WTF happened to music?

[Iakun]

Everyone's got different taste in music. Music can even be a bit of a touchy subject; there's something about it that is just very personal... or rather CAN be very personal.

scream BUT WHAT THE s**t IS THIS s**t?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMCMlNyySvo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xywv-yoDy8E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kpnpv7sBiEE

Really? I mean... come on, really? Like I said before, everyone has different taste in music but these s**t examples I've provided here are utter trash. The music industry is often blamed for being oversexed and being a possible negative influence to youth but I've just given you a taste (pun intended) of the material that's (I hope) not played on radio. This really is the crap that kids and teens are listening to today.

I know rants about quality have been done before but... gonk C'mon this is just dumb. No one's saying quality music has to be boring classical tunes that barely have a melody, or opera (neither of which are necessarily bad, but people think they're bad simply because they aren't popular), but popular music does NOT have to be this bad. I remember popular songs from the 90's and the vast majority weren't this vulgar. There's nothing insightful, intelligent, or beautiful to the lyrics. These songs don't even have melodies, they're just a bunch of beats backed up by the shitty talking (I will not call that singing).

Damn... I feel a bit of a fool getting this worked up over it but geeeeeeeebus...

edit: By the way, I think this is more the decade of 15 minute bands and groups. I wish long lasting solo artists would be big again.  

[Moonracer]

I have to say I do miss when you could turn on the radio to practically any station and have a good song playing. Now days you're lucky if you can get one good song played before you get out of the car.

I have a very wide taste in music basically I'm all over the board. I like a little bit of everything...for the most part. But really I have to say I agree with Iakun there are a number of songs out there now days that are just utter crap.

I use to enjoy pop song but I find I listen more to Rock songs then anything because more often then not my Rock station will play at LEAST one song I like if not more before I even get out of my car.

Another thing I've noticed is that most of the songs that are being pumped out are just remixed versions of old classics and most of the time they are done so...horribly bad that it makes my ears bleed, not literally of course, but honestly is the soul of music dead?  

[Iakun]

I think it's just mainstream music that's taken a sharp nosedive because there are still many other artists out there that make good music. While musical taste can be said to be subjective, I think almost anyone would agree that singing about telling someone to lick my sack is just the stupidest thing ever. lol

I've seen lots of music discussion threads where the vast majority of people admit to not even paying attention to lyrics anymore. It must be why so much music these days is heavy on beats and rhythm and lacking real melodies and any semblance of decent lyrics.  

[purpleravenhawk]

Lmao, that is some of the most blatantly sexual music I've ever heard. xd But only some. Last year, I worked with a guy who insisted on having the radio tuned to a hiphop station all day, and the lyrics for around 70% of all the "songs" were as bad or almost as bad; they were just mostly male artists. And close to 80% of the "songs" were ripped from older, better songs. They call it "sampling," but most of it is just obvious stealing.

It does seem like people in the industry don't try as hard as they used to. But I wonder if it only seems like that because there are so many more singers and bands now than there used to be. You know, like with crime rates: when the population rises, the crime rate rises, not because half the neighborhood has gone bad, but because there are more people and therefore more criminals.

Most music lyrics throughout history haven't been particularly insightful, intelligent, or beautiful. They're just not usually quite so vulgar, as you say. It is harder nowadays to sift through the crap simply because there's so much more of it. My music tastes are all over the board, too. My collection includes everything from Green Day to the Beatles. But most of it isn't exactly Shakespeare if you listen to it. It's just not low-brow sextalk. I could quote half a dozen older songs right now that have utterly senseless lyrics, but they're still considered good music.

People like music that speaks to them personally. And believe it or not, some people do talk like those videos in their everyday lives. I've known two of them. xp I don't care for it personally, but I'm willing to bet somebody does. I'll agree that it's hard to call it "music," since it's "just a bunch of beats backed up by the shitty talking." But I could use that line to describe more than half the rap "songs" I've ever heard. That's nothing new.

I always listen to lyrics. But there are some songs I like because of the music alone, and I think the lyrics are dumb. And vice verse. But I'm a wordsy person. Some people just want something tribal pumping in the background of their lives. 3nodding  

[Iakun]

I like lyrics that try to tell a story about something that's happened or lyrics that give you insight to the singer's, or a fictional person's experience with something. But I can also listen to fun music as well. I think what I hate the most is as you put it this low-brow sex music.

I guess I'd like to see lyrics using more metaphors and symbolism and mystery. Today it seems like all the lyrics are just full on direct lacking any sense of poetry. I make it sound like this s**t has to be Shakespeare but it doesn't. I mean, it's not like songs of the 90's were Shakespeare, but I still find them infinitely better written than today's music.

