Yelling At [Musical] Clouds

The New York Times publishes a weekly e-newsletter called The Amplifier that consists of a list of songs that have a common thread. Sometimes it’s a “best of” list from a single artist or genre; it might be related to an event or holiday (e.g. the best Christmas songs) or topic (e.g. the best breakup songs). An issue from a few weeks ago focused on songs from the 1967 Monterrey Internation Pop Festival. The newletter’s editor provides a brief review of each song, along with links to listen to it on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music.

I wish I could say that this has been a source of enjoyable music that I otherwise might not have discovered, but in actuality it has served to underscore the increasing chasm between what I like and what the music industry is producing. I suspect that if you cut your teeth on tunes from the Sixties and Seventies (and even the Eighties…Prince, Duran Duran, Toto, Queen, Springsteen, Phil Collins, etc.), you feel a similar sense of dismay at the current state of popular music.

Last week’s newsletter was entitled The 15 songs that hit No. 1 this year (so far), according to Billboard’s Hot 100™ tracking of streaming, airplay, and physical sales activity. I had little hope that songs that made the top of the list would have some appeal to me; I doubted that I’d find something worthwhile to add to my personal playlists. Those low expectations were met.

That’s not to say that the list was a total bust. I found one song that’s a definite add and another that I’m still considering. My perceptions of a couple of songs were colored by what I saw in their accompanying YouTube videos.

Following is the list in chronological order of when the song hit #1, along with my uninformed, old-person commentary.

1. Brenda Lee: Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
   I think we can agree that this is not a bad choice for a secular Christmas-themed song.
2. Jack Harlow: Lovin on Me
   Meh. Rap’s not my thang.
3. Ariana Grande: Yes, And?
   I had somewhat higher hopes for Ari, but I’m weary of lyrics that include vulgarities and/or obscenities. The English language is rich in sophisticated adjectives and adverbs; musicians would do well to invest in a thesaurus. [This song was simply the first in the list that got stricken due to lyrics that offended me.]
4. Megan Thee Stallion: Hiss
   I didn’t bother to even listen to this one; her reputation preceded her.
5. Beyoncé: Texas Hold ’Em
   For all the publicity this “country” song received, I had never actually heard it. And as Waylon Jennings astutely observed, I don’t think Hank done it this way. I will say that Beyoncé’s accompanying music video was…uh…something. I won’t embed it here, but if curiosity gets the better of you, you can view it here. Be sure to read the comments.
6. Ye and Ty Dolla Sign featuring Rich the Kid and Playboi Carti: Carnival
   Meh. Rap’s not my thang.
7. Ariana Grande: We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)
   One music critic described this song as a classic, emotive dance floor moment, which is code for it will alternate with Girl From Ipanema in a Las Vegas elevator five years from now.
8. Teddy Swims: Lose Control
   Now we’re getting somewhere. While I had heard of Teddy Swims, I wasn’t familiar with his music, but I found this song to be something I’d listen to repeatedly. Swims (born in Georgia as Jaten Collin Dimsdale) is another face-tattooed multi-genre singer/songwriter (see also: Malone, Post; Roll, Jelly) with a powerful voice.

9. Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar: Like That
   Meh. Rap’s not my thang.
10. Hozier: Too Sweet
    You may know the Irish singer/songwriter from his 2013 multi-platinum recording, Take Me To Church (which, of course, was performed in no actual church services ever). Too Sweet is another ear-wormish tune which may end up in my collection.

11. Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone: Fortnight
    You knew Tay would appear in this collection somewhere, right? And a duet with Post Malone was probably at the top of your “list of inevitable pairings.” For me, the song — like most of Swift’s — is too angsty and droning for my taste, but the video has some really cool stuff (especially around the 50 second mark).

12. Kendrick Lamar: Not Like Us
    Meh. Rap’s not my thang. [But a semi-interesting footnote is appropriate. This was the second of Lamar’s diss tracks targeting Drake to hit the #1 spot this year; none of Drake’s responses in the feud have had that kind of success.]
13. Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen: I Had Some Help
    I wanted to like this more than I do. But there’s nothing special about it.
14. Sabrina Carpenter: Please Please Please
    This one I really did like, and was this close to adding it to my playlist, until some of the lyrics appeared. Again, girl…invest in a thesaurus; you might be amazed at the alternatives to vulgarities like m*************r.
15. Shaboozey: A Bar Song (Tipsy)
    Born Collins Obinna Chibueze in Virginia, Shaboozey is another of the increasing population of Black artists either solidly in the country genre, or mixing country in with other genres. This short song is more authentically country than, say, Lil Nas X’s Old Town Road; it didn’t make my cut due to a couple of questionable lyrics, but I’ll be interested to hear what else he’s got coming.

Musical tastes are obviously subjective. Some of these tracks that I wouldn’t let within 100 yards of my Bluetooth speaker have had 100+ million streams, so they’re resonating with a lot of people. My musical preferences might be different than yours, but that’s OK…it’s not [generally] a test of fellowship.

Having said that, let me leave you with some real music: