The Times They Are a-Changin’ - Not Really

I’m keeping this blog a PG affair, but this is a blue topic. Fair warning, that was.

I keep finding that my perceptions of history are flawed. Things that seem to have sprung up overnight rarely do and humankind hasn’t evolved nearly as fast or as far as we think it has. For example, as a kid (back when the world revolved me), I assumed that suggestive lyrics began only when they first suggested something to me.

Perhaps some of my confusion came from my awareness that the birth of rock ‘n’ roll was not welcomed by parents or church leaders. Of course, I thought they were really reaching to read something bad into the popular songs of that day. Plus, I had yet to hear anything more suggestive than, “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” when that impression of empty concern was formed. So, I sort of got the notion that songs before 1955 couldn’t possibly have anything objectionable about them. I’ve since been schooled.

I think credit goes to the PBS show, “History Detectives.” Maybe if your a blues student, you already know this, but there’s a whole collection of old blues songs that are bona fide naughty. Is that funny? Is that disturbing? I don’t know. I guess in a sad way, I find it comforting that the media world—the internet, television . . . movies with sound—isn’t the singular spoiler it’s sometimes been made out to be; that is, human beings were already a mischievous sort.

If you’re curious, check out the song titles and audio samples of the CD “Raunchy Business: Hot Nuts & Lollypops” on Amazon.com. Here’s a sample of lyrics recorded in 1935 by Lil’ Johnson:

“Look what you can get cheap! Only five cents, boys! Nice and brown, too! Everyone’s crazy ’bout my nuts!”

The song’s called “Get ‘Em From the Peanut Man (Hot Nuts),” and I still can’t believe my eyes/ears. Think of it: there’s a Parental Advisory—Explicit Lyrics sticker on pre-WWII material.

Say, is that his real name?

How Open Are You?

I’m not sure how we get hooked on our favorite types of music. I learned early on that my musical tastes were not at all inherited. Of course, I like to think that I am so open-minded that music in all it’s forms should appeal to me. Well, that’s silly.

I think musical tastes is sometimes broadened by passive listening. Movies have all types of music in them. Sometimes a little unintentional exposure hooks you into something new. At the same time, I suppose, movies are also powerful purveyors of stereotypes. And, just like with everything else, it’s easy for us to treat areas we have little knowledge of or interest in with stereotypes. For example, those who turn their nose up at American Country music probably think of it terms of twang, cowboy hats, and the clichès about losing your woman, your truck, and your dog, and then recall the least persuasive appealing memory of those icons.

I always rolled my eyes at the college course titles about appreciation of the arts, but it makes more and more sense to me. If you don’t appreciate some form of art that other people adore, you may not know enough about it. I confess I’m taken in by those Time-Life (and similar) nostalgia music collection infomercials. It’s a great way to see what—well, at least Time-Life says are the essential songs of a particular kind of music at a particular time in history.

Well, anyway, is there a particular kind of music you once thought you detested or at least didn’t care for that you had an epiphany about? In other words, how’s your musical tastes changed since you were a kid?

Don’t Forget to Name that Singing Bee

Decades ago there was a game show called “Name That Tune”. It asked contestants to listen to a “house orchestra” play a few notes from a popular song and, as the title says, “name that tune.” I guess that might be a lot easier than Joey Fatone’s “Don’t Forget the Lyrics” or Wayne Brady’s “The Singing Bee,” but there was always the final round where contestants challenged each other to identify a song in the fewest number of notes. And I saw people actually identify a song with only two notes to go on.

Actually, I’m surprised to see the newest music shows. With the growing media and music choices you wonder how there could still be a common pool of songs, books, movies, TV shows, etc. that a culture at large is familiar with. And yet there it is. Oh, I’m not about to analyze it all scientifically here, but I suspect that even as a diverse culture and even with our growing tendency to customize and personalize our immediate environment, I think that we still have a need to be a part of the group as a whole. What do you think?

Just the Strings, Please…

I have been spoiled by MIDI. Back when you could download a MIDI rendition of about any popular piece of music, I liked to isolate tracks and try to figure out how a cool piece of music came together. I sometimes wish I could do that with live perfomances I see on TV, especially when there’s a great electronic-sounding bass line and the camera’s on a singer. I still want to know what the bass line looks like. And sometimes I wish I knew what the piano sounded like because I’m not hearing any piano.

Just out of curiosity, which kid in the Partridge Family could somehow sound like a string section?

Is the Lady of the Song Available?

We’ve all had the experience of listening to music that just seems like noise to us, about as interesting and meaningful as feedback. Speaking of “Feedback,” I just took a listen to Janet Jackson’s new single “Feedback.” It is indeed a lot of noise. Now, I’m not saying it’s bad and I certainly have enjoyed some of Janet’s music, but how much of it is her?

I guess the “Johnny Bravo” idea has stuck with me all these years—that’s the Brady Bunch episode where Greg ditches a recording career because the record producers are more interested in the costume and the sound of the record than whether or not it sounds like Greg Brady aka “Johnny Bravo”. I guess I figure that when you hear a Billy Joel song, you go, “Kudos to Billy Joel for that song,” because he writes and plays instruments, so that whatever it sounds like, you assume it was all him. But for someone who’s not a songwriter (right?) and only has her voice to give to a recording, with a song like “Feedback,” with wall-to-wall sound that covers and distracts from the singer, you wonder what the appeal is for the singer. Would it sound a lot different with someone else?

I guess I need to get with the modern music world.

That’s it for David Hayes aka D-Boy featuring Slap-Happy and Big-Town, produced by Sinclair Sound for How’s This Sound on a Logitech Keyboard at Nowhere Studios. (We could fill the stage at the Blogger.com award show).