Overrated artists?

[Rogue planet]

I think a lot of people like to point fingers and call an artist overrated without really getting to know them as an artist, but just listening to one, maybe two songs. A lot of artists are put out there - especially pop artists - for the radio hits. Things that people think will play well in someone's car that people can dance to, is in my opinion, the music industry's main concern. Most people want a song to play on the radio that they can dance to and sing along with, as a matter of fact. But with that, those are usually the overproduced songs that draw attention to the artist and people only seem to listen to that song.

I've listened to enough Gaga songs to realise that she's really nothing special when compared to other pop artists out there. I generally just pay attention to the actual music itself, the music indsutry's concern, is not my concern. Their goal is to make money, not good music. Not all music that's singable or danceable is overrated.

The main thing that sticks out to me is the autotune comment. I think it's silly how people can say that and then ignore the fact that she can sing live and sound nearly identical to the recording. People think that if a song sounds too good to be true, the only reason for it to sound that way is autotune. I think those people should take a listen to Gaga, and then Britney Spears, who's perhaps the queen of autotuned songs.

I've only seen Gaga perform live twice, but both times her singing was not the same as what it is on her recordings. Now, she may have since improved or maybe she was ill that day, I don't know, but I'm not going to watch every single Lady Gaga live performance to see if one time she actually sings well. I am sure if we didn't have the technology that we do then her singing on her albums would sound quite different.

I can even be so bold as to go to say that some people who think Lady Gaga is overproduced clearly didn't listen to her debut album in full. They'd realize that each of her songs actually do have meaning. They just need to listen closely and be a little more metaphorical with finding them. So many people think Telephone is about someone calling someone in a club, so many people think Poker Face is about playing Poker, so many people think Paparazzi is really about the paparazzi. Give Brown Eyes a listen and then tell me her songs have no meaning.

Of course her songs have meaning, most songs have a meaning and it's not difficult to come up with a song that has a meaning. The point is her song lyrics aren't exactly deep or original and it doesn't take a genius to write them.

Spoiler:

When your brown eyes, walked away
And your brown eyes, couldn't stay
In your brown eyes, you watch her go
Then turn the record on
And wonder what went wrong (what went wrong)

If everything was everything, but everything is over
Everything could be everything, if only we were older
Guess its just a silly song about you
And how I lost you,
and your brown eyes

In your brown eyes, I was feeling low
Cause the brown eyes, and you'll never know
Got some brown eyes, but I saw her face
I knew that it was wrong, so baby
Turn the record on, play that song

Where everything was everything, but everything is over
Everything could be everything, if only we were older
Guess its just a silly song about you
And how I lost you,
and your brown eyes

Everything was everything, but baby its the last show
Everything could be everything, but its time to say goodbye
So, get your last fix and your last hit
Grab your old, go with the new trix

Its no surprise that I got lost in your brown eyes
In your brown eyes.. Brown eyes (repeat)

Are you really trying to say that these lyrics are good?

That being said, pop music always seems to be considered overrated - and with good reason. But if you're logical about it, you'd realize that pop music seems to dominate the world when it comes to listening to the radio, or searching for music in online stores. When I go to any music store around here that sells albums, I've found that there are 3x the rows of pop than there are any other kind of music genre. It goes with the territory of being in pop music to be considered overrated.

You're right, pop music does tend to be the first thing for people to call overrated. Because pop artists receive a lot of attention and in many cases a lot of people feel that it's undeserved. It's unlikely for someone to call something that's not popular overrated, because if it's not popular, then nobody's really overrating it. I don't think all pop music is bad, I kind of agree with Haza's comment on Beyonce. Lady Gaga seems to be at the forefront of all pop music at the moment though and I really don't see why, which is why I called her out.

But people who find a certain genre to be repulsive really shouldn't point fingers at untalented artists without at least finding the meaning behind that artist. Truth is, just about every single song has meaning - be it on the surface or something underneath. When it comes to Lady Gaga, her song meanings are underneath. Only a handfew of people seem to appreciate songs that don't have the message spelt out for them or take the time to find the message.

