I agree that Elvis was very much a product. The story goes that the producers were looking for a "white man to sing black music". It's also common to present him as the "inventor of Rock'n Roll", which isn't true at all. That all came through the blues and black musicians like Robert Johnson and Chuck Berry.
However, I do have to say that even if I think that the songs performed by Elvis were quite mediocre and boring, he was a wonderful and talented singer with an intense charisma on the stage that you rarely hear or see today.
Yeah, I don't really buy the whole "all music of the 60s/whenever was programming" narrative. I also don't buy the "white men stole black music" stuff, or that *everything* is stage-managed... There are elements of truth in there of course, but overall, I judge music on its merits and how it speaks to my soul, no matter when it was made or where the artists took their inspiration from, or who their manager was (well the personality and character of the artist is a factor for me too). But one thing is true, and the Cs' answer seems spot-on here IMO: the 70s were when the dedicated effort to completely control the "mainstream airwaves" kicked into high gear. Notice however that according to the Cs, even by the 1990s not *all* "airplay" music contained corrupting messages. So, it comes back to our own responsibility and soul-perception; no narrative that sorts artists into good and evil can replace that.
My personal impression has been that more and more music has some kind of unidentifiable "sharp energy" to it - I don't know how else to describe it. I noticed this even with "new remasters" of older songs, that there is some new energy there that seems "wrong" somehow. There is almost no new popular music that I liked from around 2000 onwards. And even the few new songs that I find catchy I cannot listen to much, unlike older songs and music.
Absolutely. For one thing, the loudness war destroyed the dynamics of recorded music. But also, beginning in the 2000s, there is this annoying bass-heaviness. Even folk songs have this super-heavy bass these days, and as you said, the remasters too in many cases. Even in the 90s, music was mixed much "softer" with an emphasis on getting the mid frequencies to shine; now it's all harsh treble and nauseating bass.
This sounds like an old man rant (and it is LOL), but there are some out there on YouTube that have analized how music has changed over time in the last 40 years, and its exactly that, formulaic and unmemorable for commercial reasons.
Not only that - I mean, there's many songs with 3 chords that are awesome, so it's not just complexity that is missing. In fact, the Cs advised once to keep it "simple and beautiful" when making music together (though in a different context).
I think what's missing is artists who are in touch with their souls, and with reality. This is the precondition to writing lyrics (and music!) that can actually touch those with half a soul still firing, expressing a deeper truth. The rest is "just" talent, hard work etc., but without the foundation, what can you do?
I mean, what to expect from artists who believe Biden is awesome, get your vax, electric cars save the climate, gender fluidity is cool, etc. etc.? Not that you need to check all boxes of "correct opinion" to be a great artist, and obviously many greats in the past weren't exactly well-informed. But then, the level of programming wasn't so crazy back then either. But if you believe so many disastrous lies, a tipping point is reached eventually where you are "cut off" from the well of true creativity so to speak.
And you end up with this:
Your grand nieces say that the reason they love TS is because she shares the experiences of her life and journey, but the songs of hers I've heard on the radio are all about toxic relationships. Lyrics such as:
Put another way, why should I listen to people telling me about their relationships, their wrestling with reality, their view of the world etc. if they believe all these asylum-level lies?
Among NPCs it must be cool to not stand out, to embrace greatest-common-denominatorhood. "See, I'm just as trivial as all you guys, lol", it's a way to be inclusive I guess.
With regard to Taylor Swift fans, it's maybe more something like "see, I'm harmless, I'm a good one, so please don't hurt me!" Which is kind of a natural reaction to the state of the world I guess, expressed unconsciously. But it is also very counter-productive, because it sets you up for harm. Instead, you should fight the abuser, and this requires tons of knowledge and smarts.
