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milomorris:
--- Quote from: CellarDweller on December 27, 2011, 04:28:15 pm ---In regards to the country music songs......it's a bit of an explanation.
I was always a "chart freak" and I used to buy Billboard magazine each week to go over all the charts....Country, Dance/club, R&B, Hot 100. For a long time (up to the late 90s) the Hot 100 singles chart was an equal "weight" between copies sold, and airplay on radio.
In the late 90s songs started getting airplay but were not released as singles by the record companies. As a result, Billboard changed thier methodology, giving more credit to airplay than copies sold, so that airplay only songs could chart on the Hot 100.
With this change, songs that were receiving airplay by stations across the US could then chart on the Hot 100, which meant that country singles were getting more exposure. When airplay became the driving thrust to push the song up the Hot 100, country songs got break, and country artists saw their songs start climbing the Hot 100.
On top of that, with the single nearly extinct, and digital downloads from I-Tunes and such accounting for sales, more country songs are getting the download figures that popsongs are, so acts like Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum and others are hitting the pop charts on a more regular basis.
--- End quote ---
I had no idea Billboard had changed its methodology. I stopped reading it in the late 80s. But what you say makes perfect sense. It is also interesting how many more unknown country singers are attracted to shows like American Idol, America's Got Talent since the shows started out.
CellarDweller:
--- Quote from: milomorris on December 27, 2011, 04:47:45 pm ---I had no idea Billboard had changed its methodology. I stopped reading it in the late 80s. But what you say makes perfect sense. It is also interesting how many more unknown country singers are attracted to shows like American Idol, America's Got Talent since the shows started out.
--- End quote ---
Yes, country artists are definitely getting exposure and cross-over success through those shows.
As for the new methodology for Billboard, one of the first acts to really benefit from it was the late R&B singer Aaliyah. In 1998 (when Billboard made their switch) she had a song out called "Are You That Somebody" which was getting heavy airplay, and it was determined that if the song was able to chart on airplay alone, it would've been a #1 song. Because there was no single commercially available, it wasn't on the Hot 100 chart at all. Then Billboard made the change, and "Are You That Somebody" was able to enter the Hot 100 and it climbed to #21 on airplay alone.
Her next single did the same thing, and when it was about to peak, the record company released a single. Between airplay and the sudden surge in sales, her song "Try Again" went on to hit #1 on the Hot 100.
milomorris:
--- Quote from: CellarDweller on December 27, 2011, 04:59:01 pm ---Yes, country artists are definitely getting exposure and cross-over success through those shows.
As for the new methodology for Billboard, one of the first acts to really benefit from it was the late R&B singer Aaliyah. In 1998 (when Billboard made their switch) she had a song out called "Are You That Somebody" which was getting heavy airplay, and it was determined that if the song was able to chart on airplay alone, it would've been a #1 song. Because there was no single commercially available, it wasn't on the Hot 100 chart at all. Then Billboard made the change, and "Are You That Somebody" was able to enter the Hot 100 and it climbed to #21 on airplay alone.
Her next single did the same thing, and when it was about to peak, the record company released a single. Between airplay and the sudden surge in sales, her song "Try Again" went on to hit #1 on the Hot 100.
--- End quote ---
Oh yes. I would say that made a significant difference.
I knew of her, but didn't hear any of her music until she died.
dejavu:
--- Quote from: southendmd on December 27, 2011, 03:41:19 pm ---Chuck, do you know all those songs?! I recognize about three, and that's only from watching 'Glee'. :laugh:
--- End quote ---
I recognize even fewer than that, Paul. :(
CellarDweller:
Ok, so here is my review of the MDNA show at Yankee Stadium Thursday night.
If you have tickets to a future show and don’t want any “spoilers”, then stop reading now.
The tickets said that the show was due to start at 8, and I guess that people thought that mean that Madonna would take the stage at 8. Silly people. At about 8:30 DJ Avicii took the the stage and did an hour long mix of his music/mixes, basically turning Yankee Stadium into a giant club. A number of people were up and dancing during his set.
