tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post5716837349005074794..comments2024-03-28T21:56:51.675-04:00Comments on Face to Face: The restless warm-up phase of pop music's 15-year energy cycleagnostichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-90591545485389466922018-11-18T11:43:34.557-05:002018-11-18T11:43:34.557-05:00Yeah, I agree with you. I was just throwing that o...Yeah, I agree with you. I was just throwing that out there. "Hey Ya!" comes across as being much more warmup, coming out of one's shell, and danceable. <br /><br />A more accurate way to determine a song's energy would be to watch for fashion trends in the music video. If you see a bunch of hipsters wearing baggy clothing, its probably a vulnerable/refractory song. On the other hand, exhibitionism points to warmup phase or the manic phase.<br /><br />Here's an example of what I think is a warmup song - "The REmedy", by Jason Mraz:<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW17WAwMcoQCurtisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-14577415928958653042018-11-17T19:50:11.131-05:002018-11-17T19:50:11.131-05:00I don't think it's tempo per se that makes...I don't think it's tempo per se that makes it manic -- it's more the feeling of invincibility, high energy, and especially building up to a cathartic climax (rather than an even level of energy). Fast tempo may just mean it's spastic.<br /><br />Off the top of my head, big early '80s hits were medium-tempo -- "The Warrior" is 124, "Karma Chameleon" you'd think is fast but is only 92, and even a "fast-paced" one like "Rio" is 140.<br /><br />That's why I keyed in on the phrase "bouncy" in my original post on the manic phase, rather than fast or up-tempo. "Karma Chamelon" moves along at an andante tempo, but it's a really bouncy danceable walking pace.agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-12297309664786219382018-11-17T15:13:41.496-05:002018-11-17T15:13:41.496-05:00Even the Backstreet Boys' biggest hit of 1998,...Even the Backstreet Boys' biggest hit of 1998, "I want it that way", had a slower bpm - at 99. But this is just conjecture about what technical measures the excitation cycle might be connected to.Curtisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-13195851076153052072018-11-17T14:52:26.874-05:002018-11-17T14:52:26.874-05:00If the excitation cycle is linked to tempo/beats p...If the excitation cycle is linked to tempo/beats per minute, then the vulnerable/defractory period began as early as 1998-1999, with hits like "My Heart will go on"(Celine Dion), "It's a hard knock life"(Jayzee),"Baby, one more time"(Britney Spears), and "No Scrubs"(TLC). All those songs have bpm below 100(considered to be slow tempo), and are from the top-selling albums of the time(according to Billboard), so they are indicative of the kind of music that was the most popular.<br /><br />According to the tempo theory, the warmup era began in 2004 with Usher's big hit "Yeah!" in summer of that year, peaking in 2009 with the music of Lady Gaga; most of her hits have tempo between 100-120, which is considered to be medium in speed. <br /><br />If some song has tempo that is close to the medium range, like say 99 bpm as opposed to being between 100-120, there must be some other measure to determine what side of the scale it really rests on.<br /><br />Curtisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-24493039798316323742018-11-16T18:43:08.636-05:002018-11-16T18:43:08.636-05:00Would you say something like "Hey Ya" is...Would you say something like "Hey Ya" is more vulnerable/mellow, or more warmup? The song has a very slow tempo, which might point to being vulnerable/refractory, and was also released at the end of 2003.Curtisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-45163767594380365112018-11-11T14:04:08.533-05:002018-11-11T14:04:08.533-05:00This trend, towards contemptuous breakup/rejection...This trend, towards contemptuous breakup/rejection songs, actually intensifies during the manic period - moving from being breezy and dismissive to more focused anger. For instance, <br /><br />"No Scrubs" by TLC, released at the end of 1998:<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrLequ6dUdM<br /><br /><br />"We are Never Ever Getting Back Together", Taylor Swift, released in 2012:<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA4iX5D9Z64<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Curtisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-55414800710030142362018-11-11T12:07:12.735-05:002018-11-11T12:07:12.735-05:00Thanks for your latest post on this. Another tren...Thanks for your latest post on this. Another trend of the warmup era are breakup songs which tend to be breezy and contemptuous, rather than sad and agonizing. <br /><br />For instance, Maroon 5's 2007 song "Makes me Wonder"(compare to their 2002 sad song "She Will be Loved")<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAebYQgy4n4<br /><br /><br />Beyonce's 2007 song "Irreplaceable"<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EwViQxSJJQ<br /><br /><br />Also 2007, Justin Timberlake's "Cry me a River"<br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DksSPZTZES0<br /><br />Robert Plant's "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)"(2007)<br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DT7pzJPybM<br /><br /><br /><br />Curtisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-24776114276132733502018-05-21T15:31:36.649-04:002018-05-21T15:31:36.649-04:00Something else: people's choice of drug or sub...Something else: people's choice of drug or substance varies between the mellow and manic periods. Depressants, such as alcohol and marijuana, and opiates such as heroin and oxycontin, are favored during mellow periods. Stimulants - cocain, and recently adderall - and hallucinogens such as LSD - are more popular during the manic phase.