{"id":22910,"date":"2016-01-02T19:32:46","date_gmt":"2016-01-03T00:32:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/?p=22910"},"modified":"2016-01-06T20:26:22","modified_gmt":"2016-01-07T01:26:22","slug":"songs-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/songs-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Songs of the Year: The State of Pop Music in 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-22913\" src=\"http:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/adelesfinger-300x288.jpg\" alt=\"adelesfinger\" width=\"300\" height=\"288\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/adelesfinger-300x288.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/adelesfinger-420x403.jpg 420w, https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/adelesfinger-24x24.jpg 24w, https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/adelesfinger-36x36.jpg 36w, https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/adelesfinger.jpg 504w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><br \/>\nOnce again, there isn\u2019t much debate about who reigned the year in pop music. The clear choice is <strong>Adele<\/strong>. Other than <strong><em>&#8220;Hello&#8221;,<\/em><\/strong> few songs had such broad appeal and praise this year. Much like <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/song-of-the-year-taylor-swift-vs-the-world\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Taylor Swift<\/strong> in 2014<\/a>, <strong>Adele<\/strong> swooped in during the last quarter of the year to deliver a song and an album that were considered a must listen. If you couple that with<a href=\"http:\/\/www.billboard.com\/articles\/columns\/chart-beat\/6770264\/adele-25-nsync-no-strings-attached-nielsen-soundscan-billboard-charts\" target=\"_blank\"> sales unprecedented by today\u2019s standards<\/a>, all that was missing from the chanteuse was a mic drop. But she\u2019s too classy for that. Leave it to Taylor Swift to mop up all the adulation. She embarked on a victory tour selling out stadiums and surrounding herself with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.billboard.com\/photos\/6634335\/taylor-swift-1989-tour-guests\/1\" target=\"_blank\">special guests<\/a> (including <a href=\"http:\/\/www.etonline.com\/photo\/2015\/09\/24182345\/640_taylor_swift_mick_jagger_Getty490202288.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">rock royalty)<\/a> in a vain attempt to bolster her brand and her cred. She wasn\u2019t the only one jumping up and down saying \u201clook at me\u201d. One of the biggest songs of the year had a nation whipping and nae-naeing all over social media.<br \/>\n<strong>Silento<\/strong> and his hit song <strong><em>&#8220;Watch Me (Whip\/Nae-nae)&#8221;<\/em><\/strong> is the modern update of<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3mz_EXHKGHs\" target=\"_blank\"><em><strong> \u201cLand of a 1000 Dances\u201d<\/strong><\/em>,<\/a>albeit a terrible one. At first, I assumed the whole purpose of this song was an excuse to get your grandmother up at a wedding reception to see if she could do the <strong>\u201cDuff\u201d<\/strong> or the <strong>\u201cStanky Leg\u201d<\/strong>. Plainly, the songs true message is in the repeated phrase, <strong>\u201cWatchMe!\u201d<\/strong> The song seems like a metaphor for these self absorbed times. Yes, watch me Instagram, now watch me You Tube, watch me Vine, now watch me Periscope, etc. You get the idea.<\/p><iframe class='youtube-player youtuber' type='text\/html' width='425' height='355' src='http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vjW8wmF5VWc?rel=0&amp;fs=1&amp;ap=%252526fmt%253D18' webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen frameborder='0'><\/iframe><p><strong><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/?p=22910&amp;page=2\">continued<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-22913\" src=\"http:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/adelesfinger-300x288.jpg\" alt=\"adelesfinger\" width=\"300\" height=\"288\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/adelesfinger-300x288.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/adelesfinger-420x403.jpg 420w, https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/adelesfinger-24x24.jpg 24w, https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/adelesfinger-36x36.jpg 36w, https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/adelesfinger.jpg 504w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><br \/>\nOnce again, there isn\u2019t much debate about who reigned the year in pop music. The clear choice is <strong>Adele<\/strong>. Other than <strong><em>&#8220;Hello&#8221;,<\/em><\/strong> few songs had such broad appeal and praise this year. Much like <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/song-of-the-year-taylor-swift-vs-the-world\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Taylor Swift<\/strong> in 2014<\/a>, <strong>Adele<\/strong> swooped in during the last quarter of the year to deliver a song and an album that were considered a must listen. If you couple that with<a href=\"http:\/\/www.billboard.com\/articles\/columns\/chart-beat\/6770264\/adele-25-nsync-no-strings-attached-nielsen-soundscan-billboard-charts\" target=\"_blank\"> sales unprecedented by today\u2019s standards<\/a>, all that was missing from the chanteuse was a mic drop. But she\u2019s too classy for that. Leave it to Taylor Swift to mop up all the adulation. She embarked on a victory tour selling out stadiums and surrounding herself with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.billboard.com\/photos\/6634335\/taylor-swift-1989-tour-guests\/1\" target=\"_blank\">special guests<\/a> (including <a href=\"http:\/\/www.etonline.com\/photo\/2015\/09\/24182345\/640_taylor_swift_mick_jagger_Getty490202288.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">rock royalty)<\/a> in a vain attempt to bolster her brand and her cred. She wasn\u2019t the only one jumping up and down saying \u201clook at me\u201d. One of the biggest songs of the year had a nation whipping and nae-naeing all over social media.<br \/>\n<strong>Silento<\/strong> and his hit song <strong><em>&#8220;Watch Me (Whip\/Nae-nae)&#8221;<\/em><\/strong> is the modern update of<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3mz_EXHKGHs\" target=\"_blank\"><em><strong> \u201cLand of a 1000 Dances\u201d<\/strong><\/em>,<\/a>albeit a terrible one. At first, I assumed the whole purpose of this song was an excuse to get your grandmother up at a wedding reception to see if she could do the <strong>\u201cDuff\u201d<\/strong> or the <strong>\u201cStanky Leg\u201d<\/strong>. Plainly, the songs true message is in the repeated phrase, <strong>\u201cWatchMe!