This week, its seems that Facebook friends are bashing two things: Pumpkin-flavored drinks, and Donald Trump. But one thing has been overlooked:
Justin Bieber's new single has just debuted at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100. And nobody has bat an eye.
"What Do You Mean", the latest from "the Biebs", becomes only the 23rd song to debut at the top since the Billboard's primary pop chart started back in 1958. He performed the song at the recent VMAs and has appeared on the new season of Ellen DeGeneres' show twice, both times with screaming young girls fawning at just the site of the pop star on stage.
Keep in mind, this is the Justin Bieber who, in the little more than a one-year span has : (1) charged with vandalism in Brazil; (2) Made some inappropriate comments when in Europe to visit the Anne Frank museum ("Anne would have been a belieber'"); (3) Arrested for DUI in Miami Beach and resisted arrest; (4) Threw eggs at a neighbor's home; (5) Drove reckless and getting into an accident and resisting arrest in Miami Beach, just to name a few incidents. He also admitted to making racist comments at one time and nobody raised an eyebrow, yet Paula Deen did the same thing and was banned fom the Food Network.
And let's not lose sight of the fact that at prior awards shows, he was either booed, or simply not invited to it at all; he has been criticized for his music and talent (or lack thereof), and his stage present is rather stiff and to be honest, he doesn't have much of a personality, from what I have seen of him.
Most teen idols come and go within a two year stretch. Look at Bobby Sherman, David Cassidy, Shaun Cassidy, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson and New Kids on the Block...they were here today, gone tomorrow in such a short time.
The New Kids is a perfect example of a backlash. That's a term used when someone gets very famous pretty quickly for whatever reason, but people suddenly get sick of them, point out their flaws, and just all-out hate them. The boy band were the most successful artists of 1989, racking up two #1's and seven top ten songs in that year alone. They had their own "900" number (back in the days before the Internet) and sold loads of merchandise. Anything the New Kids touched turned to gold. That carried over into 1990 when they had their third #1, "Step by Step" and the follow-up, the Top 10 "Tonight".
But, walk down the Jersey Shore, and you swore they were criminals. I remember going down to Seaside Heights with friends back in 1990 and walking the boardwalks. People were wearing T-shirts that said "New Kids suck". Bo Jackson, a high-profile sports celebrity in that time ("Bo knows...") was popular around that time, and there were "Bo Knows New Kids suck" shirts as well. There was even one of those boardwalk games where you take a ball and hurl at a likeness of them to win a prize. Needless to say, "Tonight" was the last top 10 they ever had and there was a huge backlash that ensued; they were the band you loved to hate.
So, why has Beiber apparently become the cockroach of pop music, surviving anything that gets hurled his way? Why is he even still around, but less, having the most success so far in his career? One of my Facebook friends, Gail Cacciarelli Bradley actually posted one of his 2012 songs and remarked about his voice. All the hate that has permeated seemed to be going by the wayside.
Also, keep in mind that he has been around since he was a 15-year old in 2009. That is six years. Not to compare the two, but Beatlemania in this country lasted for a little over six years. Of course, that band broke up (but the legacy still lives on, of course), but for a teen idol to sustain popularity this long (and especially one who has been subjected to potshots thrown his way, much of it deserved), how do you explain that? Why have much-maligned artists like Bieber, Miley Cyrus, and Kanye West continue to rack up hits, while artists like, say, Beck, who beat out West's crony Beyoncé for Album of the Year at last years' Grammys, couldn't even make the Hot 100 with his awesome "Dreams"?
Well, I guess to explain that, you have to "think like a kid", and think back to when I was young, growing up in the 1960's. And perhaps that we've forgotten what it was like to be introduced to popular music. The Beatles in 1964 were writing some catchy, but simplistic pop songs which had the girls swoon, but they soon grew, wrote more meaningful songs and took risks, and they paid off. I don't know about Beiber's musical progression, but if you remember the controversy the Fab Four endured in 1966, first with the "butcher" cover of their Yesterday and Today set, then of course the situation over Lennon's "We're bigger than Jesus" remark, that, although taken out of context, did result in a storm of negativity: Beatles albums were trashed, and even their 1966 summer tour was a relative disappointment with empty seats, which in part lead to quitting live performances for the remainder of their career. They took a hiatus of several months, something much unheard of in that era, before emerging with the awesome two-side single, "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields Forever", and of course the landmark Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.
