#Airplay 2023

[midnight-star-world]

#CountryMusic

6-10-23 Billboard Country Music Airplay Chart

So today I will be bringing you the Top 20 Country Music Songs for the week of 6/10/23 from the Billboard Country Music Airplay Chart. So let's get started right now.

Number 20 belongs to Cole Swindell who is new to the list this week - Drinkaby.

Number 19 belongs to Kane Brown who is new to the list this week - Bury me in Georgia.

Number 18 belongs to Shane Profitt who is staying in the same spot as last week - How it oughta be.

Number 17 belongs to Parmalee who are moving up 2 spots this week - Girl in mine.

Number 16 belongs to Thomas Rhett who is moving up 1 spot this week - Angels don't always have wings.

Number 15 belongs to Luke Combs who is staying in the same spot as last week - Love you anyway.

Number 14 belongs to Jelly Roll who is moving up 2 spots this week - Need a favor.

Number 13 belongs to Jon Pardi who is staying in the same spot as last week - Your heart or mine.

Number 12 belongs to Justin Moore, & Priscilla Block who are staying in the same spot as last week - You, me, & whiskey.

Number 11 belongs to Luke Combs who is moving up 3 spots this week - Fast car.

Number 10 belongs to Old Dominion who are staying in the same spot as last week - Memory lane.

Number 9 belongs to Morgan Wallen who is staying in the same spot as last week - One thing at a time.

Number 8 belongs to Cody Johnson who is staying in the same spot as last week - Human.

Number 7 belongs to Megan Moroney who is dropping 1 spot this week - Tennessee orange.

Number 6 belongs to Jordan Davis who is moving up 1 spot this week - Next thing you know.

Number 5 belongs to Dan + Shay who are dropping 2 spots this week - You.

Number 4 belongs to Bailey Zimmerman who is staying in the same spot as last week - Rock and a hard place.

Number 3 belongs to Scotty McCreery who is moving up 2 spots this week - It matters to her.

Number 2 belongs to Tyler Hubbard who is staying in the same spot as last week - Dancin' in the Country.

Number 1 belongs to Morgan Wallen who is staying in the top spot for another week - Last night.

And that's a wrap for the Top 20 Country Music Songs for the week of 6/10/23 from the Billboard Country Music Airplay Chart. Thanks as always goes out to the Billboard Country Music Airplay Charts for doing their weekly Country Music Song Countdowns. And thanks as well goes out to you for taking the time to read this weekly list. See ya all next time.

[shakira-fan-page]

[zimshan]

This is the first time in more than 60 years that actors (SAG AFTRA) and writers (WGA) are striking at the same time.

So what happened the last time Hollywood had dual SAG and WGA strikes?

Ronald Reagan sold his fellow actors down the river:

Under the leadership of Ronald Reagan – who had previously held the SAG presidency from 1947–1952 – the actors’ strike lasted about five weeks, until April 18.

SAG members overwhelmingly chose to return to work (6,399 to 259 votes) after being sold the following agreement: Actors would receive residuals only for films beginning production after Jan. 31, 1960; as for movies made between August 1948–January 1960, in lieu of paying residuals the studios would disburse a one-time lump sum of $2.65 million (far less than the originally proposed $4 million) for the creation of the guild’s first Pension and Welfare Plan.

Now, what about movies made before August 1948?

Back in 1951, SAG, then also under the leadership of Ronald Reagan, forfeited any royalties on movies that went into production before August 1948 in exchange for the promise of negotiations for royalties on movies made after that date – “negotiations” that would ultimately lead to the 1960 strike.

In sum: Apart from specific contracts, actors seen in big-screen releases prior to August 1948 – e.g., Gone with the Wind, King Kong, It Happened One Night, The Wizard of Oz, Citizen Kane, Mrs. Miniver, Casablanca, Meet Me in St. Louis, Going My Way – were never to receive a penny in compensation from the major studios for the selling or licensing of their movies to television (or other future media ).[1]

As for the 1960 deal, apart from specific contracts, those who had worked between summer 1948–early winter 1960 had better be satisfied with the pension fund because that would be all they would ever get.

[nonenglishsongs]

Adrian Sutherland - Notawe (Father) (Cree)

With news of Buffy Sainte-Marie's identity in question, I thought it might be nice to bump this Cree song up in the queue.

