I don't want to turn this song into a political environment, because it's not... But in the times that we live, where some people want to divide and want to build walls... it's quite lovely that a Spanish song is No. 1 right now. | | Shout it out loud: War on Women's Shawna Potter on the Vans Warped Tour in Atlanta, June 29, 2017. (David A. Smith/Getty Images) | | | | “I don't want to turn this song into a political environment, because it's not... But in the times that we live, where some people want to divide and want to build walls... it's quite lovely that a Spanish song is No. 1 right now.” |
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| rantnrave:// Missing in action: This week's BILLBOARD albums chart. Normally the magazine would have reported on Sunday whether LANA DEL REY, MEEK MILL or TYLER, THE CREATOR had bounced JAY-Z from the top slot, but instead, Billboard reported on Tuesday that a "top-tier data provider" hadn't reported its numbers for the week because of technical issues, leaving the three-way race for #1 too close to call. Del Rey had been tipped by other outlets as this week's winner with LUST FOR LIFE, but that may have been based on early, incomplete returns. What will downloaders in late-reporting precincts have to say? And who's the missing data provider? "First time I've ever seen this," the NEW YORK TIMES' BEN SISARIO tweeted... Over on the HOT 100, it's August and "DESPACITO" has been #1 since MEMORIAL DAY. If you didn't pick it as your official song of the summer, feel free to tear up your betting slip. (I love KENDRICK's "HUMBLE," too, but come on, the world has chosen.) Giving credit where credit is due, singer-songwriter LUIS FONSI tells NPR MUSIC the Spanish-language reggaeton smash "exploded through" a door that had been propped open by the likes of RICKY MARTIN, ENRIQUE IGLESIAS and SHAKIRA. But he also says this might have been perfect timing, politically speaking, for a Spanish song to break through in the US. An anti-wall song, so to speak. Another theory for the song's irrestibility: The dragged-out lead-in to the first chorus, which pulls the song off the PRO TOOLS grid that rules most pop songs, makes it feel less repetitive and more surprising than the typical pop hit. Or maybe it's just ridiculously catchy... TREVOR WILSON, who played the troubled teen in PEARL JAM's "JEREMY" video, hated video fame as much as the band did. And like the band, he had the emotional wherewithal to walk away from it. My friend GIL KAUFMAN marks the video's 25th anniversary by telling the beautiful but heartbreaking life story of a one-time child actor who followed his own code... They write and produce the songs that make the whole world sing. Some of 'em, you know. Some of 'em would prefer you don't. Either way, the pop charts literally start here. MusicSET: Captains of Hooks: The Creators Behind Pop's Creators... R. KELLY facing consequences... This gives new meaning to guitar finger-tapping... RIP CHUCK LOEB. | | - Matty Karas, curator |
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| Trevor Wilson was the most iconic face of grunge who wasn't actually in a band. Not even Spencer Elden -- the naked baby on the cover of Nirvana's "Nevermind" -- was as recognizable a stand-in for the angst and alienation of an entire generation as Wilson became with his first, and only, starring role: the troubled teen in Pearl Jam's “Jeremy" video. | |
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The platform offered a public space with monetization as an afterthought. Now it could simply be deleted. | |
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"Everything but country and rap" at its core is a class issue. | |
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"It's basically a prophylactic for copyright infringement," says one lawyer who spoke to NPR. | |
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It's all about that vibe. Anyone who has ever compiled a mix-tape, or a Spotify playlist for that matter, knows that compilations succeed when they carry a certain emotional quality across their songs. That's why the music data specialists at Gracenote have long been classifying the world's music by moods and emotions. | |
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He would call me late in the night from somewhere on the road, a ghost town in Texas, a rest stop near Pittsburgh, or from Santa Fe, where he was parked in the desert, listening to the coyotes howling. But most often he would call from his place in Kentucky, on a cold, still night, when one could hear the stars breathing. | |
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This summer marks the 90th anniversary of the Big Bang of modern country music, and it all happened over 12 days in Bristol, Tennessee. | |
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They write and produce the songs that make the whole world sing. Some of 'em, you know. Some of 'em would prefer you don't. Either way, the pop charts literally start here. | |
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Industry legal experts and Kesha’s collaborators on what’s really going on with her comeback. | |
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One lucky Chance The Rapper fan got the experience of a lifetime, and this is what he learned. | |
| The veteran MC, who says doesn’t want to be rapping in his 50s, is learning new instruments and designing shoes with Tretorn as he enters middle age. | |
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"This is my last year in concert," Aretha Franklin said earlier this year. For a fan who has seen her more than a dozen times, this meant one last chance to witness the queen of soul in person. | |
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Like it did for music fans the world over, the tragic passing of Linkin Park's Chester Bennington on July 20 caused me to do a bit of soul-searching. | |
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In this piece Dr. Shain Shapiro and Danny Keir unveil a new way of thinking about the concept of Music Cities, and what can be created through the combination of urban planning and the cultural offerings of a thriving music industry. | |
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Def Leppard and others involved in the creation and marketing of 'Hysteria' talk about the long road fraught with doubt, pain, joy, drama, misadventures and tremendous triumph. | |
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The songwriter behind Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez strikes out on her own. | |
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I spoke with Founder and CEO Jason Mowatt about the business model behind Trap Karaoke, using music to building communities, and his vision to redesign the live concert experience. | |
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Catching up with one of house's undercover icons | |
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The physical experience that comes with purchasing and listening to vinyl is definitely worth the extra effort, Jon Banninga writes. | |
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Ahead of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty's plans to do what ever they're planning to do in Liverpool later this month, Phil Harrison looks back to their infamous money burning incident and argues it has a lot to say about the times we live in now | |
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