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Monday, July 13, 2009
Women, black people just don't have the music
John Butler of the John Butler Trio once described the music chosen by listeners to Australia's compulsory pay youth radio station as being "a suitable music selection for StormFront Youth."
Now Triple J has unveiled its listeners selections of the Top 100 songs of all time, and they have not let us down.
Out of the top 100 songs of all time chosen by listeners, there are only two songs with female lead vocalists who made the grade. This has been the subject of some polite debate over at the ABC.
However, they are far too polite to mention that there also appear to be only two/maybe three black artists (Stevie Wonder at 95, Bob Marley at 84 and, arguably, Michael Jackson at 26 and 41).
Thus, according to Triple J listeners, 94 of the top 100 songs were all produced by white males. (Being a suicide, by the way, appears to be a big factor if you are really keen to get into the top 10.)
Another notable aspect of the list is that very few of the selections are songs that Triple J would actually play - in fact, very few were produced this decade. All of which begs the question, why is the public funding a radio station that plays music no one wants to listen to?
Note: John Butler of the John Butler Trio would like to thank everybody who voted him into #47.
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5 comments:
These are not merely songs - they are the hymns of the new Church of Keepinitreal, the greatest most profound collective insight the world has ever known.
1000 years from now people will kneel and reverently mumble
'There's a lady who knows all that glitters is gold and shes buuuuuuuying a stairway to heaven'
cause thats like so uncool man like you know?
The Top 100 is soooo Casey Kasem and American Top 40 - a show that started in 1970. I used to listen to Casey as a kid, and when JJJ brought out the Top 100, I thought it was a poor derivative of an idea that died a decade before.
The Top 40 was mega-important in 1977. But so were bell-bottom jeans and arguments over LP vs cassette. The whole idea of a "top this" and "top that" is so last century.
Typical of the ABC to still be stuck there.
Not many Australian bands selected by listeners by a station that is supposed to be promoting Australian music either.
That aside, it's rather sad that so may of these are so old. Not that they are bad in themselves it's more that so little interesting has been produced it the meantime.
"...so little interesting has been produced in the meantime."
That just about sums it up. Since around 1980 anyway. There is a lot of other music out there too, you know? Pop and its satellites ( hip and hop) are not the known universe.
As the audience is likely angry white 'progressives', and most black music (big Motown fan here) is somewhat happy, it's not surprising that few black artists made the angst parade.
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