(no subject)
I'm talking about - everybody getting crunk, crunk
Boys trying to touch my junk, junk
Gonna smack him if he getting too drunk, drunk
Now, now - we goin till they kick us out, out
Or the police shut us down, down
Police shut us down, down
Po-po shut us -
Don't stop, make it pop
DJ, blow my speakers up
Tonight, Imma fight
Till we see the sunlight
Tick tock, on the clock
But the party don't stop
Woah-oh oh oh
Woah-oh oh oh (x2)
-Tik Tok by Ke$ha(Dr. Luke & Benny Blanco)
I wanna go to college for the rest of my life
Sip Banker's Club and drink Miller Lite
On Thirsty Thursday and Tuesday Night Ice
And I can get pizza a dollar a slice
So fill up my cup, let's get fucked up
I'm next on the table, who want what?
I am champion at beer pong
Allen Iverson, Hakeem Olajuwon
-I Love College by Asher Roth(Michael Caren)
Jesus is my friend
America is my home
Sweet iced tea and Jerry Lee
Daytona Beach
That's what gets to me
I can feel it in my bones
Smooth as the hickory wind
That blows from Memphis
Down to Appalachicola
It's hi ya'll did ya eat well
Come on in child
I'm sure glad to know ya
Don't let this old gold cross
In this Charlie Daniels t-shirt throw ya
We're just boys making noise
With a southern voice
-Southern Voice by Tim McGraw (Bob Dipiero)
These songwriters really know their stuff. By stuff, I don't mean "musical proficiency" or "artistic dignity," just how to appeal to huge pop markets by exploiting stereotypes. Country pop right now is an awesome example of what happens when a market blows up and gets taken over by well-connected songwriters who know nothing of or care about anything for the genre (see International Harvester and/or Kid Rock). for now, let's take a look at Dr. Luke:
Katy Perry- I Kissed a Girl and Hot N Cold (i.e. her entire career)
Flo Rida- Right Round
Ummm...all of Kelly Clarkson's biggest hits.
Avril Lavigne- Girlfriend
Miley Cyrus- Party in the USA (featuring product placement!)
Ke$ha (the dollar sign makes her gangster)- Tik Tok
Pink- U + Ur Hand (haha it's cool because it looks like a text message!)
All the Idols (his fingerprint is on every Adam Lambert crotch-grab!)
...Weezer?
essentially every time you hear a pop song and wonder why it sounds like it was written in 10 minutes with the lyrical depth of a second grader, it's that guy. (most of the time, see Max Martin for others.) And that awesome overproduction that just adds textures throughout the song and makes it sound like your speakers have switched from electricity to mud power by the last verse, it's Benny Blanco.
I mean I get it: you're making music that people seem to like and making a butt-ton of money doing it, but on some level don't you think it's insincere? kids love the candy a pederast gives them, but deep down the pederast should know it's not entirely right.
maybe i'm wrong. maybe pop music has always meant appeal-over-substance. paul and john used to sit down and say, "let's write a swimming pool." that doesn't make their songs any less profound to all of people who heard "When I'm Sixty-Four" and decided to get married.
maybe all that brooding introspection of the "recording artist" is just ego and air. maybe "pop" is less of title earned by songs with true appeal than Thanksgiving dinner at Timbaland's house. "You Belong With Me" shares a lot of traits with Dr. Luke songs (especially the electropop version that was remixed for play on non-country airwaves). Is that song intrinsically better because she actually believes in the things she sings about?
In my opinion, that's how good music works: the artist writes something that affects him, and the listeners all get to empathize with each other in a giant clusterf*** of elation or catharsis or rage or what-have-you. That's what's so great about T. Sweezy (and why the Grammies should be like her birthday party.)
I'm not bashing songwriters. Songwriters have been around since "dude i wrote this awesome epic tale but you have a better singing voice." Paul Anka translated "My Way" for Sinatra. I feel weird about a sexy woman singing a song written by a 38 year-old man that includes the lyrics "all the boys want to if you seek Amy," or a 17 year-old talking about "moving her hips like yeah."
this post is longer than I thought it would be. i'm gonna go rock out to a pop station.