before Lance came out of the closet when in 2001-2002 (about the same time Lance announced he was going to be trying to fly to space...oy...) Nsync went their separate ways.
I held my breath when Justin's solo album was released. Would it be good? Or would my idol be the laughing stock of pop culture?
When I heard the guitar riffs for "Like I Love You" complete with the rap break from Clipse- I knew my boy would be okay.
I obsessively watched and showed all my friends the "Cry Me a River" video (pssst...it was about Britney cheating! And it was HOT. Justin? In the rain? Yes, please)
Then there, of course, he brought "Sexy Back" a couple years later and the world fell in love with the man I always knew had an impecible sense of comedic timing (what? I did. I had endless hours of footage of taped Nsync appearances on every talkshow circa 2000. I knew he had "it" ;) with his numerous SNL guest spots.
I hope Justin's 30th year brings A NEW ALBUM ALREADY. Humph.
This year is MY 30th year too. Whatdoyasay, old friend? Can you make my 30th year dreams come true? Sexy Back Reprise...please?
Peace,
Julia
I later lived my dream of seeing one of the original members live when I saw Dee Dee Magno in a national tour of "Wicked". Yes, I = geek)
Anyways, back to Nsync. My friend and I waited in line to get tickets the morning of our senior Homecoming dance instead of getting our hair did. Britney Spears was the opening act and it. was. amazing. I had no idea what this pop prince and princess had in store for us in the '00s.
Nsync followed me to college and my friends and college roommate will tell you that obsession was at its height in 2000-2001. Justin lived on my cinderblock walls (as well as his bandmates. If I am honest, Lance was my *favorite*, which makes sense since I seem to have a pattern as *that* girl who falls for gay men. Sigh. Gay men and I just have so much in common! Broadway showtunes! Cute boys! Clothes! Fashion! Double sigh).
My heart was broken even before Lance came out of the closet when in 2001-2002 (about the same time Lance announced he was going to be trying to fly to space...oy...) Nsync went their separate ways.
I held my breath when Justin's solo album was released. Would it be good? Or would my idol be the laughing stock of pop culture?
When I heard the guitar riffs for "Like I Love You" complete with the rap break from Clipse- I knew my boy would be okay.
I obsessively watched and showed all my friends the "Cry Me a River" video (pssst...it was about Britney cheating! And it was HOT. Justin? In the rain? Yes, please)
Then there, of course, he brought "Sexy Back" a couple years later and the world fell in love with the man I always knew had an impecible sense of comedic timing (what? I did. I had endless hours of footage of taped Nsync appearances on every talkshow circa 2000. I knew he had "it" ;) with his numerous SNL guest spots.
I hope Justin's 30th year brings A NEW ALBUM ALREADY. Humph.
This year is MY 30th year too. Whatdoyasay, old friend? Can you make my 30th year dreams come true? Sexy Back Reprise...please?
Peace,
Julia
Monday, January 3, 2011
Happy 2011: A Commercial Break
It's the new year, y'all, and I still have those effing holiday commercials stuck in my head. Primarily this one:
If you combine my uncanny ability to retain any song I hear with a healthy dose of snow-related cabin fever and more than a little egg nog, this song becomes REALLY fun to dance to.
Imagine my shock when my boyfriend had to tell me this was Vampire Weekend.
Clearly, I'm not as hipster as I'd like to think. Someone get me some PBR, stat.
Either I'm not as cool as I thought I was, or he is far cooler. I have a growing suspicion that both of these things are true.
Before we accuse them too quickly of selling out, I'd like to point out that several artists are using commercials as a launching platform for exposure. Vampire Weekend wasn't even the only one this holiday season.
Perhaps you recognized Pomplamoose:
A friend of mine described this one as "the car commercial with the awkward singing".
