Music question

[Ritterskoop]

Music question: I am trying to learn what makes a song one genre and not another. I just heard The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" for the first time on my workout mix, and thought it might be classified as disco. The reviews all call it synth-pop, though, and many refer to the 80s. Which, I don't really hear the difference. I think it is four-on-the-floor, which I thought was the defining trait of disco. When you have a moment, listen here, but I would vote not to have the screen visible for the first part of the video, especially if there is anyone else around. It's just a guy's bloody nose, but it's all in his mouth, and gross. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NRXx6U8ABQ

[Ritterskoop]

Never mind. I am listening to some BeeGees now, and THAT is four on the floor.

[kroxquo]

I would not classify this as disco, but if I didn't know it was a current song I would have put smack dab in the mid 80's.

I also wonder about what classifies a asong in a particular genre. My wife is into country and listens to the country top 40 station and I often wonder why some of the songs there are country apart from the fact that the artists say they are. The line between pop and rock is very fuzzy to me. One book I read about the Beatles said that they started as a pop band and only gradually switched to rock late in their time together, fully committing to it about the time of the White Album sessions. I'd love to hear from T Bone and others more musically knowledgeable than I for thoughts on the whole genre question.

[Beebs52]

I'm no expert. But, I was in my twenties in the 70's and danced all the drinks outta me at whatever club we were at, 3 times a week, then went to work, Disco is dance music. Pop is, too. But disco was fairly mindless and fun and DANCEABLE. Fun.

That is all.

[Bob Juch]

Music question: I am trying to learn what makes a song one genre and not another. I just heard The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" for the first time on my workout mix, and thought it might be classified as disco. The reviews all call it synth-pop, though, and many refer to the 80s. Which, I don't really hear the difference. I think it is four-on-the-floor, which I thought was the defining trait of disco. When you have a moment, listen here, but I would vote not to have the screen visible for the first part of the video, especially if there is anyone else around. It's just a guy's bloody nose, but it's all in his mouth, and gross. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NRXx6U8ABQ

That doesn't have a disco beat.

[Beebs52]

Music question: I am trying to learn what makes a song one genre and not another. I just heard The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" for the first time on my workout mix, and thought it might be classified as disco. The reviews all call it synth-pop, though, and many refer to the 80s. Which, I don't really hear the difference. I think it is four-on-the-floor, which I thought was the defining trait of disco. When you have a moment, listen here, but I would vote not to have the screen visible for the first part of the video, especially if there is anyone else around. It's just a guy's bloody nose, but it's all in his mouth, and gross. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NRXx6U8ABQ

That doesn't have a disco beat.

Soo not disco. Too dark, minor keys, not fun

[T_Bone0806]

Music question: I am trying to learn what makes a song one genre and not another. I just heard The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" for the first time on my workout mix, and thought it might be classified as disco. The reviews all call it synth-pop, though, and many refer to the 80s. Which, I don't really hear the difference. I think it is four-on-the-floor, which I thought was the defining trait of disco. When you have a moment, listen here, but I would vote not to have the screen visible for the first part of the video, especially if there is anyone else around. It's just a guy's bloody nose, but it's all in his mouth, and gross. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NRXx6U8ABQ

A rose by any other name, etc.

Disco, synth-pop, modern pop..or to me, just plain meh. It has elements of disco, but it wouldn't be the first thing to come to my mind. There is, these days, too much of a desire to pigeonhole and label songs into one single category and that's not always accurate or even logical. It is part of why there are rigid playlists and little, if any, crossover between radio formats. Back in the 60's, especially, there were multiple musical styles exploding all over, and standing side-by-side with each other on the charts and on the air. At random I chose the Billboard chart for the first week of 1968. #1 that week was Hello Goodbye by The Beatles. but on the same Top 40 were songs by Ed Ames, The Lettermen and Englebert Humperdinck, James Brown and Aretha Franklin, Glen Campbell and The Stone Poneys, The Doors and the Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Monkees and the Lemon Pipers..and just 4 spots away from the Top 40 was jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery's cover of Windy. Falling out of the Top 40 that week was a Peter, Paul and Mary tune. Pretty diverse.

Anyway, I suppose I strayed from the original focus of your post. My response is basically "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Music is in the ear of the listener". Listening to this song, I hear several valid labels that could be applied.

[T_Bone0806]

Music question: I am trying to learn what makes a song one genre and not another. I just heard The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" for the first time on my workout mix, and thought it might be classified as disco. The reviews all call it synth-pop, though, and many refer to the 80s. Which, I don't really hear the difference. I think it is four-on-the-floor, which I thought was the defining trait of disco. When you have a moment, listen here, but I would vote not to have the screen visible for the first part of the video, especially if there is anyone else around. It's just a guy's bloody nose, but it's all in his mouth, and gross. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NRXx6U8ABQ

That doesn't have a disco beat.

