Best pop song of the 21st Century
Comments
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secretsqirrel said:
No but it is Sting. Just spotted you referenced this on the 20th C thread yesterday Brian the Trumpet. 😁
I did indeed, but as @pinno knows, I like to stick within threads' discussion limits 😜
But, yes, I think he's an amazing musician, and with a superb voice and ability to use it to communicate.
FWIW, I can't stand Adele, as her voice just grates, too full of tics, and doesn't beguile me at all.0 -
It’s no surprise that Adele needed throat surgery at such a young age.briantrumpet said:secretsqirrel said:No but it is Sting. Just spotted you referenced this on the 20th C thread yesterday Brian the Trumpet. 😁
I did indeed, but as @pinno knows, I like to stick within threads' discussion limits 😜
But, yes, I think he's an amazing musician, and with a superb voice and ability to use it to communicate.
FWIW, I can't stand Adele, as her voice just grates, too full of tics, and doesn't beguile me at all.0 -
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Pross said:
It’s no surprise that Adele needed throat surgery at such a young age.briantrumpet said:secretsqirrel said:No but it is Sting. Just spotted you referenced this on the 20th C thread yesterday Brian the Trumpet. 😁
I did indeed, but as @pinno knows, I like to stick within threads' discussion limits 😜
But, yes, I think he's an amazing musician, and with a superb voice and ability to use it to communicate.
FWIW, I can't stand Adele, as her voice just grates, too full of tics, and doesn't beguile me at all.
Vocal fry. You can hear it a bit in Sinead O'Connor, and it does (literally) grate a bit, but with Adele, it's an essential part of her sound production, it seems, and it sets my teeth on edge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsE5mysfZsY 0 -
Empire State of Mind - Jay Z / Alicia Keys“New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!0
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Adele's an odd one. She's fine as long as she is singing sotto voce but as soon as she sings gusto, it all goes to pot.Pross said:
It’s no surprise that Adele needed throat surgery at such a young age.briantrumpet said:secretsqirrel said:No but it is Sting. Just spotted you referenced this on the 20th C thread yesterday Brian the Trumpet. 😁
I did indeed, but as @pinno knows, I like to stick within threads' discussion limits 😜
But, yes, I think he's an amazing musician, and with a superb voice and ability to use it to communicate.
FWIW, I can't stand Adele, as her voice just grates, too full of tics, and doesn't beguile me at all.
Barely 1 octave within normal range and beyond that, starts shouting. Bit like Witney Houston and Tom Jones who made whole careers out of shouting.
Adele's song writing skills are excellent. Perhaps she should write for other people. A bit like Fred Neil ('Everybody's talking at me'*). He did an Old grey whistle test episode where he sang his own songs. It was dreadful.
A superb song and one i'll chuck in the mix a long with Michael Jackson's Billy Jean, which to me is one of the best pop songs every written.seanoconn - gruagach craic!0 -
I'd have to take issue with that. She had an incredibly powerful voice but unlike many I've heard since, including many that class her as an 'inspiration', it was natural power and not shouty. Mariah Carey on the other hand...pinno said:
Adele's an odd one. She's fine as long as she is singing sotto voce but as soon as she sings gusto, it all goes to pot.Pross said:
It’s no surprise that Adele needed throat surgery at such a young age.briantrumpet said:secretsqirrel said:No but it is Sting. Just spotted you referenced this on the 20th C thread yesterday Brian the Trumpet. 😁
I did indeed, but as @pinno knows, I like to stick within threads' discussion limits 😜
But, yes, I think he's an amazing musician, and with a superb voice and ability to use it to communicate.
FWIW, I can't stand Adele, as her voice just grates, too full of tics, and doesn't beguile me at all.
Barely 1 octave within normal range and beyond that, starts shouting. Bit like Witney Houston and Tom Jones who made whole careers out of shouting.
Adele's song writing skills are excellent. Perhaps she should write for other people. A bit like Fred Neil ('Everybody's talking at me'*). He did an Old grey whistle test episode where he sang his own songs. It was dreadful.
A superb song and one i'll chuck in the mix a long with Michael Jackson's Billy Jean, which to me is one of the best pop songs every written.0 -
Well, we can agree to disagree. Listen to 'I will always love you' a few times and then come back to me. Her rendition of it is fcuking awful. The (pop) musical establishment would agree with you but then taking that pov doesn't sell records.Pross said:
I'd have to take issue with that. She had an incredibly powerful voice but unlike many I've heard since, including many that class her as an 'inspiration', it was natural power and not shouty. Mariah Carey on the other hand...pinno said:
Adele's an odd one. She's fine as long as she is singing sotto voce but as soon as she sings gusto, it all goes to pot.Pross said:
It’s no surprise that Adele needed throat surgery at such a young age.briantrumpet said:secretsqirrel said:No but it is Sting. Just spotted you referenced this on the 20th C thread yesterday Brian the Trumpet. 😁
I did indeed, but as @pinno knows, I like to stick within threads' discussion limits 😜
But, yes, I think he's an amazing musician, and with a superb voice and ability to use it to communicate.
