Entries Tagged 'music' ↓

One of the major benefits of social media is that we can react to current events together.

There turnaround time is virtually nil.

When Beasite Boy co-founder Adam Yauch died last week, it didn’t take long for Coldplay to pay tribute to him at a live show. And that tribute was filmed by the band and placed on YouTube.

Coldplay performed a stirring version of “Fight For Your Right (To Party),” one of the Beastie’s mega-hits.

Well done.

To quote Elaine Benes from “Seinfeld:” “I’m speechless. I’m without speech.”

I’ve got three odds and ends to discuss, so I decided to gather them into one post! Huzzah!

1) I had the absolute honor of writing a guest post on Heather Whaling‘s PRtini.com, which has been one of my favorite industry blogs for years! I’m so excited that Heather and I will be in the same place at the same time at SXSW, after many “just missed yas.”

My post, 11 Ideas to Kickstart A Brand’s Facebook Timeline, can be found here.

2) So long, Davy Jones

When I was a kid, I used to watch the reruns of The Monkees ALL THE TIME! I remember how crushed I felt when I found out the show was actually 20 years old by the time I watched it.

Nevertheless, The Monkees were one of my first favorite bands.

Their lead singer, Davy Jones, died this week at just 66. I know for many people, across several generations, Davy’s voice was part of the soundtrack of life.

Here is my favorite track by The Monkees – and it was my favorite before Shrek.

3) American Idol vs. The Voice

American Idol was one of my favorite TV shows.

Whew, glad to get that off my chest.

I never saw The X Factor as competition, since they were on the same network and in different seasons.

However, the time has come to realize the Idol’s days are done, with a much superior show taking it’s place.

The Voice is just better – the coaches (Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera and Cee-Lo Green) soundly trump the Idol judges (Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler). The talent level is so much greater and the performances feel much less campy.

On Idol, it’s painful to see world-famous musicians try to convince themselves that a horrible performance was great. The Voice doesn’t show comedically-bad performances – just people trying to take the next step in their careers.

I’ll still take Ryan Seacrest over Carson Daly, but that’s not enough to save a tired show.

Sorry, Idol – you had a good run, but we’re through.

Today on the iostudio blog, I discuss the marketing prowess of Lady Gaga and the three top tactics she has perfected. (Click the link, then come back here.  We’ll wait.)

I am completely fascinated by her.  At such a young age, she forced herself into the public consciousness by having good-to-great music and an unforgettable image.  She mastered the art of self-promotion.

(One day, I’ll open a Self Promotion Hall of Fame with Gaga joining Dennis Rodman as the first inductees.)

Previously, I’ve discussed why Lady Gaga is “PR Crazy” (but in a good way) and announced that I want my daughter to consider her a role model.

But, I can also look objectively at her.

Let’s leave the loving negativity to Weird Al:

I love me some Lady Gaga.

In fact, I’m working on a fairly awesome post for our sister site, The Fatherhood Guide, about this topic.

But the fact remains that her music does have a sense of familiarity.

“Alejandro” sounded like Ace of Base’s version of “Don’t Turn Around”

“Born This Way” sounds a bit like Madonna‘s “Express Yourself”

And her new song, “Judas,” set to be released next week, seems to be inspired by the Bible, maybe a page out of “Like A Prayer?”

Judge for yourself…here is a leaked preview of “Judas” by Lady Gaga!

According to us (by way of Wikipedia), a meme is a unit of social information.

To me, there is nothing more social – thus – meme-y, than music.

And in the global age, where media gets passed in real-time, music memes are more meme-y than ever.

This list features five “Meme Songs,” pieces of music that have transcended themselves to become so much more.  It’s not a list of “viral videos” (barf) but rather a countdown of songs that have stuck within pop culture.

The source: me.  It’s my list.  Feel free to make your own list in the comments section.

5) Susan Boyle – I Dreamed a Dream:  This performance on “Britain’s Got Talent” touched the world.  A middle-aged “never been kissed” woman from the British countryside delivered a stunning rendition, bringing tears to countless people.  Music is about emotions, and Boyle combined almost all of them into just a few minutes.  This is the ultimate “you won’t believe this” song clip:

(No good versions of the video are embeddable, but click here to watch it)

4) Neil Diamond – Sweet Caroline: Can we just go ahead and call this the theme song for good times?  From sporting events to bar mitzvahs, this song, written about Caroline Kennedy, is synonymous with fun!

3) John Lennon – Imagine: The former Beatles star wrote and recorded several songs about a better, more peaceful world.  But nothing, nothing, nothing compares to how “Imagine” has become a global anthem of  hope.  It’s more than a song…it’s a way of life.

2) Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’: Journey was one of the biggest bands in the world in their heyday in the late 1970s and into the mid 1980s.  Their music lives on, but their song, “Don’t Stop Believin’” has crossed to another generation.  From being the song that ended “The Sopranos” to being the song that helped launch “Glee,” it’s truly resonated for decades.

1) Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up: The biggest online meme of all time is “Rick Rolling,” telling someone you are sending them a video of ANYTHING, but when they open the file, it’s Rick Astley’s hit song.  No clue where it started, but, man, it’s still funny!  It works because it’s a true guilty pleasure.  Everyone loves the song (secretly), including me.