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Pop Rock Nation

Category: Videos

  • Breakup songs…

    Sometimes relationships end and inspire breakup songs…

    Over the long weekend, I had occasion to break up with a “friend” from childhood, someone I have known for most of my life. Over the years, we had grown apart and become more “frenemies” than friends. She’s actually the one who got me to join Facebook, but we rarely interacted. When we did interact, it wasn’t necessarily pleasant. In fact, a few years ago, I had started filtering her posts because I found that they had a tendency to raise my blood pressure. More than once over the years, I had thought about unfriending her because it seemed like we had nothing in common anymore. I didn’t do it, because I thought there might be unpleasant fallout and it didn’t seem worth the potential trouble.

    Yesterday, I finally took the plunge. As I sit here writing this, it seems kind of ridiculous. I mean, it’s Facebook, right? But Facebook has changed how people interact with each other. It seems like everybody has a computer now and that’s how many people communicate. In the past, when relationships died, there might be a blow up. Or the death of the relationship might be quiet, as people gradually stopped seeing each other. Nowadays, you may find out you’re not friends anymore when you get dumped on Facebook. It’s happened to me, too.

    I decided to drop this person from my online life when I got the sense that she was just connected to me because she wanted to see what I was up to. I realized that the relationship had died when I found out from a third person from our hometown that my former friend had a baby. I didn’t even know she had been pregnant. Later, I found evidence that she had her Facebook privacy settings fixed so that she could see me, but I couldn’t see her. I don’t know why she would hide her pregnancy from me. I would never begrudge someone having a child… except maybe Michelle Duggar. Then I realized her pregnancy was none of my business. After careful thought, I decided it was time to part ways with this person with as little drama as possible.

    Anyway, I find that music helps me heal when my feelings get hurt. The very first song that came to mind when I decided to break up with my ex friend was a classic by Harry Nilsson…

    “You’re Breakin’ My Heart” by Harry Nilsson is a great song about breaking up. The melody is powerful and almost fun, with profane lyrics that invoke the f-word. Since I was pretty angry when I found out what this so-called friend had done, it seemed highly appropriate.

    The next song that came to mind was one by British singer, Lily Allen. I recently decided that I need to familiarize myself more with Lily Allen’s music because I find her both hilarious and refreshing…

    I read somewhere that this song was actually inspired by George W. Bush. However, it also works when you’re breaking up with someone who disgusts you somehow. Lily Allen sings about someone who is racist, hateful, and homophobic– maybe that applies to George Bush. But it can also apply to someone who does nasty things.

    Kate Miller-Heidke’s hilarious “Are You Fucking Kidding Me” is about a romantic breakup…

    but given that it’s about Facebook friend requests, I think it’s entirely fitting for this situation.

    If you want to go silly, yet old school, you could always pull out Rick Dees’ hilarious classic “Eat My Shorts”…

    I was so glad to find this on YouTube. I remember hearing it on radio shows in the 1980s, but had a hard time finding it. Thank goodness for YouTubers who have my sense of nostalgia.

    Phil Collins has a very well-known song about breaking up…

    I read somewhere that “In The Air Tonight” was inspired by Phil Collins’ first ex wife, Andrea, whom he divorced in 1979. If you really want someone to get the message that the relationship is dead, this song gets the point across in a macabre way. Isn’t it interesting how breakups can inspire art and music?

    Another classic break up song that comes to mind is “Something I Can Never Have” by Nine Inch Nails…

    Ironically, the friend I broke up with actually helped me discover Nine Inch Nails. I don’t know that this is a good song for me personally, because my feelings about this particular breakup are not quite this deep and searing. But if you have a very intense relationship with someone and it falls apart, you might be depressed, angry, and hurt enough to relate to this very wrenching song about falling out with someone you once loved.

