Saturday, September 18, 2010

What's the deal with this pop life; And when is gonna fade out; The thing you got to realize; What we doing is not a trend; We got the gift of melody; We gonna bring it till the end

“What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?”

-Nick Hornby, High Fidelity.

Pop music has always been a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. And funnily enough, is probably one of my first secret shames to exist.

Sure I’ll admit that I did get wrapped up in the Edward vs Jacob debate of my generation and I sided heavily with Nsync over the Backstreet Boys. However, shortly after my second or third year of high school and meeting my first boyfriend it suddenly became uncool to like pop music and therefore all record of that love was buried deep, deep down.

Anyone who knows me knows I went through a pretty stereotypical period of being depressed when I was about 16 and while pop music generally emotes that perfectly, I was well on my way to becoming what my mother now refers to as my being a ‘baby hipster.’ It wasn’t cool to admit that I liked Britney Spears’ newest single, it was pathetic to know the words to a Mandy Moore song or listen to Z95.3.

No, I was too busy expressing my inner turmoil with Finger Eleven and Amy Lee from Evanescence.

Yes, don’t worry. I’ve seen the error in my ways. And now, oddly enough--or perhaps ironically, Evanescence is now on my guilty pleasure list. But that’s for another post.

I mean, my first boyfriend was a ‘musician’ and therefore cooler than me on principal. I couldn’t admit to the guy who introduced me to Alexisonfire, Emery, or Muse that I also knew all the words of Senorita and could sing along like nobody’s business.

(Fun fact: A jackass friend of mine does have a copy of a rather drunken me performing such a feat and would probably give you a copy at a drop of a hat, if only for your amusement and my mortification.)

So, I suppose that’s where it started. I suddenly wanted to be seen as someone unique. Someone who didn’t follow the masses. Someone who was better than that--if only because she could name a band you hadn’t heard of or could drop a musician that seemed way cooler than your Destiny Child’s cd.

Yes, I was /that/ girl.

So I suppose there comes a time where I see the error of my ways. Sure, while I wouldn’t admit to just anyone my deep seeded love for Justin Timberlake and how I desperately want him to put out another album and stop the nonsense of this acting/directing career, I will eventually admit to it. 

I may blush heavily or try to shrug it off, but I’ll still sing along with Kelly Clarkson. Hell, if we’re doing this whole secret confession thing, I’ll even admit to watching her movie and enjoying every bit of her texan little self.

I wouldn’t name him or her in my top five favourite recording artists, but I guess I’ve lightened a little, seen that there’s always going to be masses for every band and it’s cool to like what you like.

Plus no one does bitter and angry break up music better than the two of them. And who doesn’t love a little pop music in the wake of an emotional break up? I am the cornerstone of that market.

So without further ado. An ode to my two pop loves: Justin Timberlake and Kelly Clarkson.

While he wasn’t my favourite Nsync member when they were around (that honor belongs to Lance Bass), I still love all his music and will be one of the first to listen to anything he puts out--although you probably won’t catch me buying his album. At least in public. 

And yeah, I'm sure that Justin Timberlake's latest album spent a lot of time of my "most played" on iTunes. 

My top three favourite Justin Timberlake songs of all time (in order from three to one):







Now while I'll admit I didn't watch American Idol and wasn't really a big fan of her first single after the competition. I did fall in love with Kelly. Her adorable accent, the fact she wasn't a size two and actually owned that fact. 
While I don't own any of her albums, and don't think I've listened to an entire album, Since U Been Gone is probably one of the first songs I put on after a break up.

And my top three Kelly Clarkson songs (also in order, although number 3 is probably one of my favourite music videos ever):







Ohh! Bonus time. Here's my latest favourite pop song:

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