I cannot workout without music. I know almost all gyms have music and TVs blaring their video channel, but there’s something about hearing Taylor Swift throughout a gym filled with housewives and thirtysomething men that makes me want to run into oncoming traffic. Some of the trainers listen to hardcore rap or heavy metal to get pumped up. Some of the aforementioned housewives have iPods filled with their kids’ music because they don’t know how to operate iTunes. This week we tackle our favorite songs to workout to!
Tina’s Top 5: 5. “Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand 4. “Uhn Tiss Uhn Tiss Uhn Tiss” by The Bloodhound Gang 3. “Je M’appelle Guillaume” by The Distillers 2. “The Way We Move” by InnerPartySystem 1. “Of Wolf And Man” by Metallica
Honorable Mention: “The Hardest Button To Button” by The White Stripes, no pun intended, haha, just a great bass-line.
Dan’s Top 5: 5. “Like An Animal” by The Donnas 4. “Right Round” by Flo-Rida 3. “She’s Got Me Dancing” by Tommy Sparks 2. “Run the Show” by Kat DeLuna featuring Busta Rhymes 1. “We Run This” by Missy Elliot
Honorable Mention: “Huddle Formation” by The Go! Team
Angela’s Top 5: 5. “‘Til I Collapse” by Eminem 4. “I’m the Shit” by D.J. Class 3. “Move If You Wanna” by MIMS 2. “Transform Ya” by Lil Wayne featuring Chris Brown 1. “Trying To Find A Balance” by Atmosphere
Dave’s Top 5: 5. “The Morning After” by Faith No More 4. “Who The Hell Cares?” by Methods of Mayhem 3. “Divine Object of Hatred” by The Rollins Band 2. “Outshined” by Soundgarden 1. “Five Minutes Alone” by Pantara
Mark’s Top 5:
5. “Flaming June” by BT – Some good old-fashioned pulse pounding beauty for that early morning run, mid-day walk, or that long, tiring journey to help you get over the long tiring journey that the day was. 4. “Remanufactured” by Fear Factory – Aggressive industrial speed-metal converted into a disjointed and slightly awkward remix album, perfect for getting you get into that “zone”.
3. “Get To The Gone” by Static-X – Ear piercing growls and screams, bone crunching guitars and a devil rousing bass-line layered over the evil disco beats that Wayne Static and Co. do so well. Best for listening to during aggressive workouts, or when you need that extra edge to piss you the fuck off and help give you that extra mile.
2. “War/Fanfare” from Rocky, Vince DiCola – DiCola is king of the work-out tunes, period. See below for further evidence.a
1. “Training Montage” by Vince DiCola – The most recognizable and all-time GREATEST work out tune to ever grace the audio spectrum. If you have ever wanted to turn your workouts into a montage, then this is the way to do it. This song is so AWESOME that Mr. DiCola deserves both top spots for his glorious efforts.
This week, NVMP’s Top 5 tackles our favorite drinking songs. It’s a little ambiguous of a topic, but we like to see where our editors go with them each week. While some lists are songs about drinking, others lists gravitate more towards songs enjoyed while drinking. We hope you enjoy what we’ve come up with this week! And we love hearing your comments and Top 5 lists!
Tina’s Top 5:
5. “One Bourbon, One Scotch and One Beer” by George Thorogood – The ultimate bar song, there’s something for everyone here!”
4. “Sosey Dosey” by Drink Up Buttercup – If you haven’t heard of Drink Up Buttercup, you better wise up fool! I think I consider this a drinking song because when I listen to it, I feel drunk; the yelling, the trash cans. It’s so much fun. They’re even better live, catch a show!
3.“Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)” by The Doors – I always have a tavern tan while listening to this song…then I sing along with the descending scale and dance around. Good times.
2. “40 oz. to Freedom” by Sublime – “A 40 oz. to freedom is the only chance I have, to feel good even though I feel bad.” Well said.
1.“Drunken Lullabies” by Flogging Molly – Hands down, my favorite drinking song of all time! I sang some drunken lullabies with Flogging Molly just a few short weeks ago. Cheers!
Dan’s Top 5:
5.“Ballroom Blitz” by The Sweet
4. “Hot Mess” by Cobra Starship
3. “TiK ToK” by Ke$ha– This whole song describes one hot mess of a night, making it one of my favorite songs to get my drink on to.