<br /><br />This seems counter intuitive, because if people are more tired, then wouldn't they want more energy? But during the decelerating mellow phase, people *want* to become more tired- or less active, more restful.<br /><br />Of course, the explosion in crack cocaine happened during the '80s, which were mostly mellow - but that could be explained more by accelerating crime rate in general.<br /><br />Anecdotally, there was a big stoner culture centered on marijuana in the early 2000s, and hallucinogens are portrayed in the popular culture as becoming popular in the 60s. <br />Curtisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-62878615297660823782018-05-21T02:08:49.516-04:002018-05-21T02:08:49.516-04:00originally I often used the term "angry/angst... originally I often used the term "angry/angsty" to describe the mellow phase. But this was inaccurate - because it has less to do with happy vs. sad, more to do with energetic vs. low-key.(or is this a misreading?)<br /><br />The mellow phase can produce happier music, but in a more low-key way, whereas the manic phase can produce angry music(though usually not "Sad" in the traditional sense, which is more mellow).Curtisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-27524878091321161702018-05-21T01:57:51.587-04:002018-05-21T01:57:51.587-04:00This post also continues to develop the idea of th...This post also continues to develop the idea of the warm-up and manic phases being ones of activity, whereas the downer phases are more of rest and self-reflection. You would think at first this has more to do outgoing vs. cocooning, but that's more reclusive vs. social; for instance, the online player "World of Warcraft" was hugely popular from the mid-2000s to early 2010s. Dropped in popularity when the culture became more mellow and less active.Curtisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-69570098708649774762018-05-20T19:27:12.846-04:002018-05-20T19:27:12.846-04:00Brit invasion from early 2010s: Ellie Goulding, Ad...Brit invasion from early 2010s: Ellie Goulding, Adele, One Direction, the Wanted, Jessie J, Calvin Harris, Coldplay (who showed up first in '08), Charli XCX, Mumford and Sons, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Bastille, Passenger, Jay Sean. Almost all from the peak of '12-'14.<br /><br />Canadians: Justin Bieber, Drake<br /><br />Aussies / Kiwis: Gotye & Kimbra, Sia, Lorde, Iggy Azalea, 5 Seconds of Summer.<br /><br />Perhaps the manic phase gets everybody into such a party mood that they want a dance club as big as the whole world.<br /><br />Again, we'd have to check how prominent the Anglos and other foreigners were during the vulnerable and warm-up phases, but I don't think they were during the 2000s, early or late.agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-89814083267926044682018-05-20T19:02:43.672-04:002018-05-20T19:02:43.672-04:00John Lennon's song was "Coming Up", ...John Lennon's song was "Coming Up", the #4 song that year, so he had a pretty big revival.<br /><br />As far as the late 90s, Elton John also had a huge revival with "Candle in the Wind" in commemoration of Diana's death; the song was the #1 single for 1997 I believe.<br /><br />Seal was popular in '95 with "Kiss from a Rose".<br /><br />Could be a pattern there, or it could be that British music has always been popular in America, and there will be a bunch of popular Brits/Irish on the charts irregardless of the zeitgeist. Still, I don't remember a lot of foreign music being popular in the early 2000s, which was mostly just American-bred hip-hop and emo rock.Curtisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-71398026509033552712018-05-20T18:57:01.446-04:002018-05-20T18:57:01.446-04:00Same pattern of popular foreign groups/singers in ...Same pattern of popular foreign groups/singers in the early 80s. For instance: the Police, Olivia Newton John, Queen, the Eurthymics, Men at Work, Bonnie Tyler, the Human League, Dexy's Midnight Runner, John Lennon and Paul Mccartney(as solo artists) all had top 10 hits during that period.<br /><br />The Police(Scottish Band) in 1983("Every Breath you Take", most popular song that year)<br /> <br />Men at Work in 1983("Land Down Under", #4 song)<br /><br />The Eurythmics in 1983("Sweet Dreams")<br /><br />Bonnie Tyler(Welsh) in '83("Total Eclipse of the Heart", #6 ranked song)<br /><br />Dexys Midnight Runners in '83("Come on Eileen", #13 ranked song) <br /><br />Olivia Newton John in '82("Physical", #1 ranked song)<br /><br />The Human League in 1982(British group, "Don't you want me Baby", ranked #6)<br /><br />Soft Cell in 1982(English, "Tainted Love", ranked #11)<br /><br /> Foreigner in 1981("I've been waiting(for a girl like you")<br /><br />John Lennon in '81(<br /><br />Pink Flloyd in 1980("Another Brick in the Wall", the #1 song that year)<br /><br />Queen in 1980("Crazy Little Thing Called Love, #ranked song)<br /><br />Olivia Newton John in 1980 ("Magic", #2 song)<br /><br />Paul McCartney in 1980 ("Coming up", #7 ranked song)<br /><br />Rupert Holmes in 1980("Escape(The Pina Colada song)", #11 ranked)<br /><br />Gary Numan(British) in 1980("Cars", #12 ranked song)Curtisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-79083530629459620892018-05-20T16:04:41.302-04:002018-05-20T16:04:41.302-04:00There wasn't a huge British invasion during th...There wasn't a huge British invasion during the late '90s, since rock was starting to die off as a genre. But on the US charts there were the Spice Girls, Chumbawumba, Everything but the Girl, Oasis, and the Verve. Around '95-'96, we had lots of Britpop bands getting airplay and MTV -- just not broad enough to dominate the charts. Oasis, Blur, Elastica, etc.