He stopped at 9:30, and the crew came out to break down his mix-center and clear the stage.
Madonna took to the stage at 10:15. The music was LOUD! At some points I felt like it was very hard to hear Madonna singing.
It also seemed that perhaps 4 months of touring may be doing a number on Madonna’s vocal chords. It seemed to me that on some of the newer songs, she was helped with pre-recorded vocals. Other songs were very obviously autotuned, either to cover up vocal issues or to fit in with thay particular style that is so prevalent in pop music today. That being said, Madonna did sing live and unaided on all of her older songs, as well as some of the newer ones.
I think there were a few fans who were disappointed at the song selections that were played, expecting more classics. However, it was announced the tour is to support her latest CD (MDNA) so just what were they execting? I went in knowing that the show’s set list would be very heavy on her new material. The drawback at this is that at 54, pop radio isn’t playing Madonna’s new stuff, so people are not as familiar with it unless they’ve been playing their copies of the CD over and over.
The show ran in a format that was similar to a “mix-tape” with one song blending into the next, without many stops or breaks in the show.
Opening Prayer /Girl Gone Wild (from MDNA) - The stage was set as a giant church, with Madonna in a confessional. You see Madonna (in silhouette) pull out a machine gun and break out of the confessional to the sounds of gunfire and explosions, and then launch into Girl Gone Wild. Her stage was almost in constant movement, with a number or rising platforms and two trap doors that were utilized often. Audience participation was high, as this video go airplay on many channels.
Revolver (from Celebration) - This was one of the new tracks that was recorded for her latest greatest hits effort. The song has Madonna comparing her love to a loaded revolver, and she and her dancers strutted about the stage dressed in black, brandishing revolvers at each other and the audience.
Gang Bang (from MDNA) – While this title sounds sexual in nature, it’s an angry divorce song where Madonna sings: “bang bang, shot you dead, shot my lover in the head”. The stage has a small prop that appears to be a cross-section of a hotel room. Madonna drinks bottles of hard liquor and seeks revenge on her male dancers, taking them out one by one, with the large video screen behind her showing blood splatter effects after each shot.
Papa Don’t Preach (from True Blue) – This performance had Madonna laying onstage after her rampage, or kneeling , as if asking for forgiveness for her violent acts. At the end of this song, Madonna is captured and dragged off in chains by her male dancers. Like the opening, audience participation was high compared to Gang Bang and Revolver, which were not radio hits.
Hung Up (from Confessions On A Dancefloor) – After being dragged off to center stage, Madonna and her dances begin to dance, jump and contort themselves on a set of highwires. This song was “re-done” and heavily autotuned throughout the full song.
I Don’t Give A (from MDNA) - This song is a rap style song with Madonna discussing issues in her personal life, from dealing with motherhood, not having a pre-nup, tabloids and press, and basically anyone who criticizes her. Lyrics include: “I’m gonna be okay, I don’t care what the people say, I’m gonna be alright, Gonna live fast and I’m gonna live right, I’m moving fast, can you follow my track? I’m moving fast and I like it like that, I do ten things all at once, And if you have a problem, I don’t give a...” A rap by Nicki Minaj is part of the song, and she appears in a pre-filmed performance.
It’s at this point that Madonna stops performing and addresses the audience. She had greeted us before and shouted out NY, but this is much more in-depth. She talks about the things she’s seen overseas during her tour, the persecution that people are put through for being gay, for being female, for following a different religion, and that it made her appreciate being an American all the more, and told her audience that they needed to be mindful of the rights they have now, which get taken for granted.
Best Friend / Heartbeat (Interlude) – Madonna was not on stage for this part. Her dancers entertained the audience while these songs played together as she and her dancers changed their costumes.
