From Yesterday to ‘Ay ya ya ya ya’….
Posted May 16, 2008 — in Music News
Ashlee Simpson’s single ‘Outta My Head’ represents the lowest point in modern music.
“It was written by SIX!!! people. As a comparison, ‘Yesterday’, the most covered song in history, was written by Paul McCartney, one man, in his sleep”.
“So what’s gone wrong in the last 40 years, that we’ve gone from Yesterday to “Ay ya ya ya ya”?
Paul McCartney is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, poet, painter, record producer, and film producer.
“Well, McCartney was a songwriting genius, right? Well maybe, but that genius didn’t spring out of thin air. He’d done his homework, and was steeped in rock’n’roll and blues, folk, ragtime, musicals, Tin Pan Alley standards, church hymns and classical music – all influences working on him when he composed”.
“The writers of ‘Outta My Head’ are influenced by market forces and the few hit records of the last 18 months, all of which eschew melody for the novelty of the studio and the tyranny of whatever rhythm is moving the club floors at this particular moment.”
“But for the last 3 years it’s been a downward spiral, with popular music across genres deteriorating massively as writers and performers completely misplace the melody.”
Do you want to be a better songwriter? well, you have to write more meaningful melodies and lyrics that touch the soul. If you have only listened to records during the last 10 years, the chances of writing songs that touch millions of people are slim to none. Start listening to these records now…
From your lips to god’s ears, eh? Such great advice… keep it up, KOAR!
So good they included Sam Cooke! Righteous. A must listen.
I still love when Cooke or Sinatra or Holly come on my iPod when in shuffle mode… always surprising to see what it will be butted up against, and if it’s one of my productions, I get a severe case of I’ve Got A Long Ass Way To Go blues.
Comment by Daniel Holter — May 16, 2008 @ 8:30 am
Amen! Maybe the problem is that our generation drinks red bull the way boomers smoked pot. And we’re all collectively being guided by producers and lawyers who care more about getting money from an advance than building long-term careers. I hate this song.
Comment by jesse feister — May 16, 2008 @ 9:32 am
This site really throws me off. Half the time the blogs seem to promote building artistic integrety, artist development and substance then the other half of the time it’s about rehashed bands like 10years, daughtery, nickleback, three doors down, OLR…. These bands are good at what they do but they also are the poster children the industry mindset of “more of the same”. Im so turned off– not so much by the songs- but by the lack of progression… Im a consumer— give me something i havent already heard. Im sick of the stale sounds and flavor of the week, contrived bullshit artists the ive been hearing for the last 10 years.
Comment by Nathan — May 16, 2008 @ 10:26 am
This is a load of bologna, dean. Nothing posted on here has even a shred of descendence from these records. If you truly believed this, you wouldn’t be posting artists like your Staind-meets-Nickelback-meets-Hoobastank 10 Years or boring studio-riffic bands like Social Code.
When great acts with a genuine sense of songwriting aren’t being entirely ignored around here, they’re being chastised for being anything but cheesy bullshit poser rock. And people cream their jeans for stuff that’s painfully mediocre at best (10 Years).
What of Elliott Smith? What of Devin Davis? What of Dr Dog? What of the Elected? What of Cary Ann Hearst? What of Ryan Adams? Or Wilco? Or Sondre Lerche? Or the Format? Or David Vandervelde? Or Joanna Newsom? Some of her songs are practically lifted straight out of the Anthology of American Folk Music. And Van Dyke Parks’ arrangements on her second record are just plain incredible. Talk about two truly important records in the context of the history of American music…
But I think the Kings of Leon are the second coming, so what do I know?
To the list, I’d add Jackson Browne’s For Everyman, Elton John’s Tumbleweed Connection, & Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours (or perhaps the Classic Albums: Rumours dvd, for some real insight into what goes into making truly enduring music). I think listening to them on vinyl provides a context where it’s a lot more difficult to ignore the subtleties. Every songwriter should own a decent record player.