2. “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” by Dropkick Murphy’s
1. “Around the Bend” by Asteroids Galaxy Tour – I spent many drunken afternoons last summer in my friend’s pool with Asteroids Galaxy Tour blasting in the backyard. Their music is a great throwback to the trippy music of the 60’s and 70’s and perfect background music for a chill evening of drinking. Honorable Mention: “Kelly Watch The Stars” by AIR, “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga
Dave’s Top 5:
When it comes to spirits, almost any song will do, but to each of us our own drink poured, and different songs ring true…
5.“Bottom of a Bottle” by Smile Empty Soul
4. “Red Red Wine” by UB40
3. “Hey Bartender” by Hed P.E.
2. “Cold Gin” by KISS
1. “Whiskey In The Jar” Performed by Metallica (Cover- originally by Thin Lizzy, but the cover is sooo much better.)
Angela’s Top 5:
5.“One Bourbon, One Scotch and One Beer” by George Thorogood
4. “40 oz. to Freedom” by Sublime
3. “I Love College” by Asher Roth – It’s just a good time kinda song.
2.“Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffet
1.“Barroom Hero” by Dropkick Murphy’s– Boston Irish…need I say more?
Mark’s Top 5:
5.“Small Town Girl” by Journey– Journey is one of the GO-TO bands for bar crawling alcoholics the world over. When in the company of drunks, take note on how many times that this fucking song is cranked and fist-pumped by near blacked out drunkards.
4. “Message in a Bottle” by The Police– I find myself playing this song again and again on benders, probably because I just love the Police…or because it’s just so AWESOME to slur along with.
3. “Bartender” by Hed PE – Only played because it is titled Bartender…by the way assholes, the song has absolutely NOTHING to do with drinking or having good times, no matter how many times you try and slobber out a lyrical explanation. The guy in the song orders a drink… that’s it.
2. “Ole Ole Ole” by The BouncingSouls – It’s a rousing rallying cry, reminding everyone that they haven’t quite drank enough.
1.“One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” by George Thorogood– I LOVE playing this song when drinking heavily, because it’s title is exactly what it implies, a man who has fallen on hard times turns to a colossal bender to solve his problems. Just try and not order the exact same thing every time he mentions this gut wrenching order. Makes for a fun drinking game as well…the last one standing gets to enjoy a day of hangover suffering the next day, while all the friends who tapped out early are enjoying the day.
Tina’s Top 5
Disclaimer: I love Guitar Hero, but play on a level no higher than medium. My list, while still possessing some great guitar solos, could probably be mastered on easy/medium on the first try.
5.“Wango Tango” by Ted Nugent – C’mon Guitar Hero, we need more Nuge!
4. “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen – No explanation needed.
3. “Little Toy Gun” by Honey Honey – More people need to hear this song so they can fall in love with it. It’s kick ass…and was also recently featured in a Showtime commercial
2. “Red Hot Moon” by Rancid – Guitar Hero needs more punk and surf guitar, love this song.
1. “Holiday” by The Get Up Kids – The guitar slide intro is enough to gather a crowd…also made me a fan for life.
Dan’s Top 5
5. “Best of Me” by Morningwood
4. “Animal” by The Donnas – The vocal part would be just as fun as playing the guitar.
3. “Gimme Sympathy” by Metric – A lot of songs off Metric’s Fantasies would be great on Guitar Hero, but “Gimme Sympathy” is at the top of that list.
2. “Earthquakes and Sharks” by Brandtson– I love the bouncy bass line.
1. “The Church of Hot Addiction” by Cobra Starship – It’s one of my favorite songs, and would lend itself nicely to Guitar Hero.
Klone’s Top 5
Disclaimer: I only became a Guitar Hero fan at “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock”, so I don’t know what was in versions prior to this one, nor do I know which ones have been possibly added to new editions of the game, so I present my “Wish List” for my Top 5 Songs That Should Be In Guitar Hero, allowing for the possibility that some may already be there without my knowledge.
5. “The Crowing” by Coheed & Cambria – Such a sick guitar song. So much strumming.
4. “Pisces Iscariot” by Smashing Pumpkins – The pumpkins rock…
3. “Life is a Lemon (and I Want My Money Back)” by Meatloaf – Has the rock world forgotten about Meatloaf? According to video games they have.
2. “Cut You In” by Jerry Cantrel – Before the death of Layne Staley, Jerry Cantrel released a solo CD, and this song was SICK!
