On February 3, 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson were killed in a small-plane crash in Iowa. That day was later called “The Day the Music Died.”
Music didn’t really die on that fateful day, which was 50 years ago last week – It just started down a slow hill of decline, which has culminated in the God-awful musicians and their music that litter today’s pop music charts.
To any serious music fan, last weekend’s 51st Annual Grammy Awards did nothing more than leave a bitter taste of bile in their mouths. Musicians leading the pack in nominations included Coldplay, one of the most overrated bands of the present; Radiohead, a band that was once prolific (and whatever else Gweneth Paltrow said as she introduced the band and its horrid performance of “15 Step.” Look! They’ve got a USC drumline playing with them. How edgy!); and the list goes on.
Coldplay won three Grammy Awards for “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends,” an album which is definitely the band’s worst effort since, well, actually it’s about as bad as 2005’s “X&Y.” The band has been cranking out tunes that sound exactly the same since they hit it big with “Clocks,” which could be heard in about every department store across America for the better part of three years.
I think it was one of Oasis’ Gallagher brothers who called said it was music even your grandmother could enjoy. Yes, the band deserved its Grammy Awards for “Clocks” as well as the album it appeared on, “A Rush of Blood to the Head.” That was back when Coldplay was making brilliant alternative rock that could almost escape genre classification. You don’t even have to listen to their music to know that something is wrong. Did you see what they were wearing at the Grammy’s? Color-coordinated, flashy, cookie-cutter outfits? Yep, just like their music.
As for poor, old Radiohead – What happened to you guys? I think I’ve already said it in describing them – they’re old. Radiohead used to be fresh and “cutting edge,” especially in their 2000 release “Kid A,” even though they weren’t the only band out there experimenting with sound. Still, the album, which was a follow up to their extraordinary third album “OK Computer,” was the peak of their career. Now, they’re being hailed as the next thing since slice bread, and as geniuses for their marketing tactics for last year’s “In Rainbows.” The band has just fallen into the same problem as Coldplay – they just can’t make good music anymore, and yet their getting nominations for being the best of the best.
And what’s with the categories? It’s a good thing the Jonas Brothers didn’t win the “Best New Artist” category, and I’ve got nothing against the young trio – “Camp Rock” was a million times better than that “High School Musical” crap. It’s just that the Jonas Brothers have been around since the late ’90s and were signed to Columbia Records in 2005. Not exactly new artists.
There are hundreds of bands out there that deserve more recognition than they get. Nominees in this year’s ceremony included a lot that shouldn’t have had a chance to win what should be a truly prestigious award. The Eagles? Old and washed up. Metallica? Old and washed up. The Mars Volta? Good three albums ago, and good when they were called At the Drive In. But were At the Drive In nominated for any Grammys? No. Did they deserve to be? If a cover of “Wichita Lineman” was nominated, then I don’t see why not. Oh yeah, it’s because the Grammy’s are a joke.
It’s times like these that really make me understand the meaning of “The Day the Music Died.”
Oh, but wait! Blink 182 announced that they’ve gotten back together. What does that mean? Probably a sub-par album that will be nominated for a Grammy or two.
– Russ Aaron
A&E Editor