Comment by Jon Cole — May 16, 2008 @ 10:38 am
Or better yet, every songwriter should find a torrent of the Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs of All-Time. I don’t agree with the list entirely, but as a crash course in songwriting, it works wonderfully. Everything from the Dell-Vikings to Randy Newman to Solomon Burke to Bill Withers to Al Green…
Comment by Jon Cole — May 16, 2008 @ 10:46 am
John -
There is a disconnect in your thinking. Meaning, you just don’t get it. I’m not going to have a highschool conversation of “my genre is better than your genre of music”.
Let’s separate the bull from the FACTS. If it wasn’t for bands like Nickelback, Staind, Daughtry, your little hipster boy bands wouldn’t have enough money to make a record for the few fans they have.
Jon - somethings are beyond opinion which are closer to truth.
Here are some solid recommendations for your band
http://www.myspace.com/ponderosamusic
1) Change your logo, your logo as it is now is a skull biting a rose which is Grateful Dead rip off…Get creative..You many be influenced by stoner rock but it doesn’t give you the right to blatantly rip off artists — including the logo..Shame on you Jon, Shame on you. I suggest living under you’re own principles.
2) All your songs are midtempo, actually less than midtempo - could put people asleep in about 5 seconds. The biggest classic producers/songwriters will all say that slow one chorder songs are easy to write — and uptempo songs are more difficult…the truth is, your songs take less effort than actually a really good uptempo rock song. C’mon, now, let’s put more thought into the music..
3) Midnight Revival and The Devil On My Shoulder are close to being uptempo, but i’m not connecting it. The vocals need help in this song, trying to hard..Get rid of the awful lo-fi fuzz..
As of now, If I want to listen to great songs from the 70’s, i will throw in Tom Petty. Bands today cannot re-create the hit songs of the 70’s and your band is no exception..Regardless Jon - we all love you over here at KOAR..
If you have any new music that we feel should be worth listening too..we are all ears..
Comment by koar — May 16, 2008 @ 11:43 am
“If it wasn’t for bands like Nickelback, Staind, Daughtry…” If it wasnt for bands like that the radio would still have some credibility. Instead they have entire generations of consumers tuning out. Do those bands– selling those kinds of numbers out weight the amount of alienation they bring?
Comment by Nathan — May 16, 2008 @ 12:10 pm
Nathan - it isn’t the radio’s fault. You cant blame radio for ‘Ay ya ya ya ya’ - and you cant credit radio for Yesterday. Todays artists just arent as compelling. Heck, artists cant even come up with an original logo! Again, I’m not going to get into why we have a troubling landscape of artists…
Its easy to say ‘Dude, there are tons of great artists out there’…everyone says that, that’s cliche as Obama’s ‘Change We can Believe In Speeches’..
I can’t believe in speeches, I believe in results..
If you think there are artists that can make radio appealing again — actually, hell with radio, artists that can make people interested again..then you have the email..
tips@kingsofar.com
Comment by koar — May 16, 2008 @ 12:39 pm
Actually you can. Radio and the industry people who were involved in getting songs like “yesterday” out into the public eye are hardly the same now as they were then. Radio is still the best tool- but they have to pick better substance. Labels need to quit going for the quick buck. Develope.
Im not saying that the artists now have no part in the problem. I am saying that unless there is a huge change in the music industry climate nothing will change. Artists start being real and quit pandering to what labels are looking for—- labels quit looking for a quick buck and rewarding shitty artists.
Unfortunately the majority of bands I have played alongside are always treading the line. They are afraid to play what they want because its not what the labels want to hear. So they just copy something else thats being done… How can you have anything genuine come from any community when that train of thought is so prevelant? Im not surprised at the lack of good material under those circumstances. Are you?
There are none so Deaf as those who will not Hear….
Comment by Nathan — May 16, 2008 @ 1:08 pm
We both agree CHANGE is needed.
