Best Parody Target

[tomatochives]

It irks me a little that 4 out of the 5 parody targets aren't musically complex at all. I wish Al picked more challenging songs to spoof, but I guess it's not his own fault. People are so easily entertained nowadays. To be honest, I'm more excited about the originals on this album.

[Bruce the Duck]

Happy was my favorite song I've heard this year, even before I knew Al was parodying it. To me a song doesn't have to be "complex" in order to be good. All that really matters is how much I like listening to it. I love upbeat, feel-good songs like this. It's just a fun song to listen to.

[MikeyMan2627]

People are so easily entertained nowadays. To be honest, I'm more excited about the originals on this album.

[darkhornet]

Happy was my favorite song I've heard this year, even before I knew Al was parodying it. To me a song doesn't have to be "complex" in order to be good. All that really matters is how much I like listening to it. I love upbeat, feel-good songs like this. It's just a fun song to listen to.

This, this, this. I get so tired of hearing people put down music I like because it isn't "complex". Nothing wrong with complex songs, but when you lose melody and emotion for the sake of complexity, it misses the mark. Great songs are those that can hit both marks.

[tomatochives]

To me a song doesn't have to be "complex" in order to be good. All that really matters is how much I like listening to it. I love upbeat, feel-good songs like this. It's just a fun song to listen to.

I know, different strokes for different folks.

But that brings up another point. "Misery" by Soul Asylum was a parody target. And that song was NOT upbeat or feel-good, yet it was a huge hit back in the day. And even if you didn't like the subject matter, you could still enjoy the amazing guitar work on it. But times have really changed. It used to be easy to tell popular songs apart from each other. Each song Al would parody (particularly in the 90s) had its own distinct sound and appeal. I can't say the same thing for today's popular music.

[Bruce the Duck]

But times have really changed.

Not really. Criticisms of today's popular music is EXACTLY the same as criticism that existed when Elvis, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Madonna, New Kids on the Block, Nirvana, Britney Spears, and Justin Bieber came along. The older generation always dislikes and denigrates the new popular music because they're nostalgic and missing a very important point: You're not the audience they're writing for.

Each song Al would parody (particularly in the 90s) had its own distinct sound and appeal. I can't say the same thing for today's popular music.

I don't know what you mean by this. I don't listen to all that much popular music, but I can still differentiate between Timberlake, Beyoncé, Kanye, Pharrell, Adele, and whoever else. All those artists have very unique sounds and styles. They're not the styles you like, but they're just as unique as Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins. In fact, I remember an awful lot of Pearl Jam-esque artists from the nineties that sounded a lot a like.

EDIT: My auto-correct on my iPad added the accent on Beyoncé for me! Wow! Her name is actually a word now?

[Marko_The_Odd]

So am I the only one here who just outright hates Radioactive? I've been trying to avoid listening to them as much as I can, and I just feel gross listening to them.

[Skippy]

So am I the only one here who just outright hates Radioactive? I've been trying to avoid listening to them as much as I can, and I just feel gross listening to them.

That seems like an extreme reaction to a harmless rock band. You could be allergic. Maybe it's a chemical imbalance or something; you should probably go and see a doctor about it when you've got the time.




Guitar!

[JEDM]

As much as I despise the subject matter, the beat of "Blurred Lines" is infectious.

[tomatochives]

Criticisms of today's popular music is EXACTLY the same as criticism that existed when Elvis, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Madonna, New Kids on the Block, Nirvana, Britney Spears, and Justin Bieber came along. The older generation always dislikes and denigrates the new popular music because they're nostalgic and missing a very important point: You're not the audience they're writing for.

Ironically, I'm part of the generation that today's artists are writing for.

I was born in the mid-90s, so I wouldn't even call it nostalgia. And it's true, every generation rebels against its predecessor. But I still listen to "dated" music and, for whatever reason, I enjoy it.

(Also, I think it's funny how you included Nirvana in that list. They never even intended to be popular.)