1. “Hysteria” by Muse – This song single-handedly made me a Muse fan. It’s a perfect collection of sound that melds beautifully into a kick ass song.
Alex’s Top 5
5. Panic! at the Disco – Enough liquor and this band armed with witty lyrics and a burlesque nuance make it fun for anyone, especially if liquor is involved.
4. Lamb of God – We need more brutal bands on the game that is supposed to rock hard.
3. The Misfits – Come on! More Misfits! Especially “Dig Up Her Bones”…a little token but catchy as shit!
2. Alkaline Trio – Under-rated band with some catchy ass jams. Especially their older stuff.
1. Minus The Bear – Funky band that very few people know about. A jazzy stoner rock that has been lacking from the games.
Mark’s Top 5
5. BT – Believe it or not, a good portion of his songs have some pretty rocking guitar riffs and some nasty lead bass lines.
4. “Rise” by The Doves – A minimally beautiful and deceptively complex song that would be at home in Guitar Hero.
3. The Happy Mondays – A rave rock band by ways of blues, perfect fodder for the game.
2. Gary Numan – I am not sure just how many songs from Numan are on Guitar Hero, but it is certainly not enough.
1. Love and Rockets – It’s time to put ALL of these genre straddling mad men’s songs on GH, the music is certainly tricky enough.
“That’s sick…I gotta update my status.”
“O man, I gotta harvest my crops before they wither.”
“Dude, this pic is so my new default!”
“Make sure you tag me in that!”
“Stop writing dumb shit on my wall!”
Ten years ago, this wouldn’t have made any sense. Maybe even five years ago. However, now, we speak is Facebook-isms. We update our status religiously. We search for “people we may know.” And we even play dumbass games, and in some cases, spend real money to have fake money in said games. All of this, because of the infamous social networking site which has captivated, and subsequently disembodied, millions upon millions.
I’m as guilty as any other twenty-something, as I update my status. Send out Facebook events. Send people virtual sheep. Tag myself in pictures. Share witticisms with the world at my heart’s content. But is this, all of this, really healthy? Or sane?
Do you find yourself updating your status, and then religiously checking it from your phone or the nearest computer? When you get a new notification, do you get stoked in the most detached, technological-barrier based way? My point in all of this – this isn’t making us any better. It’s making us worse. More dependent. More self-involved. More egotistical. More, well…this could go on for hours.
Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Zynga, and whatever other social networking distraction I don’t know about yet, turn us all into raging egotists. Our status is now the funniest shit ever. Our albums cleverly named for the world to see. Our profile pictures meticulously planned, taken, and posted. We even use our posts and status as ways to get back at exes and people we don’t like. And yet we still bitch about the lack of privacy. We bitch about the government. We bitch about GPS in our phones. Yet you’re creating your own little paper trail, voluntarily.
We create these profiles which try to take a snapshot of who we are. Now ask yourself, can you: all of you and your quirks, loves, hates, eccentricities, colloquialisms and favorite bands, books, and quotes, sum you up as a person? Can you be reduced to a few HTML encoded pages? If you say yes, I feel sorry for you.
And if I’m wrong, and human beings really can boil down to a bunch of lines of text and numbers, then we all have failed miserably as a species.
Why am I bringing up all of this, as I am just as guilty as the next person who takes a “what song are you” quiz, and why am I pointing all of this out? Because, something, somewhere, doesn’t feel right. We weren’t meant to create our own little digital world. We weren’t meant to say shit via FB that most people wouldn’t say in real life (Gladly I am not one of these people, but if you are a “facebook tough-guy” go back to playing Mob Wars and call me when you grow a pair.)
I just wanted to point out, that we as a culture are becoming addicted to a self-obsessed, egocentric, digital analog of our physical selves. This, I fear, will only get worse. And it can’t be healthy. I’m not a shrink, but it seems to me that getting approval and validation from comments and BS games, being “friends” with people who you have never met but who happen to know the same people as you, is a sterile, antiseptic, and socio-psychologically stunted existence.
I just think we should all be a little more wary of our technological dependence and spewing every little detail of our existence. Do you really need to twitter when you’re going to the mall, or the movies, or on a booty call? Social networking sites are indispensable for networking and using them for business, promotions, and to stay in touch with old friends or family. However, I can do without, us – as a culture – spewing our meaningless everyday bullshit on to the dis-information superhighway. Please step outside the box for a minute and have a look. I implore you.