    In 1976, Marvin Gaye divorced his ex wife Anna Gordy. Because he had run out of money due to overspending and a drug habit, he didn’t have money to pay his ex wife alimony and child support for their son, Marvin III. Marvin’s attorney, Curtis Shaw came up with the solution. Gaye would give his ex wife half the royalties from his next project. The result was Gaye’s 1978 album, Here, My Dear. Here, My Dear is chock full of bitterness, including this hit…

    “When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You?” pretty much sums up the anger and hurt that can arise when a relationship dies.

    There’s also the ever popular Supertramp hit, “Goodbye Stranger”, which is about a musical partnership breaking up. It could also be about a romantic breakup, I guess.

    This is another song that reminds me of my former friend. We were both big Supertramp fans back in the day.

    And finally, there’s “On My Own”, a duet from Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald…

    This is kind of a sad song about a formerly romantic couple who decide to break up and express their bittersweet feelings in a nice 80s era ballad.

    I feel okay about what I did. At least it helped me get over writer’s block. I’m sorry it had to come to this, though. Officially breaking up is never fun, even when it’s just with an ex friend you no longer talk to. It would have been far nicer to just fade away.

  • Carole King honored as MusiCare’s Person of the Year!

    Carole King honored as MusiCare’s Person of the Year!

    Carole King to be honored as MusiCare’s Person of the Year 2014

    Carole King’s music has been around for decades and she, along with her ex-husband Gerry Goffin, wrote some of the biggest hits of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Artists as diverse as Aretha Franklin to Amy Winehouse have covered her music. Now, MusiCares, an organization that provides critical resources for musical people in need, is going to honor King as its 2014 Person of the Year.

    King’s friend, James Taylor, who won the MusiCares Person of the Year award in 2006, had huge hits with King’s songs, “You’ve Got A Friend” and “Up On The Roof”. Taylor will be performing on Friday, January 24, 2014, when King receives her award. Other artists scheduled to perform in King’s honor include Lady Gaga, the Dixie Chicks, Bette Midler, Jason Mraz, and Steven Tyler.

    Since my very youngest years, I have loved Carole King’s music. One of the first songs I remember hearing and loving by her was the song “One Fine Day”. “One Fine Day” has been done by a number of artists, from The Carpenters to The Chiffons to Natalie Merchant. But the rendition I remember best was the one Carole King did herself back in 1980. By the time she recorded it, it had already been covered by many people and I have to admit, when I listen to King’s version today, it sounds very 1980. But I still like her rendition the best because she wrote the song and it really was the first time I heard her name, even though I had heard her songs long before she performed “One Fine Day”.

    I love watching Carole King play this.

    Carole King’s hit “It’s Too Late” has such wise lyrics set to a melody that really captures the mood of a woman who has a “come to Jesus” talk with her lover, letting him know that it’s time for them to part ways.

    Carole King performing “It’s Too Late” with Danny Kortchmar in 1971.

    Carole King and James Taylor perform “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”, her very first hit written when she was just 18 years old.

    Carole King is being presented MusiCares Person of the Year award in recognition of her outstanding creative accomplishments and generous charity work. King has been involved with many philanthropies, particularly those supporting wilderness conservation. She has also supported a range of political causes. I know I’m not the only one who believes Carole King deserves this great honor. Carole King’s Facebook page has been alive with posts about the award, as well as all the amazing covers of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” that have been done by other artists over the years.

    Here Carole King performs “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman” with Aretha Franklin, Shania Twain, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, and Gloria Estefan in 1998. I have to admit it’s funny to watch Aretha and Celine try to outdo each other at 3:08. Carole, of course, stays very classy.

    Congratulations to Carole King for winning MusiCares Person of the Year award in 2014!