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

The Cranberries - Zombie 1994

"Zombie" is a protest song by Irish alternative rockband the Cranberries. It was written by the lead singer, Dolores O'Riordan, about the young victims of a bombing in Warrington, England, during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The song was released on 19 September 1994 as the lead single from the Cranberries' second studio album, No Need to Argue. While the record label feared releasing a too controversial and politically charged song as a single, "Zombie" reached number 1 on the charts of Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and Iceland, and spent nine consecutive weeks at number 1 on the French SNEP Top 100. It reached number 2 on the Ö3 Austria Top 40, where it stayed for eight weeks. The song did not chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart as it wasn't released as a single there, but it reached number 1 on the US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. Listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J voted it number 1 on the 1994 Triple J Hottest 100 chart, and it won the Best Song Award at the 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards.

The Troubles were a conflict in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s to 1998. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), an Irish republican paramilitary organisation, waged an armed campaign to end British rule in Northern Ireland and unite the region with the Republic of Ireland. Republican and Unionist paramilitaries killed more than 3,500 people, many from thousands of bomb attacks. One of the bombings happened on 30 March 1993, as two IRA improvised explosive devices hidden in litter bins were detonated in a shopping street in Warrington, England. Two people; Johnathan Ball, aged 3, and Tim Parry, aged 12, were killed in the attack. 56 people were injured. Ball died at the scene of the bombing as a result of his shrapnel-inflicted injuries, and five days later, Parry lost his life in a hospital as a result of head injuries. O'Riordan decided to write a song that reflected upon the event and the children's deaths after visiting the town: "We were on a tour bus and I was near the location where it happened, so it really struck me hard – I remember being devastated about the innocent children being pulled into that kind of thing. So I suppose that's why I was saying, 'It's not me' – that even though I'm Irish it wasn't me, I didn't do it. Because being Irish, it was quite hard, especially in the UK when there was so much tension." The song was re-popularised in 2023 after it was played after Ireland games at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. It was picked up by fans of the Irish team, with videos of fans singing the song in chorus accumulating hundreds of thousands of views on social media. This offended other Irishmen, who identified it as an "anti-IRA" anthem, and said that that the lyrics failed to consider their experience during the Troubles.

The music video, directed by Samuel Bayer, was filmed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the heart of the Troubles with real footage, and in Dublin. To record video footage of murals, children and British Army soldiers on patrol, he had a false pretext, with a cover story about making a documentary about the peace-keeping efforts in Ireland. Bayer stated that a shot in the video where an SA80 rifle is pointed directly at the camera is a suspicious British soldier asking him to leave, and that the IRA were keeping a close look at the shoot, given "the British Army come in with fake film crews, getting people on camera.” While "Zombie" received heavy rotation on MTV Europe and was A-listed on Germany's VIVA, the music video was banned by the BBC because of its "violent images", and by the RTÉ, Ireland's national broadcaster. Instead, both the BBC and the RTÉ opted to broadcast an edited version focusing on footage of the band in a live performance, a version that the Cranberries essentially disowned. Despite their efforts to maintain the original video "out of view from the public", some of the initial footage prevailed, with scenes of children holding guns. In March 2003, on the eve of the outbreak of the Iraq War, the British Government and the Independent Television Commission issued a statement saying ITC's Programme Code would temporarily remove from broadcast songs and music videos featuring "sensitive material", including "Zombie". Numerous media groups complied with the decision to avoid "offending public feeling", along with MTV Europe. Since it violated the ITC guidelines, "Zombie" was placed on a blacklist of songs, targeting its official music video. The censorship was lifted once the war had ended. In April 2020, it became the first song by an Irish group to surpass one billion views on Youtube.

"Zombie" received a total of 91% yes votes!

[samaraannhan20]

Harry Styles Imagine: College AU! The Eras Tour

Warnings: college!reader, fem!reader, mentions of anxiety, age gap

September 2023

“Hey luv?” I hear Harry call out for me from the bedroom. 

“What’s up?” I say as I walk in holding my laptop so I can continue the homework I had been working on. 

“Do you still have a lot of homework to do?” he asks, and I look up from what I was doing and look at him, placing the laptop on the dresser and walking over to him, standing next to him as he sits at the edge of the bed.  

“Um yes and no. Why?”

“I have a surprise for you, and I don’t think I can keep it a secret anymore,” he says, and I step in between his legs and rest my arms over his shoulders. 

“What is it?” I say, and then lean forward and give him a kiss. “You know how I feel about surprises,” I say when I pull back and he laughs.

“Yes, to quote you ‘as long as you know every detail ahead of time you love surprises.’ They just can’t be blindfolded in the car with no idea what is happening,” he says laughing. 