I have a status update for you guys.
Stigz says cut the shit, and learn from the lost art of face-to-face conversation, still almost better than a college education.
This week NVMP tackles our favorite movie soundtracks. Soundtracks are interesting because depending upon whether it’s an original score or a veritable greatest hits of a particular decade, they can make or break a movie. I could go on a diatribe about bad movie soundtracks, but let’s jump into our favorite soundtracks instead!
Tina’s Top 5: 5. The Wedding Singer– A perfect compilation of some sweet 80s tracks, both vol I & II.
4. School of Rock – Enough said.
3. Juno – My love for Kimya Dawson started here ❤
2. A Knight’s Tale – I loved the placement of “Golden Years” in this movie, classic.
1. Freddy vs. Jason – The movie was terrible, the soundtrack will live forever. Heavy metal saved this movie.
Dan’s Top 5:
5. Juno– Off beat and a nice diversion from the usual radio fare you hear on soundtracks, this soundtrack was pleasantly mellow. .
4. Clueless
3. Forrest Gump
2. Cruel Intentions
1. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmasby Danny Elfman – Beautifully scored and sung, the music from Tim Burton’s cult masterpiece is a work of art. Catchy, funny and wildly macabre, Elfman’s score is as much a part of the overall experience as Jack Skellington.
Dave’s Top 5: 5. Pulp Fiction – If you never heard “Jungle Boogie” before this movie, you’ll never forget it once you own the soundtrack. And who could forget the Urge Overkill cover of “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon”?
4. The Who’s Tommy Original Broadway Cast Recording – This show was amazing, electrifying and riveting. The music was so bold, and full of passion, and there’s something about the music being sung by Broadway thespians that gives the songs a more emboldened quality, adding to the legend of the composers.
3. The Matrix – Every techno/sci-fi geek’s life was incomplete after seeing the movie until they bought the soundtrack.
2. The Queen of the Damned – The soundtrack was better than the movie. Had it been concocted as a collection of lead vocalists in the metal scene of the late 90s, early millennium, it would’ve been hailed as a must-have metal compilation.
1. David Lynch’s Lost Highway – A gritty film noir compendium, more sore than a simple soundtrack. This dark ride along side Bill Pullman in the movie’s final moments is an incredible collection of shadowy tunes from Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins and David Bowie, along side the subtle yet ominous tones of Angelo Bandelamenti, a David Lynch veteran cohort.
Honorable Mention: Reservoir Dogs, From Dusk ‘Till Dawn, The Crow
Stigz’s Top 5:
5. An American Werewolf in Paris – For some reason this soundtrack jumps out in my mind. Sick jams from old school phenoms like Bush and Better Than Ezra, plus bands I don’t even know are on it, and somehow, I never hit “next track”
4.Transformers – Kick ass soundtrack. Period. 3.American Pie 1 & 2 – The American Pie duo totally rocks out old school style, and reminds me of being back in high school and trying to figure out how to get out of just about everything. From Blink 182’s “I Guess This is Growing up” to Offspring when they were actually good, these soundtracks kick some adolescent, angst-soaked tunes.
2. The Departed – I guess Marty Scorsese just has some kick ass taste in music. And the Stones AND Dropkick Murphy’s in the same flick…think I just shat myself.
1. Goodfellas – A lot of the Stones, and a lot of classic old school jams. Definitely rocks on several levels.
Angela’s Top 5:
5. Scream
4. Fight Club
3. But I’m a Cheerleader
2. Walk The Line
1. American Beauty
Mark’s Top 5: 5. The Last Of The Mohicans– Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman. Jones and Edelman have created one of the most beautiful and sweeping scores to ever accompany a film. Both composers really use the orchestra to the fullest, succeeding in filling in the open space in this forest centered film with lush orchestral arrangements.
4. The Wedding Singer– This two volume soundtrack unleashes the best and cheesiest songs from the 80s, Boy George anyone?
3. Grosse Pointe Blank – If you went to high school in the 80s, then this 2 volume release is definitely the soundtrack of your life. The great selection of genre spanning tunes makes it so much more than your average “run of the mill” 80s soundtrack.
2. Monster – Bt – Electronic Composer ditches the synths and delves into Americana to sonically illustrate the journey that this film’s subject (Serial Killer Aileen Wournos) takes on her hitchhiking journeys through America. Fucking FANTASTIC score. Highly recommended
1. Rocky IV (1987)– All hail Vince DiCola for producing one of the GREATEST and easily recognizable 80s film soundtracks of all time. This synthesizer led score helped the movie montage reach its definitive peak, and showed that even Rocky Balboa had a weak spot for new wave-y goodness.
