the demise of "the hit"

it's 1 am and my thoughts have gone far and wide yet again.

When was the last time you have told your friends: "dude, have you checked out the latest hit by (insert band name)???" And everybody would believe you, because the hit was not just a song, it was a movement, a cultural phenomenon, an unspoken mutual understanding between individuals.

When somebody said something was "a hit", you have no choice: the song will be stuck in your head for the next two weeks... even months.

I miss the hit.

Who even watches music videos anymore? When was the last time you went "bro, the music video for the latest (song title) is awesome!" And you believe, and you sit your butt down in front of the TV for hours, just for a glimpse of the hit video.

I was a bit smart for my age. I VCR-ed everything. My VCR is awesome. Because of it, I can remember the first 2 videos I ever saw on MTV. The first is "To The Moon and Back" by Savage Garden, the second was "As Long As You Love Me" by (gasp) them Backstreet Boys. I thought at that time that the first one was ok, the latter was legendary. On hindsight, Savage Garden is awesome. I'm just not too big a fan of the masculinity of that lead guy. On a completely separate note, remember MTV Most Wanted?? I sent a request once which was read on air. I requested a song "dedicated" to my high school class. Oh, the song? Get Down (You're the One for Me). Yes, no shame in admitting that. We all have done something before that we're all ashamed of now. I didn't even know what "getting down" meant last time. As long as the beat is good, I'll sing it any day.

But I digress.

What happened to watching endless music videos to learn how to do "Thriller"!?!? I miss those days! Now what, YouTube???

And that is precisely the problem: Technology. We are fed too much ridiculous things nowadays that "the hit" has become irrelevant.

The last legitimate "hit" album? No Strings Attached by NSync. And that was way back in March 2000. Sold 2.4 million in a week, still holds the US sales record. Ever since then, only two albums got to the top 100 best selling albums of all time: Norah Jones' Come Away With Me, and Outkast's Speakerboxx/The Love Below (both are amazing albums, by the way). Aren't there more people in the world now? Was Justin that good!?!?! Since we all agree to disagree, let's delve deeper into this.

Well, it's not really deep. We're just victims of the phenomenon called "the long tail".

The red portion, or the "Body", represents the albums that are legitimate "hits". The yellow part represents "the long tail", those songs which were once considered novelties (Anybody remember 4 Non Blondes? Anyone craving for some A-Ha? I am, actually).

Because of YouTube, Amazon recommendations, and other technology, advertisers have a better way of transmitting these "variety" options to consumers. So if you find yourself buying things that might seem a bit trivial, you're a victim of the long tail phenomenon. So now, the long tail has become thicker, the volume of sales by "the hits" have dropped, and the demand curve has levelled off. Consumers have lost all of their conception of "the hit" - everybody thinks differently now, there's no "hit". What may be a hit to one may not be to another.

A typical conversation would be like this:

A: Hey, have you heard of this artist called (insert some weird long name)?
B: No, why?
A: He/She sounds "interesting"? (btw, what is "interesting"? When I burp, I also sound interesting!) -sends a song file/link-
B: Oh, that's nice (what is nice?!?!?! my auntie is nice. That's all I know.) But I know of this band. They are AWESOME. -sends file over-
A: Nice. Nice.

-end of conversation-

Nobody watches MTV anymore because YouTube can show you what you want, when you want. Listening to music has lost its mass appeal: it has become an avenue through which cliques are formed.

The group who likes songs sung by girls with a guitar (they are soooooo cool! -sense the sarcasm-)
The group who likes modern Broadway songs filled with traces of teenage angst
The group who likes old American standards
The group who digs eclectic world music

Somehow, you'll rarely find people from those groups hanging with each other. If you're lucky, you'll find some old timers who can appreciate a lot of things by virtue of trying to find "the hit". And if you think about it, "the hit" was not merely a pop phenomenon! Sure you might think that hits are nothing but boy/girl bands, but hey, Macarena made it big, and that song made us dance and look silly for YEARS.

I don't know, but I'm not feeling this whole "long tail" thing. That's why I rewind time when I listen to music. That's right. I listen to Wham! (George Michael in all his Speedo-strutting glory) I listen to Rick Astley. I listen to Fra Lippo Lippi and Spandau Ballet. They're not anything, not a function of any pop equation, not merely oldies, not merely disco, but hits. Legit hits.

And that's about all the ranting I can do. I'm all drained out and ready to sleep.

So yeah, I still think Justin wasn't all that good. But don't be surprised if you catch me humming "I Drive Myself Crazy" on the road one of these days.

So much for being macho man.

I'M OUT!!!