Soo not disco. Too dark, minor keys, not fun

Tried to resist, but..............."Not Fun" describes most ALL of disco for me

[Bob Juch]

That doesn't have a disco beat.

Soo not disco. Too dark, minor keys, not fun

Tried to resist, but..............."Not Fun" describes most ALL of disco for me

For your listening pleasure, here's an old band from Tucson:

[T_Bone0806]

I would not classify this as disco, but if I didn't know it was a current song I would have put smack dab in the mid 80's.

I also wonder about what classifies a a song in a particular genre. My wife is into country and listens to the country top 40 station and I often wonder why some of the songs there are country apart from the fact that the artists say they are. The line between pop and rock is very fuzzy to me. One book I read about the Beatles said that they started as a pop band and only gradually switched to rock late in their time together, fully committing to it about the time of the White Album sessions. I'd love to hear from T Bone and others more musically knowledgeable than I for thoughts on the whole genre question.

As far as I can tell, country music qualifies as country music these days, if it mentions the singer's girlfriend with her feet up on the dash of his pickup truck, and somewhere in the song it name checks George Jones, Merle Haggard, George Strait, and/or Hank Williams. Apparently this is supposed to convey a sense of authenticity to their music, when in reality, the style is more akin to The Eagles, Bob Seger, etc. than it is to the aforementioned artists.

No lie about the feet up on the dash lyric, by the way. This goes back a few years, but when I was still working but could no longer drive, I used to catch the bus to work. The regular driver would always have the local modern country station on. One day I CLEARLY remember...and keep in mind that the ride was about ten minutes one way...hearing, between the trip to work and the trip home, three DIFFERENT songs, EACH ONE with a lyric about a girl with her bare feet up on the dash. THREE DIFFERENT SONGS. From that day forward I have had very little use for what the industry calls "country" these days. It's incredibly formulaic. Alternative country, Western Swing type things, uptempo banjo tunes, yeah, I'll give those styles a chance, but what's on the current country stations...no thanks.

As for the Beatles topic, I would disagree with the author on his "pop band" classification. Sure, if you compare the early Beatle recordings to, say, Deep Purple, those recordings could be considered "pop". But consider that those records were released almost 10 years EARLIER than Deep Purple, or Black Sabbath, etc. and instead compare them to what else was around at the time. How many records in 1963 matched the intensity of Twist and Shout, Money or Long Tall Sally? And that was AFTER Brian Epstein took their scruffy, rowdy Hamburg stage personas and "cleaned them up" for mass consumption. While I concede that they also incorporated "safe" items like A Taste of Honey and Till There Was You into their repertoire, the eagerness with which some seem to dismiss them as a pop band...or even worse, as the first "boy band", comes off to me as the result of a distaste for the screaming girls and mass adulation of those Beatlemania days, as well as resentment of the legendary acclaim bestowed upon the four of them.

[littlebeast13]

As far as I can tell, country music qualifies as country music these days, if it mentions the singer's girlfriend with her feet up on the dash of his pickup truck, and somewhere in the song it name checks George Jones, Merle Haggard, George Strait, and/or Hank Williams. Apparently this is supposed to convey a sense of authenticity to their music, when in reality, the style is more akin to The Eagles, Bob Seger, etc. than it is to the aforementioned artists.

You forgot going to church on Sundays.... but yeah, you just described every modern country song I've heard at Mecca for the past 22 years...

lb13

[Bob Juch]

I would not classify this as disco, but if I didn't know it was a current song I would have put smack dab in the mid 80's.

I also wonder about what classifies a a song in a particular genre. My wife is into country and listens to the country top 40 station and I often wonder why some of the songs there are country apart from the fact that the artists say they are. The line between pop and rock is very fuzzy to me. One book I read about the Beatles said that they started as a pop band and only gradually switched to rock late in their time together, fully committing to it about the time of the White Album sessions. I'd love to hear from T Bone and others more musically knowledgeable than I for thoughts on the whole genre question.

As far as I can tell, country music qualifies as country music these days, if it mentions the singer's girlfriend with her feet up on the dash of his pickup truck, and somewhere in the song it name checks George Jones, Merle Haggard, George Strait, and/or Hank Williams. Apparently this is supposed to convey a sense of authenticity to their music, when in reality, the style is more akin to The Eagles, Bob Seger, etc. than it is to the aforementioned artists.

