The Decade In Pop

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

My enormous Pitchfork piece on "The Decade In Pop" is up: http://pitchfork.com/features/articles/7703-the-decade-in-pop/

Spotify playlist to go with it here: http://open.spotify.com/user/freakytrigger/playlist/6cudPLlniOyOrpX5M5Dnnz

Comments

[koganbot]

Speaking of sound stepping out of story - which is a story itself, so is impossible - what do you think of the lyrics to "Come Clean"? Tom's analysis stopped short at the chorus.

Let's go back
Back to the beginning
Back to when the earth, the sun, the stars all aligned
'Cause perfect didn't feel so perfect
Trying to fit a square into a circle
Was no life
I defy

[CHORUS:]
Let the rain fall down
And wake my dreams
Let it wash away
My sanity
'Cause I wanna feel the thunder
I wanna scream
Let the rain fall down
I'm coming clean, I'm coming clean

I'm shedding
Shedding every color
Trying to find a pigment of truth
Beneath my skin
'Cause different
Doesn't feel so different
And going out is better
Than always staying in
Feel the wind

[CHORUS:]
Let the rain fall down
And wake my dreams
Let it wash away
My sanity
'Cause I wanna feel the thunder
I wanna scream
Let the rain fall down
I'm coming clean, I'm coming clean
(rain fall down)
I'm coming clean
(rain fall down
rain fall down)
Let the rain fall
Let the rain fall
I'm coming clean

[CHORUS:]
Let the rain fall down
And wake my dreams
Let it wash away
My sanity
'Cause I wanna feel the thunder
I wanna scream
Let the rain fall down
I'm coming clean,
I'm coming clean, I'm coming clean, let the rain fall, let the rain fall, let the rain fall, I'm coming clean

Let's go back
Back to the beginning...

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I was listening to this on the bus after reading Tom's essay this morning, and it struck me that Hilary's diffidence isn't a million miles from...Neil Tennant, of all people. It's glimpses here and there rather than actual parallels, but I can hear Tennant singing a number of these lyrics...which, I also realised today, is a not-so-veiled coming out narrative. (Change "going out" is "coming out" and it all makes sense. Plus, the whole digital-stutter leading to Hilary's voice being deliberately cut off after "I'm coming---".)