I'm quick to jump down the throat of people that overuse the word "awkward", but I have to say my friend was right on the money with this one. I also have to say that if this commercial were my sole impression of Pomplamoose, I'd go on a murderous spree because I'm not more famous than the girl with the awkward singing. Alas, I've heard some recordings of theirs that are pretty fun. Check out "Expiration Date" if you get the chance.
Another one of my favorites that introduced me to my beloved Ingrid Michaelson:
For reals. My friend just got his iPod touch a couple years ago, Shazammed that shiz, and found her. And now, she's all growed up and writing duets for herself and Sara Bareilles (Please check out "Winter Song" if you don't know it already. I don't know why this post refuses to post linky-majigs today, otherwise I'd do the work for you.) You go, Glen Coco! Whoops, I meant Ingrid. Sorry. #MeanGirlsReference
You can't blame these artists for looking to commercials to reach a broader audience. The old formula for fame went something like "Get signed to a label, they'll put you on the radio, and people will hear of you."
Enter: the internet. Suddenly, the radio isn't the only route to audiences. The good news: it's far easier to get exposure. The bad news: There's far more competition for your audience's attention.
So artists are turning to television. It works for them, because millions of people hear their music. It works for advertisers, because they don't have to pay high royalty fees for putting up already-popular recordings.
I'm so thankful that Phoenix did this Cadillac commercial, otherwise I don't know how much longer I'd have taken to discover them.
The upside: I now know an artist I really like. The inevitable downside: I can't hear this song without buying a Cadillac SRX.
Now that I've made you want three cars and a sweater, I'mma peace out. In the new year, keep your eyes open for new artists, and keep me posted!
Love,
Laura
If you combine my uncanny ability to retain any song I hear with a healthy dose of snow-related cabin fever and more than a little egg nog, this song becomes REALLY fun to dance to.
Imagine my shock when my boyfriend had to tell me this was Vampire Weekend.
Clearly, I'm not as hipster as I'd like to think. Someone get me some PBR, stat.
Either I'm not as cool as I thought I was, or he is far cooler. I have a growing suspicion that both of these things are true.
Before we accuse them too quickly of selling out, I'd like to point out that several artists are using commercials as a launching platform for exposure. Vampire Weekend wasn't even the only one this holiday season.
Perhaps you recognized Pomplamoose:
A friend of mine described this one as "the car commercial with the awkward singing".
I'm quick to jump down the throat of people that overuse the word "awkward", but I have to say my friend was right on the money with this one. I also have to say that if this commercial were my sole impression of Pomplamoose, I'd go on a murderous spree because I'm not more famous than the girl with the awkward singing. Alas, I've heard some recordings of theirs that are pretty fun. Check out "Expiration Date" if you get the chance.
Another one of my favorites that introduced me to my beloved Ingrid Michaelson:
For reals. My friend just got his iPod touch a couple years ago, Shazammed that shiz, and found her. And now, she's all growed up and writing duets for herself and Sara Bareilles (Please check out "Winter Song" if you don't know it already. I don't know why this post refuses to post linky-majigs today, otherwise I'd do the work for you.) You go, Glen Coco! Whoops, I meant Ingrid. Sorry. #MeanGirlsReference
You can't blame these artists for looking to commercials to reach a broader audience. The old formula for fame went something like "Get signed to a label, they'll put you on the radio, and people will hear of you."
Enter: the internet. Suddenly, the radio isn't the only route to audiences. The good news: it's far easier to get exposure. The bad news: There's far more competition for your audience's attention.
So artists are turning to television. It works for them, because millions of people hear their music. It works for advertisers, because they don't have to pay high royalty fees for putting up already-popular recordings.
I'm so thankful that Phoenix did this Cadillac commercial, otherwise I don't know how much longer I'd have taken to discover them.
The upside: I now know an artist I really like. The inevitable downside: I can't hear this song without buying a Cadillac SRX.
Now that I've made you want three cars and a sweater, I'mma peace out. In the new year, keep your eyes open for new artists, and keep me posted!
Love,
Laura
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