“Absolutely correct. I mean, I have really strong deduction skills, so usually even if I’m blindfolded in the car I can still figure it out, but then I feel bad and act as though I didn’t. As long as I know exactly what is happening at least a day prior to it happening it can be a surprise.”

“Right. Well this surprise is two months in advance, so hopefully that is plenty of time,” he says with a small laugh and I smile.

“Okay so gimme. Or tell me. Whichever applies in this situation,” I say, and he gently grabs my waist and pushes me back so he can stand up. He gives me a quick kiss and then turns us.

“You sit on the bed, and turn the tv on. I need to grab my phone so I can airplay this to the television,” he says, and I do what he said. I sit on the bed with my legs crossed under me,  right at the end of the bed so I’m closer to the TV and grab the remote, turning it on. He walks back into the room right as I get it pulled up to the airplay screen, and connects his phone. All I can see is a black screen, so I look at him with a look of confusion. 

“Are you ready?” he asks, and I smile. 

“Babe, I’ve been ready. What is going on?” 

“Okay so you know how at the Grammy’s I got to talk to Taylor for a little?” he asks, and I nod my head, remembering the conversation we had afterwards. “Okay well we talked a little about you, and I left that out when I first told you the story because with your school schedule I didn’t know if we could make anything work.”

“Make what work?” I ask him, grabbing his hand. 

“Just wait. Anyway, I talked to her about you that night, told her all about you, told her how we met, how much I love you, all sorts of things like that,” he says, and my jaw drops. 

“You told Taylor Swift about me? The Taylor Swift? Your ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift?” I say, a look of shock completely taking over my face.

“Yes. What other Taylor Swift is there? And why wouldn't I tell her? We may not be engaged yet but I do fully intend on marrying you,” he says, and then places a quick kiss on my lips before pulling back and continuing. “I also told her about how when she announced her tour  you got all excited and waited in the ticketmaster queue and didn’t get any tickets and how sad you were, she had an idea. So I needed the airplay to show you the video I got from her, for you, the other day,” he says, and then takes my chin in his hand, and gently turns it towards the TV. 

“Hey Y/N!” the video starts as the screen lights up and Taylor appears on the screen. “I’ve heard so much about you from that amazing man of yours! You chose a good man,” she says, and I turn to Harry really quick, just for him to point me back to the screen, causing me to turn back. “He texted me last week and told me he had worked out a day for you guys to come to a show. So you better start looking for an outfit, because on November 11th you will be coming to the Eras Tour in Buenos Aires!” she exlcaims in the video, and I look at Harry, only to be pointed towards the screen again. “Not only will you be here but I told Harry I could get you guys into the friends and family tent, and I have some more surprises for you when you get here. I am so excited to meet you!” she says, and then the video ends, and  I just sit there staring at the screen in silence, unmoving.

“Luv?” Harry questions from next to me after I’ve been sitting there for probably a minute. 

“Hm?” I hum, still not moving my eyes or turning my body from the blank screen in front of me. 

“Are you… um… still with me?” 

“I’m physically still here. My mind is blown though,” I say, finally turning my head to look at him. “I mean, you got your ex-girlfriend to not only give us tickets to her sold out show, but put us in her friends and family tent. I didn’t realize the two of you were so close.”

“Y/N, are you jealous?” he asks with a teasing lilt in his voice. 

“Yes and no. I’m half still in shock, and half jealous because she’s Taylor Swift, a famous popstar, and your ex, and I’m just… me,” I say, looking down at my hands. 

“You don’t actually believe that do you?” he asks, taking my hands in one of his, and lifting my chin up with the other. “She may be my ex, and a popstar, but you are everything to me. You light up my sad days, you care about hearing about my days, how recording is going, how my family is. You are the person I want to come home to,” he says and then presses a quick kiss to my lips. “ Now, if this makes you uncomfortable and you don’t want to go I would complete-” he starts, and I cut him off, placing my hand over his mouth.

“Nope, we’re going. I’ve wanted this for so long. I just got a little jealous and insecure. I want to go and meet Taylor Swift. Can you imagine if we hit it off and become  best friends? I’d be part of her crew and…” I keep going as Harry just laughs and pulls me in for a hug, placing a kiss on my forehead. 

“There’s my girl,” he mutters as I continue jabbering on. 

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

October 2023

“I can’t believe you hired Lambert to put together era’s tour outfits for us,” I say as I stand in front of the garment bags that are hanging over our closet doors. 

