A Living Magazine - Day 71 - Background Music from the Road

I woke up at 5:30 am in the tent, protected from the rain. I fell back asleep a couple of times, eventually sleeping in until 9:30. I guess that made up for my loss of sleep the two nights before.

It had to be a writing day, since I was two posts behind. For that reason - for the first time on this journey - I took no pictures or videos. Ellen let me use her Wi-Fi and work at her computer desk. I thought it might take 8 hours, but it ended up taking about 12 hours. I wanted a comprehensive report on Tent City 3, and needed to spend the extra time doing that. Besides, I was gun shy about messing up the details.

By about 11:00 pm it was finally done. We talked for a while and planned out what bus stop I should use to get back into the city for my train ride Monday morning. I went back to the tent to sleep at about 12:00 am. It was a day long on work and short on everything else, and this after being told I don't "work" by a detractor. Interesting isn't it?

* * * * * * *

Because there isn't anything else to report from this day, I decided to do a special focus piece on something I've wanted to highlight for a while now, because it affects me. It's the background music that I hear just about everyday at restaurants, in people's cars, and on radios.

I didn't know what to expect about the Northwest's preference for music. Of course there is a very progressive, somewhat "alternative" music. But I am exposed to something different; pop, Pandora and music loops. It is interesting that the songs I hear so often have become like a soundtrack for these journeys. I'm going to list just a few that loop over and over again in my head. I always end up with the latest song I've heard in those loops.

I even find myself getting sentimental when I hear a pop song, called "Boom Clap", that I associate with certain places. The first one reminds me of the day before I walked through West Bridgeport Connecticut (please see "Destitution Too Long"). It is pretty cool, and it's linked to the movie, The Fault in Our Stars, seen in her video below; a cute, but powerful movie that I saw some time online after hearing the song...

CHARLI XCX

Boom Clap

From the Wikipedia introduction...

Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), better known by her stage name Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter.

Charli XCX released her debut single independently in 2008 and initially performed at warehouse raves in London. She signed to Asylum Records in 2010 and released two mixtapes, Heartbreaks and Earthquakes and Super Ultra, in 2012. Charli XCX's major label debut album, True Romance, was released in 2013, accompanied by singles including "You (Ha Ha Ha)" and "Nuclear Seasons".

She rose to international prominence during 2013 and 2014 through featuring on two major hit singles: Icona Pop's "I Love It" and Iggy Azalea's "Fancy". Her 2014 single "Boom Clap" became a top ten hit in various countries and preceded the release of her second album, Sucker, which also features the singles "Break the Rules", "Doing It", and "Famous".

You've probably heard it yourself, or maybe like the tune...

The following is a very popular song from the first journey, that I heard many times even before I left Maine, called "Royals" (some people may be sick of it, but I still like it). It resurfaced all throughout Pennsylvania, especially during my time in Bridgeville, just outside of Pittsburgh...

LORDE

Royals

From the Wikipedia introduction...

Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known by her stage name Lorde, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. Born in Takapuna and raised in Devonport, Auckland, she became interested in performing as a child. In her early teens, she signed with Universal Music Group and was later paired with the songwriter and record producer Joel Little, who co-wrote and produced most of Lorde's works. Her first major release, The Love Club EP, was commercially released in March 2013. The EP reached number two on the national record charts of Australia and New Zealand.

In mid-2013, Lorde released her debut single "Royals". It became an international crossover hit and made Lorde the youngest solo artist to achieve a US number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 since 1987. In late 2013, she released her debut studio album, Pure Heroine. The record topped the charts of Australia and New Zealand and reached number three on the US Billboard 200. Its following singles include "Tennis Court", "Team", "No Better" and "Glory and Gore". In 2014, Lorde released "Yellow Flicker Beat" as a single from the soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.

Lorde's music consists of the subgenres of electronica, pop and rock, including dream pop and indie-electro. In 2013, she was named among Time‍ '​s most influential teenagers in the world, and in the following year, she was in the Forbes‍ '​s "30 Under 30" list.

The video for the song...

Interesting that both of the young women above started out as more alternative artists. But, fame has a way of pushing artists into a more mainstream audience.

The next one, "The Night is Still Young", is perhaps a bit odd for me to choose, mostly because, except for the choruses, the song follows a more typical hip-hop "booty" style that I don't care for. The choruses though, are exceptionally well arranged in their chord orchestrations and structures. It is unusual for dance music in that it slows to half time. And, the words give me the same sense a young person becoming and adult might have today.

I heard it first in Redding, California, on this A Living Magazine journey.

NICKI MANAJ

The Night is Still Young

From the Wikipedia introduction...

Onika Tanya Maraj (born December 8, 1982), better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj (/mɪˈnɑːʒ/), is a Trinidadian-born American rapper, singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago and raised in South Jamaica, Queens, New York, Minaj earned public attention after releasing three mixtapes between 2007–2009. She signed a recording contract with Young Money Entertainment in 2009.

