“The best music is outside the charts” – Anyone else agree?
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I’m probably going to get shot down in flames here but I will give it a shot anyway! 
I saw the above quote a while ago on this forum and decided that I pretty much agree with it and wondered if anyone else here does as well?
First off, before people start saying that I must be one of these people that only likes music from ages ago or that I only like a specific type that’s not in the charts, therefore I bound to complain about modern chart music – well this is not the case. I like a whole range of music genres such as:
- Instrumental/Ambient
- Soundtracks
- [Various types of] Rock
- [Various types of] Metal
- [Various types of] Indie
- Grunge
- Electronica…
…and much more. I also like music from the ‘60’s (well before I was born) right through to the present day, so therefore my music taste is quite varied in terms of genre and age. I’d also like to point out that although I really like the music I listen to and think it’s great I know there will be people out there that don’t like it and I respect that they like other stuff that I may not. Despite this, I have to say that I think chart music for about the last 10-15 years has been rubbish (with the odd few exceptions) and that the better music is the stuff that doesn’t make it into the charts or the music/artists that are outside of the charts and are either unknown or have very little exposure.
The reason I believe this and agree with the quote in the title is because the music that rarely makes the charts or is outside of them is, in my opinion, much more varied in terms of genre and the artists trying new things as they progress with each song or album. These tunes/artists also cover a wider range of topics in their albums and lyrics with the majority of them producing strong lyrics about a range of topics (such as religion, war, death, relationships, growing up, mental health, relaxation, party tunes and more) something I don’t think is covered by chart music.
As well as this most of these other artists write their own material and nearly all of them play their own instruments. Also the music by these artists is far less manufactured with auto tune and similar things and as a result you can hear the rawness of the tune and you can actually hear the instruments (whether they be violins, pianos, electric guitars, drums etc) which is one of the reasons why I listen to music.
In my opinion the reason(s) chart music is so bad is because of the following things:
- There seems to be only three types of people/artists in the charts – boy bands (Take That, Westlife etc), girl bands (The Saturdays etc) and solo males or females (Gaga, Cheryl Cole, Pixie etc)
- All of the above artists/people all seem to produce the same type/genre of music and as a result they all sound very similar
- Pretty much all chart music sounds over produced and there is no rawness to it – you cannot hear the music/instruments most of the time because of all this auto tune stuff and so on
- The majority of artists don’t play their own instruments
- Some artists in the charts don’t even write all of their own material
- The majority of chart songs have rubbish/simple lyrics
- The majority of chart songs come across as cheesy/corny
- Chart songs seem to have a limited range of topics covered by the lyrics of the songs – these seem to be: Relationships (boyfriend/girlfriend/friends/parents), the singers personal experience, fame etc
- The artists seem to dish out the same type of material (genre and content) over and over again with each new song and album without any variety or being daring enough to try something new.
- A lot of the artists seem to do risky stuff (Gaga’s fashion sense) or wear hardly any clothes or wear “fashionable” clothes or loads of make-up which I see as an attempt to help sell their music
I think that’s everything – rant over! Is there anyone else here that feels the same as me? Anyone agree with the quote? Anyone not agree? If not, why not? Let’s debate….
I saw the above quote a while ago on this forum and decided that I pretty much agree with it and wondered if anyone else here does as well?First off, before people start saying that I must be one of these people that only likes music from ages ago or that I only like a specific type that’s not in the charts, therefore I bound to complain about modern chart music – well this is not the case. I like a whole range of music genres such as:
- Instrumental/Ambient
- Soundtracks
- [Various types of] Rock
- [Various types of] Metal
- [Various types of] Indie
- Grunge
- Electronica…
…and much more. I also like music from the ‘60’s (well before I was born) right through to the present day, so therefore my music taste is quite varied in terms of genre and age. I’d also like to point out that although I really like the music I listen to and think it’s great I know there will be people out there that don’t like it and I respect that they like other stuff that I may not. Despite this, I have to say that I think chart music for about the last 10-15 years has been rubbish (with the odd few exceptions) and that the better music is the stuff that doesn’t make it into the charts or the music/artists that are outside of the charts and are either unknown or have very little exposure.
The reason I believe this and agree with the quote in the title is because the music that rarely makes the charts or is outside of them is, in my opinion, much more varied in terms of genre and the artists trying new things as they progress with each song or album. These tunes/artists also cover a wider range of topics in their albums and lyrics with the majority of them producing strong lyrics about a range of topics (such as religion, war, death, relationships, growing up, mental health, relaxation, party tunes and more) something I don’t think is covered by chart music.