“It was stressing you out, and you needed to focus on school. It was nothing. Basically it was the same as the outfits for the last show on tour, just different outfits” he says, wrapping his arms around me and placing a kiss on the top of my head. 

“So can I look yet?” I ask, toying with the zipper on the bag that has my name on it. 

“Is your homework done?” he asks with a teasing lilt. 

“Yes it’s done. I wouldn’t be standing in the bedroom if it wasn’t. These garment bags have been teasing me since I got home and came in here to change,” I respond with a little eye roll, and he squeezes my waist before letting me go. 

“Go ahead. Open that bag up,” he says, and I take the step it takes to reach the garment bag and yank the zipper down. 

“Wow. Lambert really kills it every time,” I say as I reach out to touch the fabric of the dress. 

“Yeha, ‘at’s why I keep hiring ‘im,” Harry says, and I laugh. 

“Is there shoes that go with it?” I ask, turning back to Harry and walking towards him, wrapping my arms around his waist. 

“Yes and no. He got a pair of shoes for you to wear with the outfit, but I thought you might like some shoes that were more comfy,” he says, and unwinds from me, before walking into the closet. “So I’m going to show you both options, and over the next month you can make the choice before we leave.” 

“Babe, we both know I’m going to pretend like I want to wear the uncomfortable ones, but I will wind up wearing the comfy ones,” I say as he steps back into the bedroom.

“Exactly. Hence why you have two options. Okay, here are the uncomfortable ones,” he says, and holds out a shoebox. I take it from him and open it. 

“Okay but these are really cute,” I say, putting the box on the bed and taking one of the boots out. “And they would go perfectly with the outfit. And they probably wouldn’t be that uncomfortable,” I say, and then slip it on. I slip the other one on and then stand up and walk around the room. “These aren’t so bad. They just feel like boots.”

“Well they are an option. Do you want to see the comfortable pair?”

“Have you met me?” I ask as I sit down on the edge of the bed and start to take the boots off. Right as I get the second one off Harry steps in front of me holding a box of Converse. “Ooh Converse,” I say as I take them out of his hand, and he laughs. 

“I know you better than you think I do,” he says, pressing a kiss to my forehead before moving next to me and putting the boots back in the box as I take the Converse out. 

“These also match perfectly!” I exclaim as I look at them. “Did you pick these or did Lamb pick them?” 

“I picked these. Lambert sent me pictures before he finalized them, and I saw the shoes, so I went online and ordered you these because I knew they’d get here around the same time.”

“Babes I’m gonna be honest, these will definitely be the shoes I wind up wearing at the concert. However I’ll wear the boots on a date night or something,” I tell him, placing the box next to me and reaching out for him. “Can we go to bed now?” I ask, shoving both shoeboxes to the side and laying back. 

“Yeah,” he says with a laugh. “But before that did you want to see the outfit he put together for me?” he asks, and I sit back up. 

“Yes! I got so distracted that I forgot!” I exclaim, and he walks over to the closet, pulling the zipper on his garment bag down. “Midnights!” I exclaim, jumping up and walking over to him and his garment bag. “This is great! I would have put you in something 1989 style because… well… You know. But this is even better! It is so close to your style!” 

“Well Lambert has been dressing me for years now, he would know my style,” he says, and I laugh. “He also said that he considered something 1989 style, but ultimately decided on this. And I’m wearing my pair of Satellite stompers from the Grammy’s.”

“It was a good choice. You’re gonna look great,” I say, and then grab his hand. “I would love to go to sleep now,” I say, and he laughs, allowing me to tug him to the bed with me. 

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️ November 10th, 2023

“This is so exciting!” I exclaim as we deboard our plane in Buenos Aires. “It’s so pretty here!”

“It is,” Harry replies, wrapping his arm around me as soon as we are both back on solid ground. “So, I have a question,” he says as we climb into the car that was waiting for us. 

“Okay, hit me with it,” I say as I settle in next to him. 

“Would you like to go to dinner with Taylor and Travis?” he asks, and I choke on the drink of water I had been taking. 

“WhAt?” I ask once I can breathe again. 

“Taylor invited us to dinner. Would you like to go?” he repeats, and I just gape at him. 

“What?” I ask again, still in shock. 

“I know you heard what I said and that you’re just in shock. So I’m just going to let you sit there in this,” he says with a smile, and leans over and places a kiss on my forehead. I sit there in silence, still shocked by the question for another few minutes. 

“What time?” are the first two words I mutter after probably five minutes. 

“Around 7:30,” he says, and I look at the time. 