No lie about the feet up on the dash lyric, by the way. This goes back a few years, but when I was still working but could no longer drive, I used to catch the bus to work. The regular driver would always have the local modern country station on. One day I CLEARLY remember...and keep in mind that the ride was about ten minutes one way...hearing, between the trip to work and the trip home, three DIFFERENT songs, EACH ONE with a lyric about a girl with her bare feet up on the dash. THREE DIFFERENT SONGS. From that day forward I have had very little use for what the industry calls "country" these days. It's incredibly formulaic. Alternative country, Western Swing type things, uptempo banjo tunes, yeah, I'll give those styles a chance, but what's on the current country stations...no thanks.

I listen to Sirius XM The Highway. I can't think of one "girl's feet up on the dash" song. In searching for the song in my previous post, I ran across three more songs from Chuch Wagon and the Wheels: "My Girl Passed Out in Her Food," "Beauty's in the Eye of the Beerholder," and "Asshole from El Paso." They won't be confused for any genre other than Country.

[Beebs52]

That doesn't have a disco beat.

Soo not disco. Too dark, minor keys, not fun

Tried to resist, but..............."Not Fun" describes most ALL of disco for me

Oh I bet you were a secret line dancer!

[Bob Juch]

Soo not disco. Too dark, minor keys, not fun

Tried to resist, but..............."Not Fun" describes most ALL of disco for me

Oh I bet you were a secret line dancer!

Probably to "Boot Scooton' Boogie."

[Beebs52]

Tried to resist, but..............."Not Fun" describes most ALL of disco for me

Oh I bet you were a secret line dancer!

Probably to "Boot Scooton' Boogie."

Yes! Swing is the best

[T_Bone0806]

Soo not disco. Too dark, minor keys, not fun

Tried to resist, but..............."Not Fun" describes most ALL of disco for me

Oh I bet you were a secret line dancer!

You'd lose that bet m'dear. "Dancer" was not a word used in any sentence referring to me...at least not with a straight face. Even as a lead singer my stage presentation owed much more to Eddie Money and Robert Palmer than to Mick Jagger. I found out early in my teen years that any attempts at dancing on my part would quickly result in a concerned citizen either calling the paramedics or applying the Heimlich Maneuver.

[T_Bone0806]

I listen to Sirius XM The Highway. I can't think of one "girl's feet up on the dash" song.

Nevertheless, I speak the truth.

Is The Highway more traditional country? That would explain it.

[Beebs52]

Tried to resist, but..............."Not Fun" describes most ALL of disco for me

Oh I bet you were a secret line dancer!

You'd lose that bet m'dear. "Dancer" was not a word used in any sentence referring to me...at least not with a straight face. Even as a lead singer my stage presentation owed much more to Eddie Money and Robert Palmer than to Mick Jagger. I found out early in my teen years that any attempts at dancing on my part would quickly result in a concerned citizen either calling the paramedics or applying the Heimlich Maneuver.

You so make me laugh.

[Bob Juch]

I listen to Sirius XM The Highway. I can't think of one "girl's feet up on the dash" song.

Nevertheless, I speak the truth.

Is The Highway more traditional country? That would explain it.

No, it's new Country. Here's their Country channel line-up:

55 The Garth Channel Garth's Own Channel, 24/7
56 The Highway Today's Country Hits
57 No Shoes Radio Kenny Chesney's Music
58 Prime Country '80s/'90s Country Hits
59 Willie's Roadhouse Willie's Classic Country
60 Outlaw Country Music Rockin' Country Rebels
61 Y2Kountry Music 2000s Country Hits
62 Bluegrass Junction Bluegrass

You can listen online at https://player.siriusxm.com/home/foryou It's free until mid-June, I think.

[mrkelley23]

I would not classify this as disco, but if I didn't know it was a current song I would have put smack dab in the mid 80's.

I also wonder about what classifies a a song in a particular genre. My wife is into country and listens to the country top 40 station and I often wonder why some of the songs there are country apart from the fact that the artists say they are. The line between pop and rock is very fuzzy to me. One book I read about the Beatles said that they started as a pop band and only gradually switched to rock late in their time together, fully committing to it about the time of the White Album sessions. I'd love to hear from T Bone and others more musically knowledgeable than I for thoughts on the whole genre question.

As far as I can tell, country music qualifies as country music these days, if it mentions the singer's girlfriend with her feet up on the dash of his pickup truck, and somewhere in the song it name checks George Jones, Merle Haggard, George Strait, and/or Hank Williams. Apparently this is supposed to convey a sense of authenticity to their music, when in reality, the style is more akin to The Eagles, Bob Seger, etc. than it is to the aforementioned artists.