It’s no secret that achieving acclaim and stardom comes with a price. Think of any celebrity and there’s a good chance that at one time or another they’ve had to deal with a cadre of skeptics and nay-sayers (more commonly known as “haters” these days), and Andrew W.K. is no exception. 2010 started off with a fresh whirlwind of controversy for the “Party Hard” rocker, rife with flat out accusations that he is not the person we think he is, that “Andrew W.K.” doesn’t actually exist but is rather the result of a vast music industry conspiracy to brain-wash performers and turn them into idealized puppets. (Lady GaGa and Kanye West have been thrown into this mix as well.)
It started with a message posted by Andrew W.K. on YouTube.
This was followed by a message posted on his website.
If you’re like us at NVMP, you’re thinking, “What the hell is going on?!” Well, we went straight to the source to find out. We were lucky enough to score a phone interview with Andrew W.K. himself a few days ahead of his February 23rd appearance at Santos Party House in NYC, and had a chance to get his perspective on how this all got started and the real truth of the matter. Check out the highlights of the interview below and be on the lookout for our first Poser Free Podcast this week, featuring audio from the interview.
NeVerMindthePosers: So, from your perspective what is this controversy all about? How did this start?
Andrew W. K.: A lot of that started and has been going on just because of the way some of the way the press reacted at the beginning of the whole story…because I appeared out of nowhere, some people approached it with a more doubtful point of view, where I think they just figured it was too good to be true., or too whatever to be true. Rather than giving me the benefit of the doubt, they just went with the doubt and decided that they knew my whole story, when of course they didn’t. And at the time it was very frustrating for me to have people say that I’m not a real person, or that I didn’t make-up my music or that other people tell me what to do. But at the same time, there’s enough partial truth to a lot of the accusations or rumors that it’s still hard for me to really deny some of the elements. I mean, yes I’ve worked with people at my record labels, yes I have a team of people that I’ve worked with from the beginning. Yes, I have made efforts to approach what I do in a certain kind of spirit that to some people might seem like acting, but it really gets down to just how you really define these words. I think you can look at anything and pick it apart and convince yourself that it’s whatever you wanted to believe. So if people want to believe that I’m not real, I’m sure they’ll figure out a way to prove that to themselves and other people. But the fortunate thing, since I do exist, all I have to do is keep going on, and I kind of by default disprove a lot of these accusations.
NVMP: Well, we’re all supporting you here. We’re all behind you, 100%.
AWK: Well, I mean just by the fact that you’re speaking with me, I hope that you also understand now that I exist. I don’t take a lot of these things too seriously because it’s on such a level of absurdity, that when someone doesn’t believe I’m a real person for example, all I have to do is appear or live one more day, being a real person, to show that that’s not true. But even with all the proof I could ever offer people, they could still say that I’m lying or it’s not true…but I’m just trying to be present in this moment, I’ve always tried to be accessible…so I want to be here to respond to people, I may not be able to answer every question in a way that’s going to satisfy every single person, but I just want to say that I’m not hiding away at this time.
NVMP: Did you ever know a Steev Mike? Who is he?
AWK: That’s the producer on my first album, unaccredited on the second album, credited on the third one that’s coming out in March. Again, there’s not a lot of hidden facts when it comes to that kind of stuff, I just, there’s people whose names I don’t name and that allows them to have their privacy maintained over the years, and that’s really the biggest problem. When you make a promise to someone to keep something a secret, one side effect of it is that people assume that there’s some bad reason you’re keeping the secret, or that there’s something you’re trying to hide that is malicious or dark or something like that, but of course it’s only that some of the people I’ve worked with from the very beginning, part of the agreement was that they wanted privacy, certain types of privacy. I don’t care about that kind of privacy, that’s why I don’t obscure my name or anything like that, but there’s different people. Some people like to be in the spotlight, some people like to work behind the scenes…and some of them have a different way in which they manage their privacy. I can understand why someone might think there’s something fishy about that, but if you’ve ever made a promise to not tell a secret…you understand that it may not be a big deal, it’s not like it’s some big revelation, it’s just private.
NVMP: Yeah, you’re keeping your promise.