FWIW, I can't stand Adele, as her voice just grates, too full of tics, and doesn't beguile me at all.
Barely 1 octave within normal range and beyond that, starts shouting. Bit like Witney Houston and Tom Jones who made whole careers out of shouting.
Adele's song writing skills are excellent. Perhaps she should write for other people. A bit like Fred Neil ('Everybody's talking at me'*). He did an Old grey whistle test episode where he sang his own songs. It was dreadful.
A superb song and one i'll chuck in the mix a long with Michael Jackson's Billy Jean, which to me is one of the best pop songs every written.
Also Shirley Bassey.
Unfortunately, I cannot bring my mother back to life to point it out. She was a singer and pianist (and my grandmother was an opera singer).
seanoconn - gruagach craic!0 -
Pop songs these days are mostly too miserable.
Bring back the glory days of ten years ago.0 -
Is a long standing trendkingstongraham said:Pop songs these days are mostly too miserable.
Bring back the glory days of ten years ago.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-discover-trends-in-pop-music/Over the last few decades, popular songs have switched from major to minor keys: In the 1960s, 85 percent of the songs were written in a major key, compared with only about 40 percent of them now. Broadly speaking, the sound has shifted from bright and happy to something more complicated
written 11 years ago.0 -
I wonder what it is now.rick_chasey said:
Is a long standing trendkingstongraham said:Pop songs these days are mostly too miserable.
Bring back the glory days of ten years ago.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-discover-trends-in-pop-music/Over the last few decades, popular songs have switched from major to minor keys: In the 1960s, 85 percent of the songs were written in a major key, compared with only about 40 percent of them now. Broadly speaking, the sound has shifted from bright and happy to something more complicated
written 11 years ago.0 -
It's rare I like a major key song. Definitely below 30% of my music choices.kingstongraham said:
I wonder what it is now.rick_chasey said:
Is a long standing trendkingstongraham said:Pop songs these days are mostly too miserable.
Bring back the glory days of ten years ago.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-discover-trends-in-pop-music/Over the last few decades, popular songs have switched from major to minor keys: In the 1960s, 85 percent of the songs were written in a major key, compared with only about 40 percent of them now. Broadly speaking, the sound has shifted from bright and happy to something more complicated
written 11 years ago.0 -
You may have a point, I hadn’t realised she’d also had throat surgery. Pretty much every pop singer known for their powerful voices have had problems - Sam Smith, Mariah, Celine Dion. Even Freddie Mercury had problems but refused surgery. Not sure how many of them had any proper vocal training before they became well known.pinno said:
Well, we can agree to disagree. Listen to 'I will always love you' a few times and then come back to me. Her rendition of it is fcuking awful. The (pop) musical establishment would agree with you but then taking that pov doesn't sell records.Pross said:
I'd have to take issue with that. She had an incredibly powerful voice but unlike many I've heard since, including many that class her as an 'inspiration', it was natural power and not shouty. Mariah Carey on the other hand...pinno said:
Adele's an odd one. She's fine as long as she is singing sotto voce but as soon as she sings gusto, it all goes to pot.Pross said:
It’s no surprise that Adele needed throat surgery at such a young age.briantrumpet said:secretsqirrel said:No but it is Sting. Just spotted you referenced this on the 20th C thread yesterday Brian the Trumpet. 😁
I did indeed, but as @pinno knows, I like to stick within threads' discussion limits 😜
But, yes, I think he's an amazing musician, and with a superb voice and ability to use it to communicate.
FWIW, I can't stand Adele, as her voice just grates, too full of tics, and doesn't beguile me at all.
Barely 1 octave within normal range and beyond that, starts shouting. Bit like Witney Houston and Tom Jones who made whole careers out of shouting.
Adele's song writing skills are excellent. Perhaps she should write for other people. A bit like Fred Neil ('Everybody's talking at me'*). He did an Old grey whistle test episode where he sang his own songs. It was dreadful.
A superb song and one i'll chuck in the mix a long with Michael Jackson's Billy Jean, which to me is one of the best pop songs every written.
Also Shirley Bassey.
Unfortunately, I cannot bring my mother back to life to point it out. She was a singer and pianist (and my grandmother was an opera singer).
Obviously pop and opera are very different genres and require different vocal technique. I’ve actually got a rehearsal with the Welsh National Opera this afternoon (my sister is also classically trained and a singing teacher), the ability they have to effortlessly hit big notes at the extremes of their vocal ranges is incredible.0 -
Realised I don't mean major/minor. I mean dreary.
Like "Time to Pretend" is minor key, but not dreary.0 -
Also realised I can't recognise what's in major or minor key, as that's apparently in D major.kingstongraham said:Realised I don't mean major/minor. I mean dreary.
Like "Time to Pretend" is minor key, but not dreary.1 -
Opera* and pop don't compare.
