There are those who think that the phenomenon of the teen star is a fairly recent thing, what with the likes of Greyson Chance, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. But teen pop stars have been around since the birth of rock ‘n’ roll. (I mean, they were teens then – now they’re either old fuddy-duddies or, er, even not alive.)
And while many sniff and snort at teen stars these days – mostly the fuddy-duddies who forgot that their favourite stars of the time were teen stars – it’s the young ones who have continued to show that youth isn’t necessarily wasted on the young. Continue reading ‘Young blood’
Tag Archive for 'Elvis Presley'
OMG. This is a big fail for me.
I’ve been telling everybody I know how much I loved the 2002 Nike pre-World Cup ads for years. You know, the one featuring that JXL remix of Elvis Presley’s A Little Less Conversation, and all the top players of that generation including Roberto Carlos, Thierry Henry, Paul Scholes, Luis Figo, playing a secret tournament in a supertanker, refereed by Eric Cantona.
Shame on me, I’ve only just found out that the ad was directed by none other than Terry Gilliam! Yup, the guy who did all the animation for Monty Python’s Flying Circus and the subsequent Python films, who directed Jabberwocky, Time Bandits, Brazil, 12 Monkeys and that one about the Imaginarium starring Heath Ledger.
Oh well. You learn something new everyday.
…to surpassing The Beatles reign on the Billboard Hot 100 charts has having the most number of appearances among non-solo acts in the chart’s 52-year history.
Yes, my dear Poparazziacs, according to Billboard’s online site (www.billboard.com) come Oct 16, the cast of Glee will have 75 Hot 100 entries, beating The Beatles’ 71.
Other comparable facts: The 75 tally is based on a show that has only been on for two seasons or more precisely, one year, four months and two weeks. The Beatles tallied their 71 Hot 100 titles between 1964 and 1996. Ironically, The Beatles’ songbook aided the Glee-ful Hot 100 haul with two songs, Hello, Goodbye and I Want To Hold Your Hand.
Interestingly, only 14 of the Glee recordings have spent more than one week on the Hot 100, and the cast’s titles have totaled 105 cumulative chart weeks. The Beatles’ Hot 100 catalog amounts to a combined 617 chart weeks. The Beatles additionally boast 34 Hot 100 top 10s, compared to Glee’s one.
The Glee cast will also claim the third-most appearances among all acts since the Hot 100 was launched in Aug 1958. Only Elvis Presley (108 charted titles) and James Brown (91) stand in their way to reaching the top of the heap. In fact, Glee has become such a buzzword that The New York Times proclaimed them a “bonafide phenomenon”. Their words, not mine.
At any rate, here are the top 10 acts with the most appearances on the Billboard Hot 100:
1. Elvis Presley (108 entries)
2. James Brown (91)
3. “Glee” Cast (75)
4. Ray Charles (74)
5. Aretha Franklin (73)
6. The Beatles (71)
7. Elton John (67)
8. Lil Wayne (64)
9. Stevie Wonder (63)
10. Jay-Z (61)
Meantime, Glee fans will want to get their hands on Glee: The Music, The Rocky Horror Glee Show, their latest offering, with music from Richard O’Brien’s cult musical masterpiece. This is expected to be released in the United States on Oct 19.
As for me, I’m listening to Happiness Is A Warm Gun. Yes it is, you know.
MERRY CHRISTMAS fellow Poparraziacs!
This will be my last post until my next one, because every Christmas, my family makes it a point to have a gathering where we eat, drink, make a lot of noise, eat, drink, make more noise, drink, drink and eat. At some point, my dad will whip out his guitar and start playing Christmas tunes. Admittedly, as a teen, I used to think I was too cool for this sort of thing. You know, Christmas songs like Feliz Navidad could be so tacky.
Then I grew up and knew better. So here then, is our list of Our Favourite Christmas Songs.
- Silent Night by Simon and Garfunkel. Their sweet harmonies are brilliantly juxtaposed by a stark reading of the news. A grim reminder that “all is calm” is relative to where you live.
- Happy X’mas (War Is Over)by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Back then, it was another of Lennon’s call for peace. These days, it’s a playlist staple.
- Winter Winds by Mumford & Sons. Okay, the band has denied that this is a Christmas song, but it does have a mulled wine and mistletoe quality to it.
- Do They Know It’s Christmas (12″ remix) by Band Aid. Okay, the suspect line “Thank God it’s them instead of you” when you’re talking about starving Africans may not live up to PC standards of today, but it’s way better than the 2004 version, and the messages in the middle add something to the song.
- Wonderful Christmastimeby Paul McCartney. A great fluffy song to emphasise the “tis the season to be jolly” sentiment.
- All I Want For Christmas Is Youby Mariah Carey. Another great fluffy, chirpy song.
- 2000 Milesby The Pretenders. Something in the way Chrissie Hynde sings this song just sends shivers down the spine. Again, a great mix of despondency (loss of a loved one) amidst the happy holiday mood.
- Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley. It may sound cheesy these days, but just listen to the man’s delivery, it pops.
- Merry X’mas Everybody by Slade. One of the best rock tracks for the Yule season, if you ask me. A track that begs the question, who are those hot chicks in the Top Of The Pops video?
- Wintersongby Sarah McLachlan. Okay, so maybe Christmas does sappy things to me.
- Christmases When You Were Mine by Taylor Swift. And yes, another song about heartbreak for Christmas. Thanks, Taylor.
- Last Christmas by Wham. A kooky campy song with an equally kooky campy video. Plus, it reminds me of Love Theme by Barry White.
- I’ll Be Home For Christmas by Aimee Mann. Man, just listen to her voice on this. Shivers down your spine, man.
- Little Town by Cliff Richard. True, people may be more familiar with the 1983 Amy Grant version, but Sir Cliff did it first in 1982. And yes, the lyrics are cribbed from O Little Town Of Bethlehem.
- Sleigh Ride by The Ventures. First heard this when my dad played it. Can’t think of any other version when people mention this song.
And who’ve been naughty and not nice, here are Five We Don’t Want To Hear Again!
- Wonderland by Heidi Klum. Great smile, great bod, but please Heidi, what possessed you to do this? Euro dance Christmas we can really do without.
- Mistletoe And Wine by Cliff Richard. Yes, I know this was a No 1 back in the day, but how much more sappy can you be?
- (Baby Please Come Home) Christmas by U2. I love the band, but there are just some things that you guys should never play again.
- Christmas Congaby Cyndi Lauper. Apparently, this is one of the songs they play to torture inmates at Guantanamo Bay.
- The entire 8 Days Of Christmas album by Destiny’s Child. Bad. Just bad.
