Painfully trendy songs/albums

**The Original An Gadaí** · 04 Jun 2009 10:29 AM

The more now you are, the more then you'll be.

The epitome of the painfully trendy album for me has to be the Buena Vista Social Club album. It's still a lovely album but if you played it in a public setting nowadays people would think they're stuck in a timewarp or you're getting your '90s nostalgia groove on. I recall hearing this album in shops all over the place around '99. What other painfully trendy songs or albums can you think of?
I'd say that the Trainspotting OST would be another one although most of the individual tracks would stand alone okay now.

**silenus** · 04 Jun 2009 10:44 AM

So let's leave it alone, 'cause we can't see eye to eye.
There ain't no good guys, there ain't no bad guys.
There's only you and me and we just disagree.
Ooo - ooo - ooohoo oh - oh - o-whoa

Dave Mason will pay for that misbegotten piece of crap.

**Julie** · 04 Jun 2009 11:04 AM

I wouldn't feel stuck in a timewarp since I wouldn't recognize the tracks on that album if they bit me.

Of course, I'm always so behind the curve that I have no idea what the trends are!

**jayjay** · 04 Jun 2009 11:06 AM

"I kissed a girl. I like iiiiit."

Katie Perry is already on the downturn, so I didn't have to wait long...

**OneCentStamp** · 04 Jun 2009 11:46 AM

Originally posted by jayjay

Katie Perry is already on the downturn, so I didn't have to wait long...

Oh well, now she can go back to her old job: getting guys to buy her drinks in bars because they think she's Zooey Deschanel.

Next one down (please?): Lady Gaga.

**Hippy Hollow** · 08 Jun 2009 12:47 PM

Originally posted by jayjay

"I kissed a girl. I like iiiiit."

Katie Perry is already on the downturn, so I didn't have to wait long...

I was going to post this!

**featherlou** · 08 Jun 2009 12:58 PM

Oh yeah, Lady Gaga. Definitely. I have to go check my iTunes to see what painfully trendy music I have - brb.

**featherlou** · 08 Jun 2009 12:59 PM

Modest Mouse? Bloc Party? Arcade Fire? t.a.T.u.?

**Oliveloaf** · 08 Jun 2009 01:04 PM

Joshua Tree.

God, I heard that everywhere all the time.

It didn't sound much different than Unforgettable Fire, but it would not go away.

**jayjay** · 08 Jun 2009 01:27 PM

Originally posted by featherlou

Modest Mouse? Bloc Party? Arcade Fire? t.a.T.u.?

t.a.T.u, definitely. That "Oh, we're skeevy little Lolita lesbians" schtick didn't stay fresh very long.

**OneCentStamp** · 08 Jun 2009 01:29 PM

Not a single song or album, but a whole subgenre: Grammy Chick R&B.

Every other year or so there's a new model, from Lauryn Hill, to Alicia Keys, Macy Gray, Jill Scott, and even the jazzy Norah Jones. Just bland enough to stock next to the cash register at the Starbucks for the yuppies to grab, yet just ethnic-looking enough to make said yuppies feel edgy for doing so. One seems to come along every other year or so and completely mop up the Grammys, in keeping with that institution's compulsive need to be wrong about everyfuckingthing.

ETA: I'm so glad Carlos Santana finally crawled back into his career coffin. That was a musically nauseating comeback.

**NAF1138** · 08 Jun 2009 01:31 PM

Maybe you had to be in college around 2003 for this to make sense, but The Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.

I love them, I love this album, but god damn it was freaking everywhere all the time from about 2002-2005.

**Sarahfeena** · 08 Jun 2009 01:33 PM

Originally posted by Oliveloaf

Joshua Tree.

God, I heard that everywhere all the time.

It didn't sound much different than Unforgettable Fire, but it would not go away.

That is actually the definition of the trendy album for me. Whenever this subject comes up, I think of it, and I can't think of my jr/sr years of college without remembering it. Unfortunately.

**OneCentStamp** · 08 Jun 2009 01:38 PM

Originally posted by Oliveloaf

Joshua Tree.

God, I heard that everywhere all the time.

It didn't sound much different than Unforgettable Fire, but it would not go away.

I was in 9th grade when it came out. It was one of the very first albums I sought out of my own accord and bought. It was certainly my first experience as part of a full-blown cultural phenomenon. I still think of it as one of the best albums ever. But I think I was too young to realize how saturated America was with U2 in 1987-88.

**Oliveloaf** · 08 Jun 2009 01:53 PM

Certainly not painful to me, but certainly everywhere was Brothers in Arms.

This album was a landmark not only because of its MTV success, but it was also the first release to sell better on CD than LP.

I guess I actually did get sick of Money For Nothing, now that I think about it.

**OneCentStamp** · 08 Jun 2009 02:03 PM

Originally posted by Oliveloaf

Certainly not painful to me, but certainly everywhere was Brothers in Arms.

This album was a landmark not only because of its MTV success, but it was also the first release to sell better on CD than LP.

I guess I actually did get sick of Money For Nothing, now that I think about it.

