Big swings for pop stardom

[tragabigzanda]

[Jorge]

It's a previously big artist trying to shed his image as a silly ol' goofball to revitalize his career, but is the song itself different enough from his previous stuff? I don't know MC Hammer

[tragabigzanda]

[LoathedVermin72]

Surprised no one has posted The Fixer video yet

[EJ]

That’s not a big swing. It was a pivot from the baggy pants and sequins of ‘90 to the stocking caps and gats look of the mid-90s. Keeping abreast of trends is what pop starts do.

I've finally posted something worth debating on here.

[bodysnatcher]

Would Taylor Swift apply for this? For nearly a decade she released lighthearted pop-country albums, then made a pretty big shift with her 1989 album. I don’t think “Shake It Off” was necessarily that huge of a shift, but “Bad Blood” seemed to be really new territory and launched her into straight pop.

[tragabigzanda]

Top 10 maybe?
Hello Morning
Close Captioned
The Kill
Place/Position
Do You Like Me?
Latest Disgrace
Recap Modotti
Nightshop
Break
Life & Limb

I'd maybe bump Life & Limb for Epic Problem

[EJ]

What about a band like Sugar Ray?

They were a metal band and completely shifted their musical style after their accidental hit of 'Fly' (which was a complete anomoly on that album)?

[tragabigzanda]

[Leatherhead]

trag I think you’re way off the mark in this thread, buddy.

Yeah, there has to be something more to this than simply making more melodic, accessible music.

The Nirvana suggestion is insane.

Yea.

[surfndestroy]

Born In The USA

[tragabigzanda]

[bune]

Would Taylor Swift apply for this? For nearly a decade she released lighthearted pop-country albums, then made a pretty big shift with her 1989 album. I don’t think “Shake It Off” was necessarily that huge of a shift, but “Bad Blood” seemed to be really new territory and launched her into straight pop.

I would argue that Red is what you're looking for: "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" definitely is not country.

[rick malone]

Also 1991 seemed to be a time where bands changed their sound and employed a different style of production to get big:R.E.M.(Losing My Religion, though this really started in 1988 with Stand), Metallica(Enter Sandman), RHCP(Under The Bridge).

[bune]

What about a band like Sugar Ray?

They were a metal band and completely shifted their musical style after their accidental hit of 'Fly' (which was a complete anomoly on that album)?

I know right? You listen to Lemonade & Brownies and then Fly is the first single? and even compared to the rest of that album?

Then 14:59 (great album title) was just more Fly + the obligatory eighties pop song but done by a rock band.

[E.H. Ruddock]

I love how trag is digging his feet in on his stance in this thread. I can't decide who is right and who is wrong so I'm going to just watch for a while.

[surfndestroy]

Highway To Hell, AC/DC brought in a new producer, cleaned up their sound and added a sheen to everything.

[LoathedVermin72]

trag I think you’re way off the mark in this thread, buddy.

Yeah, there has to be something more to this than simply making more melodic, accessible music.

The Nirvana suggestion is insane.

Yea.

Disagree 100%. Bleach was born of an insular music community and reflected Kurt’s love of much harder music. Nevermind was a big swing for pop stardom and his journals confirm as much.

“About a Girl” is poppier than anything on Nevermind.

[Leatherhead]

trag I think you’re way off the mark in this thread, buddy.

Yeah, there has to be something more to this than simply making more melodic, accessible music.

The Nirvana suggestion is insane.

Yea.

Disagree 100%. Bleach was born of an insular music community and reflected Kurt’s love of much harder music. Nevermind was a big swing for pop stardom and his journals confirm as much.

I think for it to really fit with the thread there has to be an element of the artist trying to re-invent or overhaul their image as well as taking a big turn away from their sound. Just because they wrote some more accessible songs doesn't qualify. The music isn't THAT much different, still pretty straight forward rock music. Kurt still wore ripped jeans and a flannel shirt. This was an evolution. This was bunting, not a big swing for the fences. A "big swing" has an element of risk, where was the risk here?

[verb_to_trust]

I don't think Kurt really knew what being huge actually meant but Nevermind was an attempt to get there.