While I don't like rock music, any rock music, I do accept that there must be something to it or it wouldn't have pushed aside all the other genres which I do like. To me most contemporary music is just noise. Many of today's leading singers—mostly female vocalists—seem to be screaming rather than singing the lyrics. I say lyrics sarcastically since most of the words today seem to be either non-sensical, sexual, vulgar, or—worst of all—maudlin. It also seems to me that almost every song today has the de rigeur word "baby" in it. Another popular cliche lyric is "set me free" or something similar. But as similar as every song sounds to me, I accept that there must be a marked difference between all these vocalists, rock bands and so-called rap artists, though I am sure I could never identify the differences. I can accept that most of these songs speak to someone, millions of someones. What I cannot comprehend are the number of songs that repeat a single lyric line endlessly. Why doesn't that irritate the average person as much as it maddens me? I would give you a list of such songs, but I have blessedly forgotten most of them. Today, I did hear a new one at Publix. While this song, by a group with the self-conscious name Crowded House, may have had other lyrics, it seemed to drone one meaningless (or pretentiously meaningful) line sung infinitum: "Everywhere you go always take the weather with you." I have no idea what that means and hearing it repeated endlessly did not provide any clarity. I wish more people would respond to this blog because I would really appreciate an explanation as to why such songs are recorded, much less popular. I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it.
Note: Speaking of cliches. The photo shown here of Crowded House with the quartet trying to look cool and serious has been done about a million times for every duo, trio, and quartet since rock music began. I would think just once a group would feel that fame and fortune was enough of a reward to merit a smile.
Can't presume to speak for all of rock and pop music (mainly because we stopped listening to current stuff sometime in the 1980s), but in their defense, they were hardly the first to be repetitious or to use the word "baby." Just try watching "Footlight Parade" and get that endlessly repetitive "By A Waterfall" song out of your head. And what about such classics as "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" and "Baby, It's Cold Outside"? Babies abound pre-rock. True, more recent offerings pale in comparison with the Great American Songbook, but a lot of gems have been written since 1963.
ReplyDeleteI did just watch "By a Waterfall." While the title is repeated many times, it is interrupted by other lyrics. The songs I am complaining about repeat lines in succession as many as ten or more times. And yes, it's true that "baby" was often used in the past. But today it's epidemic and one doesn't feel that it so much a matter of choice like, "Baby it's Cold Outside," as the lyricist couldn't think of anything else.
ReplyDeleteCan't explain it. Perhaps at Publix you're hearing the 21st-century version of Muzak.
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