Fave Songs of 2019

Robert Forster : Life Has Turned A Page

[Purchase]

Though I spent most of my musical life in 1979, I did peek outside every so often to take in the tunes of 2019. One could still live in the past with all of the reissues that came out. A super deluxe four CD edition of Abbey Road featured two discs of sessions, a Blu Ray with optimal audio and a hardback book. G Stands For Go-Betweens Volume 2 featured remastered versions of Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express, Tallulah and 16 Lovers Lane, a live album, outtakes and for some buyers a signed book that once belonged in the collection of Grant McLennan.  There were remastered and extended versions of R.E.M.'s Monster and The Replacements' Don't Tell A Soul. A three CD collection of tunes from Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline era called Travelin' Thru drew my eyes and ears as did a three CD version of Prince's 1999 ( featuring a song called "Vagina")  and Welcome to the Vault, and the Steve Miller Band's career-spanning 3 CD + DVD Collection containing 52 audio tracks and 21 performances on DVD.

The first two songs I want to highlight are by artists noting the passage of time. Former Go-Between Robert Forster is completing a tour at the moment to support Inferno. His old friend and Warm Nights producer as well as Orange Juice frontman Edwyn Collins is 60 and walks with a cane after a stroke that originally stole his ability understand or speak languages. From Badbea, this is the standout track "I Guess We Were Young". 

Better Oblivion Community Center teams up Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers on the catchy "Dylan Thomas" while "History Repeats" is just one track from a great solo album by Alabama Shakes frontwoman Brittany Howard, whose Jaime is dedicated to a sister who died young.

From the pop charts, where almost everything sounds like it's been manufactured by multiple producers on the same assembly line, I like the moody music of Billie Eilish and Post Malone.

"Ill Wind" is a special bonus track from A Moon Shaped Pool that became available for streaming in 2019 while Big Thief's "Not"  may be the alternative single of the year, thanks in part to the manic guitar solo that begins around the 2:30 mark.

Let's wrap this up with Lizzo's "Truth Hurts" which is the empowerment song we all need and FKA Twigs's "Cellophane", which may contain the most vulnerable performance of the year. 

Honorable Mention to Angel Olson, Weyes Blood,Tyler the Creator and Fontaines DC.

She Who Laughs Last

Cher : Holdin' Out For Love

[Purchase]

On November 3, 1979 Billboard Magazine published a full page ad featuring Cher wearing nothing but chains to promote her new album The Prisoner. When I tweeted this picture yesterday, I didn't expect much reaction but I soon got one from Cher herself:

Just thought I'd share this moment brought to you via social media. It's not all divisive politics. Sometimes it's random encounters with goddesses.

What Am I Doing At The Billboard Music Awards??

Musically, I live in 1979 for the purposes of this blog, but in real life I find myself in Las Vegas attending the 2019 Billboard Music Awards. I’ll be covering the red carpet, asking questions of today’s pop stars. To prepare, I have been listening to a lot of Top 40 music. 

I have developed a theory. The music is all manufactured on computers now. (Ironic that yesterday's post was about Gary Numan and Tubeway Army) There’s not an organic instrument involved except the human voice, and even that has been electronically altered in many cases. The only way pop stars can give their music humanity is in lyrics that are often intimate, confessional and full of lines that must be bleeped to be played on the radio. Every songwriter gives away something of themselves in the pursuit of a making a meaningful connection . But there is such a thing as Too Much Information. On the title cut of her album Sweetener, Arian Grande sings "I like the way you lick the bowl (sheesh)/  Somehow your method touches my soul (sheesh, yeah)".

Ariana Grande is the first solo artist to have the #1, #2 and #3 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. She will perform along with Taylor Swift with Brendon Urie, BTS featuring Halsey, Ciara, Kelly Clarkson, Lauren Daigle, Dan + Shay, Halsey, Jonas Brothers, Tori Kelly, Khalid, Madonna and Maluma, Panic! at the Disco and Icon Award recipient Mariah Carey. ( I've just realized I still don't know who some of these people are).

Madonna is 60. She is reportedly spending $5 million of her own money to add CGI and holograms on her performance of the  new single "Medellin", with Columbian reggaeton star Maluma. The song debuted at #34 on the Hot Latin Songs chart but has fizzled on mainstream pop charts. 

One more note: The Billboard music awards aren't based on any kind of voting. It all comes down to numbers: sales, digital downloads, streaming, radio airplay and social interaction. That means the fans really do get the final word. But their choices have been confined to the same 20 acts who get their songs played on the radio over and over and over again. And at a time when more people than ever are writing and recording songs.

When I posted a photo of BTS autographs on twitter, I got an overwhelming response: 27.4K retweets, 58.2k likes and more than 900,000 impressions. The BTS Army is for real.  

I will see if I can check in later on this day and will wrap up the experience tomorrow before heading back to my cozy music den of 1979.