Cobra Starship’s “Good Girls Go Bad” can stand on its own

Good Girls Go Bad by Cobra Starship and Leighton Meester has been gradually rising up the ranks over the past few weeks, where it’s now sitting happily at #12 on the iTunes song chart. I have to say, I do like the song more after having heard it a few times (so I’m glad I delayed this post). The one problem I have is that the chorus is repeated way too many times. The line “good girls go bad” can be heard more than 30 times in the 3:18 song. That’s a little much.

But I do really like the slower lines in the chorus that are sandwiched in between the repetition of the title line.

“I make them good girls go bad 
I make them good girls go bad 
You were hanging in the corner 
With your five best friends 
You heard that I was trouble 
But you couldn’t resist 
I make them good girls go bad 
I make them good girls go 
Good girls go bad”

The lyrics of these lines are good, but the tone fluctuation is what makes them successful (“Hanging” and “I heard” are higher, while “couldn’t resist” is lower). It’s the perfect break between the other parts of the chorus, which are much harder and louder. 

The bridge is also good, “She was so shy. Till I drove her wild.” It provides a great lead-in to the chorus because of the stark contrast between the two. The bridge has softer music in the background, it’s sang in a higher-pitched voice, and it’s pretty long and drawn out. The chorus on the other hand is full of head-banging loud music with words that punch you at every interval. “I MAKE THEM GOOD GIRLS GO BAD.” It has a very defined beat in contrast to the flowy bridge. It’s fantastic. 

And the surprising part is that Leighton Meester can sing. She sounds great, even if her voice was tampered with.

iTunes chart full of mediocrity

I can’t remember a time when I had no desire to buy any song in the iTunes Top 20. Unfortunately, that’s been the case for the past few weeks. With the boring Halo, Battlefield (which I’ve already discussed ad nauseam) and the unoriginal Waking Up in Vegas rounding out the top 20, you can only hope to find a better crop of songs in the top 15. Well, you’re in for a disappointment. Here are the songs that have plagued the charts for far too long:

I Know You Want Me by Pit Bull really comes up short. It had so much potential…the opening of the song sets the stage for a feet thumping, heart pounding, Latin dance mix. But the fast rap in the verses doesn’t meld with the slower, salsa-like chorus. It’s been around for a few weeks now, but not worth a download.

Keri Hilson’s Knock You Down is the epitome of mediocre. I’m surprised it was ever released as a single. Her monotone voice drones on and on in a song that would be better fitted for a funeral than the radio.

Sean Kingston’s Fire Burning was a let down for me. His past songs were really catchy and creative (Take You There, Beautiful Girls and maybe even Me Love). While the idea of calling 911 because a girl’s dancing is so hot she ignites is an interesting idea for a song, it just missed the mark in terms of sound and beat. I like when Sean Kingston’s voice fluctuates in his songs to show his characteristic and endearing Jamaican accent. In Fire Burning, his voice is loud and he sings at almost the same pitch throughout the song.

None of these songs stand out to me. They might be good enough singles to occupy a spot in the iTunes Top 20 for a week or two (simply because they’re new), but not this long. They only remain in the Top 20 because of the lack of good new releases lately.  

Some people wonder why the Black Eyed Peas Boom Boom Pow has stayed at the top this long. Well, here’s the answer. 1. It’s really good. 2. Look at all the others on the list.

3OH!3′s “Don’t Trust Me” better than it seems

3OH!3′s Don’t Trust Me isn’t a huge hit or even that good of a song, but it has some great components. 

The first (and best) is the line:

“Tell your boyfriend, if he says he’s got beef, that I’m a vegetarian and I ain’t f** scared of him.”

How creative! That lyric coupled with the lack of music in the background is the perfect lead-in to the bridge! The end of the line makes you want to bang some drums and rock your head up and down. You can’t help but not sing along during that part. I love that the softer verses of the song are sang in a kind of caddy tone. The echo of certain words also reinforces the mood created – “Tell your boyfriend (boyfriend) – It’s suits the song so well. Gossip. Promiscuous girls. Cheating. Caddyness. Attention-seekers. 

