The August 7, 2010 new entries to the US Billboard Hot 100 are as follows:
- 20 Katy Perry -- "Teenage Dream"
- 43 Bruno Mars -- "Just The Way You Are"
- 75 Ne-yo -- "Champagne Life"
- 98 Rick Ross -- "Aston Martin Music Feat Drake & Chrisette Michelle"
It was another kind of mediocre week in the United States. Bruno Mars' new single was about as sappy as a song can possibly be. The hook is well written, and I found the instrumental during the chorus interesting because it's a little bit unconventional, in that it doesn't get that much louder, and the beat becomes more sparse. I hadn't been familiar with Ne-yo, but "Champagne Life" has proven to me that he's a Michael Jackson wannabe. His voice is incredibly similar, yet far less effective. Rick Ross's "Aston Martin Music" was disappointing; it wasn't gangster enough for me.
So, this week's top song was indeed Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream," another one written and produced by -- get this allstar lineup -- Max Martin, Dr. Luke, and Benny Blanco. Listening to pop songs crafted by these producers is what I've been trying to focus on. Indeed, the production of the song is really incredible. The way it perfectly builds without the listener even realizing is what's important to note. The beginning of "Teenage Dream" is soft, with only guitar, kick, and snare. By the chorus, they're placing a kick on every beat. By the end of the song, it's loaded with synths and distorted power chords.
These guys truly know what pop music is all about -- placing everything in just the right place. I have nearly as much respect for them as I do The Beatles, who were also geniuses of this sort. I'd even like to include Radiohead in this rant because they also share the same trait, no matter how avant-garde their music seems in relation to Katy Perry. Hell, just for reference, I picked out a random song, "No Surprises" off OK Computer. Tell me that this song is not perfectly crafted; tell me that the backing vocals around 3:00 are not perfectly placed, or that their inclusion of bells on the song isn't incredibly aware. I'll go even further -- "The National Anthem" off Kid A -- the sound effects are placed perfectly, the drum breaks are placed perfectly, the switch to the ride cymbal is perfect… everything. Even the incredibly "random" horns are placed in just the right spots. Their emphases are located to keep the listeners interest for six minutes.
I don't think this way of looking at pop music (or music in general) is disturbing, nor do I think it's necessarily formulaic. The process for these folks is organic. It's probably not written down; there is just an incredible amount of focus. It definitely takes a fantastic ear to notice what sounds good and what does not, as well as what should go where and what should not. Without this realization or outlook, I think a musician, producer, engineer, whatever, is lacking the most basic musical necessity. However, a good song should always be a good song right from the start. Whenever I hear something, I ask myself, "How would it sound if the artist were playing this song acoustic?" In the case of The Beatles, almost all could be considered "good songs" by me. In the case of "Teenage Dream," it, too would be considered good; the song itself, without any drums or instrumental build-up, is unique, catchy, and well-written. When a good song, good ears, and good production are all combined into one, outstanding music is usually the result; it's a shame most music-folk do not look at music with such a critical eye.