Every so many decades popular music presents the world with new expressions - mostly geared to the young. Why this is, I do not know. I love music in all its expressions and consider myself very open to it all. This doesn't mean I'm a push over. I will not thumbs up music I don't like just to be "cool" I mean, kids still say that, yes? Cool?
The Grammy's broadcast the other night reminded me how narrow pop music purveyors are these days. So much of what I saw and heard on this telecast was quite substandard and yet the audience of mostly industry people gave numerous standing ovations. Taylor Swift is just plain AWFUL. All her songs are about breaking up with guys. Yet, watching her last night, she seemed to be having a great time. I don't think all those break ups she sings about is upsetting her all that much. My generation used to have a term for her brand of music - "bubble gum music" - meaning for the tweens and teens. So, fair enough. Taylor supplies a service to the Wrigley set. But she is AWFUL!
I rather liked FUN, Justin Timberlake, the Marley tribute with Bruno Mars, Sting and the rest,The Black Keys and especially Jack White.
That said, there was a lot of flat singing especially from Frank Ocean and that stupid song about Forest Gump! He seems a sweet guy and I know he is making waves sort of. But waves do tend to collapse once they reach shore AND he certainly doesn't come off like a Tsunami.
My other beef with the Grammys is the utter disregard for other forms - superior forms of music that have large enough audiences to warrant attention. They threw us a bone with the short uninspired Brubeck bit. What about the great jazz vocalists doing quite well out there like Kurt Elling and Jane Monheit. Legendary Bonnie Raitt received her award somehow, somewhere, sometime before the telecast as do countless others - Broadway cast album, classical, opera, Latin, soundtracks - so much more. You'd think American music was just the light uncomplicated pablum we saw last night.
A word about rap. I have been saying for decades how much I hate rap.That it really isn't music blah blah blah. I have to amend that opinion. Actually I have to totally change it and qualify it. You see, after watching LL Cool J - don't you just love rappers names - anyway, watching his closing performance made me realize that I would probably like rap if I could just make out the words. After all, isn't it about the words - urban poetry and all that. Rap isn't all that new. When did it catch hold? Was it the 1980's? Listen to Gilbert & Sullivan, Cab Calloway, Lerner & Loewe and even Stephen Sondheim. G&S called it patter songs. Calloway called it scat. L&L called it talk singing. Sondheim conceded to rap - Witches Rap "Into The Woods" - not quite urban. BUT I understand these guys and very much like their "raps" I'd like to make the effort with the present day form.I know that much of what I have seen on these music award shows were fun, energetic, rhythmic, very inventive and entertaining - made me feel good.
I am one of those guys who really likes all forms, categories of music. I just have standards. My one prevailing standard is that what I hear, experience be good - oh, and I must like it.
The truth is - because I may not like a song, a genre, a performer does not mean they are no good, worthless etc. It just means I don't like it. So, enjoy!
I must be getting old because I think that most of the music at the Grammy Awards is just junk. Bring back the 50s, 60s, and 70s
ReplyDeletePopular music, Jerry, is so fragmented these days. Every genre seems to have a large hate following. I liked the 1950's pop music before early rock which was terrible. The 1960's was very interesting with the arrival of The Beatles, The Supremes, Burt Bacharach and the beginning of what later was dubbed classic rock. The 1970's is a toss up with good & bad - remember Disco?
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