AWK: Yeah, and that’s something I take very, very seriously. I made this promise a long, long time ago, and made it over and over again….I guess the same way like when you marry someone, you make your vow, but part of keeping that vow is you sort of make that promise again every day. You empower the promise by repromising.
NVMP: Do you think that some of this stems from the fact that the public really has no idea that there are so many things that have to go on behind the scenes that are necessities, like business necessities, production necessities, strategic necessities? I mean once you become a name and achieve the level you have, you are sort of a brand, and you have to find a way to sort of keep that going so that the whole reason you started this doesn’t come crashing down.
AWK: Absolutely, exactly. You said it very well, and I appreciate you seeing it that way. I mean, I believe that things will move on, this too shall pass. It’s been surprising, and at first really frustrating. The only thing I can think of is when you come on real strong, and people can’t figure out where you came from. When they can’t trace that line back…people want to understand, it’s a natural human instinct to want to understand, but I think that the confusion begins when we confuse the rest of our experiences with entertainment and show business. I don’t know that entertainment is designed or best served, or the audience is best served by understanding in most cases. I think just experiencing is really the fun of it, and trying to understand can sort of chip away at the joy of just reveling in being entertained and having fun with whatever performance you’re encountering.
You can hear more from Andrew W. K. in the pilot episode of the Poser Free Podcast, the official radio show compendium to Nevermind The Posers. The show features more of the great music news and reviews from the editors and writers of Nevermind The Posers, as well as audio from interviews with artists, indie tracks, concert reviews and more. So check out the latest addition to our bill of fare, and don’t forget to leave some comments below. What do you think of what Andrew W. K. had to say?
Klone’s #1 Song of All Time
1. “Would?” by: Alice In Chains (1992) – First appearing on the soundtrack to the 1992 film Singles, “Would?” was a prominent track off of Alice In Chains’ second studio album Dirt (1992), and has since been considered a gem to come out of the alt/grunge rock “Seattle Sound” movement of the early 90s. The song has a timelessness that allows it to transcend the typical “Seattle song” and still be palatable several musical movements later. Lyrically, the song is a reflection on the life and friendship of fellow Seattle band Mother Love Bone’s lead singer Andrew Wood, who died of a heroin overdose in 1990. Ironically, Alice In Chains lead singer Layne Staley succumbed to heroin addiction 12 years later in 2002. More somber than most of their signature songs (“Man In The Box” ‘91, “Bleed The Freak” ‘91, “Them Bones” ‘92), “Would?” is hauntingly melodic, and has withstood the test of time. By being accessible to the grunge rock audience and the rock fans who have since followed, the song isn’t tied to the generational rebellion that made Seattle acts like Nirvana so celebrated and acclaimed, and is able to stand on its own strength.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Would%3F
Tina’s #1 Song of All Time 1. “Uncle John’s Band” by the Grateful Dead – This was an easy choice for my number one song of all time. People often wonder how I could ever just pick one song that was my favorite of all time, but it’s a landslide win with UJB. I’ve always had a strong connection with this song. The lyrics just answer any question you could ever think of. My mind just goes to a parade of music taking place by a river; no stress, nothing to worry about, just great music, having fun, and maybe a life lesson or two. If I had to pick my happy place (like in Happy Gilmore) I would imagine me grooving with Uncle John’s Band and of course, with this song on repeat.
Dan’s #1 Song of All Time 1. “In My Arms” by Kylie Minogue – Sweet without being saccharine, upbeat without wandering into pop-fodder territory, “In My Arms” is simply delicious. Kylie’s voice bounces along the 80s synthesizers and hand-clapping with the energy of a lovestruck teenager. The song is a delicious little pop gem that’s on nearly all of my playlists, and has almost 500 plays on my iTunes. It’s fun, upbeat, and great to dance to.
Mark’s #1 Song of All Time 1. Foreplay/Long Time by Boston – Nothing but wonderful nostalgia is what makes this song Number 1 on this list for me. I remember being 2 or 3 years old and dancing with my Aunt on my Grandparent’s coffee table, listening to the minute and a half instrumental rock-out over and over while pretending to play the drums.