If The Joshua Tree was the first album I bought with my own money, Brothers in Arms and Van Halen's 5150 were the first ones I asked my parents for. I still love Brothers in Arms, but these days I skip "Money For Nothing" and "Walk of Life" (the other hit single from the album, "So Far Away," still sounds fresh to me).

**featherlou** · 08 Jun 2009 08:56 PM

The lead singer of tatu sounds just like a chipmunk.

**Hippy Hollow** · 08 Jun 2009 09:37 PM

Originally posted by OneCentStamp

Not a single song or album, but a whole subgenre: Grammy Chick R&B.

Every other year or so there's a new model, from Lauryn Hill, to Alicia Keys, Macy Gray, Jill Scott, and even the jazzy Norah Jones. Just bland enough to stock next to the cash register at the Starbucks for the yuppies to grab, yet just ethnic-looking enough to make said yuppies feel edgy for doing so. One seems to come along every other year or so and completely mop up the Grammys, in keeping with that institution's compulsive need to be wrong about everyfuckingthing.

ETA: I'm so glad Carlos Santana finally crawled back into his career coffin. That was a musically nauseating comeback.

Damn good post. Especially regarding Santana. Hey, he's a good guy and all, but he killed me with that duet album.

I would also add "perky waiflike singer/songwriters" to the trendy list. There was one, with a piano, that I am still sick of hearing. Some jewelry store uses it during the holidays. Vanessa somebody?

**Vox Imperatoris** · 08 Jun 2009 10:49 PM

Originally posted by featherlou

The lead singer of tatu sounds just like a chipmunk.

You're trying to provoke me into posting, aren't you? :wink:

Anyway, I found out about t.A.T.u. through Pandora Radio last year (actually, I found almost all of my music last year or this year, since I didn't really listen to music before I got my iPhone), way after they hit their peak popularity, so I don't feel guilty for following the trend. It's true that they don't have the best voices in the world, but she does not sound like a chipmunk (although I do wonder why they couldn't have auditioned for real lesbians, given the above). She doesn't even have all that high-pitched of a voice, compared to a lot of other singers (assuming you're talking about Yulia). The main thing wrong with it is that it's a bit raspy.

But for other horribly trendy things I listen to: the A*Teens, Aqua (extremely), Cascada (not as much), Ace of Base, and Bananarama. Most of the rest of it is too obscure in America, at least, to be associated with anything (maybe Whigfield, but that would mainly be for the Brits). I hardly even know what's popular anymore, since I mainly listen to internet "radio".

**Jeff** · 08 Jun 2009 11:46 PM

The Strokes - those poseur richboys still scream hype after several years.

**WhyNot** · 09 Jun 2009 12:00 AM

My husband must have put some new music on my MP3 player in the car, 'cause I got in this morning and what to my wondering ears should appear, but The Cure's Disintegration album. I was 16 again for the whole 20 minute drive to school. It was perfect for this morning's grey but hopeful weather and deserted streets at 6 AM. I even got out and took my MP3 player with me, which I've never done before, and sat in the hallway outside the Orientation hall for almost an hour, just feeling Robert Smith's pain. Ahhhhhh.... such lovely, lovely

**featherlou** · 09 Jun 2009 12:07 AM

Originally posted by Vox Imperatoris

Originally posted by featherlou

The lead singer of tatu sounds just like a chipmunk.

You're trying to provoke me into posting, aren't you? :wink:
<snip>

Heh heh heh.

Another trend that (blessedly) seems to have died out is the "bitter girl with a guitar" trend. Lisa Loeb would be your archetype here. By the way, "bitter girl" is from the Chris Isaak Show which, should you get the chance, is one of the most consistently entertaining things we had the opportunity to watch.

**sublight** · 09 Jun 2009 05:03 AM

Originally posted by Hippy Hollow

I would also add "perky waiflike singer/songwriters" to the trendy list. There was one, with a piano, that I am still sick of hearing. Some jewelry store uses it during the holidays. Vanessa somebody?

I always refer to this genre as "iWaif" after Apple used both Feist ("1,2,3,4") and Yael Naim ("New Soul") in their ads.

From my high school days...

"It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fiiiiiiiine..."

**MsRobyn** · 09 Jun 2009 07:26 AM

Originally posted by Hippy Hollow

Originally posted by OneCentStamp

Not a single song or album, but a whole subgenre: Grammy Chick R&B.

Every other year or so there's a new model, from Lauryn Hill, to Alicia Keys, Macy Gray, Jill Scott, and even the jazzy Norah Jones. Just bland enough to stock next to the cash register at the Starbucks for the yuppies to grab, yet just ethnic-looking enough to make said yuppies feel edgy for doing so. One seems to come along every other year or so and completely mop up the Grammys, in keeping with that institution's compulsive need to be wrong about everyfuckingthing.

ETA: I'm so glad Carlos Santana finally crawled back into his career coffin. That was a musically nauseating comeback.

Damn good post. Especially regarding Santana. Hey, he's a good guy and all, but he killed me with that duet album.

I would also add "perky waiflike singer/songwriters" to the trendy list. There was one, with a piano, that I am still sick of hearing. Some jewelry store uses it during the holidays. Vanessa somebody?

Vanessa Carlton.