\u201d<\/strong> The song seems like a metaphor for these self absorbed times. Yes, watch me Instagram, now watch me You Tube, watch me Vine, now watch me Periscope, etc. You get the idea.<\/p><iframe class='youtube-player youtuber' type='text\/html' width='425' height='355' src='http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vjW8wmF5VWc?rel=0&amp;fs=1&amp;ap=%252526fmt%253D18' webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen frameborder='0'><\/iframe><p>Someone else who&#8217;s always looking for attention is <strong>Demi Lovato<\/strong>. She\u2019s was the worst of the bunch this year. Lovato is a tart, and I\u2019m sorry if that sounds offensive. Their is no other way to describe her hit and unintentionally hilarious video <strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/il9nqWw9W3Y\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cCool For The Summer\u201d<\/a><\/em><\/strong> . If she was hoping to win <em>\u201cSong of The Summer\u201d, <\/em>she failed miserably. I will give that honor to <strong>Walk The Moon<\/strong> with <em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/QH8SPwoRDsA\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cShut Up and Dance\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/em>. It gets to the point and gets out before anyone is annoyed. Another somewhat agreeable song from the summer was <strong>Elle King\u2019s <em><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/0uLI6BnVh6w\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cEx and Oh\u2019s\u201d <\/a><\/em><\/strong>which enjoyed success on both pop and alternative stations. Her success is even more unlikely when you consider she is the offspring of this <a href=\"http:\/\/cdn.inquisitr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/GettyImages-53317445-665x385.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">guy<\/a>. Also unlikely, was the continued success of <strong>Meghan Trainor<\/strong>, someone I had written off last year as a novelty. She double downed with <em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/qDc_5zpBj7s\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cLips Are Moving\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/em> and stole the show at the American Music Awards when <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/gp4Pe0dqN8E\" target=\"_blank\">her and Charlie Puth performed mutual tonsillectomy<\/a> at the end their duet <strong><em>&#8220;Marvin Gaye&#8221;<\/em><\/strong>. We might have something to look forward to if these kids found a little more talent.<\/p>\n<p>Hip-Hop and R&amp;B continued their slide with tepid offerings from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=uxpDa-c-4Mc\" target=\"_blank\">Drake<\/a>, Kanye and <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/hRK7PVJFbS8\" target=\"_blank\">Kendrick Lamar<\/a>. Meanwhile, can someone please explain the success of <strong>The Weeknd<\/strong> and the two massive hits, <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/yzTuBuRdAyA\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cThe Hills\u201d<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/KEI4qSrkPAs\" target=\"_blank\"> \u201cCan\u2019t Feel My Face&#8221;?<\/a>\u00a0 If you\u2019re saying to yourself \u201cI\u2019ve never heard of that band\u201d, you might be showing your age.\u00a0 The Weeknd is the stage name of some dude whose music is described as &#8220;dark R&amp;B&#8221;. For sure, the music is different when compared with soulless wonders like <strong>Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran<\/strong> and <strong>Justin Bieber<\/strong>. They sold more albums than <strong>The Weeknd,<\/strong> but that\u2019s by design. Those pretty boys are pre-packaged bubblegum while The Weeknd is flavorless and boring. The same however cannot be said for <strong>Macklemore<\/strong> who landed the decent hip hop track<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JGhoLcsr8GA\" target=\"_blank\"> \u201cDowntown\u201d <\/a>in all its hand me down charm. It\u2019s all a big goof\u2026I hope. But let\u2019s circle back to the beginning.<\/p>\n<p><iframe class='youtube-player youtuber' type='text\/html' width='425' height='355' src='http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YQHsXMglC9A?rel=0&amp;fs=1&amp;ap=%252526fmt%253D18' webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen frameborder='0'><\/iframe><br \/>\nThe year came in with <strong>Taylor Swift<\/strong> and ended with<strong> Adele<\/strong>. Women are still on top of the pop world. That\u2019s not bad for the kids when you compare those two with the weakly talents of <strong>Ariana Grande<\/strong> or <strong>Selena Gomez<\/strong>. In a few months however they\u2019re success will pass and another void will be created. I look forward to ranting about whomever that is next year.<\/p>\n<p>Any other thoughts on 2015?<\/p>\n<nav class=\"page-links\"><strong>Pages:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/songs-of-the-year\/\" class=\"post-page-numbers\"><span class=\"page-num\">1<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/songs-of-the-year\/2\/\" class=\"post-page-numbers\"><span class=\"page-num\">2<\/span><\/a><\/nav>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Once again, there isn\u2019t much debate about who reigned the year in pop music. The clear choice is Adele. Other than &#8220;Hello&#8221;, few songs had such broad appeal and praise this year. Much like Taylor Swift in 2014, Adele swooped in during the last quarter of the year to deliver a song and an album <a href='https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/songs-of-the-year\/' class='excerpt-more'>[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1406,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[342],"tags":[1023,556,985,984],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22910"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1406"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22910"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22910\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}