Top picture: Beyonce in her 'Single Ladies' video. Bottom left: Beyonce in her 'If I Were a Boy' video. Bottom right: Ciara in her 'Like a Boy' video.“ALL MA SiNGLE LADiES!” Beyonce wails in her latest musical offering ‘Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)’. The song, as you probably know, is a stimulating mix of catchy lyrics and a beat that should get people moving on the dancefloor. This song’s popularity is further propelled by the eye-catching video, which has spawned many spoofs on YouTube.
However, as good as this may be to dance to, this song has absolutely no depth to it. As soon as this beings to get old, Beyonce will gyrate her hips in a new video (don’t act like you didn’t notice), easily replacing the last one like chewing gum. She is not the only one constantly churning out single after single. Many musical artists these days have gone from being artists to being powerhouses, continually releasing songs that are forgotten within a short space of time, or have little thought put into them.
I think this is having a detrimental effect on the music business, as it is now seen as just that – a business. There is less room for individuality or creativity, the focus is more on how many units an artist can shift and how many awards they are winning. Songs are being made that sound like other songs (e.g. ‘Single Ladies’ sounds a lot like ‘Get Me Bodied’) while some songs are just simply nonsensical time wasters. Mainstream seems to be the only stream, with the general consensus that music is on a downhill journey.
Good music is supposed to intrigue the mind while touching the soul. But even the stuff that is being touted as ‘good’ is garbage. Take for example Beyonce’s ‘If I Were a Boy.’ The song is terrible! I’m not even going to delve into the lyrics because they are just dire, you can investigate them for yourself. And it’s an absolute copy of Ciara’s ‘Like a Boy’, which is completely out of order. But yet people still buy it. It truly amazes me.
However, as good as this may be to dance to, this song has absolutely no depth to it. As soon as this beings to get old, Beyonce will gyrate her hips in a new video (don’t act like you didn’t notice), easily replacing the last one like chewing gum. She is not the only one constantly churning out single after single. Many musical artists these days have gone from being artists to being powerhouses, continually releasing songs that are forgotten within a short space of time, or have little thought put into them.
I think this is having a detrimental effect on the music business, as it is now seen as just that – a business. There is less room for individuality or creativity, the focus is more on how many units an artist can shift and how many awards they are winning. Songs are being made that sound like other songs (e.g. ‘Single Ladies’ sounds a lot like ‘Get Me Bodied’) while some songs are just simply nonsensical time wasters. Mainstream seems to be the only stream, with the general consensus that music is on a downhill journey.
Good music is supposed to intrigue the mind while touching the soul. But even the stuff that is being touted as ‘good’ is garbage. Take for example Beyonce’s ‘If I Were a Boy.’ The song is terrible! I’m not even going to delve into the lyrics because they are just dire, you can investigate them for yourself. And it’s an absolute copy of Ciara’s ‘Like a Boy’, which is completely out of order. But yet people still buy it. It truly amazes me.
6 comments:
I just want to shout PREACH BROTHER at this. So glad someone else has this mindset when it comes to music but i'm afraid I'll have to disagree about Beyonce. Not being biased because I grew up idolising her, but I think she is one of the female mainstream singers who actually has the talent to back up the hype. Same with Alicia Keys. The mainstream is just another entertainment format and I think with the songs they produce they do just that. Entertain. There's nothing wrong with a catchy track every now and again that makes you want to shake what you got. They're just good solid talented pop acts and dont confess to being anything else, but I draw the line when it comes to mainstream hip-hop. That shit is dead and buried and Soulja boy and the like put the last nail in the coffin. The underground scenes in france, japan and america on the other hand create some of the greatest hip hop music possible.
Wow, Long comment. Love the blog btw.
Not going to lie, Beyonce is great. Loved Destiny's Child back in the day, BUT, I simply just don't think she's trying anymore. I know she has talent, so why oh why is she ripping off other artists, and singing the same repetitive songs? And as for A.Keys, man I know the 'Diary of Alicia Keys' album backwards. Sideways even. However, again, her third album (don't even remember what it's called) was rubbish. I was so dissappointed. I think they are great singers and entertainers, but give me something new, mayn! As for hip-hop... well you said it. Thanks for commenting, glad you like the blog.
P.S: Please don't swear in your comments :)
I totally agree with you here, especially about Beyonce. It's getting to the point where she's just repeating herslef over and over again, putting out the same songs as if listeners won't remember. I think she is good at times and could be doing a lot better. I hated "Single Ladies" and as far as the vidoe goes, it's as if she knew the song would die out soon enough so she didn't even want to give it a proper budget. =\
Post a Comment