My vote is for the "indier than thou". I like indie music, but some bands just take it several steps too far. The lyrics are pretentious and make this genre unlistenable, even if the music is OK. It's masturbation with a guitar and a pencil.

**OneCentStamp** · 09 Jun 2009 08:00 AM

Originally posted by Hippy Hollow

There was one, with a piano, that I am still sick of hearing. Some jewelry store uses it during the holidays. Vanessa somebody?

Vanessa Michelle Sara Bareilles Branch Carlton. They're like those Russian nesting dolls. And their albums are really nothing but 45 minute auditions, hoping that Santana will invite them to do a duet on his next album.

**dread pirate jimbo** · 09 Jun 2009 09:17 AM

I was listening to "More Than Words" by Extreme this morning on my way to work. Damn, that song got played a LOT for about six months and, no doubt, had girls swooning by the millions to the romantic lyrics which, when you think about it, aren't all that romantic -- essentially you can distill the lyrics down to one sentence: Would you just stop talking already and fuck me? The album, "Pornografitti," wasn't bad, IMO, but holy crap did that one tune get overplayed.

**OneCentStamp** · 09 Jun 2009 09:22 AM

Originally posted by dread pirate jimbo

I was listening to "More Than Words" by Extreme this morning on my way to work. Damn, that song got played a LOT for about six months and, no doubt, had girls swooning by the millions to the romantic lyrics which, when you think about it, aren't all that romantic -- essentially you can distill the lyrics down to one sentence: Would you just stop talking already and fuck me? The album, "Pornografitti," wasn't bad, IMO, but holy crap did that one tune get overplayed.

Yeah, I think of that song now as the apotheosis of the hair band ballad. For a couple of years, starting with Motley Crue's "Home Sweet Home" and going through Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" and Warrant's "Heaven," hard rock bands had been making bank by selling that one ballad per album to girls who often didn't even know or hear the rest of the album. I distinctly remember my friend Marianna complaining that she had bought Extreme II: Pornograffiti, and with the exception of the two ballads on it, it was, in her words, "kill your mom music."

**dread pirate jimbo** · 09 Jun 2009 09:52 AM

Originally posted by OneCentStamp

Originally posted by dread pirate jimbo

I was listening to "More Than Words" by Extreme this morning on my way to work. Damn, that song got played a LOT for about six months and, no doubt, had girls swooning by the millions to the romantic lyrics which, when you think about it, aren't all that romantic -- essentially you can distill the lyrics down to one sentence: Would you just stop talking already and fuck me? The album, "Pornografitti," wasn't bad, IMO, but holy crap did that one tune get overplayed.

Yeah, I think of that song now as the apotheosis of the hair band ballad. For a couple of years, starting with Motley Crue's "Home Sweet Home" and going through Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" and Warrant's "Heaven," hard rock bands had been making bank by selling that one ballad per album to girls who often didn't even know or hear the rest of the album. I distinctly remember my friend Marianna complaining that she had bought Extreme II: Pornograffiti, and with the exception of the two ballads on it, it was, in her words, "kill your mom music."

While we're talking metal bands doing power ballads, let's not forget Mr Big's one and only real hit, "To Be With You." The lyric on that one, of course, is totally different than "More Than Words," going a little something like this: I know you're upset about being dumped, but would you just stop talking already and fuck me?

**parzival** · 09 Jun 2009 12:04 PM

She checks out Mozart while she does Tae Bo
Reminds me that there's time to grow

The most painfully trendy lyrics from a painfully trendy song. Even deep-fried chicken is getting old, what with the new KGC.

I want to thank One-Cent Stamp for giving a good label to the one genre that I can truly say I hate, but never had a catchy name. I always had to say things like "I don't hate R&B exactly, just those singers' style." Grammy Chick is perfect.

**Sarahfeena** · 09 Jun 2009 12:17 PM

Originally posted by WhyNot

My husband must have put some new music on my MP3 player in the car, 'cause I got in this morning and what to my wondering ears should appear, but The Cure's Disintegration album. I was 16 again for the whole 20 minute drive to school. It was perfect for this morning's grey but hopeful weather and deserted streets at 6 AM. I even got out and took my MP3 player with me, which I've never done before, and sat in the hallway outside the Orientation hall for almost an hour, just feeling Robert Smith's pain. Ahhhhhh.... such lovely, lovely

I love Disintegration.

Originally posted by OneCentStamp

If The Joshua Tree was the first album I bought with my own money, Brothers in Arms and Van Halen's 5150 were the first ones I asked my parents for. I still love Brothers in Arms, but these days I skip "Money For Nothing" and "Walk of Life" (the other hit single from the album, "So Far Away," still sounds fresh to me).

I'm not a huge Billy Joel fan in general, but when I was pretty young (5th-6th grade, I think?), his Glass Houses album was a huge hit. It had like 5 or 6 hit songs, and they were all on one side of the album (pretty funny..."sides" of an album!) To this day, I still like the songs on the other side, and they actually seem like they are much better songs to me. I'm not sure if they really are, or if I just got so burnt out on side 1 that it just ruined if for me.

**OneCentStamp** · 09 Jun 2009 12:21 PM