Celine Dion first released "It's all coming back to me now" in the summer of 1996. We were on a family vacation through the Okanogan in BC and driving through the orchards and such when it came on the radio. When it first started I swore it was a Meat Loaf song that I'd never heard (which is rare), or a new one, so I was pretty excited to say the least. But then this woman's voice starts singing, and I remember thinking to myself, "Oh, it's a duet." But it wasn't. I was just that whiny ass Celine Dion. *blech* Now I was only 13 at the time, but I was pretty pissed off that she was doing an obvious Meat Loaf song.
Years later I found it was originally intended for Meat Loaf's Bat out of Hell 2, but "I'd do anything for love (But I won't do that)", which I think was a better choice, but then "It's all coming back to me now" was slated for Bat out of Hell 3.
The problem arose when Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman had a bit of a falling out in the mid 90's and he gave it to Celine. :p But they patched things up and it ended up being recorded for Bat out of Hell 3, on which he performs it with Marion Raven (previously of M2M fame) and a version that I find about 7 million times better than Celine Dion's, and I feel that things are a little more right in the world.
(Bat out of Hell 3 came out a few years ago, but I thought it is important enough that I can still bring it up)
A few years back Mama Bean and I went to see a bunch of concerts, and I figured I'd buy stuff from the opening bands in case they ever got popular. Opening for The Weakthan's or The Watchmen (I can't remember which) was this little band called The Longest Run. I quite enjoyed them, so I bought a t-shirt. The next weekend we saw Tegan and Sara, and opening for them was this little band called Metric. I wasn't a huge fan as their music was much less refined than it is now, and a little rockier. Not really my style, so I didn't buy any merch. Now who's the bigger band? lol At least I can say I saw Metric before they made it big.
I'm getting tired of music snobs. Everyone has an opinion, and they are flocking to the internet to tell everyone exactly what they think. For some reason I've been coming across a lot of pretentious people writing about music lately. I don't understand the attitude of going around saying so-and-so's music sucks and if you listen to it, then you have bad taste in music. Musical tastes, like religious beliefs, are personal beliefs, and when you insult them, you are insulting the person. When did it become acceptable to make personal attacks on people? Why is this an acceptable practice? Sure, you don't have to like something, but just because someone else does, it doesn't make them wrong, or a lesser person because of it. We all have our own preferences, so why does it have to be such an issue? Music snobs are assholes.
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7 comments:
Best frat boy t-shirt ever: Your favorite band sucks.
I saw this shirt at a bar once and the person I was talking to took great offense. They actually interrupted our conversation and took the time to explain why, indeed, their fav band did NOT suck.
I think you are correct about personal music tastes and beliefs - they are a soft spot. I think in both cases conviction is important in repelling any attacks.
I'm waiting for Daniel to respond to this post...
Come on Daniel, you know you want to...
-daniel
Music snobs are assholes. Guilty. Everybody knows it. The problem I have with shitty music is that it's shitty. I can say lots of pop music is crap because I know that it was written by some fluffy we-know-what's-going-to-sell lyric writing machine, sung by some T&A laden bimbo with a somewhat decent voice, and has had the hell produced out of it. Or it's some asinine cashgrab that doesn't have anything significant behind it (or even worse, the worst fucking lyrics in the whole history of humankind!). So because everybody expects me to say it, here: It is possible to make good, talent-driven music, with, if not important, than fun/catchy (!) lyrics (or no lyrics; some techno is great to listen to) that is still able to make a band shitloads of money. But just because you have five guys who know how to play instruments doesn't mean you have a band, and just because some guy's a beat poet doesn't mean he should be a lead singer. God! Why can't people just realise that I'm only a music snob because I actually have a valid opinion on why shitty music sucks? Happy Nate? :P
thanks Daniel :-)
Thanks for coming out to play Daniel! :)
@Daniel
Okay, so crappy music is, by your definition, "written by some fluffy we-know-what's-going-to-sell lyric writing machine, sung by some T&A laden bimbo with a somewhat decent voice, and has had the hell produced out of it." (i would disagree)
You then go on to define good music as "good, talent-driven music, with, if not important, than fun/catchy (!) lyrics (or no lyrics; some techno is great to listen to) that is still able to make a band shitloads of money." (i would agree)
These are your opinions, and as such, you are entitled to them. What you aren't entitled to is ripping on people who don't share the same music tastes as you. (I'm not saying this is what you do, but music snobs as a whole tend to. I'm not sure if you fit all the things that I'm talking about in terms of being a music snob, so feel free to only address those that do as I'm being rather broad.)