“Artists start being real and quit pandering to what labels are looking for—- labels quit looking for a quick buck and rewarding shitty artists.”
well said….
“Unfortunately the majority of bands I have played alongside are always treading the line. They are afraid to play what they want because its not what the labels want to hear. So they just copy something else thats being done… How can you have anything genuine come from any community when that train of thought is so prevelant? Im not surprised at the lack of good material under those circumstances. Are you?”
very true true true…artists are afraid to be themselves and yes they want to copy. But you will eventually realize they are not real artists, painters, or poets…
Comment by Dean — May 16, 2008 @ 1:15 pm
I understand that– which is why I carefully chose to use the word bands instead of artists. I just hope the industry (including the bands) realize that reinforceing those fears is really biting the hand that feeds us all…
Comment by Nathan — May 16, 2008 @ 1:30 pm
I was making general statements, dino. I’m not raking on you because you aren’t into my band, I made sure to list plenty of other artists to make that clear.
But since you brought it up, I’ll take it as a compliment that you dug so deep for “suggestions” for my band.
I quite like our imagery. The Grateful Dead’s logos were a skull with a lightning bolt & a dancing bear. I wouldn’t call them influences, though. The skull & the rose, just like the lightning bolt, are recurring symbols throughout the history of rock & roll. So is the pierced heart, Tom Petty’s famed logo. I think we’ve struck a balance of communicating who we are without blatantly ripping anyone off. We’re kind of dark, kind of psychedelic, but also a little bit tender… we’d still like to take you out for a night on the town. At least that’s the idea behind the imagery. Perhaps eventually we’ll stumble upon something as iconic as the Rolling Stones’ lips logo, but only time will tell if we’re so fortunate. Right now we’re more focused on writing great songs
Out of curiosity, what’s 10 Years’ grand creative logo? Was there any thought behind choosing Selfish for the logo type? (I have a lot of thoughts about that particular font, but I’ll keep them to myself.) Or what’s so creative about that hummingbird photo? Or what exactly does the girl in the brush communicate? I’m like a sponge here, Dino, douse me with your wisdom. It’s the only way I’ll ever learn.
As for the tempo of our songs… I’m not sure I get what you’re saying. I mean… isn’t Yesterday kind of slow? And just because it’s “difficult” to write an uptempo song, does that make it any better? If that’s the case, wouldn’t Sean Lane’s career have taken off? Dreams is downtempo & just two chords & I still hear it on the radio on a regular basis. And Rumours is 19x platinum in the US alone. I dunno what “biggest classic producers/songwriters” you’re talking about. Honestly, that kind of sounds like bullshit to me. The ones on our myspace aren’t our quickest tunes, but I just think that kind of thinking is sort of ridiculous.
Perhaps we’re just two entirely different schools of thought, which is what confused me by your initial post. Your commentary on Ponderosa kind of reaffirms it.
But if you’re interested in more songs, my favorite is this one. It’s kind of midtempo, though. Actually less than midtempo. And there aren’t a whole lot of chords. Whoops!
Comment by Jon Cole — May 16, 2008 @ 1:56 pm
Thanks KOAR for directing me to Ponderosa. Moonlight Revival and Devil On Your Shoulder are straight-up hard rocking bangers. They are danceable too A+! I will get into the other songs and I am sure live it all makes up a magical experience.
Much better than any band that has been recommended on here for some time.
Comment by A2daC — May 17, 2008 @ 10:47 am
Why is Nickleback generic? Cause they sold millions of records? Come on dude have you ever seen them live? They rock out man!!!! Great musicians and songwriters. The band Ponderosa…lol give me a break….thats a good one!!!
Comment by full devil jacket — May 17, 2008 @ 10:59 pm
I’ll chime in on Ponderosa - “Hold on You” and “tellin’ lies” are the standout cuts for me. Just my 2 cents.
Comment by Tim — May 18, 2008 @ 5:03 am