  • More Star Search memories…

    More Star Search memories…

    Now that America’s Got Talent is over for 2013, it’s time for more Star Search memories…

    Like a lot of other people, I was tuned in to NBC on Wednesday night, waiting to find out who won America’s Got Talent. I was kind of rooting for Cami Bradley and Taylor Williamson, though I have to admit that everyone who was a finalist deserved to win. Season 8 of AGT was remarkably good, though there weren’t as many hilarious auditions as there have been in prior years. I will admit to not being as into America’s Got Talent or other talent shows as I once was into Star Search, a show that was famously hosted by Ed McMahon and ran for years. I wrote about that show several months ago and that post gets a lot of hits. That tells me that readers are as interested in Star Search and the stars it spawned as I am.

    Like America’s Got Talent, Star Search offered a platform for a variety of talents. Unlike America’s Got Talent, which pretty much allows anyone who can make a show of their talent come on the stage, Star Search had categories. In the early days, there were singers, comedians, actors, spokesmodels, dancers, and bands. As time went on, the acting category went away, and the singers and dancers were divided by age. If memory serves, the spokesmodels were all pretty much women, though they might have tried a male spokesmodel category at some point. I think the spokesmodels were supposed to be “presenters”, not so much actual models. I do remember them having cheesy photo shoots, though, as they introduced the commercial breaks and interacted with Ed McMahon.

    Here’s a pretty funny video of spokesmodels Laura Ballad and Theresa Ring. Theresa Ring was one of the more successful contestants. I wonder what Tyra Banks would think of this photo shoot set to “Walk Like An Egyptian” by The Bangles… I apologize for the out of sync video.

    Here’s 4 Boys and a Babe from Mesa, Arizona dancing to Buster Pointdexter’s “Hot Hot Hot”. I remember they were very successful on this show and even twenty years later, I remember where they were from. I wonder what they’re doing today…

    Here, 4 Boys and a Babe are back on Star Search doing an exhibition.

    Jarrod Spector was six years old when he became a big winner on Star Search. I remember getting a little tired of his big show tune schtick because he won for weeks on end. Then he came up against Countess Vaughn, who later starred on the show 227 with Marla Gibbs.

    Gotta say, vocally speaking, Countess Vaughn pretty much kicks Jarrod Spector’s ass in this video…

    Of course, one of the earliest future stars on Star Search was Sinbad, who later got a recurring gig on NBC’s A Different World, a spin off of The Cosby Show, as well as a successful stand up career. I couldn’t find any Sinbad Star Search clips, but I did find one of him guesting on a talk show.

    Right after he got his knees replaced, no less…

    Even Dave Chapelle was on Star Search. I found this out today, because by 1993, when he made his first appearance, I had quit watching the show as often.

    He was just 19 years old and was the youngest comedian in Star Search’s history at the time! I believe this is the first time I’ve heard Dave Chappelle do such a clean routine.

    Drew Carey made his first appearance in 1988. Who would have thought back then that Drew would one day be hosting The Price Is Right?

    Drew Carey is the ultimate party guest… leading to his cameo appearance in the first incarnation of The Sims.

    Man, I miss this game… even though my Sims’ parties were never good enough to rate a Drew Carey appearance.

    Star Search was such a cultural phenomenon in the 80s and 90s that it was even written into an episode of the hit ABC sitcom Full House!

    Looks like it was a tie between real life comedian Steve Oedekirk and “Joey Gladstone” as portrayed by Dave Coulier, the same guy to whom former Star Search competitor Alanis Morrisette allegedly dedicated her hit song, “You Oughta Know”… or was that just a nasty rumor?

    Yikes! Alanis was just 14 years old in this clip from her Star Search days. And this clip was from Rosie O’Donnell’s talk show… Guess what? Rosie was also a Star Search contestant back in the day!

    Here’s Rosie O’Donnell appearing on Star Search after she was cast on Gimme A Break as the late Nell Carter’s neighbor in New York City. I’ll be damned. She’s pretty funny in this clip.

    People love America’s Got Talent and the $1 million prize is bigger than the $100,000 prize Star Search was offering. But in all honesty, aside from Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent, have there been as many stars spawned from the Got Talent franchise? Time will tell. For now, it’s fun to watch these old clips of a classic talent show.