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The use of the word era |
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#1 |
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,554
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The use of the word era
It may seem a small thing, but why are people using the wourd era to describe the release of a single album, e.g. the born this way era!. Is the world album or even period too hard for some people to spell?
I agree some artists do have different eras to their music, Madonna has had a few, as has Kylie. But an album is not an era! |
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#2 |
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Join Date: Aug 2006
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Era doesn't just mean an album. It just means a period of time when an artist had a particular sound or image.
Sometimes it can be multiple albums (like how Ke$ha's still in her first era, despite two albums and a remix album) or just one (like Rihanna's red haired Loud era) or no albums (Justin Timberlake right now, or Christina's post-Bionic era). It's a term coined by Billboard Magazine, so it's legit. |
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#3 |
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: In England
Posts: 4,349
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it's crap aint it, it's marketing speak for "forget what you've heard before the future starts here'. Then it turns out to be the same old crap tweaked a bit
![]() the phrase 'new album' would do |
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#4 |
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: London
Posts: 2,667
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In the case of some artist's, the word 'error' would be more appropriate.
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#5 |
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Join Date: Jul 2004
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Quote:
Era doesn't just mean an album. It just means a period of time when an artist had a particular sound or image.
Sometimes it can be multiple albums (like how Ke$ha's still in her first era, despite two albums and a remix album) or just one (like Rihanna's red haired Loud era) or no albums (Justin Timberlake right now, or Christina's post-Bionic era). It's a term coined by Billboard Magazine, so it's legit. The ones that are really annoying me are the Gaga fans who think a second album, with very little change is a new 'era' |
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#6 |
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: London
Posts: 9,190
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Majority of Fan bases use it. It just helps with each album and its not just about the albums its everything from start to finish.
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#7 |
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Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 7,408
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I think it's ridiculously overused. Like the OP says, people are using it to describe individual albums now, so Rihanna has had about 5 different 'eras', which is ludicrous.
An 'era', in my book, has to be a defined period of a time over which a band/artist followed a certain artistic direction before changing. So, taking Metallica as an example: Kill' Em All/Ride The Lightning/Master of Puppets/And Justice For All: Thrash Era Black Album/Load/Reload: Hard-Rock/Heavy-Metal Era S&M/St. Anger: Experimental era Death Magnetic/Beyond Magnetic/New Album: "Return to roots" era |
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#8 |
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,282
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Worst term ever. I cringe every time I see someone use it.
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#9 |
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#10 |
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Join Date: Jul 2011
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The term describes the period before the album (announcements, hints etc), the lead single, the album's release, the album's chart run, all the singles and the videos, the promotion and the tour.I agree that the term might be a little to heavy since most artists do all the above in 1 year, but for some reason the word "period" just doesn't sound right, even though technically it would describe the exact same things
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#11 |
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,417
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It's because of Wikipedia the term has become popular.
Wikipedia Guidelines prefer the term "era" over other similar meaning words. |
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#12 |
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 3,436
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I think it is overused but it makes sense to apply it to certain artists who change the sound and/or their look a lot. There are other artists who always have the same sound and look over their whole career so they don't have eras.
I think an era can span more than one album. Sometimes an artist will have the same sound for a couple of albums, but then change to a different sound for the following albums. |
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#13 |
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 30,200
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I love the word era and i never used it before i joined DS
I don't see what the problem is really because some of use this era you don't agree with it I don't really agree with members who use LOL or Hehe quite a bit but that's life and I plod on and live my life without losing sleep over a word. |
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#14 |
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: La Isla Bonita!
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Quote:
The term describes the period before the album (announcements, hints etc), the lead single, the album's release, the album's chart run, all the singles and the videos, the promotion and the tour.I agree that the term might be a little to heavy since most artists do all the above in 1 year, but for some reason the word "period" just doesn't sound right, even though technically it would describe the exact same things
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#15 |
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Manchester area
Posts: 15,204
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'era could be another word with a similar meaning to listener
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#16 |
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Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 12,979
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Quote:
It may seem a small thing, but why are people using the wourd era to describe the release of a single album, e.g. the born this way era!. Is the world album or even period too hard for some people to spell?
I agree some artists do have different eras to their music, Madonna has had a few, as has Kylie. But an album is not an era! |
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#17 |
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Penryn, Falmouth, Cornwall.
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Quote:
Worst term ever. I cringe every time I see someone use it.
there`s worse words being banded around here to be honest.
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#18 |
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,554
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I have noticed that it tends to be Lady Gaga fans who use it most though..........
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#19 |
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: derby
Posts: 14,765
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its not just 'era' .... theres 'icon', 'legend' to name but two more, heavily overstated terms.
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#20 |
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Nailsworth, Gloucestershire
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Quote:
its not just 'era' .... theres 'icon', 'legend' to name but two more, heavily overstated terms.
1st Album = Era 2nd Album = Icon 3rd Album = Legend And then Oblivion....... Which pretty much sums up most pop careers now.....
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#21 |
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: UK
Posts: 461
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I always just presumed an 'era' was a way of describing from single 1 through to a final single and tour of an album..that was the way I always saw it.
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#22 |
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: A Pirate At Sea
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I love the word Era when used correctly....not JUST an album....as a whole period of time.
Like Born This Way for example isnt an era yet....it is an album....when the album promo ends it will then be an era to refer to perhaps. Whereas as a Doctor Who fanatic i use the Tom Baker era, Matt Smith current era, Russel T Davies Era etc depending. Madonna - Debut Virgin Era, Tree Blue Era, Like A Prayer/Blonde Ambition Era, Erotica/girlie show Era, Ray Of Light/Drowned World Era, American Life/Re-invention Era, Confessions Era and Sticky & Sweet Era.....hers really ARE Eras. I think it depends entirely on time frame, level of hype and mainstream attention, impact and length and spanse of promotion across it to qualify as an Era. |
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#23 |
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 9,202
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Quote:
I love the word Era when used correctly....not JUST an album....as a whole period of time.
Like Born This Way for example isnt an era yet....it is an album....when the album promo ends it will then be an era to refer to perhaps. Whereas as a Doctor Who fanatic i use the Tom Baker era, Matt Smith current era, Russel T Davies Era etc depending. Madonna - Debut Virgin Era, Tree Blue Era, Like A Prayer/Blonde Ambition Era, Erotica/girlie show Era, Ray Of Light/Drowned World Era, American Life/Re-invention Era, Confessions Era and Sticky & Sweet Era.....hers really ARE Eras. I think it depends entirely on time frame, level of hype and mainstream attention, impact and length and spanse of promotion across it to qualify as an Era. |
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#24 |
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: A Pirate At Sea
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Quote:
era as you say is correct in the right context...i.e MJ with off the wall v thriller v bad. very different times, musically, lyrically and personally. so they were/are eras.
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#25 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 9,202
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Quote:
Most definitely....and thanks so much
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there`s worse words being banded around here to be honest.