I also like the stuttering of the T’s: “T-t-t-tongues” and “T-t-tell your boyfriend.”

I wish the counterpart of the beef line I just mentioned above  was a little stronger in the second verse. The musical treatment of that line mimics the beef line. The second verse version is: “And the best is, no one knows who you are. Just another girl, alone at the bar.” It’s good, but not near equivalent to the power of the beef line in the first verse. But this line brings up another good aspect of the song. Nathaniel Mottee, the lead singer, does a terrific job at pulling off the pauses in the song. It makes for a great effect. There is a noticeable pause in the between “just another girl” and “alone at the bar,” and it makes the latter part much stronger.

The absolute worst part of the song (and it’s pretty bad) is the Hellen Keller reference. “Shush girl, shut your lips, do the Hellen Keller and talk with your hips.” Totally irrelevant. I don’t even fully understand the connection to Hellen Keller. She was deaf and blind but she could talk with her hands not with her hips. While I realize what they’re trying to play at, it just draws a blank for me. 

The chorus is average. The verses, the well-placed pauses, the stutters and the lyrical gems in the song are what make the song special and, honestly, much more sophisticated than some other new releases.

Jordin Sparks’ “Battlefield” is a Disaster

Battlefield by Jordin Sparks is probably one of the worst singles of the year. Lets start with the chorus because it’s the most horrendous part. The repetition of “battlefield” and how it gradually gets lower each of the 3 times she says it is so boring and unoriginal. “Why does love always feel like a BATTLEFIELD (high), a BATTLEFIELD (lower), a BATTLEFIELD (lowest)?” After this, unfortunately, it repeats.

Jordin has a nice voice, and this song doesn’t suit her at all. When she screams “BATTLEFIELD,” she sounds like she’s again a contestant on American Idol (not a successful recording artist). She can’t pull off the high and loud punk/rock sound like Kelly Clarkson. It comes natural to Kelly, but for Jordin it sounds forced and like she has to scream to get her voice to be decent. The chorus is just so lackluster and the tune so old-fashioned. 

I don’t like the transition (or lack thereof) between the bridge and the chorus, and the verses are just decent. The only 2 parts of the song that are successful and unique are: the way she draws out the 3 syllables of bat-tle-field in the beginning, and when she says, “I don’t want to fall for it nooooww.” Everything else is mediocre or worse. 

Ryan Fedder wrote the song (he also wrote “Halo,” “Bleeding Love” and “Apologize”) so you know he has potential. He just really dropped the ball on this song, and he needs to move away from the one-word repetition in the chorus (battlefield, halo, bleeding). He goes way overboard with that. 

The song might’ve had more potential if it were sang by an artist whose voice better suited the loud, harsh chorus. But it will never be a great song no matter who sings it. The tune isn’t catchy, it’s not memorable and it will never be a hit. 

After a little more than a month on the air, the song hasn’t caught on and it’s already down to #33 on the iTunes Top 100. It’s been on the Billboard Top 100 for 7 weeks and it’s peak position is #30 (where it sits right now). 

Try again, Jordin.

UPDATE: On YouTube, Michael Jackson reigns supreme

Thursday UPDATE - 16 of the 100 most popular videos on YouTube are related to Michael Jackson. That is a significant decrease from last week, where he held 67 of the top 100. Thriller is still the most watched Michael Jackson video ever, with 45,825,239 views. It was uploaded more than 2 years ago, but comments are still pouring in about his tragic death almost every minute. Most of the 16 most popular MJ videos right now are old interviews with him, from 60 minutes and Oprah, for example. You can sometimes find hidden gems, with funny personal tributes or inspiring international memorials. My favorite is by the Filipino inmates in their characteristic orange suits. In the description of the video, it says the inmates performed their tribute on June 27.  Here is the video:

Similar to his dominance of iTunes and Amazon, Michael Jackson has taken over YouTube, too. 67 of the 100 most popular videos concern Michael Jackson. The most viewed video (991,480 views) on Saturday is Hollywood TV’s footage of Jackson being rushed to the hospital. That’s almost 1 million views in less than 60 hours (almost 5 views every second)! The 2 minute and 28 second video has 4,665 comments–more than 1 post a minute since his time of death.

