straight up now tell me is it going to be remade music forever?

I've talked about it before, but like many of you, I love music.

I can't sit still when good music plays, it literally can shift my mood with each song that plays, and despite the sounds that come out of my mouth I still try and sing every word I know.

Maybe in another life I will be a well known singer or part of a famous band.  I'd like to think so anyway.

I think I'm lucky actually, because I like a lot of different kinds of music. A lot of people say that (especially on online dating profiles) but really my favorites range from the likes of Tool to 2Pac, to MGMT to Mozart.  I'm really all over the place.  I'd say my favorite genres at this point are Alternative Rock and Hip Hop (some new and a lot of old school/underground)...and Reggae...and Classical.  

I like something with a good beat, a catchy hook/sample, talented vocals and unexpected instruments (getting up in there with violins with rap, man love that), powerful/resonating lyrics, and well timed peaks and crescendos for drama.

When all of those things combine you get a great song.  Like Eternal Flame by the Bangles.

Okay okay, I'm not saying it's a musical masterpiece, but it is my favorite.

I'm not kidding.  

Sentimental, old school tune, love song, Bangles.  I mean really, listen to it...can you even argue?

The only music I can't handle is screaming metal.

I went to a 3 day festival a couple years ago (90% of the bands were amazing Tool, Jay-Z (Beastie Boys were supposed to but couldn't because Ad-Rock was sick with cancer), Black Keys, MGMT, Silversun Pickups, Gorgol Boredello (holy shit they are fun)...etc etc).  Anyway at this festival a band who will remain nameless played some screaming metal with sounds that were no where near musical.  It was the music I am sure plays on the elevator as you make your way through the 7 layers of Dante's Inferno.  They got boo'd so loud (likely because we couldn't hear anything anymore...). 

The music I typically don't enjoy is Country, though I can tollerate it.  

I grew up with Country in my house, my step dad grew up in Florida and was a southern boy, so we often had a lot of Country playing.  Old school Country is sentimental to me, I can kind of appreciate it.  Who can't enjoy a little Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson?

These days it's very poppy, and I get why a lot of people like it, but I'm just not convinced it's actually good quality music.

I realize many people disagree so if that is your only comment after this post, then consider it understood ahead of time.  It's fun, I get it.  You tailgate and see the last 5 songs of a show and...it's fun.  Really, I get it.  I don't think less of you (for the most part), but I just don't want to partake. (Can you tell I've gotten flack for it before? haha).

What I'm going to say next will absolutely make me sound and feel old...but I have to, I can't contain it anymore.

KIDS THESE DAYS DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOOD!

I now understand what my mom and her siblings talked about when I was younger, that the music "these days" (back 15-20 years) was not of the quality that it was when they were kids.  They're right in some ways.  I think now, however, that is even more true than ever.

I'm going out on a limb and say that the late twenty somethings are the last generation to have good quality music to grow up listening to.  

I mean seriously we grew up with greats ranging from Nirvana, Green Day, TLC, Run DMC, ADCD, The Offspring, to Biggy, etc etc.  Not to mention we were coming off the heels of the 70's and 80's of rock and roll, jam bands...

There is some great music now, I like a lot of current bands, but in terms of quality I think we're talking 1/3 of the stuff circulating is actually any good.

Okay so enough rambling...The reason I even started to write this post is because of the song Work Out by J Cole.

I can appreciate this song, honestly, like I said something with a beat I can appreciate and move to.  What I'm upset about is that I bet anyone younger than 24 doesn't even know that the lines starting "Straight up now tell me, do you really wanna love me for ever...." were originally by Paula Abdul.

Clearly my vote for best version is by Ms. Abdul.

Remakes and using samples from old songs is nothing new...I mean Vanilla Ice claims he didn't steal the hook from David Bowie, but we all know he did.

I think sometimes good songs can be remade well (for instance I like Boyz In The Hood by Dynamite Hack and by NWA originally), but rarely is the new song better than the old.

I do get really angry when a song starts to play on the radio and I think "oh is this Back in the Day Buffet?" and it's not actually the song I thought it was.  JLo and LLCoolJ are guilty of this with a remake of Very Speical  by Debra Lewis that I think wasn't very good (I actually think it was remade once before when we were like 10, or at least put to a faster beat).

I mean I'm all about remaking things if it's an honest attempt to better a song...but I think a lot of "artists" will sail along on someone else's song and due to the age of the listeners they have no idea.

I do actually like it if it's a hook that is totally different than the music that is played over it.  An example of this that I think is a good one is Kayne's Diamonds from Sierra Leone using the hook from Shirley Bassay (was from the 007 original soundtrack).  I think he did a great job with the overlay and use of something much older/classic.

I could go on and on.  But likely most of you have either already stopped reading this post, or that you're starting to glaze over, I wont. I guess I just felt a little old and a little pissed that Straight Up (the original, obviously) has been stuck in my head for days...and won't quit.

Oh oh oh...I guess I'm just having fun.

Until next time,
remakE