I heard this song before when it was a different name

2014 was, I am sad to say, Not a great year for the music industry.  A lot of music reviewers, both online and in print, have gone to call 2014 the worst in a long while.  Now why is that?  Well, I am not a critic.  I am not even a web reviewer like, say, James Rolfe.  Here though are some trends that I am noticing in pop music today.

There truly is no pop song out there that speaks on issues outside of either dating, clubbing, or flaunting the singer's fame.  Sadly, the protest song and the song with a message is considered not feasible to market for an impressionable audience.  I can remember a time when a politically charged statement was not only encouraged to be a hit; it was rather innovative in mentioning important issues in a rather universal matter.  Nearly 30 years ago, a band such as Genesis could have a hit song on righting the wrongs of the world with Land Of Confusion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pkVLqSaahk

Nowadays, it seems a band's biggest issue is needing to marry a girlfriend right this very minute.  This is exemplified in a song which got real old, really fast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIh2xe4jnpk

There has also been a diversification of genres, and subgenres within genres.  The only way I can find variety on a radio station is on college radio.  I particularly like WFUV, affiliated with Fordham University.  Now, commercial radio stations need to fit trends as if it was decided by a polling group.  I am noticing this even more so when one subgenre overtakes a full genre which makes things worse for the genre in full.  In one case, though I am not a fan of most recent country music; I really hate the bro-country trend.  For those not aware, a bro-country song is basically mad libs using the following:

wild night
pickup truck
woman in tight jeans
drinking
referencing hip-hop/r&b
male bonding

That is Every damn country hit by a male singer in the last couple years.  I lived through hair metal, boy bands, and the like.  This tops them all in its vapid approach.

There is also the trend of novelty songs becoming viral and without substance.  Just two years ago this month, a "song" by Baauer became a number one hit.  I use the term song very loosely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk1_DbbzSdY

It is, pardon my language, complete shit.  Since then, the novelty subgenre has gotten more obnoxious; albeit there have not been number one hits.  None the less, it has become less music and more noise.

Perhaps for me the biggest issue is when I hear a song or see its music video or live performance, and then I realize I heard this song before.  It was from a different artist, the chords were different, and yet it was much better.  Several of the bigger 2014 hits are practically re-written tunes that pretty much shows the lack of genius on the part of songwriters.

I am sure you all have heard this number one hit by Taylor Swift since late August.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfWlot6h_JM

After hearing this a couple times, I and other people noticed something.  Shake It Off is no different than Hey Ya!  Here is the Outkast hit from a decade ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWgvGjAhvIw

Indeed, one could mash up the two songs into one piece, mainly focusing on Outkast.  Indeed, mash-ups have been made of this. 

Now one of the more interesting artists to emerge last year was Sam Smith.  I suppose you have heard Stay With Me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB-5XG-DbAA

If you really listen to it, what with the chord progressions and structure; it sounds uncannily like the Tom Petty standard I Won't Back Down. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvlTJrNJ5lA

At some point, you might expect a version of I Won't Back Down that sounds like Stay With Me, and the other way around. 

One Republic have had a recent hit that many think are amongst their best.  That would be Counting Stars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT_nvWreIhg

Suffice to say, each time I hear this song; I think back to when I was in High School, and being amongst a small group of classmates that were worried we would be reprimanded because we were mentioning The Bloodhound Gang.  In particular, The Bad Touch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xat1GVnl8-k

Honestly, The Bad Touch is more memorable and will last longer in our memories.  Those songs I named and linked have rather obvious similarities.  There are of course others that many are not aware of.  One of which is the recent Jessie J/Ariana Grande/Nicki Minaj collaboration Bang Bang. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HDdjwpPM3Y

For many, this song seems unique enough.  However, for myself; when I first heard Bang Bang, the song was not over before I said to myself if not to others "this is a rewritten and raunchier Serpentine Fire."  I suppose a music enthusiast that has listened to a lot of Earth, Wind & Fire would have also encountered this linkage.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoI1XPqXQ90

So what I am getting at is, originality has begun to be thrown out the window in the recording industry today.  This does not even include the numerous dance pop/hip-hop songs that seem lift from original web songs.  That would garner a larger list of examples.  If any of you fellow readers have other examples and stories to tell, do feel free to comment below.  You may need a Google+ account to post.  Stay tuned for more thoughts coming to my mind in whatever field of interest I like to discuss.  I end with some soothing electronic music from the 1970s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGByDwiiECw

In memory of Edgar Froese (1944-2015).  Unique today as it was back then.

Talk more with you all soon,

Robert

PS.  Embedding of videos will be forthcoming in future posts.

PPS.  Could anyone explain to me the meaning of this Todd Rundgren video?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZSJ5np4JuU