Here is the link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuXRaJFdmKU 

 

Other popular videos on the list include news commentary, fan/family reaction, fan tributes and Michael Jackson’s music videos.

WEDNESDAY UPDATE: Michael Jackson still dominating iTunes, Amazon

Check here for daily updates all this week regarding the Michael Jackson sales spike. You’ll get the most recent numbers from iTunes and Amazon.com for both singles and albums.

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Wednesday morning – 6 days after his death, Michael still has 4 songs in the top 10 most downloaded songs on iTunes. Smooth Criminal got bumped to #11, with Colbie Caillat’s Fallin’ for You being the most recent addition to the top 10 (she’s at #5). 

In the past 3 days, Michael Jackson songs in the iTunes top 100 have decreased from 50 to 25. But with his death being old news at this point, it’s still quite a feat to be carrying one-fourth of the most downloaded songs on the most popular music downloading program.

Whereas 3 days ago, all of the top 10 most downloaded albums went to MJ, today only 4 of the top 10 belong to him. But The Essential Michael Jackson is still sitting comfortably at #1. 

Sunday afternoon - Michael has relinquished one more spot in the iTunes Top 10 to the Black Eyed Peas. I Gotta Feeling is still #2 and Boom Boom Pow is #4. Sean Kingston’s Fire Burning got pushed out of the top 10 by MJ’s Billie Jean. Man in the Mirror hasn’t moved from the #1 spot since his death. Jackson has 47 of top 100 most downloaded songs (3 down from Saturday)

The Black Eyed Peas E.N.D. and the Transformers soundtrack are the only two non-MJ albums in the iTunes Top 10 most downloaded albums.

Michael Jackson still has the top 10 albums and the top 5 music videos/concerts on Amazon. He has 4 of the top 5 MP3 albums (giving up the #5 spot to Newsboys’ In the Hands of God).

Saturday evening - Michael has finally pushed the Black Eyed Peas I Gotta Feeling out of the top position (It’s now #2). He now has 7 of the top 10 most downloaded songs on iTunes, with P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing) rounding it out at #9. And Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 now represent exactly half of the iTunes top 100 most downloaded songs!

For albums, E.N.D. by the Black Eyed Peas has moved up two spots to #8. Jackson has control over the other 9. 

The top 3 albums are:

1. The Essential Michael Jackson ($16.99) – compilation of singles by Michael Jackson, the Jackson 5 and the Jacksons
2. Thriller
3. Number Ones

 Jackson still has almost a quarter of the top 100 album sales on iTunes (23, 1 down from Friday)

On Amazon.com, Michael Jackson takes the top 10 most downloaded albums, the top 5 most downloaded MP3 albums and the top 5 most downloaded music videos/concert tours.

It seems that a little more than 24 hours after his death, the King of Pop still has a considerable hold on all music sales. 

Friday afternoon - Black or White has moved into the Top 10 iTunes spots, and Jackson still has a strong hold of almost half (44 now) of the Top 100 songs. Songs downloaded include singles by Michael Jackson, the Jackson 5 and the Jacksons. The Black Eyed Peas seem to be the only group that can withstand the pressure coming from Michael Jackson fans.I Gotta Feeling still occupies the #1 spot on the iTunes Top 100. 

Michael Jackson takes over the top albums even more than the songs. He claims 9 of the top 10 albums downloaded on iTunes. #10 is, of course, E.N.D. by the Black Eyed Peas. Jackson has almost a quarter (24) of the top 100 albums (not all of his albums are solo, and not all are LPs). 

Friday morning - 43 of the top 100 most downloaded songs on iTunes (as of 12:30 p.m. ET Friday, June 26) are by Michael Jackson. Record sales do generally increase after an artist dies, but this is almost half of all songs downloaded today…that’s incredible! 

His top 5 most downloaded songs:

1. Man in the Mirror (#1 hit)
2. Thriller (#4 hit)
3. The Way You Make Me Feel (#1 hit)
4. Don’t Stop till You Get Enough (#1 hit)
5. Smooth Criminal (#7 hit)

I wonder how long this jump in Michael Jackson song/album sales will continue.