“Yeah I would like to go,” I say, looking at him. 

“Are you sure? I know there’s a lot of things running through your mind right now. You can say no. I’ll understand, and so will they,” he says, and I smile and scoot closer to him on the bench seat. 

“You know me so well. But yeah. I’m sure. It’s going to be amazing,” I tell him, and then press my lips to his. 

A few hours later I’m standing in front of the mirror in our hotel room. 

“I feel like this looks awful,” I say, running my hands over the dress I had put on for this dinner. 

“You look amazing. And honestly, I have a feeling that Taylor will be wearing something similar,” Harry says, holding my satellite stompers from the last show up in the air. 

“No, I feel like I should wear nice shoes,” I say, grabbing a pair of heels from the floor. 

“Okay. If you think you’ll be comfortable,” he says, and I nod. 

“I’ll be okay. It’s dinner. Mostly sitting anyway,” I say, and then sit on the edge of the bed to put them on. I slip them on, and then hold my foot out. “Will you buckle these?” I ask Harry, and he laughs, before kneeling on the floor and grabbing my foot. When he finishes buckling one shoe he drops my foot and taps my other leg, and I lift that foot towards him and he buckles that one as well. 

“Wow,” I say when I stand up a moment later. “I forgot that in these shoes I’m almost as tall as you.” He laughs and tugs me to him, pulling me in for a kiss. 

“Are you ready to go?” he asks when he releases me, and I laugh nervously. 

“Yep. Let’s go,” I say, the nerves coming through my voice. 

“How are you feeling?” he asks as we step into the elevator. 

“What do you mean?” “I mean, you’re nervous and I want to make sure you’re okay,” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me into him. 

“I’m going to word vomit all my feelings on you, is that okay?” I say, looking up and into his eyes. 

“Luv, o’ course it’s okay,” he says, pressing a quick kiss to my forehead. “You’ve been doing it since I met you. It’s one of the things I love about you.”

“Okay that’s sweet and you’re amazing. Here is all of my thoughts and feelings,” I say, and then pause and take a deep breath. “Okay, so, I know that since I am with you it has become more common for me to meet celebrities and I should not be this nervous. I’ve just looked up to her for as long as I can remember,” I pause for another breath as we step out of the elevator and start walking through the lobby of the hotel. 

“I’ve listened to her music since I was 7. Her music is so important to me, and knowing I’m about to meet the person whose music I turn on anytime I need to feel comfort. And the work she does empowering women, and using her fame to help people understand who they’re voting for. Knowing that she also suffers from the fear of disappointing or upsetting people. She’s just so important to me and the idea of meeting her is so amazing and one of the few things I have wanted for so long, and yet I am so terrified. What if I word vomit at dinner?”

“Oh love,” he says, and stops walking,  pulling me fully into him, wrapping his arms completely around me. “She is going to love you. You don’t need to worry about being anything other than yourself. You’re amazing as is. I am so excited for you to meet her, because I believe that you two could be good friends.” He presses another quick kiss to my forehead, and then takes my hand, leading the two of us out of the hotel to the waiting car. “Plus,” he says as he shuts the door behind him when we’re both in the car. “Who cares if you word vomit? Literally no one. It’s so adorable.”

“I’m 100 percent sure you are the only person in the world who thinks my word vomit is adorable,” I tell him, leaning into him on the seat. He laughs and takes my hands in his, gently rubbing them as we drive towards the restaurant. 

“Hey, one thing I want to do for you before we go in, to help calm your nerves,” he says, and I close my eyes, knowing where he is going with this. “One thing you can taste.”

“The breath mint I popped in my mouth when we got in the car.”

“Two things you can smell.”

“Clean car and your cologne. You smell amazing by the way,” I say, keeping my eyes  closed but turning towards him with a smile. He laughs and presses a kiss to my forehead before continuing. 

“Three things you can hear.”

“You breathing, the other cars on the road, the quiet music that is playing.”

“Good job. Four things you can feel.”

“The mint melting in my mouth. Your hands rubbing mine. The press of your leg on mine. Um, my eyelashes fluttering on my cheeks.”

“Okay, good job. Last one honey, open your eyes,” he says, and I open them, blinking fast to clear them up. “Five things you can see,” he says, and I lean into him. 

“Your eyes. The inside of the car. The anchor on your arm. A car passing by. The necklace I gave you with a charm from my charm bracelet,” I say, and he pulls me in for a kiss as soon as I finish talking. 

“You did amazing. Do you feel a bit better?” he asks, and I nod.