I think we have a problem with music being disposable today. In the 90's I could hear a new Madonna song for example, and it'd stay with me for months, sometimes some songs a year or 2. Now? A popular song comes out, and you listen to it for a week at the most and then never again. So much music is being dumped on us that none of it is even remotely special.

(I hope no one thinks badly about Madonna. Although she was quite a sex symbol for a few decades, she did have albums/songs that were very nice and introspective. I also liked Mariah Carey actually. Whatever anyone thinks about her, I'd rather hear her 90's love ballads than hear a band talk about their slutty girlfriend texting them. Sign of the times...)  

[purpleravenhawk]

I do agree actually. Maybe it means we're old. sweatdrop But if our only objection to the music is that it has too much vulgarity and sextalk, there is music that isn't like that. It does seem like modern music is more disposable than it used to be. But that could be our age showing, too. Or the overabundance of music in this day. Or both.

I'm reminded of a McCartney song. The first time I heard it, I was like "WTF?" The lyrics were redundant and silly. The music was cute, and it was considered a classic. But I couldn't help laughing when I heard it. I believe the bulk of the song was "Someone's knocking at the door. Open the door, and let 'em in." Over and over. blaugh No story. Just an example.  

[Iakun]

At least you're not being asked to lick his d**k and his sack. xd *shudders* Oh god...

Sometimes I feel a little bad about calling current songs emo. But I also believe it's all about execution.

From Madonna's "Oh Father" back in the 1980's:

It's funny the way
You can get used to the tears and the pain
What a child will be me
You never loved me

If you listen to the song or even better yet watch the original music video, you can properly sense the sadness. The melody fits very much with the lyrics.

Unfortunately, that song would almost sound a little laughable to me in current times because it would be blaring out as a rock song with guys in emo haircuts and skinny jeans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU0ZFQrU2gc this is the Oh Father music video. If you can think of a lot of current music videos, can you tell me if you believe they try to tell a story like this one does? This music video came out in 1989 and my memory of music vids in the 90's was very much like this. When I watch music videos now they're rather boring showing nothing but the band playing, or some rapper being c**t-rubbed by some hoe on his thigh.

edit: I apologize if I'm coming off a bit opinionated on this whole thing. lol  

[purpleravenhawk]

Emo is definitely all about the execution. A song like "Oh Father" is very emo when you think about it, but it didn't get that extra exaggerated bit of oomph that emo videos have these days. Emo has become a caricature of itself, a stereotype, but it originally had meaning and feeling.

A lot of songs still tell stories. It's just that their videos don't match. That's one reason I stopped watching music videos around 2002. xd

Don't worry about being opinionated. That's what these discussions are for, right? As long as you don't lose your temper, it's cool.  

[Iakun]

2002 wow... Come to think of it, it's probably been nearly that long that I haven't watched any music videos either. I've seen a few here and there over the years but I don't stick around on the music channels anymore. It's kind of hard when Miley Cyrus is the epitome of american music entertainment.  

[purpleravenhawk]

*gags* I know! gonk These days, I mostly just take music recommendations from people I know have good taste and ignore the "music" channels, assuming you could find one that actually plays music anymore. xd  

[Iakun]

Oh I know. Our main music channel, Much Music, is playing way more regular stupid shows than music these days. Even the 2nd channel has a ton of shows.  

[purpleravenhawk]

Lemme guess, "reality" shows? xd *stabs them*  

[Iakun]

Honestly, I'm pretty sick of tv. It's nothing but reality shows and cop dramas with a few slapstick comedies jabbed in there. I spent most of my time playing video games are being online. I only have a few shows I watch on tv. Lately I've become so addicted to the golden girls (lol) and Andromeda. I also like Bones and NCIS. (yeah I know what I said about cop dramas, those are not totally cop dramas.. but they're exceptions lol)  

[purpleravenhawk]

Same here. TV sucks these days. I used to watch Andromeda back when it was on for the first time. And I love Bones. whee I used to watch NCIS until they killed one of the main characters at the end of the second season. I liked CSI too before it got all soap opera-ish.  

[Iakun]

I haven't watched NCIS or Bones from the start so I have nooooo idea where I am in both those shows lol Same with Andromeda. I was a bit disappointed when I found out the original story for Andromeda was meant to be sooo much more grand but they dumbed it down. My favorite character is Trance, just cuz she looks so awesome. (not earlier purple trance)