I enjoyed the TOTP Christmas special. But then I liked the majority of the songs on it, with the exception of Tinie Tempah and Coldplay.
2010 has had some of the best music in the charts for a long time. I know it's considered typical to say "music today isn't as good as it used to be", but those songs chosen for TOTP this year are (a) all pretty good songs, and (b) a good variety. You've got R&B in there, along with dance, bluesy/swing, and a couple of ballads thrown in for good measure. In previous years we might have seen pretty much all R&B or all dance, but there was something for everyone this year I felt.
Yeah, it wasn't that bad until the dreaded X factor single at the end. *shudder*
I suppose so, but why the hell can't the present day singers/groups produce decent Christmas songs any more?
They do! The roughly 30 Christmas songs you hear on repeat every year were created over a period of roughly 30 years. Thats an average of one per year.
Each year nowadays we get one or two new songs. Just because you havent had them drilled into your brain every year since you can remember doesnt mean theyre any worse than the usual suspects.
A few songs from recent years I can think of off the top of my head:
Mariah Carey - Oh Santa
Coldplay - Christmas Lights
George Michael - December Song
Geraldine McQueen - Once Upon A Xmas Song (novelty but fun and cheery)
The Darkness - Christmas Time (Dont Let The Bells End)
The Wombats - Is This Christmas?
New Christmas songs come out every year, you just never hear them, because everyone would prefer to hear traditional ones we're used to.
What they show on TOTP is 'popular' music. I'm sure when you were all younger your parents thought music from when they grew up was better 'than the rubbish in the charts today'. They play that music because it's popular and because people like it. I only liked a few songs, but I understand that everyone has different taste.
I think what people have a problem with is remembering that in the 70s and 80s whilst there was a lot of fantastic music around, there was also a lot of painful crap around too. But most of the painful crap gets erased from all memory as some of us just don't want to remember being an adolescent and the embarrassing things I did to "Kung Fu Fighting" and the less said about "Too Shy" by Kajagoogoo the better!
All those drunken nights failing to get off with anyone and bouncing around the dance floor like Louis Spence on speed.
I enjoyed the TOTP Christmas special. But then I liked the majority of the songs on it, with the exception of Tinie Tempah and Coldplay.
2010 has had some of the best music in the charts for a long time. I know it's considered typical to say "music today isn't as good as it used to be", but those songs chosen for TOTP this year are (a) all pretty good songs, and (b) a good variety. You've got R&B in there, along with dance, bluesy/swing, and a couple of ballads thrown in for good measure. In previous years we might have seen pretty much all R&B or all dance, but there was something for everyone this year I felt.
The number of songs this year I actively, genuinely liked (and bought) rather than just listened to when they happened to be on was very high. Maybe music's starting to get good again ;-)
Your definition of "dirge" must be different from mine and the OED's, then, because whether you like the music or not, there is very little in the charts that could be considered "dirge".
I agree, it was fairly representative of this years music which hasnt really been that bad. The only real omission would be some good rock/punk type music, but if it hasnt really charted, what can you do?
Those saying it was rubbish music and they dont like anything in the charts just sound like anyones parents and that has always gone on. I expect the parents of fans of the young Elvis in the late 50's said the same, and now those Elvis fans are saying it, and probably even THEIR children are saying it:D I am 50 though, but move with the times and like a lot of what is around( I have already grabbed my daughters Rihanna & Nicki Minaj cds for my ipod).
I say bring it back on a permanent basis. I dont have time to watch music channels, but like to see the artists that I listen to on the radio, performing, and would rather see a full programme of it than just catching odd performances on shows like Alan Carr.
Apparently these were the songs played on yesterday's TOTP Christmas Special:
• Cee Lo Green - Forget You [Performance]
• Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed [Performance]
• Jason Derulo - Ridin' Solo [Performance]
• Katy Perry - Firework [Radio 1's Teen Awards Performance]
• Olly Murs - Please Don't Let Me Go [Performance]
• Eliza Doolittle - Pack Up [Performance]
• Scouting For Girls - This Ain't A Love Song [Performance]
• Take That - The Flood [Children in Need Performance]
• Tinie Tempah - Pass Out [Performance]
• JLS - Love You More [Performance]
• Plan B - She Said [Performance]
• Coldplay - Christmas Lights [Performance]
• Matt Cardle - When We Collide [Promo Video]
The only one of those songs I even remotely like is the one from Ellie Goulding, so I decided to stick with 'Scrooged' on C4 rather than tune in to this.
I think 2010 has been the best year for new music this decade - HOWEVER, that is music OUTSIDE of the charts, which are getting progressively worse.
Great new releases this year from Iron Maiden, Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet For My Valentine, Tarja, The Pretty Reckless, Slash, Gogol Bordello, Apocalyptica...all excellent rock/metal bands that you won't hear in the charts :cool:
And no I'm not an old person reminiscing - I'm 21, but I am fortunate to have a working pair of ears and so can admit that music from the 70s and 80s > 00s!:D
I'm 19, and I miss some of the stuff from the 90's, and I've even listened to things from the 80's and beyond that too, some of the quality in songs that become memorable makes the last few years look mediocre.
Comments
They do! The roughly 30 Christmas songs you hear on repeat every year were created over a period of roughly 30 years. Thats an average of one per year.
Each year nowadays we get one or two new songs. Just because you havent had them drilled into your brain every year since you can remember doesnt mean theyre any worse than the usual suspects.
A few songs from recent years I can think of off the top of my head:
Mariah Carey - Oh Santa
Coldplay - Christmas Lights
George Michael - December Song
Geraldine McQueen - Once Upon A Xmas Song (novelty but fun and cheery)
The Darkness - Christmas Time (Dont Let The Bells End)
The Wombats - Is This Christmas?
New Christmas songs come out every year, you just never hear them, because everyone would prefer to hear traditional ones we're used to.
Yes, good to see that again.
Hopefully CH5 will pick up some more old TOTP & re-run them from the 70s & 80s
Music as it should be and was!
All those drunken nights failing to get off with anyone and bouncing around the dance floor like Louis Spence on speed.
Now that we have multiple video channels and music videos on demand via the internet, TOTP has less of a monopoly.
I agree, it was fairly representative of this years music which hasnt really been that bad. The only real omission would be some good rock/punk type music, but if it hasnt really charted, what can you do?
Those saying it was rubbish music and they dont like anything in the charts just sound like anyones parents and that has always gone on. I expect the parents of fans of the young Elvis in the late 50's said the same, and now those Elvis fans are saying it, and probably even THEIR children are saying it:D I am 50 though, but move with the times and like a lot of what is around( I have already grabbed my daughters Rihanna & Nicki Minaj cds for my ipod).
I say bring it back on a permanent basis. I dont have time to watch music channels, but like to see the artists that I listen to on the radio, performing, and would rather see a full programme of it than just catching odd performances on shows like Alan Carr.
Great new releases this year from Iron Maiden, Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet For My Valentine, Tarja, The Pretty Reckless, Slash, Gogol Bordello, Apocalyptica...all excellent rock/metal bands that you won't hear in the charts :cool:
And no I'm not an old person reminiscing - I'm 21, but I am fortunate to have a working pair of ears and so can admit that music from the 70s and 80s > 00s!:D