Comparing the pop music charts of today to 15 years ago I am wondering why so few adult oriented softer prettier songs aren't hits now. Even on the r&b charts the top hits are all these hard edged thugged out hip hop tunes some of which have so much cursing that there are like 25 bleeps in a 4 minute song when they play it on the radio.

I remember when someone like Lionel Richie was the hottest thing going in pop, r&b and adult contemporary. There is no way in the world that someone like him with his smooth style is going to get a top hit record today it seems. Even Luther Vandross who just had his biggest selling album ever and won the grammy for best song of the year doesn't chart high on either the pop or r'b singles charts I guess because his music is considered too sappy and sentimental. He gets most of his airplay on what they call adult contemporary radio. He does better there than even on the black radio charts even though he's black.

Of course a simple answer to my question is $$$. The conglomerates that own radio stations figure they'll get rich quick by playing what kids are willing to shell out $$$ for in Cds, concert tix etc, but it's like a dramatic change from just a few years ago.

Just within r&b you notice the difference when the annual grammy nominations come out and you read them and you see that like one third or maybe even 1/2 of them were records that never went top 10 even on the black chart, forget about crossing over.

For that matter even in pop you see the difference. Last fall there was an Eagles' record that was actually the top selling commercial single in the country for a few weeks called Hole in the World and either just before or just after there was a mellow pop tune by Mercyme that was the biggest seller, yet neither song got into the mainstream top 40.

Compare the smooth style of some of the songs in the Billboard year end r&b top ten of 1991:
The First Time by Surface
Written All Over Your Face by Rude Boys
I Like the Way by HiFive
Can You Stop the Rain by Peabo Bryson
How Can I Ease the Pain by Lisa Fischer

to what was there last year:
In da Club- 50 Cent
Ignition- R Kelly
Right Thurr- Chingy

All of these were top ranked pop hits for the year too. Back in 91 the hardest edged thing in the top 10 was C&C Music Factory's Gonna Make You Sweat, which I suppose some may have considered raunchy for its time, but is tame by today's standards.

The band Simply Red has a new CD that has some very nice cuts on it that they play on the adult radio stations but their songs don't chart at all on the top 100. Same thing with Hall and Oates who are a very good band. When I was a teenager in the 80s i remember that people in my age range liked these kinds of songs and stufff like Endless Love and Anita Baker and didn't think it was mushy or corny. And I grew up in Brooklyn. Today, it's like teens in and out of the "hood" feel they have to be all hard and not admit to having sentiment. 50 cent said it best: He's into having sex, he's not into making love.

simply red and hall and oates rocccckkkkkkk!!!!

i wish there were artists these days who had that kind of talent

JA, you have made a great observation, and in my opinion you have answered your own questions. I am a fan of the music you mentioned. For instance Michael McDonald's CD is absoultely fabulous, but received airplay only on my local jazz station, which is a shame because it is a great CD and tribute to Motown from McDonald. :wave:

Hey all:

Thanks for the feedback. This change in the music world happened pretty extremely suddenly though about a dozen years back around the time that Soundscan took over as the industry reporting system. Melodic tunes are just not in right now, unless there's some hard edge or a rap in the mix. And there is just WAY too much sampling going on.

As for Simply Red, Hall and Oates and Mike McDonald they're all great. After being around for so many years they're still afloat and these cats can all SING. Simply Red packs so much emotion into the music. That band is seriously underrated. Compare these folks to the young singers like Beyonce and Usher who have some vocal ability but have to drag along gimmicks like fast rhyming rappers and sexy images in their videos to sell. Those other acts I mentioned above aren't getting by on their looks. Hall and Oates don't have to pose shirtless to sell records.

I love Hall And Oates, I got the "Ultimate H&O" cd a few weeks ago, has ALL the hits from She's Gone through their recent AC hits

I miss the days when rap barely existed and you had good variety on the stations. I love a good love or slow song. I love my XM Satellite Radio :D there's something for everyone there

For those who are H & O fans, you should pick up Darryl Halls solo CD "Can't Stop Dreaming", you won't be disappointed.:wave:

A lot of the rap out now isn't even fun. Too much cursing and bling bling etc. Many of the songs have so much language that is derogatory that they bleep out half the lyrics. And the sampling is way overused. I miss the days when records had full orchestras in the background: Motown, Philly Soul, Solar. In black music there is no self contained band out now who play their own instruments and sing that has a hit on the charts.

I heard Can't Stop Dreaming at the record shop. It seems that it came out overseas a few years ago. There's a really languid version of She's Gone on it that better fits the lyrics than H&O's more happy sounding 70s version.

Originally posted by jamesanthony
A lot of the rap out now isn't even fun. Too much cursing and bling bling etc. Many of the songs have so much language that is derogatory that they bleep out half the lyrics. And the sampling is way overused. I miss the days when records had full orchestras in the background: Motown, Philly Soul, Solar. In black music there is no self contained band out now who play their own instruments and sing that has a hit on the charts.

I heard Can't Stop Dreaming at the record shop. It seems that it came out overseas a few years ago. There's a really languid version of She's Gone on it that better fits the lyrics than H&O's more happy sounding 70s version.


Your right it was released overseas first. :wave: