Pop music struggled for direction in this period, spinning its wheels with sounds from the recent past. Highlights include Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP, Linkin Park’s “In the End,” and Evanescence’s “Bring Me To Life.” Particularly sweet was Missy’s Elliot’s “Work It,” with its sly feminist punch. The low point was the creative exhaustion of rap, resulting in the same tired machine-driven grooves with machismo pimp ‘n’ ho lyrics again and again and again…

Posted by James Maguire on November 05, 2006
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The sound of the ’90s was a struggle between highly contrasting elements. Celine Dion gave us big vanilla cream pie power ballads, while Coolio saw huge success with his distinctly urban “Gansta’s Paradise.” On the one hand, Kurt Cobain (who dealt with success and fame at age 28 by committing suicide) turned grunge into the default sound for legions of rockers. Yet Britney Spears’s sexually overt — but just barely post-pubescent — synthetic Tween pop sold zillions of CDs worldwide.

Posted by James Maguire on November 05, 2006
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The 1980s spawned a few artists who are still with us: U2, Bruce Springsteen, and – the biggest pop icon of modern times — Madonna, whose Like A Virgin seemed to own the mid ’80s. Yet much of the decade’s music had all the staying power of low-cal cotton candy: Wham!, Lionel Richie, Mr. Mister. The best example of the overproduced nothingness of the ’80s is Milli Vanilli, whose vapidness – shockingly – actually earned a Grammy (what were they thinking?). Then it was discovered that the duo never sang on their album. It was all one big lip sync.

Posted by James Maguire on November 05, 2006
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Some of the great timeless gems of the modern art song: years and years from now, people will still be moved by these tunes. What’s the No. 1 all time best?

Posted by James Maguire on November 05, 2006
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You know, the world needs love songs. We’ve always had ‘em and we always will. As long as the human heart keeps beating, someone will be singing: “I love you, yeah, yeah, yeah, YEAH!”

Posted by James Maguire on November 05, 2006
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It was the best of times and it was the worst of times. Actually, take that back: the year 1970 alone was the best of times, musically: the Beatles, Simon & Gafunkel, Stevie Wonder, Sly & The Family Stone, BB King. But the rest of the decade, well, let’s just say we endured: “Kung Fu Fighting,” “Tie A Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the Old Oak Tree,” and – I’m very sorry about this – Debbie Boone’s “You Light Up My Life.” Still, amid the darkness some bright lights shined, like Elton John, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, and Queen.

Posted by James Maguire on November 05, 2006
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Whew, what a decade. Or rather, what an atomic explosion of pop creativity. Throwing off the shackles of 1950s conformity, young musicians went wild: the British Invasion, long hair, guitars and sitars and tambourines, new lyric freedom, social consciousness, music whose goal was to change the world. Like…wow. The best songs of this decade will always be seen as some of the high points in popular music.

Posted by James Maguire on November 05, 2006
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Throw a steak on the grill, stir a chilled Martini, and enjoy endless white-picket-fence prosperity. On the Hi-Fi this decade were Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, and – for the youngsters – the Crew Cuts, trilling “Sh-Boom.” Skies were blue and worries were none. (Except, of course, for the rows of A-bombs the Ruskies had aimed at us, the fact that blacks couldn’t vote and women were hardly allowed in the workplace – but if you don’t talk about it, it’s not a problem, right?) But then came Elvis…

Posted by James Maguire on November 05, 2006
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