Sad to see Honeymoon go...and this disturbing trend — Page 5

Oh, yes, I definitely do, Hogan. But I do believe there's nothing so certain as change, and I think popular music has changed a lot since the mid-50s.

For one thing, there's SO much more money to be made today by a top recording artist; I doubt that Frank Sinatra or Judy Garland cleared as much in 20 years as Bieber made last year alone, even adjusted for inflation.

And popular singers today don't need the American Songbook or standards - they have teams writing tailor-made material for them that showcases what they do, and is free of the dusty tang of the "old."

But the folk song went out of style with the masses, as did commedia and other forms. I think musical theatre is now its own specific form, like opera, not needing to be tied to popular song. It may appeal to fewer people than it did 60 years ago, but it's evolving. And I find that interesting to watch.

Updated On: 4/6/15 at 04:34 PM

Glee discography

If there ever was going to be a recent cross-over of popular and Broadway music, it had its chance with Glee and its covers. But, in going through the compilation of what songs charted and where, the show tunes were generally, not so popular. Glee did much better with the covers of already popular songs.

I do wonder what would happen if, in the current world, a Broadway producer got a "top" act to sing a song from a show prior to opening or in the first few weeks. (I wonder how much that would cost!) I think "People" had charted before Funny Girl even opened. U2 did sing "Boy Falls From The Sky" at concerts before Spider-Man opened, but even if that helped, I don't know that it was released as a U2 single ahead of time.

Thinking about this still, it would be nice is performers who got their start on Broadway paid a little homage. Thinking someone like Ariana Grande.

"Glee discography
If there ever was going to be a recent cross-over of popular and Broadway music, it had its chance with Glee and its covers. But, in going through the compilation of what songs charted and where, the show tunes were generally, not so popular. Glee did much better with the covers of already popular songs.
I do wonder what would happen if, in the current world, a Broadway producer got a "top" act to sing a song from a show prior to opening or in the first few weeks. (I wonder how much that would cost!) I think "People" had charted before Funny Girl even opened. U2 did sing "Boy Falls From The Sky" at concerts before Spider-Man opened, but even if that helped, I don't know that it was released as a U2 single ahead of time. "

These are 10 Glees most downloaded songs according to billboard.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6509278/glee-cast-10-best-selling-downloads

Included is Kurt and Rachel's pop arrangment of defying gravity and a " mash up" of singing in the rain/umbrella so musical theather songs did have some success. Also off the top of my head Rachels dont rain on my parade and Schuesters over the rainbow charted relatively high in comparision to its other releases at the time.

And popular singers today don't need the American Songbook or standards - they have teams writing tailor-made material for them that showcases what they do, and is free of the dusty tang of the "old."

And yet so many of today's popular singers, well, mostly aging popular singers have chosen to sing the "standards," including some whose voices I don't think are particularly suited to these songs such as Gloria Estefan and in particular Willie Nelson. Especially Willy Nelson. Accordient to Wikipedia his 1978 collection of "standards" was "considered risky at the time but the album has become the best-selling and perhaps the most enduring of Nelson's career."

Started by Linda Ronstadt, of course, the group includes Keith Richards(!), Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell, Pat Benatar and Paul McCartney. Many other young artists went right to the "songbook" with little or no stop at the current pop. Harry Connick, Diana Krall, John Pizzarelli and a personal favorite, Stacy Kent. Tony Bennett is more popular now than when in the prime of his career.

Whether we are talking about artists who started off with the standards or who have been attracted after begining with current pop, even I find it puzzling why a female vocalist would be compelled to cover for the 1000th time (literally) "Someone To Watch Over Me" or "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered." But then I don't understand how a Broadway star can survive eight shows a week of the same performance for a year without tiring of it.

The defection (too strong a word) of Lady Gaga to Rodgers and Hammerstein causes the greatest shock. It will be interesting to see how far she goes with this.

My very limited knowledge of pop comes from American Idol. I'm always surprised that so few of the competitors can go out on the stage and sing a simple ballad.

Those who grew up in one era cannot carry on an objective discussion of the quality of the music of those who developed in a different era. Each has too much of an emotional investment in his or her's own music. It is up to the following generations, which do not have the emotional ties, to determine the best of prior generations by their attraction to it.

Updated On: 4/19/15 at 09:46 PM