No lie about the feet up on the dash lyric, by the way. This goes back a few years, but when I was still working but could no longer drive, I used to catch the bus to work. The regular driver would always have the local modern country station on. One day I CLEARLY remember...and keep in mind that the ride was about ten minutes one way...hearing, between the trip to work and the trip home, three DIFFERENT songs, EACH ONE with a lyric about a girl with her bare feet up on the dash. THREE DIFFERENT SONGS. From that day forward I have had very little use for what the industry calls "country" these days. It's incredibly formulaic. Alternative country, Western Swing type things, uptempo banjo tunes, yeah, I'll give those styles a chance, but what's on the current country stations...no thanks.

I listen to Sirius XM The Highway. I can't think of one "girl's feet up on the dash" song. In searching for the song in my previous post, I ran across three more songs from Chuch Wagon and the Wheels: "My Girl Passed Out in Her Food," "Beauty's in the Eye of the Beerholder," and "Asshole from El Paso." They won't be confused for any genre other than Country.

Do you actually listen, or do you just have it on? A quick Google search for "feet on the dash" lyrics reveals:

Days Like These -- Jason Aldean
Meant to Be -- Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line
That Thing We do -- Blake Shelton
Take a Little Ride -- Jason Aldean (again!)
Bare feet on the Dash -- Moccasin Creek
Free and Easy Down the Road -- Dierks Bentley
Like You Ain't Even Gone -- Florida Georgia Line (again!)
Anything Goes -- Flroida Georgia Line (again, again!)
Back to Life -- Rascal Flatts

That's just the first two pages of results -- I lost interest after that. Not even counting variations like "feet on the dashboard."

Dare you to put your prodigious Googling skills to work and find another four word phrase that has more different country songs on the first two pages of hits.

[Ritterskoop]

Roomie is 84, and grew up with what he also thinks of as real country. I could not listen to a lot of the first episode of the Ken Burns special, because of all the actual yodeling, but roomie loves it. He likes bluegrass, and hillbilly stuff, and sad crooners, and all of it. Sometime in the 80s, the local radio station said it is Hank Williams birthday, so here's a song by Hank Jr. -- he called to say why didn't you play a song by the actual birthday boy, and they said they were not allowed.

He can tolerate Randy Travis (doesn't hurt that he is local-ish), but after that, unless it is Johnny Cash's farewell album, he's out.

[ghostjmf]

Re T-Bone's modern-country analysis:

If it were anything *like* the Eagles or Bob Seger it would be *so* much better.

[Bob Juch]

As far as I can tell, country music qualifies as country music these days, if it mentions the singer's girlfriend with her feet up on the dash of his pickup truck, and somewhere in the song it name checks George Jones, Merle Haggard, George Strait, and/or Hank Williams. Apparently this is supposed to convey a sense of authenticity to their music, when in reality, the style is more akin to The Eagles, Bob Seger, etc. than it is to the aforementioned artists.

No lie about the feet up on the dash lyric, by the way. This goes back a few years, but when I was still working but could no longer drive, I used to catch the bus to work. The regular driver would always have the local modern country station on. One day I CLEARLY remember...and keep in mind that the ride was about ten minutes one way...hearing, between the trip to work and the trip home, three DIFFERENT songs, EACH ONE with a lyric about a girl with her bare feet up on the dash. THREE DIFFERENT SONGS. From that day forward I have had very little use for what the industry calls "country" these days. It's incredibly formulaic. Alternative country, Western Swing type things, uptempo banjo tunes, yeah, I'll give those styles a chance, but what's on the current country stations...no thanks.

I listen to Sirius XM The Highway. I can't think of one "girl's feet up on the dash" song. In searching for the song in my previous post, I ran across three more songs from Chuch Wagon and the Wheels: "My Girl Passed Out in Her Food," "Beauty's in the Eye of the Beerholder," and "Asshole from El Paso." They won't be confused for any genre other than Country.

Do you actually listen, or do you just have it on? A quick Google search for "feet on the dash" lyrics reveals:

Days Like These -- Jason Aldean
Meant to Be -- Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line
That Thing We do -- Blake Shelton
Take a Little Ride -- Jason Aldean (again!)
Bare feet on the Dash -- Moccasin Creek
Free and Easy Down the Road -- Dierks Bentley
Like You Ain't Even Gone -- Florida Georgia Line (again!)
Anything Goes -- Flroida Georgia Line (again, again!)
Back to Life -- Rascal Flatts

That's just the first two pages of results -- I lost interest after that. Not even counting variations like "feet on the dashboard."

Dare you to put your prodigious Googling skills to work and find another four word phrase that has more different country songs on the first two pages of hits.

Most of the time I don't pay attention to the lyrics. Also, I listen to it mostly when I'm driving and I haven't been doing much lately.