So I guess what I'm wondering is, as a self-professed music snob, what is it that makes you think that you are right, and others aren't? Why is your opinion more valid than someone who listens to, what you define as, crappy music?
I've never understood this music snobbery that people hold onto so strongly. I don't understand why they think they have the right to impart their will onto other people and that it must be accepted.
I enjoy something from pretty much ever genre of music. I also despise something from every genre of music.
I don't understand how people enjoy bands like Nickelback, Radiohead, any screamo bands or most of Pink Floyd. It just doesn't do it for me. I think it is crappy music. Their fans would disagree, and that's fine. They don't have to like my music, I don't have to like theirs.
:)
So. Let me put this in concrete terms: it's about how a person feels. A person can form a very strong bond to a band/group/singer, etc. depending on when, not just in their life, but what point of their life, they first hear said artist (I use artist generically). I've always loved Our Lady Peace. They've made, in my opinion, nothing but great music. But even eating pizza every single day, or five times a day, would get tiresome. Basically, a person can form a bond with an 'artist' based on when that person is in their life.
I respect Jeremy for what he did with that Lost In Transmission album. Got together with the guys, played music, produced it, made it sound crisp and clean.
I can appreciate bad music if it knows it's bad. ie. Tenacious D, although heavily mired in talent and rocklore, are nothing but a satire band, as is The Lonely Island, Flight of the Conchords, etc. At least they're not trying to be serious. Epic, not serious.
Actually, that's a way I've never put it before, but makes a degree of sense. If a band takes itself too seriously, it can really damage their reputation in my eyes. (Yes, I know I just said I like OLP.)
Also, I am in fact allowed to make fun of people that don't like the same music as me. Especially (and this is what I deal with at work all the time) skinny white kids who think they're gangsta's because they listen to something that any kid can patch together on GarageBand. And yeah, I generalise, too, but I just don't see any merit in singing about bitches and hos. (Ho's? Hos? Hose?) Am I a hypocrite because I'm sick of songs about committing violence/catching the girl's eye/dancing like a slut/smoking dope/feeling like cutting my wrists/I'm alone in the world/I'm the only person that's ever felt like this before in the history of the world/promiscuous sex, etc. and yet can like songs about baphomets and glossolalia or breaking the chains or hoping for love? There is overlap, I know it, but why should I not be allowed to arbitrarily pick and choose based on what music I hear and from what source it comes to me? If that skinny white 'G' from my work suggests music to me, chances are, it's going to suck, and not come to me at a place where I'm receptive to something like that. But if Jer or Steve suggests something to me, whose opinions I trust, I've already got a bias without even hearing what it sounds like.
I know I'm totally all over the place here. It's late, and I'm babbling a bit. Every genre has good music and bad. Probably. I don't think I've ever heard a good country-western song, actually. Bunch of shit-kickers. Oh, wait, you're from Calgary, right? ;) So within each genre, I guess I apply different rules. If you're going to market yourself as a cool, bad-ass rock band, don't sing whiny pay-attention-to-me songs. Don't be pretentious. (Yes, I listen to The Mars Volta and Coheed & Cambria.)
Ok, so four pages later... I'm sure I haven't really answered your question, or if I have, then have raised ten more, but that's all I've got for now. The main message: if you're going to take yourself seriously, and want the people who listen to you to do so as well, you better make damn sure you're worth it. Regardless of genre.
Also, Pink Floyd is awesome. You're dumb for not liking them.
-daniel
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