“Thank you. I love you,” I say, and he leans back in for another kiss. 

“If it helps, I’m a little nervous too because I’m meeting my ex's new boyfriend, and having dinner with the two of them,” he says, and I just laugh and lay my head down on his chest. 

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

“Y/N, Harry said you were still in college. What are you studying?” Taylor asks about twenty minutes into our dinner. 

“Oh, um music education and theatre,” I say, smiling at her.

“That’s so awesome! Are you wanting to teach music or theatre more?” she asks, and I laugh.

“Well it depends on what grade levels. Um, I would love to teach high school or middle school theater or speech, but if I were to teach music I would prefer to teach the younger grades, like kindergarten through fifth grade,” I respond, and Harry reaches out and places his hand over mine on the table. 

“Whatever she winds up doing she will be amazing at though,” he says, and I laugh and shake my head. 

“He’s just saying that,” I say, and Taylor waves her hand. 

“No, I'm so sure you will do amazing,” she says, and I just shyly laugh in response. “Harry, are you working on anything new right now?” she asks, and I gently squeeze Harry’s hand and mouth a silent thank you to her.

“I have a few things in the works. Just enjoying the break right now though. I’m loving being able to be there for this one whenever she needs me,” he says, placing a gentle kiss in my hair. 

“I have to say, I am so glad to see you so happy,” she says to him, and I flush. Travis takes the momentary silence to stand up and head towards the restroom.

“It’s nice to see you happy too,” Harry says, and I watch as Taylor’s smile slips a bit. “I mean hiding out for six years because of a guy isn’t really you,” he says, and I kick my leg into his.

“He doesn’t mean any offense,” I say, giving her a small smile. 

“Oh, no it’s okay. I know he doesn’t. And he’s not really wrong. It wasn’t me, but I thought he was the one and I was hurting, so it seemed right at the time. But now…” she says, trailing off, looking in the direction Travis had gone. “Now I can see that it was all wrong,” she says, looking back at the two of us. 

“I’ve had that feeling before,” Harry says, squeezing my hand. I lean over and press a kiss on his cheek, trying to hide the blush on my cheeks. 

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

November 11th, 2023

“Hazza?” I call out towards the bathroom in our hotel room, and I hear him walk towards me before he pops his head around the corner. 

“Yes?” 

“I’m ready to give you your bracelets, come here,” I say, reaching out for him. He playfully groans and walks over to me. 

“How many of these are you putting on me?” he asks as I start to slip bracelets on his arms. 

“Umm, enough,” I mutter as I slip another one on. He groans again, and then starts playing with the hem of my dress with his free hand. 

“We look great,” he says, and I laugh. 

“Yeah we do. When do we need to leave again?” I ask him, putting the last bracelet on his arm and letting it go. 

“As soon as you are ready. The security will be waiting for us whenever we get there,” he says, and I turn to him. 

“I’m ready. I just need to grab my bag,” I say, and go past him to leave the bathroom. “Oh and I wanted to take a picture.” I grab my bag and my phone, and then pull Harry over to one of the mirrors. I position him in front of it to take a picture of his outfit, before handing him my phone and having him take a picture of me and my outfit. We take a picture together, and then I take his hand and lead him to the door. “Is the car ready for us?” I ask as we head into the hallway. He nods his head and together we walk to the elevator. 

“Are you nervous?” he asks as he holds my hand. “I can feel your hands shaking.”

“Yes and no. I'm buzzing with energy because I’m so excited, but I’m also nervous because I know there is some sort of surprise tonight but I don’t know what it is,” I tell him, and he nods. “Plus, she told us last night that Travis and her dad will be in the tent with us, and that made me even more nervous than I already was about the surprise tonight,” I tell him, and he laughs and shakes his head. 

“Nothing to be nervous about. Dinner last night was amazing. You two really hit it off. She even gave you her number. There is absolutely nothing to be nervous about. .” He pulls me into him as we exit the elevator, keeping our heads down, because the paparazzi had learned we were in town the night before, when they caught the four of us leaving dinner last night. 

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

“Hey Travis!” I exclaim as we get into the friends and family tent

“Hey guys!” he responds. “Your outfits are great!”

“Oh thanks! Harry’s stylist took my ideas and really made them into great outfits,” I tell him, and he chuckles. 

“Stylists are the best,” he says, making Harry and I also laugh. “Without them I’d probably walk into games dressed like… well, my brother,” he says with a laugh. 

“Hey, I’ve seen social media posts here and there, he has his own style,” I respond with a laugh. 