Greg’s #1 Song of All Time 1. Sweet Mistakes by Ellis Paul – “Pop the cork the champagne glass raise to the future drink to the past.” Just hearing those words sends me back to a very important retreat senior year of high school. Listening to it now brings a tear to my eye still. The emotion behind the words, and the way he sings combine to make a powerful ode to growing up and finding your own way. Even typing this now and listening to it, I feel such strong emotions. There are some songs that no matter how it has been since you heard it last, the first few notes instantly affect you, bring you back to a moment, a place, a person or even just a feeling. This song does that to me. “Bless your sweet mistakes that crumble you down to your knees, that brought you to this place, changing you by degrees…when change was just what you needed.”
Financially draining, time-consuming, and often, silly lawsuits are nothing new in the numbingly complex music industry. It runs especially rampant in the world of rap. Just type in a rap artist or producer’s name along with the term ‘copyright infringement’ to see how common it is.
Lil Wayne
So it comes as no surprise that yet another artist becomes entangled in the intricate webs of lawsuit-dom. In a February 22nd blurb inUncut Magazine (online)[1], rap artist Lil Wayne and his label, Cash Money records, are being sued for copyright infringement over the tune “Mrs. Officer”, from his 2008 album Tha Carter III. According to the $2.5 million dollar lawsuit, producer of the song Darius ‘Deezle’ Harrison and music publisher The Royalty Network[2] claim they own the rights to the song, and rights to any profits from ring tones, music videos or streaming media[3].
Regardless of your level of expertise in the industry, it is not hard to see that there are a lot of people involved in the recording process. Having a look at the liner notes inside of an album’s booklet shows just a fraction of the people involved in the making of a record. Being that there are so many factors, it is not surprising that someone at some point would have a problem. For this particular case, let’s quickly examine the two biggest trouble areas in this case, songwriting and producing.
The task of songwriting is very self-explanatory: they are hired to write and usually arrange a song, tailoring it specifically to fit the hiring artists’ wishes. In the case of “Mrs. Officer”, reviewing the credits on the album would show that the writing credits are given to not two but three people: Dwayne Carter, Darius Harrison, and Robert Wilson (Lil Wayne, Deezle, and guest artist Bobby Valentino, respectively)[1]. From a publishing standpoint, this would suggest that any money a publishing house collects off of any media use would then be awarded to and divided between the credited writers.
A producer is a bit more involved; they are essentially responsible for the overall recording process. Their multiple tasks include but are not limited to: finding a studio, determining recording dates, hiring the necessary mixers/engineers/additional musicians, etc. And if one hires a more hands on producer like a Timbaland, Dr. Dre, or Kanye West, the responsibilities can grow to include: performance, sampling, programming beats, weeding out demos, song arrangements, track list selection, and even personally mixing and engineering the record. In this area, ‘Deezle’ Harrison is credited as the sole producer of the song.
But does performing either of these difficult tasks mean that ‘Deezle’ has the right to claim ownership over a song that isn’t completely his? Not necessarily.
Don't get ahead of yourself Deezle
In the process of recording an album, it is fairly normal for both producers and songwriters to be hired on a work for hire basis[2][4]; they are hired independently for that specific task and are paid some type of set fee upfront. More importantly, this means that unless it is specified otherwise in the contract for the job, being for-hire involves the limiting or giving up of rights to the song and waiving collection of any future publishing money, so long as they are paid for the task and (usually) credited. Basically, once they complete the task that they have been paid to do, they are absolved from any further involvement with the album, unless stated otherwise.
This doesn’t improve things on the Royalty Network front, as their ability to collect money from profits depends on whether or not the work on the song was a work for hire. If not, then they are not entitled to anything; if it was a collaboration with any type of specific publishing details being worked out, then it’s time to pony up.
But this still doesn’t address who lays claim to the actual ownership of the song, which seems to be the big deciding factor here. It would be great to get more in-depth with the rights and laws that are involved within this type of case, but there are only so many hours in a day; only so much a person with a life can devote. So unfortunately, not much else can be said without conjuring up a migraine of technicalities.
But if you were to ask me, I’d say that it’s just another case of a producer greatly overestimating his importance, mixed with a publishing company’s attempts to milk the current cash-cow that is Lil Wayne on the back of one it its clients.
It’s nice to know that in an attempt to make a living off of creating, there are always money-minded sharks willing to ruin it for everyone. Shame, shame, shame.
