Stuck In My Skull 433 -- "Don't Stop the Music"

Song: "Don't Stop the Music" || Artist: Rihanna || http://youtu.be/yd8jh9QYfEs ||

Comments: Good morning, wonderful readers! Today's entry is going to be full of things I've learned. First of all, I've learned that my friend Newt, also known as DJ Abso-Newt-ly, has started his own blog. At Stuck In My Skull, we love having company. Seriously, music blogging isn't a competition. Instead, we (or at least I -- I haven't talked with my co-bloggers yet) think of this as an opportunity to get awesome tracks stuck in your head all the time discover more awesome music. I know that he and Relinquish have more than a few commonalities in their musical preferences, so if you've enjoyed reading Secret Sounds, you'll love hearing what the DJ has to offer. So seriously, go check it out!
On to the song. For what it's worth, I actually don't have this song stuck in my head right now. Currently, Zedd and Foxes have crammed "Clarity" into my cranium sometime yesterday, and it doesn't seem likely to be going anywhere (which means it'll stick for about 15 more minutes). Before "Clarity," though, I had this track stuck in my head. It's a dance hall classic. What I didn't know, is that one of the writers was Michael Jackson. What? I know! (Source.) I'm not 100% sold on labelling this song as 'techno,' but I think dance pop is definitely a valid genre for this track. It does have elements of a good techno song, but I don't think the execution agrees with the genre label. But who cares, that's all just nit-picking. The point is, the song is great. Rihanna being Rihanna, she delivers her hallmark excellent vocals on top of an excellently-arranged track that bounces in the 120-125 BPM range (it clocked 123 when I counted it here). Something else I learned: The line she keeps chanting is "Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa." Yet another interesting fact: Both she and Michael Jackson have used the line, and been sued for it. Interesting tidbits like this are why I've taken to reading the Wikipedia article about a given song if it exists; There are just so many wonderful things to learn. So, enjoy the song, and go check out DJ Abso-Newt-ly's new blog!

Download

Stuck In My Skull 416 -- "Live It Up" [Pop Week II]

Pop Week II, Part 1 || Song: "Live It Up" || Artist: Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull || http://youtu.be/BofL1AaiTjo ||

Comments: Good morning, everyone! Today's song opens Pop Week II, where we take a look at the current state of 'pop music.' Don't worry -- I have good taste. (I think...) To open the week, I decided to use this track. Less than a month old, this song confirms my long-held belief that Pitbull is always better as a featured artist. I tend to dislike songs where the canine-inspired rapper is the principle artist is the primary artist, but he sounds great when he is working on another artist's track. Additionally, this song was written by RedOne, that hidden power-behind-the-throne of pop music. As a song, I like it. It's a tad too heavy to be a quintessential 'summer song,' but it works nicely as a dance track, and I foresee this song having a long career in FM radio song rotations. I think its structure is a tad too irregular to be a good club hit -- the several times where the song stops the beat for the Pitbull verses and champagne-popping sound effects really breaks the tempo, in my opinion, which I suspect will prevent it from getting much use on the dance floor. That being said, I'm a fan. I'm not sure that I agree with the Wikipedia entry that calls this a europop or a dance-pop song, but either way it's a good song. I just think more of Cascada or Inna or Edward Maya or Alexandra Stan when someone says europop. The video's not bad either -- a Pitbull song without Pitbull advertising some alcohol? Count me in.

I'm going to be doing five entries this week, so check back every day this week for more!

Download