“His style is very dad-chic,” Scott pipes up, and all four of us crack up. “Hi, I’m Scott,” he says when we stop laughing, holding his hand out to me.

I take it and shake it saying, “Hi, I’m Y/N, it’s nice to meet you.”

“I heard you are a big fan,” he says, and I look down at my feet, feeling my face flush. 

“Yeah. Um, since I was like 7. This is so much better than I ever could have imagined. Not that I ever would have in my wildest dreams imagined this.” 

“I hear you. It was a shock for our entire family when she first started becoming famous. Everything felt crazy and out of a dream. Still does sometimes,” he says and Harry nods.

“Same here. It’s especially surreal when you fall in love with someone who isn’t famous and you get to experience everything through their eyes for the first time again,” Harry says, looking down at me and wrapping his arm around my waist. 

“I’ve never heard anyone explain it like that,” Travis says, and Harry laughs.

“I’m a songwriter. Coming up with new phrases is part of the job,” he says with a laugh, and everyone laughs right along with him. 

“Ooh I met Taylor last night, but do you think I’ll get to meet Sabrina Carpenter tonight? We’re the same age. Well, she’s a year older, but still the same age.”

“We all get to go backstage after the show,” Scott says, and I jump up and down for a few seconds, before realizing who I am and where I am and what I am doing. 

“Oh, sorry,” I mutter with a shy smile on my face, and the guys all laugh. 

“Sweetie, you’re just so adorable,” Scott says, and I smile and look out at the stage. I go and stand right at the edge as Sabrina Carpenter starts her set, fully turning all of my attention to the stage. Harry comes and stands right behind me, gently resting his hands on my waist as I start to sing along with the music.

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

“Babe this has been the best thing ever,” I whisper to Harry, standing on my tiptoes with my arms wrapped around his neck as we wait on the side with Travis and Scott during the last song. I feel him chuckle, before he takes my chin in his hand and guides my lips to his. I smile into the kiss, and pull away a lot sooner than either of us would have preferred, but we’re both aware that we have an audience. I turn back around in his arms, allowing him to wrap his around my waist again, and turn to look at the path Taylor will be walking down any moment. I look over at Travis who is waiting there with his hands behind his back and smile, tears welling up in my eyes. I watch as Taylor comes down the walkway, her pace turning into a sprint when she sees Travis, running right into his arms. 

“Aw that’s so sweet,” I whisper as they kiss, and then after they pull apart we follow them into the tented area where no one can see us anymore, security trailing after us. 

“So what did you think?” Taylor asks a few minutes later, after she’s drank almost an entire bottle of water and has managed to catch her breath. 

“Taylor, it was so amazing. Thank you so much for inviting us,” I tell her, and she pulls me in for a hug. 

“I’m so glad you enjoyed it. It’s such a rush being up there and performing every night. Something I’m sure Harry has told you about,” she says, glancing over at Harry. 

“Oh yeah. I’ve heard a lot about it. But seeing you do it was just so insane.” She smiles and then glances around the room, with an arm still wrapped around my shoulder. 

“Oh! I heard you wanted to meet Sabrina! She’s right over here, come with me,” she says, and begins tugging me towards a different area. She stops abruptly and turns back to Harry and Travis. “We’ll be right back,” she says, and they both laugh, and I do too. I allow her to tug me over to Sabrina, trying to control the shaking in my hands. “Sabrina!” she says when we get over there, and she turns to us.

“Hi Taylor! The show was amazing!” 

“Thanks! So was your opening! Your closer gets better every night,” Taylor says with a laugh, and Sabrina laughs too. “Anyway, this is Y/N! She’s here with Harry, she’s his girlfriend.”

“Hi! It’s nice to meet you!” Sabrina says, with a little wave.

“It’s nice to meet you too!” I say, waving back. “I’m a big fan. When Emails I Can’t Send came out I felt like some of the songs were taken right from my brain,” I say, and she nods with a smile on her face.

“Thank you. I’m glad you like it!” she says, and then looks over my shoulder towards where Harry and Travis are. “Wait. By Harry you meant Harry Styles?” she asks Taylor, a bit of shock in her voice. 

“Yeah. We reconnected at the Grammy’s a couple of years ago, and then again this year, and he was telling me about Y/N, and how she’s a huge fan, and about to graduate college with a music and theater education degree.  She was unable to get tickets because of ticketmaster, and I told him if there was a day where they could make it out for a show to just let me know and I would put them in the friends and family tent. This is the show they could make it to,” she explains, and Sabrina opens her mouth in shock, turning back to me.