Donny Osmond, who was also a teen idol back in the day, but one of the few who was able to reinvent himself in other areas and is still around today as a result, also had a backlash of sorts, mostly centering around his wholesome image (which Beiber had initially as well). He had spoke of an occasion when an agent wanted to make up a story in which he got busted for drugs, in an effort to "toughen" up his image, which idea he nixed. While Beiber's escapades (mostly taking place in 2013) were very real, I wonder if this was perhaps a calculated attempt to kill that wholesome image, and make somewhat of a career transformation, perhaps what the Beatles did? Heck, Miley Cyrus, with all her twerking and wrecking ball persona did the same thing. Beiber did take a hiatus after all his troubles, and has emerged, apparently unscathed. He did face the music for all this bad deeds, and even was willing to be the subject of a roast, in his effort to reemerge.
I apologize for comparing Beiber to the Beatles, or course, musically there is NO comparison, especially for someone of his caliber. But as I mentioned earlier you need to think like a teenager. When we were growing up, there was the Fab Four, Rolling Stones, the great Motown and Stax soul artists, garage bands, and the Monkees TV show. What did we think of our parent's music? The Big Bands? Standards? Wasn't that awesome music too? Of course that was, but when we bought records, they were of the current artists of the day, and not your parent's music. We like to think that our generation's music was the best, but to the 12-year old teenyboppers who weren't raised on Classic Rock, funk, or even the MTV era, it's not even in the mix. We wonder why there is no rock music on the upper portion of the charts these days, well, to the kids, that could be as irrelevant as Glenn Miller was to us. Their music may not be as good as ours was, but in their world, that's all there is. Their world right now consists of Miley, Justin, Kanye, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Fetty Wap, and other popular artists of the day. And perhaps to stay relevant, you have to reinvent yourself, or make some calculated decisions.
As for Beiber, perhaps he has learned his lessons and is emerging as a serious artist, and has survived unscathed. So, would I ever considering adding one of his songs, something that I swore I'd never do? Let's not go there at the moment, although if the song stays on top as long as "Uptown Funk", "See You Again", or "Cheerleader" did recently and friends talk favorable of them, then....
LETS ROCK AGAIN: OK, now back to some good, current music, where new rock is still alive and well. And the new batch is definitely worth writing home about. Fitz & the Tantrums still rule the roost at the top with "Last Raindrop", with "Dreams" by Beck still in the runner-up spot. Elle King's "Ex's and Oh's" still holds in the top five; it is number one on the Alternative chart this week, a rare occurrence for a female singer (but a very much welcomed one). Leon Bridges' soulful "Coming Home" also makes the top five. As there is no new entry into the top 20 this week, Bridges' gets the "Impact" award for the second week in a row. As for the four "summer" entries that I talked about recently, they are still doing very well on the last "unofficial" summer week: Maroon 5's "This Summer's Gonna Hurt" advances to #7, I Am Dynamite's "In the Summer" to #11, Lana Del Rey's "High By the Beach" to #17, and Demi Lovato's "Cool For the Summer" at #18.
Good old-fashioned rock is apparent in the new and moving songs on my list. The Mover of the Week is "Wherever You Go" by Sublime with Rome. This is a cool song that alternates between rock and reggae overtones. It's sort of a change of pace from the original Sublime back popular back in the 1990's, but not really when you realized that the band had ska overtones. Because of the passing of original member Bradley Nowell, whose estate retained rights to the original name, it was agreed to change the name to Sublime With Rome, as Rome Ramirez, who previously recorded solo under his first name, was now a part of the band. This song is from the new collaboration's second album Sirens. It's definitely worth checking out.
As for the new entries, for many, St. Paul & the Broken Bones is a band that had one cool song "Call Me" that got airplay but the world then moved on. Of course, I was taken back by that great old-time soulfulness that I had to jump on another equally-great song, "Like A Mighty River", which also made my top ten. So, you had to know that I needed to go back for one more. "Broken Bones & Pocket Change" is a change-of-pace, and is a much slower song, very bluesy, along the lines of perhaps "Gimme All Your Love" by Alabama Shakes, to use a recent example. The song is also from the album Half the City. If you're in New York City, they will be at Webster Hall on September 16th (which is tonight as of the day I am writing this blog).