Gaga's songs aren't deep or intellectual, it's not that I don't understand her "metaphors", it's just that they aren't as good as some people think.

 

[Blue Nocturne]

Justin Bieber, I have actually heard some his songs and they are subpar at best. He simply isn't talented. He he has no range, he just sings in a wispy thin, ugly high pitched voice thats so technologically... ahem, 'enhanced' that i doubt software could recognize it as his. The way he talks acts is just disgraceful, does he think he's a rapper who has to spell 'S' with 'Z' or something? Apparently so according to his latest tripe, which is more just talking than rapping. People argue that his songs are really deep, no they're not, he probably wrote his entire album (if he even wrote it) in just one afternoon.

This is something that annoys me right across the music scene, especially what people call R&B now (which is really mostly pop, except people don't seem to like that word) is that its all about love in some form or another, and expressed uncreatively at that. If it isn't love, its something just as cliched and battered.

Lady Gaga?

Gaga's songs aren't deep or intellectual, it's not that I don't understand her "metaphors", it's just that they aren't as good as some people think.

Thats about it for whatever s/he is, her songs may have meaning, but so does this sentence: She can't sing.

 

[Lover's Kite]

Thats about it for whatever s/he is, her songs may have meaning, but so does this sentence: She can't sing.

Oh, she can definitely sing.

 

[poopnoodle]

They'd realize that each of her songs actually do have meaning. They just need to listen closely and be a little more metaphorical with finding them.

songs don't have to comprise meaning to be "good." that said, it's not the lack of meaning in her songs that gets me, its the lack of originality and variation in her music. and the fans spouting all this nonsense that her songs are truly ~deep and meaningful~ when really they are simple and written to appeal to youth. yes, i've listened to the full album, and sure, i've heard more talented vocalists.

now i don't think she's a horrid musician or what have you, but for the reasons stated above, i do find her music boring and i do think she's overrated.

 

[AffectionateGizmos]

Ke$hia is a one hit wonder!

 

[Haza]

This thread has turned into a GaGa hate thread. I love GaGa... next to Beyonce (my favorite artist of all time), GaGa is my second favorite artist. Yes she is quite popular and yes you can't really go a day without hearing of her, especially us Pop music fans. I do get tired of all the GaGa every now and then but I must say that Lady GaGa is quite the something that Pop music has needed in the past few years. Lady GaGa has iconic videos already and has already broken a record that was set by Michael Jackson's Thriller album. She is not overrated, she is just a breathe of fresh air. Her music videos, maybe not each song, have meaning that is more than what you see the first time you watch it. The meanings of her Paparazzi and Telephone videos are really just a reflection of her obsessions and what she represents. And the Alejandro video, as dark as it may be, is her fighting for the Gays'. This is why I love GaGa, her first few videos were "Meh" but now she has evolved into a true video artist like my faves Beyonce and Michael Jackson and Madonna.

 

[poopnoodle]

Her music videos, maybe not each song, have meaning that is more than what you see the first time you watch it. The meanings of her Paparazzi and Telephone videos are really just a reflection of her obsessions and what she represents. And the Alejandro video, as dark as it may be, is her fighting for the Gays'. This is why I love GaGa, her first few videos were "Meh" but now she has evolved into a true video artist like my faves Beyonce and Michael Jackson and Madonna.

she didnt direct her music videos (not that music videos are in any way relevant in a discussion about music) and she didn't write telephone. anyway, as vendak said earlier, it's not difficult to provide meaning in song lyrics and if you take a listen to the beats alone, you'll find that they are repetitive and stagnant. she's seen as a breath of fresh air because of how she dresses (and i am certainly one who enjoys art in fashion, but i only see the desire for attention in her fashion and very expensive taste :x). now i think she could have been somewhat of a breath of fresh air for mainstream culture had she kept her vocal style in the video Forgotten Memory provided, though her music was not all too impressive there but at least heartfelt.