First, the playlist from last night's England Swings show :
Carl Barat - Run With the Boys
Fenech-Soler - Lies
Madness - Our House
Villagers - That Day (Becoming a Jackal)
Marina & the Diamonds - Shampain (The Family Jewels)
Mumford & Sons - Blank White Page (Sigh No More)
Rolling Stones - 2000 Light Years From Home (Their Satantic Majesty's Request)
Just Jack- Astronaut (All Night Cinema)
Shakira ft. Dizzee Rascal - Loca
Aeroplane - Superstar
The Fab Four Freakout :
Beatles - One and One Is Two (demo)
Beatles - I've Got a Feeling (Let It Be)
Beatles - If I Needed Someone (Rubber Soul)
Beatles - Misery (Please Please Me)
Paramore - Use Somebody (live)
TC Folkpunk - Bread and Circuses (Every Cloud Has a Sulphur Liining)
TC Folkpunk - Land Of Lukewarm (Every Cloud Has a Sulphur Lining)
Robyn - Criminal Intent (Body Talk Pt. 2)
Tired Pony - The Good Book (The Place We Ran From)
...and this week's top 5 songs in the UK :
5). Alexandra Burke - Start Without You (-4)
4). Script - For the First Time (non-mover)
3). Katy Perry - Teenage Dream (non-mover)
2). Taio Cruz - Dynamite (non-mover)
1). Bruno Mars - Just the Way You Are (new)
TOP 5 ANALYSIS and REVIEW
A new number one. A crash for last's week chart-topper. And a bunch of non-movers.
That sums up the British Top 5 this week, but it was a hairy finish, with the possibility of "Must Be the Music"'s winner Emma's Imagination in an early bid to take a position. On Tuesday, it was in the number two slot. By Wednesday, it was at number three. Thursday, it had dropped down to five. And by Friday, it was simply . . . gone.
That left room for Alexandra Burke's "Start Without You" to move back to the number 5 position, a fairly precipitous fall after the song had spent two weeks at number one.
It's not really a surprise, though, is it? Three weeks in, just listen to the thing. It's all fluffy and inconsequential. After you learn the hook (and it takes one listen to do that) it just kind of . . . lies there. It's designed to appeal to tweens, really, and after they've all bought their copies, there wasn't much left.
It's a nursery rhyme about booty. It won't be remembered a year from now - or, honestly, next week.
On the England Swings scale of 1-10, this song gets a 5.5 this week.
The Script has managed to keep "For the First Time" in the top 5 for three weeks now as well, but the difference is that the song has maintained it's highest position.
I can recommend the song to fans of Coldplay and Snow Patrol; as a matter of fact, you might mistake it for either of those bands. It's developed on the same pattern, but it's done so well that you can't dislike it, either. See previous posts for a more exact description of the tune.
It's not wearing out on me, either. I give it a 7 this week.
Katy Perry performed a somewhat lackluster version of "Teenage Dream" on Saturday Night Live in the USA last weekend, but the fortunes of the tune have already reversed in the homeland, with the song dropping from the top of the American charts to number 5 this week. I've said it before, but it's the best song on Ms. Perry's recently released album.
Actually, it's the ONLY good song, although the other hit "California Girls" was listenable.
The best part of "Teenage Dream" is the "Don't ever look back" line. The song has held onto a number 3 position in the UK, which shows a bit more staying power than its performance in the USA.
I give it a 7 this week.
Taio Cruz' "Dynamite" has also lost some traction in America, with the song sliding to number 6 this week. Again, it's a UK hanger-on, not-moving at all from the second slot on the chart.
Besides the vapidity of the lyrics, the song is clever and fun. Taio has established himself as a major star on both sides of the Atlantic, which is a rarity nowadays. I'm thinking, too, that he's just getting started. He's got the right sound for the moment, but I'm not sure how ephemeral the whole Euro-club sound will be in the future. He'll have to change some to remain viable, so it will be interesting to watch.
"Dynamite" gets a 7 this week, too.
Okay, Bruno Mars did it all the right way, apparently. After guesting on a couple of high-profile songs this year, he took his buzz and ran it into a number one song in America and the UK. So what's it like?
It's pretty smart. It's got a beat, but it's also sung beautifully. It's probably closer to the Script in this week's chart than it is to Taio. It's all earnest and yearning, with Bruno hitting those high notes guaranteed to give the heart a twinge. Bonus added attraction : your mother would probably like it.
It's a well-deserved number one. I'm still absorbing the tune, so I'll go with a 7.5 this week.