Express Yourself / Born This Way (From Like A Prayer) - Madonna takes the stage wearing a drum majorette outfit, changing the dark theme of the prior stage sets. The costumes are bright white and red and the whole attitude of the show has become lighter. Not long ago Lady Gaga released her song “Born This Way” and many people commented on how similar it sounded to Madonna’s “Express Yourself”, so Madonna drove the point home even more, by singing some of the lyrics to “Born This Way” while the music to “Express Yourself” played. She even went on to sing a few lings of her song “She’s Not Me”, a slap at Gaga for copying Madonna’s style.
Give Me All Your Luvin’ (from MDNA) – This was the first single from the new CD, and the one that Madonna performed at the Super Bowl back in February. When the song started, Madonna was joined by a drum corp that performed while suspended in air above the stage.
Turn Up The Radio (from MDNA) – The third (and most likely last) single from the MDNA cd. There was a bit of an intro, with images of Madonna through the years flashed, giving her a chance to get out of her majorette outfit and grab a guitar, where she stood center stage and played while singing.
Open Your Heart (from True Blue) – I have a very hard time describing the musical style of the version that was performed on the tour….no autotune, and audience participation was high, but it was definitely not the version that is well known.
Masterpiece (from MDNA) - This song won Madonna a Golden Globe for Best Song from a picture. A ballad, Madonna used the opportunity to sit onstage with her dancers and perform the song, which she describes as a song about love. Before starting, she verbally thanked all the fans for all the support she has been given by them for the past 30 years. This one was my favorite track from her last CD.
Justify My Love (Interlude) (from The Immaculate Collection) – Madonna was not onstage for this, it was video of her playing while she changed costumes, her dancers were onstage performing.
Vogue (from Dick Tracy Soundtrack) – Madonna and her crew come onstage in high-fashion/couture outfits. No visible autotune on this track at all, and it was a version that was faithful to the original.
Candy Shop/Erotica (from Hard Candy) – Two sex songs from two CDs, “mashed” together as one. This song found Madonna and her dancers moving provocatively and groping each other as they moved about the stage.
Human Nature (from Bedtime Stories) – Madonna takes center stage to sing her song about how she was feeling persecuted against during the Sex Book stage of her career. At different times in the song her dancers try to grab her and stop her from moving around, but she breaks free from them all and continues on.
Like A Virgin (from Like A Virgin) – a completely stripped down version of this song, where Madonna performs it as a piano ballad at a very slow tempo. A bare-chested male dancer later appears on stage and tenderly holds and caresses her, but near the end of the song, pulls the laces on her corset, restricting her breathing.
Nobody Knows Me (Interlude) – a final costume change, which not only has her dancers onstage, but also uses video screens to flash political messages that included images of war, gay pride, and other images. Most striking was a montage of young gay/transgendered youths who committed suicide due to the mistreatment they had been dealt. If you want to see the clip, you can click the link below.
I’m Addicted (from MDNA) – Techno/dance track that featured Madonna and her dancers onstage in black and dancing in synch.
I’m A Sinner (from MDNA) - This song was performed as a 60s trippy song. If you remember her song “Beautiful Stranger” from the Austin Powers movie, you’ll have a good idea of what it sounded like. Sections of the stage had raised up and images on them to make them appear as Volkswagon busses. While Madonna stayed on the center bus with her guitar singing, her dancers jumped from bus to bus, wobbling around purposefully to make it appear they were “surfing” on moving vehicles.
Like A Prayer (from Like A Prayer) – Madonna performed a great version of this song, a bit “dancier” than the original version, and it had everyone on their feet dancing and singing along with her. Halfway through the song she was joined onstage by a full choir to finish the song with her.
Celebration (from Celebration) – The closer of the show, like Revolver, the other new song from her last Greatest Hits package. Madonna was joined onstage by her whole troupe of dancers, fully utilizing the stage, all the trap doors and rising platforms, and lighting effects to make the stage appear as a giant dance club.
Overall, I was impressed with all the elements of the show, and felt that Madonna definitely gave me my money’s worth.
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