The Oppenheimer Report 2/1/10

I watched the Grammys tonight, so this report is a rant about today’s pop music, again. First of all, let me say I really like a lot of pop music. Realizing as I do that every generation thinks the music of the succeeding or preceding generation sucks, I still maintain that much of today’s pop music is truly horrible. I don’t particularly care for popular music from the 40’s or 50’s, but at least there was some variety, some hooks, some creativity. Though I never liked “Teen Angel”, I could differentiate it from “Leader of the Pack”. Whatever genre, from “hard” rock, to rap, to easy listening, today’s popular songs remind me of the soul-less housing developments north of Toronto; every house evenly spaced, exactly the same, and without even a trace of individuality … function and economy to the complete exclusion of form. It’s as if the all the people producing this music decided on one voice, one backbeat, one synthesized sound, and one theme. This style was a big hit with our main demographic, so let’s stay exactly in the middle of the box. The other day I found myself humming along to the song “Crimson and Clover” by Tommy James and the Shondells. I hated that song when it came out over thirty years ago, but flipping around the dial, that was a refreshing change over the songs on all the other stations. Go figure! This, along with my comment in last week’s report about Justin Timberlake likely has most of you wondering about my qualifications to judge music. Nevertheless, as an aspiring, hopefully growing songwriter, I am always interested in the music of the present generation. I’m sorry, but if Beyonce, Kanye West, or Taylor Swift are the hot new acts, I say ptoohey!




In my opinion, a pop song should have at least one of two things going for it. Either it should have a serious musical hook (like “Super Freak” by the king of punk funk, Rick “Cleopatra” James), or it should tell an interesting story. Does anybody remember a song called “Timothy” which was a pop hit back I think in the late 70s? That song is about some guys who eat their donkey to survive. Now THAT is story telling … a little sick but interesting nonetheless. Brief aside, I actually saw the band who did that song, years ago in a bar called the Pickle Barrel, somewhere in Vermont. I listened to their whole set in this noisy bar and “Timothy” was their big finale. Talk about your one hit wonders … sentenced to an endless stream of bar dates, and your big hit, the one you do to leave ‘em smiling, is a song about eating a donkey. I bet Mariah Carey never does a song about killing and eating a pack animal. Proof positive that entertainment is not a pretty business. Perhaps those will be my new benchmarks for a good popular song … violent or disgusting. And no, I don’t condone rappers who brag about killing cops, or about abusing their women, but the seemy, lurid side of life can inspire interesting lyrics. Some unique pop tunes I recall from the pop music past: “D.O.A.”, about the dying victim of a car wreck, “Luca” by Suzanne Vega, about child abuse, “Fast Car” by Tracey Chapman, or even “Love Child” by Diana Ross and the Supremes. Everybody knows the song “Mr. Bojangles”? On the surface, it sounds like a touching story about a New Orleans street dancer, and countless singers have covered it. According to singer songwriter David Bromberg, who used to play with Jerry Jeff Walker, the guy who wrote the song, the story is true. Walker wrote “Mr. Bojangles” after some time in jail with the subject. Stripped down to the bare facts, this song is a story, written by a hung over drunk, in jail, about a drunk who shared his jail cell. Charming. One of the discarded lyrics from this song: “I met a man Bojangles, and he stunk real bad, covered in puke”. I think that most (not all) good songs, and probably most good art, comes from a hard place, or at least from genuine life experience.



A moment of silence for J.D. Salinger, author of “Catcher in the Rye” (required reading in most high schools) who died last week. That was a good book.


Last night I held Aladdin's lamp
And so I wished that I could stay
Before the thing could answer me
Well, someone came and took the lamp away
I looked around, a lousy candle's all I found

Well, you don't know what we can find
Why don't you come with me little girl
On a magic carpet ride
Well, you don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free
Close your eyes girl
Look inside girl
Let the sound take you away
- From the song “Magic Carpet Ride” by Steppenwolf



I want that magic carpet back.



Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c2010 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED