Something a bit different because why not? I'm not really moving along very well on my planned album listening anyway. I saw this listicle on Buzzfeed regarding The 10 Most Liked Songs Of All Time On Pandora, featuring links to each of the songs in question. I figured I'd give each a quick listen. Most of the stuff I listen to is far out of the mainstream's public conscious, so if I really want to get into the psyche of people who say they like music every once in a while I should listen to what people are actually listening to.
If you want to hear the music for yourself go to the Buzzfeed article and check out their links. I won't be reposting them here mainly because I don't want to clog up this article with embedded videos.
10. The Fray - "How To Save A Life"
Really generic Cold Play wannabe rock. The only thing that saves this from being among the most sugary-sad songs ever is a missing string arrangement.
9. Adele - "Someone Like You"
Like "How To Save A Life" this song opens with an unaccompanied descending piano riff. Adele has a pretty cool voice. It's a lot deeper and soulful than most of her contemporaries. It allows her to really fill out this cheesy ballad. I know it's just her and a piano but it still feels overproduced. I think I prefer this type of song to be a bit softer, less in my face.
8. Gotye "Somebody The I Used To Know (Featuring Kimbra)"
I hate songs that feature other artists that need to be announced up front. Why does Kimbra feel so important that she needs to appear in the name of the damn song? Of course that's not the reason I don't like this whiny hipster crapfest. Whatever you do don't watch the video, unless you like slowly examining skinny naked white guys.
7. One Republic "Counting Stars"
What is this? The song clearly starts off with some white guy singing over a flat acoustic guitar riff. The video shows a bunch of white guys doing their white guy dances with guitars as if there were a lame rock band that at least played actual instruments. But the song is largely driven by drum machine set to a generic dance beat and an electric piano loop. I don't get it. At all. Why is this popular? Do the 16.3 million people who said they like this song know what they're listening to? I need it explained to me.
6. Maroon 5 "She Will Be Loved"
I've hated Adam Levine for a long time for being an asshole, or at least looking like an asshole, on that stupid The Voice show. Now that I've heard a song that he sings I can also hate him for his tinny hollow singing voice.
5. Goo Goo Dolls "Iris"
Really? I thought we gave up on Goo Goo Dolls in 1997. But this song oddly fits in pretty well with the rest of the list so far. It's absurdly sappy and saccharine in how sad and dark it wants to be. On the plus side I like the sound of this song much better than the rest of the list so far. This is the first song that really sounds well balanced, clean, and not washed out with that stuffy digital quality that appears in pretty much everything from the last decade and a half. 90s music sucked pretty hard, but most of it sounded pretty good, almost as good as music from the 70s sounded. Probably because a lot of 90s music was real bands playing together.
4. Mario "Let Me Love You"
Hey, it's a-me! Mario! Let a-me a-love you! Ahem... sorry. So there's this guy I guess who wants his professional name to be Mario. Doesn't he realize that is already taken by someone who is guaranteed to always overshadow him, even though he doesn't really exist? Anyway, it's funny music like this is still getting made. "Let Me Love You" would fit in perfect with the 90s boyband craze, like Boyz 2 Men or All 4 One. If Mario wants to make a cheesy R&B number like this I have no problem with it. I'm just surprised it's so popular when we were making fun of stuff like this not too long ago.
3. Imagine Dragons "Radioactive"
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I can really only think of one thing when faced with a band named Imagination Dragons and that's The Imagination Movers. Also any band with dragons in their name had better be goddamn heavy metal or I'm gonna be extremely disappointed. (pushes play) I am extremely disappointed.
2. Drake "The Motto (featuring Lil Wayne)"
Ick. Nothing quite like a rap song that starts out with whatever artist proclaiming themselves to be "the fuckin' man." I can't even with fucking rap artists being so goddamn full of themselves. And "niggas". I get it. You can say "niggas" and I can't. Wait a minute... he said, "That's the motto..." but I missed what the motto actually was. He's talking too damn fast. All I'm getting is "something something fuckin' something nigga something something something money bitches money nigga..." Argh!
1. Journey "Don't Stop Believing"
Never thought I'd say this but thank you Jesus for Journey! When I was in college- and yes, it's weird to say that, but when I was in college plenty of people loved this song. But I'm pretty sure it was ironic. Because even in the 80s I'm pretty sure it was ironic when people loved Journey. But now this song is actually taken seriously as a great song? Well, I guess there are worse songs to top this list. Like every song below it.
Anyway, For the most part I noticed that these songs are kinda sad and depressing. Several times I've mentioned that sad and depressing songs wind up being mistaken for great just because they are sad, and that's probably on display here especially with that really lame song by The Fray.
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