Listen to that crackly, raspy voice of Joe Cocker - fcuked vocal chords but to me, sounds great,
I worked part time at a stringed instrument shop re-hairing bows, doing minor repairs, setting up violins (there's a helluva lot to do to 'tune' a violin) etc but the proprietor (john V) was a Django Reinhardt fanatic and did his Reinhardt/Grappelli duo with a very good (but hypochondriac) violinist.
Many people came into the shop because they wanted to learn the guitar to play like Led Zeppelin (stairway to heaven) or Brian May or Jimi Hendrix etc etc. He could copy all pf them note for note easily. He called pop music 'sheer twaddle'. Technically, very easy to an accomplished musician.
Whilst I agreed with him on the basis of what he could do at the drop of a hat, I used to say 'but pop can sound good'.
One of his earners (the shop didn't make much money, gigs brought in 80% of his income) was back up to a Garth Brooks tribute band, 'The thunder rolls'.
This tribute band was also back up to the Garth Brooks on his few visits to the UK. They were managed by the record label; all official.
JV was the violinist and did his odd couple of bars and hated it but it was bread and butter earnings.
We sat down and wrote a spoof song together (as he called it 'Cuntry and Western), a song called 'Saddle Sore'. The opening line in the Johnny Cash/Roger Millar talking singing style 'it's been kinda lonesome in the saddle since my horse died...'.
...and found it remarkably difficult. It gave you an appreciation of how difficult it is to sit down and write a pop song.
Anyways, the harmonies and volume that can be created with a good choir is hard to beat and again, a completely different style to opera or pop.
[BT is going to jump in here and moan about too much vibrato amongst opera singers and thread diversion, so for him, I give him this to distract him from the fact and keep him entertained whilst re-enforcing his opinion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUqOfkrRwsk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf8uyUtK3fA
...]
seanoconn - gruagach craic!0 -
Very few of her songs have been written by just her though. Have a look at the album track credits on Wikipedia. The vast majority have at least one co writer.pinno said:
Adele's song writing skills are excellent. Perhaps she should write for other people.
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Fair enough, Perhaps the co-writer should assist in keeping her within her octave range before she gets too shouty.thegreatdivide said:
Very few of her songs have been written by just her though. Have a look at the album track credits on Wikipedia. The vast majority have at least one co writer.pinno said:
Adele's song writing skills are excellent. Perhaps she should write for other people.seanoconn - gruagach craic!0 -
People get snobby about adelle but given she's on XL records, she's basically subsidised a whole label of indie and alt music.0
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGwWNGJdvx8&vl=en
Can't argue with the fact it's a good song.0 -
Can I try?focuszing723 said:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGwWNGJdvx8&vl=en
Can't argue with the fact it's a good song.
It's a decent hook, but nothing more.0 -
Is it even an original hook?kingstongraham said:
Can I try?focuszing723 said:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGwWNGJdvx8&vl=en
Can't argue with the fact it's a good song.
It's a decent hook, but nothing more.
It sounds very familiar.The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
If it wasn't he'd soon get sued.pblakeney said:
Is it even an original hook?kingstongraham said:
Can I try?focuszing723 said:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGwWNGJdvx8&vl=en
Can't argue with the fact it's a good song.
It's a decent hook, but nothing more.
It sounds very familiar.0 -
I must be difficult not to do that on a subconscious level.0
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Heard Blinding Lights by The Weeknd earlier and it reminded me it belonged in here.1
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Re Adele, I only know her hits but I'd side with the majority of the population on her having a great voice. Whether she's technically good or whether she's damaged her vocal cords with poor technique I know not but for me she's able to convey real feeling /emotion and just has that x-factor.
In a similar vein I'd have Lewis Capaldi's Someone You Loved as a great 21st century pop song. Not an artist from a genre I really listen to but just a song and voice that connects emotionally.
I do think these things are subjective but for me it sounds authentic - you believe he really feels what he's singing whereas say Sting doesn't. It's like the shop owner that thinks he's as good as Hendrix (I may be being unfair to him here) - he just almost certainly isn't because whatever it is about Hendrix connected with people - it's more than technical proficiency. It's a sort of charisma - I can say the same words as great orators but I doubt they'll have the same impact.[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0 -
You are getting your knickers in a twist.DeVlaeminck said:Re Adele, I only know her hits but I'd side with the majority of the population on her having a great voice. Whether she's technically good or whether she's damaged her vocal cords with poor technique I know not but for me she's able to convey real feeling /emotion and just has that x-factor.
In a similar vein I'd have Lewis Capaldi's Someone You Loved as a great 21st century pop song. Not an artist from a genre I really listen to but just a song and voice that connects emotionally.
I do think these things are subjective but for me it sounds authentic - you believe he really feels what he's singing whereas say Sting doesn't. It's like the shop owner that thinks he's as good as Hendrix (I may be being unfair to him here) - he just almost certainly isn't because whatever it is about Hendrix connected with people - it's more than technical proficiency. It's a sort of charisma - I can say the same words as great orators but I doubt they'll have the same impact.
seanoconn - gruagach craic!0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkeiKbqa02g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmeUuoxyt_E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge_Y-ep_FSY
