The Week of the Bad Music

It all started with Rebecca Black's "Friday" and ended with Glee's "Original Song" episode. Whenever I think about a song's composure I picture Roger from 101 Dalmations telling his wife "Melody first, my dear, then the lyrics". I think that there are two types of bad songs: those which have a terrible melody and those which have terrible lyrics (okay, so there's the third type that both suck, but I don't know if I've ever heard one of those). I'm definitely no music producer, and am quick to admit that I probably have terrible taste in music according to some standards, but I think I can give a decent report on a song.

So, on to this week where we see a terrific example of how terrible lyrics can ruin terrific melodies. Okay, "Friday" isn't exactly Chopin or Bach in the melody area, but it isn't god-awful. It fits with the pop/party music that is popular with the teen sect. However overly simplistic lyrics (you know you've heard them) that sound like a 10 year old wrote them makes this one of the worst songs I've ever heard. I would personally love to double "Gibbs smack" whomever the writer of that song was for doing that to the poor girl. She sounds fine, it's the stupid lyrics. I also heard about the awful comments written about her--really??! We live in an incredibly ignorant society. Give the girl a break and shoot her producer for the song choice.

I think that it's fitting that Glee tackled songwriting this week in their episode to show just how dumb lyrics can be. "Trouty Mouth", "My Hairband", "Big Ass...Heart" yeah--wow, sounds like a 16 year old wrote them, which is incredibly fitting given that these are supposed to be high schoolers. But if you ignore the words you can imagine how the songs can be improved with just better content and styling. The melodies were not compromised when making fun of teenagers writing lyrics.

P.S. I LOVED the song "Loser like me"! It's exactly what I like Glee to say since so many teens watch this show.

Lady Gaga

I've heard a lot of people say that they feel guilty for enjoying her music. This saddens me because I too enjoyed her music before I watched one of her music videos [read: pornos]. I mean, if you listened just to her lyrics as they are, then they are quite clean. I mean, compare it to "Birthday Sex" and all the other music that blatantly goes into detail. It was only when seeing her music videos that I got disgusted. I now pay more attention to what she's actually talking about, just so I don't feel like an ignorant 12 year old yet to learn the rules of writing.

But here is where I'd like to make a comparison and see if those who dislike the sexuality are convinced that 1) hiding sex in poetry (yes, music is poetry) and prose is NOTHING new and 2) It's okay to read things at face value if reading between the lines makes you blush.

"Clear and sweet is my soul....and clear and sweet is all that is not my soul

Lack on lacks both....and the unseen is proved by the seen.
Till that becomes unseen and receives proof in its turn.

Showing the best and dividing it from the worst, age vexes age,
Knowing the perfect fitness and equanimity of things, while they discuss I am silent and go bathe and admire myself.

Welcome is every organ and attrribute of me, and of any man hearty and clean
Not an inch nor a particle of an inch is vile, and none shall be less familiar than the rest

I am satisfied....I see, dance, laugh, sing;
As God comes a loving bedfellow and sleeps at my side all night and close on the peep of the day,
And leaves for me baskets covered with white towels bulging the house with their plenty,
Shall I postpone my acceptation and realization and scream at my eyes.
That they turn from gazing after and down the road,
And forthwith cipher and show me to a cent,
Exactly the contents of one, and exactly the contents of two, and which is ahead?"

--From Leaves of Grass; "Song of Myself"; by Walt Whitman (1855)