Minaj's debut studio album, Pink Friday (2010), peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and spawned the top-three single "Super Bass". During that time, Minaj became the first female solo artist to have seven singles simultaneously charting on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Her second studio album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012), also topped the chart and its lead single, "Starships", peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. Minaj's third studio album, The Pinkprint (2014), was preceded by its second single, "Anaconda", which peaked at number two on the Hot 100 and is her highest-charting single in the United States to date. Minaj made her film debut in the 2012 animated film Ice Age: Continental Drift, and also had a supporting role in the 2014 film The Other Woman. In 2013, she was a main judge on the twelfth season of American Idol.

Minaj was the first female artist included on MTV's Annual Hottest MC List, with The New York Times's editor Brent Staples saying that some consider her "the most influential female rapper of all time". Her rapping is distinctive for its fast flow and the use of alter egos and accents, primarily British cockney. Minaj is known for her colorful costumes and wigs. In April 2013, Minaj became the most-charted female rapper in the history of the Billboard Hot 100. Minaj has endorsed Adidas, MAC Cosmetics and Pepsi. She has won four American Music Awards, eight BET Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, two MTV Europe Music Award, five Billboard Music Awards and Billboard‍‍ '​‍s Women in Music 2011 Rising Star award.

The video for the song...

More recently, from about Portland, Oregon on, I have been a captive audience for Starbuck's playlist. And, though I know how common these songs are now, a few keep sticking in my mind. The following, which I first heard at my friends' house in Livermore, California, "Somebody that I Used to Know", has that strange yet familiar musical style that comes about from composing outside the box. I like to see such uniqueness become popular, it helps break up the typical chord progressions heard in the canned, industrial, corporate rock publishing industry...

GOTYE

Somebody that I Used to Know

From the Wikipedia introduction...

Wouter Andre "Wally" De Backer (born 21 May 1980), better known as Gotye (pronounced /ˈɡoʊti.eɪ/ go-tee-ay), is a Belgian-Australian multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter. The name "Gotye" is a pronunciation respelling of "Gauthier", the French cognate of Gotye's given Dutch name "Wouter" (English "Walter", hence the nickname "Wally").

Gotye has released three studio albums independently and one album featuring remixes of tracks from his first two albums. He is a member of the Melbourne indie-pop trio The Basics, who have independently released three studio albums and numerous other titles since 2002. His voice has been compared to those of Peter Gabriel and Sting. Gotye's 2011 single "Somebody That I Used to Know" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the fifth Australian-based artist to do so and the second Belgian (after The Singing Nun in 1963). He has won five ARIA Awards and received a nomination for an MTV EMA for Best Asia and Pacific Act. On 10 February 2013, he won three Grammy Awards at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards Show: Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Somebody That I Used to Know" and Best Alternative Music Album for Making Mirrors. Gotye has said he sometimes feels "less of a musician, more of a tinkerer."

The very cool video for the song...

Among the revived songs I'd heard before leaving Maine is another that is in many of the Starbuck's song rotations, "Steal My Sunshine", and it really reminds me of Portland, Oregon, where I heard it over and over again. It is cute, and maybe a bit bubbly, but it seemed to fit the lightheartedness I felt there. It was a one hit wonder. I do find it interesting that the band was a brother-sister project. Though there are only two chords in the entire song, they make the most of them...

LEN

Steal My Sunshine

From the Wikipedia introduction...

Len is a Canadian alternative rock group from Toronto. They are best known as a one-hit wonder for their 1999 song "Steal My Sunshine". Len was never able to repeat the success of "Steal My Sunshine", but continued to put out albums until 2003 before a nine-year hiatus.

The band consisted of siblings Marc Costanzo (vocals, guitar) and Sharon Costanzo (vocals, bass) and a revolving lineup of other musicians. During the height of their popularity, the band's lineup included Brendan Canning, later a member of the indie rock band Broken Social Scene.

The video for the song...

Finally, the song I'm hearing daily in upstate Washington, "I'm Not The Only One". Great, mellow with gorgeously soulful singing. The background orchestrations are so subtle and shifting. Nothing is overdone in the song. I just find it very well produced. You can really feel the words...

SAM SMITH

I'm Not The Only One

From the Wikipedia introduction...

Samuel Frederick "Sam" Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. He rose to fame in October 2012 when he was featured on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart. His subsequent feature—on Naughty Boy's "La La La"—earned him his first number one single in May 2013.

In December 2013, he was nominated for the 2014 BRIT Critics' Choice Award and the BBC's Sound of 2014 poll, both of which he won. He released his debut studio album, In the Lonely Hour, in May 2014 on Capitol Records. The lead single, "Lay Me Down", was released prior to "La La La". The second single, "Money on My Mind", became his second number one single in the UK. The album's third single, "Stay with Me", was an international success, reaching number one in the UK and number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, while the fourth single "I'm Not the Only One" reached the top five in both countries. The fifth single, "Like I Can", reached number nine in the UK.

In December 2014, Smith was nominated for six Grammy Awards, and at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2015 he won four: Best New Artist, "Stay with Me" for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, and In the Lonely Hour for Best Pop Vocal Album. At the 2015 Brit Awards, he won the awards for British Breakthrough Act and Global Success.

The video for the song...

Thanks for putting up with this music post! It is funny. I would probably never have liked some of these, were it not for being on the road.There are some other tunes that I might highlight someday.

Thanks for reading, watching and listening!