What Ever Happened To Melody?

[ggalen]

I was just listening to the Taxi Favorites, to get an idea of what is appealing to the A&R people and Taxi screeners these days.I can see that tastes really run to what is currently popular. And that is to be expected, of course.But what struck me as I listened is the way melody has taken such a back seat in today's popular music...it's not strong on melody.Here are just a few examples of what I think of as strong and interesting melodies:Michelle - The BeatlesWhat the World Needs Now Is Love - Burt BacharachWalk On By - Burt BacharachGalveston - Jimmy WebbWichita Lineman - Jimmy WebbWedding Bell Blues - The Fifth Dimension (Laura Nyro writer?)Your Song - Elton JohnCome Down In Time - Elton JohnEvery Day I Write The Book - Elvis CostelloBrother In Arms - Dire StraitsGeez, I could go on...but these are mostly from the 60s and 70s.In today's popular taste, melodies seem "flat". Typically hovering around the fifth off the root and not moving around much.WIll there ever be a return, in the popular taste, to emotionally interesting melodies...the ones with unusual and lovely "surprises" in them? Really creative melodies?

[onoffon]

Amen, brother...

[matto]

Hmmm...you know these types of "comparisons" are always a tad flawed...I mean when you handpick 10 songs with stellar melodies out of 2-3 decades of the past, and then compare them to whatever happens to be on Taxi's favorites list, or on the charts, in a given week or month today, then the new stuff is gonna fall flat from the get go. It really never stands a chance.I'm sure I could come up with a list of 10 songs with stellar melodies from the last 2-3 years withgout even thinking too hard, and that would still be unfair towards the more modern music since I'd be comparing 2-3 years to 2-3 decades.It's always important to keep in mind that nobody remembers the...uhmm..."flat melodies" from 30 or 40 years ago...you only remember the memorable stuff cause it's, well, memorable... matto

[sgs4u]

Well Matto, perspective is everything. How we frame the discussion has more to do with the examples that fit the argument. But I myself(even tho I love Beyonce's singing) am getting pretty tired of the V Root melodies that have become so prevalent in a lot of Pop tunes. Then again, maybe that'll give ggalen and melody writers an extra edge, over the next 10 years. Cause we all know, What Goes Around Comes Around!

[ggalen]

Quote:Hmmm...you know these types of "comparisons" are always a tad flawed...I'm sure I could come up with a list of 10 songs with stellar melodies from the last 2-3 years withgout even thinking too hard, and that would still be unfair towards the more modern music since I'd be mattomatto,You're on! I am interested in what you remember. Please help me see the great melodies of the last 5-10 years.Maybe I haven't listened hard enough.

[sgs4u]

You want Matto to remind you? Perhaps you oughtta do some looking, and listening, without expectations first.Check out Christina Aguilera's Beautiful, or almost anything else she's sung.

[jude3]

Quote:Hmmm...you know these types of "comparisons" are always a tad flawed...I mean when you handpick 10 songs with stellar melodies out of 2-3 decades of the past, and then compare them to whatever happens to be on Taxi's favorites list, or on the charts, in a given week or month today, then the new stuff is gonna fall flat from the get go. It really never stands a chance.It does not matter what happened many years ago. If you examine the melodies of the Taxi listings that is the subject here, and those melodies are "flat", then they are.

[sgs4u]

Quote:It does not matter what happened many years ago. If you examine the melodies of the Taxi listings that is the subject here, and those melodies are "flat", then they are. Wow, you really don't think what happened years ago matters? Who gets to define this highly subjective term, FLAT? You have a J name. Can you play nice? Or are you still angry with Taxi?

[ggalen]

Quote:You want Matto to remind you? Perhaps you oughtta do some looking, and listening, without expectations first.Check out Christina Aguilera's Beautiful, or almost anything else she's sung.Steve,I find that when I do listen to the current wildly popular tunes, I can't ever remember being impressed by the melody and the chordal "color". Doesn't seem fruitful to just go looking any further.Matto bet he could name some great recent melodies, and I trust his ears, so I am interested to hear what he thinks of.and I want to stress...I was not trying to pick on the Taxi Favorites. As I said, they reflect the current taste of these days in music. That's all.The TOPIC of the post is the most popular music of the past 5 years, and my belief that it has unremarkable, somewhat "flat" melodies.By flat I mean they hover around the same several notes.

[billg]

I remember when my teenage daughter would go around singing her favorite songs . . . she thought the melodies were "catchy" in theses songs, I didn't hear any melody at all most of the time. I'm betting the "flat" songs you speak of now will be someone's melodic favorites in 20 yrs. As far as current melodic artists, how about John Mayer? As far as specific songs go, I think one of the most moving melodies I've heard in the past few years was Bob Dylan's "Just To Feel Your Love." Garth Brooks had a hit with it. I don't think you can continue to expect to hear radio songs that you can identify with when you get older. They program for the 18-34. As far as the Taxi favorites list goes . . . well I have a song on there so I feel like I've got to defend myself . . . it's old style early 60 blues rock and It's not supposed to be melodic! -billg