Sunday, January 10, 2010

HIPSTER RUNOFF

HIPSTER RUNOFF

Am Appy Hoodie altbro sings Lisa Loeb’s hit song ‘Stay’

Posted: 10 Jan 2010 04:25 PM PST


I recently watched this video of a post-earnest post-altbro at a dive bar, post-post-ironically singing Lisa Loeb’s hit song “Stay.” It sorta made me wonder if today’s indie hits will ever be karaoke-able. I know that local alternative hot spots sometimes offer ‘indie karaoke’, but it seems like they just encourage you to sing The Cure/Blondie/Matchbox20/etc. Since most modern karaoke catalogs aren’t responsive enough to learn about new buzzbands, we might never see today’s indiewave bands get karaoke tracks/midi files.

Even beyond the struggles of indie representation within the karaokesphere, I can’t help but think about the state of indie music songwriting. It seems like Lisa Loeb’s “Stay (I miss u)” is an honest song that captured the hearts of the entire nation. A song with a universal theme that any1 who had ever had a human interaction/relationship with another human could immediately get swept in by. I feel like most ‘relevant’ songs have a barrier for entry for the common man. Maybe that used to make me feel safe/like an individual, but I feel like as I grow older, I might want something different. I might want to be a part of something bigger than myself AND even bigger than a crowd at an indie show–I want 2 b a part of humanitie.

Wikipedia.org told me that “Stay” ultimately went on to become a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, earning her the distinction of being the only artist to top the U.S. chart before being signed to any record label. Seems like Lisa Loeb might be the most successful ‘indie’ artist in the history of the world. Apparently, her Ethan Hawke directed video ‘dominated’ mtv/vh1. Not sure how it would have been received if blogs existed back then, but they probably would have ‘eaten up that meme’ like modern day music sites eat up Aziz Ansari content.

Wish music videos still ‘meant something’ like they used 2. h8 living in this world where indie bands poop out a video onto the youtube that doesn’t really do much to enhance my consumer experience of a song.

Sort of wonder if ’songwriting’ has evolved or devolved. Today’s most relevant music is more conceptual + expressive than ever b4, but we should be worried that the 2000s indie legacy will be sorta hollow. Like every1 trying 2 hard 2 b different. Sorta wish I could go back in time, and play earnest, well-crafted pop songs at local coffee shops, building a dedicated fan base. Then one day an ‘industry insider’ would happen to watch me play, then my product would be taken to the masses. Would also settle for being a tween again, and having parents who ‘pushed to get my foot in the door of the entertainment industry’, and I ended up in a few local car commercials.

Seems like this might be one of the songs that ‘defines Gen X’ and their concept of love/life/relaishes. Not sure if there is a seminal song that defines Gen Y. Maybe something by the Postal Service.

U say
…stay
….

What indie karaoke song would u sing if u could sing n e song in the world?