This is a random thought that just popped into my head.

 

Has pop music, over the last 50 years or so, just about covered every universal message that there is?

 

From Nina Simone's "Feelin Good" to The Beatles "All You Need is Love", gigantic pop songs with quite clear messages just dont exist anymore.

 

In my opinion the last universal pop song that was loved by everyone and had tremendous staying power on radio and TV, was Outkast's "Hey Ya". And well, I mean, the chorus was, hey ya... hey, ya...

 

A brilliant, and original song. But it just feels like big themes and messages cant really exist anymore as far as huge songs go that everyone loves. Such songs go under the category of being "Bland" and get dismissed by a lot of people (For example James Blunt's simple "Your Beautiful" sounds incredibly bland to me).

 

There is a line that songwriters today just fail to cross. That is, to write a simple song, with a basic message that gets across completely by the way the entire song is done. Neil Young has the strongest ability to do this I think, no other artist could write songs like Neil without coming off as being incredibly cheesy. A song like "Heart of Gold" is brilliant, emotional, if JAMES BLUNT released it next week, I'd completely ignore it.

 

The same goes with songs from other artists, basically before the 80's. The Beach Boys "God Only Knows" is superb yet simple, it does kinda crack me up a little bit how artists from this time were so consistent in making songs that sounded genuine and real, while only supplying the simplest of messages.

 

I still like modern music of course, but something like Radiohead's "Motion Picture Soundtrack" may be excellent, but fails to carry the same weight in comparison with Neil Young or Johnny Cash. But, if Radiohead tried to write songs about simple love messages, would they get away with it? I'd just laugh, personally. And its not because they are the "Weird" radiohead we all know and love today, if any band tried to write songs like early Beatles or The Beach Boys then they simply wouldnt get away with it.

 

Ahh its funny where a thought takes you... I dont even care if none of you understand what I mean here, I just enjoyed writing that. But it'd be cool if you interpreted it in different ways and had opinions.

The best pop music can move you in a purely superficial way and carry a deeper meaning if you actually listen to it. "Hey Ya" fits perfectly in this category, I just think that most people ignored or didn't hear the cynical underlying message of it because they were too busy shouting along with catchphrases like "shake it like a polaroid picture."

 

Another factor is that I think society in general these days is a bit jaded and regards any music that overtly aspires to more than a pleasant melody with extreme caution. Anytime it happens artists get slapped with the "pretentious" or "pompous" label or something (see: U2, although their more recent material isn't a good example of that because it... uh.. sucks).

 

As for other contemporary artists that might fit your description of what makes somebody like Neil young great, I think The Flaming Lips might be it. And maybe older Belle and Sebastian. Ben Folds tries but is way too cheesy or smarmy or something. And I think Sufjan Stevens is every bit as good a songwriter as Neil Young, and carries the same sort of emotional weight in everything he does, but he's not exactly a pop star. :rolleyes:

 

Just thinking out loud.

I dissagree. I believe that it does not matter how far you go there will allways be a universial message that pop bands will be trying to deliver. However all that really matters is the universial message of love peace and happyness. It dont matter how far yoy go into the future this message will allways be the most important message.

 

Truth of the matter is that people will allways be rehashing the same old same old. So it dont matter if some people find it cheesy and cliched. Long as there are bands delivering these messages there will allways be people that listen to it.

I'll get to this! Its late...

Hey Ya has a message? do tell!

"Hey Ya" is about temptation and the conflict between love and lust (there's a timeless subject if ever there was one).

 

"My baby don't mess around

Because she loves me so

And this I know for sho..

Uh, But does she really wanna

But can't stand to see me

Walk out the door?

Don't try to fight the feelin'

Because the thought alone is killing me right now"

 

and

 

"We get together, oh we get together

But separate's always better when there's feelings involved

If what they say is 'nothing lasts forever'

Then what makes love the exception?

So why are we so in denial

When we know we're not happy here?"

 

If Coldplay sang those lyrics people would be crying over them, but Andre buried them in the most infectious dance pop groove since "Beat It" came out. :P

i danced to hey ya just last night!

:dozey: