As the eighth month of 2017 comes to a close, I have taken the time to look back at some of the pop music that has been released this year. And I must say, it hasn't evolved all that much since last year. Kinda like me. (Whether that's a good or bad thing in my case, idk.) The majority of pop music today still revolves around "love" and the drama that ensues because of it. It sounds like the music industry could learn a lil' somethin', somethin' from 1 Corinthians 13, if you know what I mean. (Side note: If you don't know what I mean, that's okay. No judgement. Just look it up.) After looking at Billboard's lists of top songs, here's my reaction to a little more than a few of them. Enjoy. Unless you don't care what I think. Then, in that case, you can stop reading now. Bye. . . .
"Despacito (Remix)" - Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber Across all top song lists, "Despacito" has stayed in the top 5. Why? Two words. Justin. Bieber. That and the fact that he sings in a romantic language for a minute and a half on the track is enough to make everybody want to listen. My first impression of the song was its popularity. I hadn't seen a Spanish song get this much attention since Daddy Yankee's last hit, "Gasolina". Other than that, I wasn't much of a fan. Let's just say, the more it played on the radio, the more I realized how much I didn't like it. Sorry not sorry. Score: 2/10 "How Far I'll Go" - Auli'i Cravalho from Disney's Moana A Disney song about trying to decide between comfort and the risky unknown of following your dreams, produced and written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and sung by the real-life Moana. It doesn't get any better than that. Score: 10/10 "Shape of You" - Ed Sheeran When I first heard this song, I was stunned at how different it was from his previous music. But it's catchy, as most pop songs are. A song about meeting a girl in a club and being distracted by her body doesn't scream "love song" to me, but I don't hate it. Score: 7/10 "Wild Thoughts" - DJ Khaled ft. Bryson Tiller & Rihanna THIS SONG IS RATED R a.k.a NOT FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 18. I don't even think my grandma is old enough to listen to this song. The idea of these two R&B singers collaborating is a good one, but how about singing about something other than "getting your cookie baked" (can you say TMI?). I know I wanna hear you sang it, sang it, sang it. And by that I mean, Rihanna has a wild, wild, wild voice and should use it more often. Score: 2/10 "That's What I Like" - Bruno Mars Now this is R&B done right--- sultry yet sweet. Bruno Mars will never make a promise that he can't keep. With the assumption that he's talking about delivering good tunes every single album. (Side note: Even my mom likes this song. That's how you know.) Score: 10/10 "Attention" - Charlie Puth Charlie Puth pulled a Taylor Swift. And it's actually decent. (DISCLAIMER: In reference to the phrase "pulling a Taylor Swift", no, I do not mean Charlie Puth yanked Taylor Swift by the hair to get her attention. My apologies to those who may have assumed/wished that was so.) Score: 7/10 "I'm The One" - DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Chance The Rapper, Quavo, & Lil Wayne The song I hate to love. I admit, it's a bop. I mean, I'll sing and dance along to it if it comes on, but it lacks in substance. Can the entertainment industry stop objectifying women [and men] and promoting the lie that happiness and love can be bought? (Side note: I have no idea what DJ Khaled contributed to this song or any of the others on "his" album other than organizing the collaborations and repeating the same three catchphrases. (yikes!)) Score: 5/10 "Sign of the Times" - Harry Styles In case you didn't know, one of my favorites released an album that the world didn't know they wanted. With hints of 70s rock, this is a celestial tune for deep thinkers. I'm a fan. Score: 10/10 "HUMBLE." - Kendrick Lamar You might need to sit down for this because Kendrick's most popular single to date is rich in content. This is how to rap with intelligence (and humility, so I've been told). Also, the music video for this song is crazy cool. The VMAs got it right on that one. Score: 10/10 "Location" - Khalid One of the few things that Kylie Jenner has promoted that is good. (yikes!) Our generation needs more songs like this. COMMUNICATE FACE-TO-FACE, PEOPLE. Studies have shown that it's better for your health! Wait, don't quote me on that. I was just saying it to persuade you, but now that I think about it, it makes sense. So you might as well just believe it. Glad that's settled. Score: 8/10 "Issues" - Julia Michaels Another song about communication. I mean, c'mon. That says something about the essence of healthy relationships if it keeps being brought up as a "make it or break it" issue. If there's anything to take away from this song, it's that loving someone is a choice. IT TAKES WORK. And also, everybody makes mistakes, everybody has those days, nobody's perfect. Oh, that's a different song? Oops, I did it again. (yikes!) Score: 8/10 "Say You Won't Let Go" - James Arthur Although this song was released in 2016, it became popular this year, so I'm including it. It's my post, and I'll do what I want to. (Side note: To all the people born after 2001, fyi, that last statement was a play on words to the song, "It's My Party", not "We Can't Stop". Congrats, you just learned something new today. You're welcome.) Anyways, this is my favorite song on this post. I never get tired of listening to it. Score: 11/10 "Bad and Boujee" - Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert One of many rap songs that went viral. All I have to say is: First, stop hitting "dem folks" during this song. It's rude. Second, excuse their French. And no, I'm not just talking about the misspelling of the word "bougie". Score: 3/10 "1-800-273-8255" - Logic ft. Alessia Cara & Khalid My song of the summer. What an important message to share with the world. Props to the VMAs for giving Logic that platform. It was SO necessary. PSA: Music with a message can change lives. Score: 12/10 "Look What You Made Me Do" - Taylor Swift Because this post wouldn't be complete without it. But also, I don't really want to talk about it. Fine. One word: Petty. And that's a wrap. *here's the music charts I referenced in this post: Billboard | Pop Songs Billboard | Best Pop Songs of 2017 Billboard | Hot 100 (as of 09/02/2017) Billboard | Radio Hits *as well as an article about a current trend in pop music: RELEVANT | Why Has Pop Music Become So Obsessed with Vengeance *If you've read this far, you obviously have nothing better to do. Or you just really care about what I have to say. (Why? I have no idea.) Either way, SPECIAL THANKS TO YOU. "You're a gem" -- Jesus CHRIST & plain-j.*
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