<br /><br />We actually had more Canadians here during the late '90s: Alanis Morissette, Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Barenaked Ladies, and Sarah McLachlan.<br /><br />Token Aussies: Savage Garden.agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-79789161949914263982018-05-20T15:37:31.360-04:002018-05-20T15:37:31.360-04:00Kiss's Disco-fied I Was Made For Loving You (&...Kiss's Disco-fied I Was Made For Loving You ('79) was a decent hit, and just about all of their late 70's hits were about partying or sex, although it all seems very theatrical, as noted above artists in these periods are trying to basically tell themselves and their audience that we really are wild and crazy, whereas when people really are emotionally and physically unglued (like in the early 80's) the sincerity level is higher and there's not as much creepy affectation, shallowness, or nihilism.<br /><br />There's definitely something off-putting about say, the late 70's or most of the early-mid 90's. There's a real sense of garish theatricality and nihilism to a lot of the culture, and for the housewives and kids "entertainment" becomes very bland and disposable. Whereas in most of the 80's and in the late 90's the vibe is less pretentious and there's more of an emphasis on having an upbeat and pro-social attitude.Ferylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01336057631877941839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-73556205149671583082018-05-20T12:56:06.021-04:002018-05-20T12:56:06.021-04:00In your estimation are these phases organic, or dr...In your estimation are these phases organic, or driven by a kind of organized media apparatus a la Dave Mcgowan. As a not infrequent reader I assume you would say organic, but still, I am curious. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-54126426739741741322018-05-20T11:33:37.686-04:002018-05-20T11:33:37.686-04:00The two British invasions both happened early in t...The two British invasions both happened early in the manic phase, is there a reason for that, either English music trending towards manic or the Brits being slightly ahead of us? was there an uptick in British acts in the last two manic phases?dlmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-81796547033019925732018-05-20T00:16:11.076-04:002018-05-20T00:16:11.076-04:00Sexual references also mark the warm-up phase, rat...Sexual references also mark the warm-up phase, rather than the manic phase as you might think.<br /><br />But these on-the-nose references are there to provoke, wake you up, and normalize sexual themes, after you're ending the vulnerable refractory phase.<br /><br />Since the excitation level hasn't spiked yet, there's a mismatch between the salacious themes and the pretty subdued energy levels. It sounds forced, also part of the climate of "going through the motions" and "routine exercises" rather than the real deal.<br /><br />It also makes it sound decadent, something I picked up on earlier in trying to characterize this phase. Highly sexually charged themes, but with not a lot of energy behind it, bodies just going through the motions -- at first it seems like the nihilistic endpoint of a trend, when they have nothing left but that kind of cargo-cult sex appeal cult.<br /><br />But it's really the other way around -- people are still just waking up from their deep sleep, and this is just the routine, color-by-numbers warm-up for a truly sexually charged atmosphere that will come during the next manic phase.<br /><br />I'll do a survey of these songs in another post, but you get the basic idea. During the last restless warm-up phase of the late 2000s, there was "Promiscuous," "Smack That," "Sexual Eruption," and many others. Strip club aesthetic, sometimes in the lyrics too.<br /><br />There were hardly any like that in the early 2000s, few during the manic phase of the early 2010s, and now none again.agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-63664828867584191962018-05-19T16:09:25.083-04:002018-05-19T16:09:25.083-04:00It's not that the mellow phase is non-corporea...It's not that the mellow phase is non-corporeal -- it's still a corporeal state, only one that is exhausted, all done, drained, etc. Like those songs I wrote about recently -- "All Cried Out," "Endless Sleep," "Numb," etc.agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-79483177146128982542018-05-18T18:44:40.274-04:002018-05-18T18:44:40.274-04:00You've correlated these music cycles with ener...You've correlated these music cycles with energy levels. Would this mean, perhaps, that physical activity literally also increases with the manic phase, and decreases with the mellow phase?<br /><br />Furthermore, if the manic phase is more corporeal, than maybe the mellow phase is more abstract-oriented and intellectual?<br /><br />Curtisnoreply@blogger.com