As well as this most of these other artists write their own material and nearly all of them play their own instruments. Also the music by these artists is far less manufactured with auto tune and similar things and as a result you can hear the rawness of the tune and you can actually hear the instruments (whether they be violins, pianos, electric guitars, drums etc) which is one of the reasons why I listen to music.
In my opinion the reason(s) chart music is so bad is because of the following things:
- There seems to be only three types of people/artists in the charts – boy bands (Take That, Westlife etc), girl bands (The Saturdays etc) and solo males or females (Gaga, Cheryl Cole, Pixie etc)
- All of the above artists/people all seem to produce the same type/genre of music and as a result they all sound very similar
- Pretty much all chart music sounds over produced and there is no rawness to it – you cannot hear the music/instruments most of the time because of all this auto tune stuff and so on
- The majority of artists don’t play their own instruments
- Some artists in the charts don’t even write all of their own material
- The majority of chart songs have rubbish/simple lyrics
- The majority of chart songs come across as cheesy/corny
- Chart songs seem to have a limited range of topics covered by the lyrics of the songs – these seem to be: Relationships (boyfriend/girlfriend/friends/parents), the singers personal experience, fame etc
- The artists seem to dish out the same type of material (genre and content) over and over again with each new song and album without any variety or being daring enough to try something new.
- A lot of the artists seem to do risky stuff (Gaga’s fashion sense) or wear hardly any clothes or wear “fashionable” clothes or loads of make-up which I see as an attempt to help sell their music
I think that’s everything
– rant over! Is there anyone else here that feels the same as me? Anyone agree with the quote? Anyone not agree? If not, why not? Let’s debate…. 0
Comments
The charts are a tiny percentage (40 songs at any one time after all, and it doesn't replenish itself very often) of what goes on in the music industry. Especially if one extends it to being of any time and place, there's no way the UK top 40 at any given time can compete with the vast scope of worldwide music to have ever existed. We can take our pickings from all of that, the creme of the crop for our tastes.
Most of the chart is lowest common denominator stuff, which is rarely describable as 'best' or 'better' than anything more risky/polarising/creative. I love pop music, but it's looked down upon so much now because of what it's assumed to be - or what it now means. Pop can be clever too. Some of our most iconic music legends were well versed in it. It's a shame that it's become a go-to for stupid, forgettable trash. The easy way into music, run by money hungry labels.
That said, there are obviously some exceptions about today. I'm definitely not one to dismiss all current music as bad. Gaga, for example, is an exception for me because she is a talented musician and sings about things beyond the generic. There's intelligence to her work, even it is sonically not to your taste. I'd say Marina, Robyn, Florence etc. have brought high-brow pop to the table too, even if the masses didn't catch on as much as it deserved.
There is MORE music outside the charts.
That's the OPs flaw.
P.S. Don't get me wrong, I don't like much of what's in the charts, but it's all down to the personal taste of those buying the music. It's only 40 songs. There are probably much more than 40 songs being created by the minute worldwide.:)
What you should have said was that YOU think all chart music sounds the same/similar, to me every song sounds different, just because they are of the same genre it doesnt mean they all sound the same, every song has different lyrics, instrumentals etc. Though lately I must confess I do see where you're coming from, as much as i love my artists, sometimes I wish they would try something a little different, but yeah, I guess to me nothing sounds the same. If you were to play me 2 songs by oasis i would probably think they were identical!
True statement. More than obvious, but yes, true.
That said, chart/pop acts do serve a purpose - they keep the great unwashed out of all the good gigs :cool:
Quoted for fact. Also the OP mentioned one of the faults being some artists not writing all their music. That doesnt make an artists music bad. It doesnt make a song bad. It didnt stop Elvis, Sinatra and many Motown artists being highly respected. And some people will ONLY like chart music. They are as right as anyone else. Having said that, most of what I listen to is outside the charts. It doesnt make it any "better" than any other music, just what I prefer.
I know people who live by the "if it was any good, it would be in the charts" ethos and therefore miss out on some great tracks by their own snobiness.
And by the same token there are people who live by the 'if its in the charts it must be appealing to the lowest common denominator and be of no artistic merit' ethos and therefore miss out on some great tracks by their own snobbiness.
Absolutely. What's "best" in one person's eyes might be the exact opposite in another's.
That said, I do like some chart music. It's not up to me whether chart music is the "best" out there, but at the moment anyway, the vast majority of music which I like and buy tend not to chart particularly highly.
One of my personal favourites
Pretty much the entire Overpowered album
I'd probably go for Movie Star or Primitive, and yourself?
Somebody somewhere should investigate how a certain few are guaranteed to be on the playlists of all radio stations while others get no airplay at all. Think it might have something to do with brown envelopes and their contents.