Klone’s #2 Song of All Time
2. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana (1991) – Goodbye 1980s and pop rock. Goodbye all conventions of popular music. Goodbye big hair and make-up, and repetitive, catchy lyrics about lust and being loud. Nirvana changed the entire scope of music with the 1991 release of their album Nevermind, driven by the first track and first single from the album “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. This song opened the doorway for alternative rock to dominate the mainstream. The track was instantly consumed and celebrated by a young audience, heralded by Generation X as its new anthem, and a clear sign that the previous generation’s artists (bands like Warrant, Motley Crue, Winger) were no longer the flavor of choice for modern rock fans. The emergence of Nirvana harkened back to other game-changing acts like the Sex Pistols, and even Jimi Hendrix.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smells_Like_Teen_Spirit
Tina’s #2 Song of All Time
2. “Jessica” by The Allman Brothers Band – This song puts the biggest smile on my face. It’s a seven minute instrumental song and every second is pure ecstasy to my ears. This song is probably where my love of the Hammond organ came from. I could dance forever to this song, it brings out my inner hippie. “Jessica” is a must for any road trip on a beautiful day.
Dan’s #2 Song of All Time 2. “What You Waiting For?” by Gwen Stefani – When I heard Gwen was going solo, I was intrigued, and her first solo single blew me away. I fell in love with it instantly, and I loved the video. The hook was catchy, you could get up and dance to it, and it was undeniably Gwen.
Mark’s #2 Song of All Time 2. “Flaming June” by BT – One of the first BT songs that I made an emotional connection with. The more I listen, the deeper of a chord that it strikes within me, as it usually acts as a soundtrack for my trips down memory lane.
Greg’s #2 Song of All Time 2. “Poprocks & Coke” by Green Day – This is a song that not only illustrates a time in my life, but a theme of my life as well. I really try to treat my friends this way, “you know I’ll be there”, as I know that my friends will be there for me. This was a hard choice seeing as there are so many Green Day songs that I truly love, but this one sticks out. It’s just such a simple anthem of friendship, true and lasting friendship.
Klone’s #3 Song of All Time
3. “Enter Sandman” by Metallica (1991) – This was the song that made it “ok” for anyone to listen to metal. The first cut off of their self-titled 1991 album Metallica (commonly known as The Black Album), this song single-handedly propelled the band to a status of popularity unseen by metal bands prior, and solidified them as a pop-culture power-house. Bringing their rough and edgy sound out of the shadows of the underground metal circles (that had already hailed the band as gods amongst men), and making them a household name, “Enter Sandman” also served as a fierce retort to the 1989 Grammy Awards, where Jethro Tull beat out Metallica for the Best Heavy Metal Album award. (The 1989 Metallica Album …And Justice For All lost to Tull’s Crest of a Knave at the 1989 Grammy Awards). The popularity of this song made Metallica the litmus test for heavy metal going forward. (This was also the first song I ever learned to play on bass.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enter_Sandman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…And_Justice_for_All_(album
Tina’s #3 Song of All Time 3. “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie – I think about this song on a daily basis. I just love everything about it, the music, the lyrics, the beats, the um bu bu bum da de’s, the feeling I get when I hear it (not to mention the obvious connection between anyone’s life and these lyrics) and the fact that performing this masterpiece are legends Queen and David Bowie, together! There is an uplifting part of the song, when Freddy Mercury says “why can’t we give love that one more chance?” It gives me the image of a pressured day/week/life eventually getting better. Ee day da – that’s o’kay!
Dan’s #3 Song of All Time 3. “Out of Control (State of Emotion)” by Kenna – I got this song as one of iTune’s Discovery Downloads one Tuesday, but didn’t listen to it immediately. When shuffle finally landed on this song, I fell in love with it and Kenna’s music. This song captures the feeling of having your world engulfed by the joy and uncertainty of love and not being able to do anything about it.
Mark’s #3 Song of All Time 3. “Spirits in the Material World” by The Police – My favorite rock band ever with one of the catchiest and danceable songs to ever come out of the 80s. While it may seem that the synth riff purposely layered over the guitar muffles their reggae influences and cheeses up the song, to me it makes the song a lot more fun and still pretty badass.
Greg’s #3 Song of All Time 3. “Obla-Di Obla-Da” by The Beatles – This is my favorite Beatles song, and number three of my favorites of all time. “Obla-di Obla-da life goes onnn na na na na life goes on,” I really try to live my live this way. The sun will rise and tears will fall, but life goes on. There is nothing so serious that we can’t get over one day, life goes on. Also now it doesn’t hurt that in the song they talk about a man named ‘Desmond’ – shame he’s not on an island 😉
Nevermind The Posers 