For more on the Michael Jackson sales spike, visit us daily. Also, see:

http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i344418db676344f0eca7822ed64cd1b5

 

Taylor Swift’s got the recipe for success

It’s refreshing to see and hear a beautiful, bright young star not act like she’s already in her late-twenties. Taylor Swift’s lyrics are light and youthful, and reflect what 19-year-old girls are actually thinking about. You Belong with Me is the latest single off of her album Fearless. The song isn’t quite as good as some of her other singles (Tim McGraw, Love Story, Teardrops on my Guitar), but it was bound to be a hit. She knows her audience, she knows how to work her voice–she’s on a roll and we’ve only seen a sliver of her talent. 

You Belong with Me has a catchy tune that complements her lovely vocals. She has mastered the use of her voice and can really hit the spot with inflections and voice fluctuations. For example, I love the way she sings the characteristic Taylor Swift line, “You’ve got a smile that can light up this whole town.” The way she brings “whole town” down a level really showcases the strength (and country-ness) in her voice. And I surprisingly like the way she periodically uses drawn-out and high-pitched words throughout the song. This can be heard in, “You say you’re fine, I know you better than that. And what you doing with a girl like that?” Usually when this happens, I think, “where did that come from?” but in this case, the placement works. (Not so successful in Carrie Underwood’s All-American Girl–”throw the football and be his pride and joy.” It sounds wrong and they could’ve thought of a better way to lead into the bridge)

All of Taylor’s singles have been great choices, and all she needs to do is keep doing what she’s doing. She’s young and she should embrace it. And–lucky for her–she’s one of those artists where if you like a few of her singles, you’ll probably like her whole album. Her iTunes ratings are outstanding. 

A last word of advice for Taylor–stay country. And Joe Jonas needs to back off; she is a much better singer and musician. The Jonas Brothers will eventually fade out like Hanson and she’ll still be topping the charts in 20 years. He’s lucky to have known her. 

Here’s the music video for You Belong with Me. Very cute. 

Michael Jackson: Remember his Music

Yes, it’s unfortunate the musical genius and King of Pop has died. His music, his dancing and his videos are legendary; but he shouldn’t be mourned like a saint upon his death. We should remember his music, but we shouldn’t remember him as the good person he wasn’t. Sure, we can dismiss Elvis Presley’s faults (like making Priscilla wear pounds of make-up to bed), we can dismiss John F. Kennedy’s mistakes (for cheating on Jackie O), but can we forget the actions of a child molester? The answer is no. (You may say alleged child molester because he was never convicted, but he settled out of court, remember?)

Remember his music, remember him as a child…but don’t make him into something he was not.

iTunes song-buying philosophy

I’ve purchased about 200 songs on iTunes in the past 4 years. That’s about 50 songs per year, and one song per week. The thing is, sometimes I go for weeks without buying a song and sometimes I buy six songs at once. Upcoming long distance car rides are a major factor in my  song-buying. I usually buy at least one song in these cases, but sometimes I get a little carried away. 

I’d say that after uploading all my old albums and after 4 years of access to iTunes, I own about 60% of the songs (non-new releases) I want. But I can’t just spend hundreds of dollars in a day trying to perfect my library. I wait for a sign. A good friend of mine is getting married soon and she’s trying to decide what song she and her father should dance to. Then I started thinking, if I could sum up mine and my dad’s relationship with a song, what would I choose? I came up with three:

Paul Simon’s Father and Daughter because it’s beautiful and it reminds me of sitting in his stereo room.

Gene Chandler’s Groovy Situation because he played it almost every day when he was taking me to school. I used to think it said “jigsaw” somewhere in the lyrics, but it’s really, “I’m gonna make her mine if it takes all night, can you dig it, can you dig it, can you dig it, can you dig it?”

Herman’s Hermits’ No Milk Today because it puts me back at the soccer field, riding in my dad’s old black Mercedes with it’s loud engine, no air conditioning and the smell of warm, clean leather.

