I was born in 1989, my oldest brother was born in 1979. When he first got into pop music, the radio was all grunge and gangsta rap. So in a moral blitz from the sonic onslaught of Biggie Smalls and Nirvana, my mom put a ban on pop radio in the house. An overreaction, yes, but like a preacher's son to corn liquor, I eventually found pop music. It was a bit like a speakeasy; I listened to Kiss FM in the car with my older brothers, I would hang out with neighborhood friends at 4pm after school so I could watch TRL at their houses. I became adept at switching the cable from MTV on channel 3a to Nickelodeon on 3b. Do you remember when cable had A and B?
It was late 99- 2000. Does the music I first got into still hold up today? Probably not.
BARENAKED LADIES- Pinch Me
I had been vaguely aware of this band years earlier, for that "Chickety-China" song. But I never got into to before I heard this hit. Still one of the Ladies' classics, a positive yet depressing song as only BNL can do about the malaise of coming back home after after being famous. But let's not lie; they just made you say underwear. As a lonely 6th grader, I asked for this album for Christmas 2000. It was the first album I memorized word for happy sounding but actually sad word. I had found my first love, and kindred spirits.
Legacy: BNL needed a bit hit after One Week, lest they be known as that Chickety-China band. They pulled a classic pop trick and sang sad words happily and added Pet Sounds backup harmonies, with a little white boy rapping, and grew there cult fanbase with another top 10 hit.
Does it hold up?: Yes. It sounds a bit dated, with the drum loop and the chorus, but it sounds like an era of post hip-hop pop that the Ladies snuggled into. And when Ed makes you say underwear, the guitar gives a little laugh in the background. This is what good pop music is.
AEROSMITH- Jaded
Aerosmith, at the end of their run was a pop group. This song has more hooks than when Oasis goes fishing. That was the best and worst joke I have ever made. This song is huge: Joe Perry monster riffs, random Britney Spears-esque percussive gasps, swells of strings and a wonderful performance by Steven Tyler, who sings fearlessly here, crushing every high note and snarling through the middle register.
Legacy: Aerosmith's last real hit, on their worst album, and only released because the record label would drop them if they didn't. This is pop Aerosmith, and soon after this song was released, they played the Super Bowl with *NSYNC.
But does it hold up? Kinda. For how obviously tailored to be on the radio it was, everything works. You can still spend a day listening to this and not get bored. It's no Walk this Way, but thank God it's not Girls of Summer or Just Push Play or any of the really bad Aerosmith songs.
SISQO- Thong Song
I had no idea who Dru Hill were. I had no idea what dumps like a truck meant. I had no idea what a thong was. But Sisqo made me aware. I now consider myself an assman, thanks in large part to this video and the general infectiousness of shouting "THONG-THA-THONG-THONG-THONG".
Legacy: The song of the summer of '00, this never made it to #1. It did give the formulaic ballad released on its heels "Incomplete" the momentum to go to #1, but you can't even remember that song. Sisqo is regarded as a one-hit wonder for his non-number-one.
But does it hold up?: Sometimes. Put this on in your car and be ridiculed. But it on at a party and watch the madness ensue.
SMOOTH- Santana and Rob Thomas
After Ricky Martin waged war on the US charts and his compatriots followed suit, 60s guitar god Carlos Santana decided to get back onto the pop charts. He recruited then chartoppers and cut a new album. The lead off single is this monster jam with Rob Thomas from Matchbox 20, a song written to be a Santana type song. And damn it, he wrote a Santana song. And old Carlos dominated every award in 99-2000.
Legacy: What you are listening to is a beautiful thing. This is an icon going pop without sacrificing his integrity. This is the anti-sellout. This is a match burning twice. This is Santana as a pop star, while still playing his guitar the same way that got him to be a guitar hero. This is how you cross over.
Also, Smooth is the second biggest hit in the history of the Billboard 100, second to only The Twist. Bigger the Elvis, bigger than the Beatles, second only to the song that broke rock and roll to adults.
But does it hold up?: Abso-fucking-lutely. This is a master musician's most accessible song. That riff wails and makes you feel like a hot day in the sun in a Hispanic neighborhood. That outro solo is one of the best solos featured in a #1 pop record. Every other little fill is like a gasp of fresh air during a stifling night at a club. And the beat just makes you groove. It's an absolute classic.
BAHA MEN- Who Let the Dogs Out?
Who let the dogs out? Who let the dogs out? Who let the dogs out? Who let the dogs out?
THIS. SONG.WAS. EVERYWHERE. I had this cd. I admit it, I did.
Legacy: We don't know who let the dogs out. But play this at any sporting event and everyone will bark. But still, you never listened to the lyrics of the song enough to understand the narrative. And you probz don't remember how the verses and bridge sound (hint:lame). But you know the chorus. WHO LET THE DOGS OUT? Years later when Sean Paul got huge, the Baha Men saw it coming. But they saw it from home, as they never had a hit again.
But does it hold up?: Fuck No
No comments:
Post a Comment