What’s a Guy to Do? He “Loves Her So Much He Hates Her”
“Easier,” currently the 12th most played song on Top 40 radio, is the latest hit by 5-Seconds of Summer aka 5SOS, a hot, hip, happening A-list band from Australia. The story-line is a man debating a break-up with a woman; the sound and texture have a Trent Reznor and...
So Many Songs, So Many Goodbyes
In 1967 Mary Hopkin, best known for "Those Were The Days," had a hit with "Goodbye" (written by Sir Paul). Hopkin looks like an angel, and sings cheerily in her clear, bell-like voice, about leaving one lover for another. It's all very lovely. Unlike...
“The Madison” Has Morphed Into “The Git Up.”
Novelty songs and dances are pop culture mainstays, and this summer's is "The Git Up," with over 1.5 billion viral video views and 50 million+ audio streams; it's getting radio airplay on Top 40, Adult Top 40, and Country, so it's likely that, at some point this...
Will “Senorita” Own The Airwaves This Summer?
You'll definitely hear "Senorita " on the airwaves this summer--two of the music scenes hottest pop artists-- Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello, get very, very sexy in this Top 40/Adult Top 40 hit. The Latin flavored melody is matched by equally steamy lyrics and a...
Break-ups: It Seems Like It’s Never Really Over–And Yet–
Carole King's "So Far Away" couldn't be further from Katy Perry's "Never Really Over," but each song so P-E-R-F-E-C-T-L-Y expresses the lingering, conflicting emotions post romantic "break up." King's style fits her time: abstract, lilting, lyrical, contemplative and...
A Breaking Heart: The Human Condition in Song
Remember R.E.M's 1992 hit "Everybody Hurts," which sounded like a breaking heart, if a breaking heart could write a song? Same for Lewis Capaldi's moving ballad, "Someone You Loved," which was an international hit last year-- #1 in England for seven weeks and it also...
Is Lizzo the “Female Bruno Mars?”
Fueled by a retro funk rhythm, rapper/hip-hop/pop star Lizzo's "Juice" is making its way on both Top 40 and Adult Top 40 music charts. It's a hot track, the vocals are high velocity and the lyrics are all over the place from poetic to silly: It ain't my fault that I'm...
17-Year Old Billie Eilish is Gen Z’s “IT” Girl
17-year old singer/songwriter Billie Eilish, who flaunts convention and takes pride is going left when everyone else heads right, is Gen Z's "It Girl" of the moment, capturing the hearts and minds of both her peers and those of Millennials as well. Proof: Seven gold...
Why We Love Top-40: From Elton John to Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber
Elton John's "I Don't Care" is classic Top 40: upbeat, bubbly and infectious, with a simple, positive message: no matter what the world throws at 'em, as long as they're with "their baby" they just "don't care." Times and trends change, but sentiments such as those,...