I own the first two songs already, so I bought No Milk Today. There are so many great songs out there still, I just need a reason to buy them. So whenever I’m feeling nostalgic or I do finally get that sign to buy a particular song, I go ahead and buy an oldie.

But on a day-to-day basis, I predominantly peruse the iTunes top 100 list. I love to find a great song at the bottom of the list, buy it, and then watch it rise through the ranks and start being played on the radio. This happened most recently with Matt Nathanson’s Come on Get Higher, which took 6 months to hit radio stations, and Kevin Rudolf’s Let it Rock. Unlike some people, I don’t mind if I find a hidden gem of a song and it becomes the next best thing. Some people feel ownership of the song because they found it first and hate to hear other people singing it. But I find peace in the fact that I’ve had it for X more months (iTunes Purchased records can prove it) and that the radio doesn’t choose my playlist for me. Plus, if it truly is a great song, I want the artist to reap the benefits. 

It takes a great deal of thought to buy a song. Songs aren’t cheap and I don’t want them to taint my Purchased folder. I generally listen to them a few times, determine if they’re timeless enough, think about in which situation I would listen to them (car, working out, at home, etc.), and then make the final decision. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t–but that’s for another post.

The Fame worth buying, but LoveGame not the one

For me, singles are the way to go. I don’t even bother with albums anymore. Too many songs are mediocre. I understand that an album allows you to experience an artist in a much stronger, deeper way–you can feel the mood of the album, read into the lyrics of non-singles, etc.–but it’s only worth it if you know you love the artist. 

A few months ago, I was given 2 CDs by a nice radio DJ for planning an event with his station. The albums were: Lady Gaga’s The Fame and The Fray’s The Fray. I was extremely disappointed in The Fray. I skipped through the tracks trying to find a song I could hold onto. Nothing stuck. The entire album, with the exception of You Found Me, was just boring. I wouldn’t even say it was average. I’m anxious to know what their next single will be because it won’t come from that album if it’s going to have a chance. 

So after The Fray let me down, I put in Lady Gaga. All I can really say is wow! You can really tell the difference between an OK and a great album. Every track has the potential to become a single. If you like Lady Gaga at all, I suggest you buy the entire album because I was completely blown away. She put so much effort into every song (not just the ones she planned on releasing), and there is such a strong cohesion. Money, fame, boys and partying is pretty much the gist of the album; but don’t think there isn’t depth. Her edgy lyrics push the boundaries of what’s acceptable for a popular female artist to sing about. And her message is carried out with powerful beats and strong, catchy-but-not-phony tunes. 

Now after I’ve praised every song on her album, I do have a slight issue with her choice in singles. Just Dance and Poker Face were the two best songs on the album, but the third is debatable. When I first got the album, I tried to guess what the next release would be. And honestly, LoveGame wasn’t even a consideration. The song just doesn’t quite make it for me. The verses are good, but the chorus is missing something. The beat should be a little more complex, a little deeper. And the “let’s play a lovegame, play a lovegame, do you want love, are you in the game,” is so repetitive and so monotone that it doesn’t hold up the verses like I think it needs to. Maybe the bold, flat chorus is an effect the producers of the song wanted, but if that’s the case, I don’t think it can really succeed as a pop single. It’s true, Lady Gaga doesn’t produce traditional pop singles, but it’s hard to play a song like LoveGame 25 times a day on the radio. It’s a daring and creative song, but not pop radio-worthy. It may make it to #1, but if so I think Lady Gaga’s just riding on the coattails of her previous 2 amazing songs. 

My choice of single off her album would be the single released in the UK – Paparazzi. It’s a song that isn’t a readymade clubmix and one where her vocals really have the chance to shine. 

In my opinion, here is the album broken down by caliber: 

1 – Just Dance, Poker Face, Paparazzi, Starstruck (1st, possibly 2nd caliber)

2 – [Money Honey, Beautiful Dirty Rich] – great songs, but not good singles

2 – Paper Gangster, Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say), Boys Boys Boys

3 – Brown Eyes, I Like it Rough, Summerboy (very Gwen Stefani), LoveGame