The Good, The Bad & The Ticky

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Plenty of you out there in poptimistsland like writing about music, and even perhaps earn some money for doing so.

Do you find it easier to write about

1) songs you love
2) songs you hate
3) songs you find mediocre?

I can usually find plenty of scathing words about dull music that just isn’t any cop, sometimes even suggesting improvements! However I am loathe to say I 'hate' something as if it has sparked such a reaction in me then I will probably end up loving it eventually. Case in point: when the Spice Girls first arrived I loathed them with such intense obsession that I made sure I paid attention to every song, television appearance and promotional tie-in they did in order to make sure my hatred was well-informed. Now they are one of my favourite pop bands ever, possibly because of my negative reaction: they signified my attraction to pop music was inevitable even though I was an utter indie snob at the time. Well done girls!

As for songs I love, when writing reviews I find it far more difficult to get across *just how much* I love them and why. Of course I can say 'omg this bassline is GREAT' or 'her voice is amazing', but the one thing I can never describe properly is the ZING factor that some songs have, and some songs just don't, even if they sound very similar. Usually the ZING factor ensures that the song remains enjoyable despite repeated plays. For example, Justin Timberlake's Sexyback was interesting and enjoyable but I grew tired of it after a while. My Love on the other hand had the ZING that went straight to a certain bit of my brain, meaning I will happily listen to it forever more. I found the former much easier to write a end-of-year blurb for than the latter.

What do you think, poptimists? If you don't really write about songs then do you find it easier to tick a good song or to 'not tick' a bad song? Is a bad song merely mediocre or does mediocre fall under 'any good at all'?

Comments

Hot Like That

[koganbot]

I find it easiest to write about songs I'm conflicted about and/or songs where the performers are conflicted and/or songs where the audience is conflicted and/or songs that cause conflicts. Three pieces on Sophie B. Hawkins made it into my book and I still don't know what I think of her. Nothing in the book about Boney M and Midi Maxi & Efti.

Traveled from hate to love on The Beatles, The Supremes, The 4 Tops, "96 Tears," "Yummy Yummy Yummy." But those journeys took place long ago. Usually my dislike-like turnarounds go from "I don't really like this" to "it's not so bad."

My best writing in the last 48 hours has been about Ashley Tisdale's "Not Like That": "All the girls in the club got their eyes on me/I can tell by their look that they want to be/be HOT HOT HOT like that/But it's NOT NOT no it's NOT like that/All the girls in the club got their eyes on me/They put me down 'cause of jealousy/But I'm NOT NOT I'm NOT that girl/And it's NOT NOT no it's NOT my world." And of course Ashley's hot and the track's hot and those capitalized big gorgeous beats are warmly totally scrumptious and the girls in the club can't take their eyes off her (no matter what you surround that thought with, you're bragging). Way to have your glamour and shun it too, and the song really does right by both sides of the conflict, the hot side and the girl-next-door side. Reminds me of Ginger Rogers.

Re: Hot Like That

[koganbot]

"Not Like That" streamed here (I don't know for how long or if everyone can play it).