Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey, A kiddley divey too, Wooden shoe!" was once a popular song in our musical history. Probably, the young people of today cannot translate this into anything resembling words to a song. I shall help by adding the rest of the first verse: “If the words sound queer and funny to your ear, a little bit jumbled and jivey, Sing "Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy."
So now you know that I have a “different” taste in music than many, if not most, people who appreciate pop music. It is doubtful that young people of today could translate the first sentence into actual lyrics of an English language song. This old novelty song, written and performed just for fun, was not screamed, shouted nor related to killing or beating up women. Probably would not play well in today’s youth market. It can easily be strummed or accompanied on/by a guitar but it has nothing to do with drinking too much beer in a bar after someone ran off from someone. Somewhere during the recent decades our pop song culture seems, to me, to have gone off the rails.
Yessir, I grew up during the cool jazz era from the west coast and the hot jazz from the east coast. Yes, I will admit to some prejudice back then against pop music and a feeling of superiority. But, I participated in it and even played it and often listened to it. At our teen town I even danced to it. OH, that is another thing that youth today do not know how to do. But I guess I can save that for another time - even though it will be hard to wait. Back in the dark ages when pop music actually had a tune, rhythm and purpose, if it was popular it stayed on the “Hit Parade” for weeks. I know there is no Hit Parade now and it is just as well. If a song is popular now it shouldn’t have a very long title as it would be replaced before the adjudicators were listing it on the chart. Having a long title would not allow them to finish listing it before they would be erasing it.
One thing I do like is the zillions of ways one can get music now. You Tube is full of music, Facebook is full of music and some of it is even tolerable. Many shops still sell music CD/DVD albums and WAIT! records are making a comeback. People other than hard-core musicians are discovering that vinyl records have better fidelity than electronic CDs or DVDs. It is even possible, if this trend continues, I will be able to work the latest play back machine without having to call for help from a 10 year old. The radio is full of broadcast stations who think they are sending out music. I suppose, by the widest definition, they are. It does make one shudder to think some of these screaming, yelling, profane groups are called musicians. (insert sigh here.)
There are many songs, pop or otherwise that I do like. There are many groups and individuals i do like so I am not at all adverse to (alleged) music being played today. Some of the old stars can still turn it up and put some newbies to shame. One time I was talking to Herman Hermit’s guitar and bass player. I was never impressed by his efforts but I was in the vast minority. Later I met him and he was as snarly in person as he appeared to be from the audience. His side men told me how hard he worked. He had had to do two shows in three days. I was astounded as I had high school kids who could do three shows in two days. On concert tours, groups did three shows in three different places in one day. I knew I had come along too late. If I had worn tight breeches, had great sidemen to back me, jumped around and yelled incomprehensibly, used a profanity or two, then I could have been a star. Then, on my way down, I could have had people feel sorry for me because I worked too hard every third or fourth day. Oh, well.
Maybe I am missing something but the pop music that I hear being produced seems to be coming from movies. Movie producers still understand the power of pop music and they use it very effectively. Just think of Titanic and Celine Dion singing My Heart Will Go On. If I could go back to Teen Town just one Friday night, I could dance to that all night.