Album review tomorrow!
Carl Barat - Run With the Boys
Fenech-Soler - Lies
Madness - Our House
Villagers - That Day (Becoming a Jackal)
Marina & the Diamonds - Shampain (The Family Jewels)
Mumford & Sons - Blank White Page (Sigh No More)
Rolling Stones - 2000 Light Years From Home (Their Satantic Majesty's Request)
Just Jack- Astronaut (All Night Cinema)
Shakira ft. Dizzee Rascal - Loca
Aeroplane - Superstar
The Fab Four Freakout :
Beatles - One and One Is Two (demo)
Beatles - I've Got a Feeling (Let It Be)
Beatles - If I Needed Someone (Rubber Soul)
Beatles - Misery (Please Please Me)
Paramore - Use Somebody (live)
TC Folkpunk - Bread and Circuses (Every Cloud Has a Sulphur Liining)
TC Folkpunk - Land Of Lukewarm (Every Cloud Has a Sulphur Lining)
Robyn - Criminal Intent (Body Talk Pt. 2)
Tired Pony - The Good Book (The Place We Ran From)
...and this week's top 5 songs in the UK :
5). Alexandra Burke - Start Without You (-4)
4). Script - For the First Time (non-mover)
3). Katy Perry - Teenage Dream (non-mover)
2). Taio Cruz - Dynamite (non-mover)
1). Bruno Mars - Just the Way You Are (new)
TOP 5 ANALYSIS and REVIEW
A new number one. A crash for last's week chart-topper. And a bunch of non-movers.
That sums up the British Top 5 this week, but it was a hairy finish, with the possibility of "Must Be the Music"'s winner Emma's Imagination in an early bid to take a position. On Tuesday, it was in the number two slot. By Wednesday, it was at number three. Thursday, it had dropped down to five. And by Friday, it was simply . . . gone.
That left room for Alexandra Burke's "Start Without You" to move back to the number 5 position, a fairly precipitous fall after the song had spent two weeks at number one.
It's not really a surprise, though, is it? Three weeks in, just listen to the thing. It's all fluffy and inconsequential. After you learn the hook (and it takes one listen to do that) it just kind of . . . lies there. It's designed to appeal to tweens, really, and after they've all bought their copies, there wasn't much left.
It's a nursery rhyme about booty. It won't be remembered a year from now - or, honestly, next week.
On the England Swings scale of 1-10, this song gets a 5.5 this week.
The Script has managed to keep "For the First Time" in the top 5 for three weeks now as well, but the difference is that the song has maintained it's highest position.
I can recommend the song to fans of Coldplay and Snow Patrol; as a matter of fact, you might mistake it for either of those bands. It's developed on the same pattern, but it's done so well that you can't dislike it, either. See previous posts for a more exact description of the tune.
It's not wearing out on me, either. I give it a 7 this week.
Katy Perry performed a somewhat lackluster version of "Teenage Dream" on Saturday Night Live in the USA last weekend, but the fortunes of the tune have already reversed in the homeland, with the song dropping from the top of the American charts to number 5 this week. I've said it before, but it's the best song on Ms. Perry's recently released album.
Actually, it's the ONLY good song, although the other hit "California Girls" was listenable.
The best part of "Teenage Dream" is the "Don't ever look back" line. The song has held onto a number 3 position in the UK, which shows a bit more staying power than its performance in the USA.
I give it a 7 this week.
Taio Cruz' "Dynamite" has also lost some traction in America, with the song sliding to number 6 this week. Again, it's a UK hanger-on, not-moving at all from the second slot on the chart.
Besides the vapidity of the lyrics, the song is clever and fun. Taio has established himself as a major star on both sides of the Atlantic, which is a rarity nowadays. I'm thinking, too, that he's just getting started. He's got the right sound for the moment, but I'm not sure how ephemeral the whole Euro-club sound will be in the future. He'll have to change some to remain viable, so it will be interesting to watch.
"Dynamite" gets a 7 this week, too.
Okay, Bruno Mars did it all the right way, apparently. After guesting on a couple of high-profile songs this year, he took his buzz and ran it into a number one song in America and the UK. So what's it like?
It's pretty smart. It's got a beat, but it's also sung beautifully. It's probably closer to the Script in this week's chart than it is to Taio. It's all earnest and yearning, with Bruno hitting those high notes guaranteed to give the heart a twinge. Bonus added attraction : your mother would probably like it.
It's a well-deserved number one. I'm still absorbing the tune, so I'll go with a 7.5 this week.
Album review tomorrow!
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