Courtney Barnett is one of the best indie female singers out there today, and she is getting airplay on "Nobody Really Cares if You Don't Go To the Party", her follow-up to her SNS #1 "Dead Fox". I hope I don't jinx this one like I did her last, as far as radio stations playing it, but this is a good rock song as you can get. She really jams on this one and is a good nod to some of the classic garage rock of the day. A worthy successor, also from her Sometimes I Sit and Think... set. You need to check this artist out if you haven't already.
I have pretty much relegated Foo Fighters to the back burner lately, but I really don't have any valid reason why. Many have said that Dave Grohl and company are really rock music's last great band (I would tend to say The White Stripes, but that's an argument for another day). In a sea of banality, they are a welcome sound for sore ears. I have half-heartedly added their songs, but this one "Outside" I am going to get behind. Some good, melodic rock and roll here, sort of a back-to-basic sort of way. For those who sorely miss guitar jam-fueled rock, this is your song. "Rope" from their previous set, Wasting Light topped my SNS chart. This one from Sonic Highways, which came out last year, should get them back up in that territory. It's very welcome here.
Next is the new single from Django Django, "Shake and Tremble", the third from their sophomore effort "Born Under Saturn" and the first to get any significant play on rock and alternative radio. It follows "First Light" (SNS #33) and "Reflections" (#10). While the latter depended too much on their #1 SNS "Default" from 2012, this one stands on its own. Again, this is guitar-oriented, even sort of an acid-rock like intro. The familiar harmonies are still present, evening hinting to Beach Boy proportions. Catchy, chugging, trippy music to be sure. As I mentioned, it is getting some airplay, on the newly revamped The Alternate Side program as well as on alt-rock station WEQX in Vermont. Definitely recommended.
Okay, what about bands that I haven't added before? Well, how about "S.O.B." by Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats? Well, if you want something a little different, this is for you. Rock, folk, soul, and even gospel overtones all built into one. This is one fun, hand-clapping, toe tapping romp and jam, and everyone is invited to join in and sing along. Or perhaps dance. Or better yet, do both. And is it just me, but with the sax, do I see visions of early E Street Band as an influence? Definitely good for what ails ya.
SOUNDS OF THE SEASON: Next time around, it will be time to look back on my "songs of the summer", with the prime candidates being "Gimme All Your Love" and "Thinking Out Loud". Will it be one of those two songs, or perhaps another one that'll do the trick. Stay tuned!
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100
September 6,
2015
| This Week | Last Week | ARTIST-Title | Weeks on List |
| 1 | 1 | MOVER OF THE WEEK:
"Last Raindrop"
Album: More Than Just a Dream
(2 weeks at #1)
|
10 |
| 2 | 2 | Beck - Dreams | 12 |
| 3 | 3 | Phases - I'm In Love With My Life | 9 |
| 4 | 4 | Elle King - Ex's and Oh's● | 17 |
| 5 | 7 | TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
"Coming Home"
Album: Coming Home
|
4 |
| 6 | 5 | The Arcs - Outta My Mind | 11 |
| 7 | 10 | Maroon 5 - This Summer's Gonna Hurt | 12 |
| 8 | 9 | Foals - Mountain At My Gates | 6 |
| 9 | 6 | Courtney Barnett - Dead Fox | 11 |
| 10 | 13 | Mumford & Sons - The Wolf | 9 |
| 11 | 16 | I Am Dynamite - In the Summer | 9 |
| 12 | 17 | Matt Weiss - Black Magic | 8 |
| 13 | 8 | Coin - Run | 15 |
| 14 | 11 | Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud● | 27 |
| 15 | 12 | Borns - Electric Love | 11 |
| 16 | 15 | Alabama Shakes - Future People | 7 |
| 17 | 18 | Lana Del Rey - High By The Beach | 5 |
| 18 | 20 | Demi Lovato - Cool for the Summer | 5 |
| 19 | 14 | Circa Waves - T-Shirt Weather | 13 |
| 20 | 19 | Hozier - Someone New | 7 |
Tremors:
| 101 | 102 | Halsey - New Americana |
| 102 | 103 | Chvrches - Leave A Trace |
| 103 | ---- | Veruca Salt - Laughing in the Sugar Bowl |
| 104 | 93 | Day Wave - Drag |
| 105 | 104 | Fitz and the Tantrums - Money Grabber▲ |
| 106 | 105 | Cheerleader - The Sunshine of Your Youth |
|
|
Songs
with the greatest increase in favorite points over the prior week.
● Songs
with 25 or more plays on my iPod.
▲ Songs with 50 or more plays on my iPod. 
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