“Okay, you have to tell me all about what it’s like to date Harry Styles. And how you guys met. And how college has been. I’ve always wondered what it was actually like and if it was like the movies and shows portray it. Actually, if you don’t have to leave right away, what if tomorrow you and I went out and got coffee?” she says, and I just kind of freeze. 

“Really?” I ask, my voice quieter than it had been.

“Yeah! You seem super cool and like you could be a good friend!” she says, and pulls me in for a hug. 

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

“That was the craziest weekend of my life,” I say to Harry as we step onto the plane a couple of days later. 

“Yeah?” he says, motioning for me to hand him my carry on, and then taking it from me and placing it on one of the extra seats on the plane.

“Yeah! Sabrina Carpenter invited me out for coffee, I met Taylor Swift and she joined us, and I got both of their numbers and we’re planning out the next time we can get together. I handed out so many friendship bracelets to people who were fans of you and of Taylor. I met so many of your fans. It was so insane.”

“I love you so much,” he says, sitting down next to me and wrapping his arms around me. “I’m glad we were able to pull this off. And that now we can take the week off and go to see my family,” he says, and I smile. 

“And my family is being flown out to meet us there. Sometimes, life feels like a dream,” I say, looking out the window. 

“A good one, right?” Harry says, and I turn back to him with a huge smile on my face.

“The best dream ever,” I tell him, and then lean forward and press my lips to his.

[fromtenthousandfeet]

The Goose That Laid the "Golden" Egg

When Jungkook's Golden album came out I have to admit I was really confused about exactly who the songs were supposed to appeal to. The explicit lyrics in Seven and 3D really didn't fit with your average BTS fan. The collabs were strange, too. Usher and Justin Timberlake? Was this album geared towards old Millennials? Jack Harlow and Latto (who, by the way, is hardly a household name here in the US) - rap enthusiasts? DJ Snake and Major Lazer - EDM fans? Was the album geared towards men or women? Young or old? Like who the heck was the target market?

And then one day it hit me. I was asking the wrong question! The target market didn't matter one iota. The right question was cui bono? Or rather, who stands to gain? This got me started digging into the song credits on JK's album. And here's what I discovered - every collaborator has writing credits.

Let's break it down.

3D featuring Jack Harlow. Harlow has writing credits. Justin Timberlake has writing credits on the remix.

Closer to You featuring Major Lazer. Diplo, a.k.a. Thomas Pentz, has writing and producing credits.

Seven featuring Latto. Latto, a.k.a. Alyssa Stephens, has writing credits.

Standing Next to You Usher Remix. Usher Raymond IV has writing credits.

Please Don't Change featuring DJ Snake. DJ Snake, a.k.a. William Grigahcine, has writing and producing credits.

The features are paid up front for their collaboration, and then, because they have writing credits, they will continue to earn royalties from streams and sales. Not a bad deal for the folks listed above. The same goes for the well-known song writers and producers on the album, like David Stewart, Andrew Watt, Jon Bellion, Shawn Mendes, Ed Sheeran, and many others. Here's an article about how royalties work for those who care:

I shudder to think how much was spent on marketing Seven/Golden. I assume HYBE America paid for marketing expenses since Scooter was the one doing A&R while leveraging his extensive web of contacts in the music industry. I don't know this for certain, though, without seeing HA and BH's expenditures. Either way, someone paid iHeartRadio (among others) for media play and radio airplay. And then there were paid advertisements all over social media platforms, including forced adverts on YouTube that counted towards Billboard charts.

So much money was spent on Spotify. Paid playlists, paid playlist positions, Spotify Discovery Mode. I know Spotify also modified the search algorithm so JK's Seven would pop up first in the results when one searched for Jimin. If I remember correctly, this happened in YouTube as well (such a dirty move). Like, somebody got paid to rewrite code to override the search function.

More money was paid for media play with Billboard, Rolling Stone, Forbes, and I'm pretty sure NME and Consequence of Sound, too. There were probably many adverts I didn't notice. And then there were performances, awards, and his ad campaign which I won't discuss but I've definitely wondered who paid whom for that endorsement deal.

I don't need to go on and on rehashing 2023, but what I want to point out is that BIG MONEY was spent on the roll out of Jungkook's first single and subsequent album. Was Seven the most expensive single in pop music history? And cui bono? Not Big Hit, since essentially none of the in-house writers and producers were involved. Streams don’t yield big payouts and the digital singles and albums were often sold at a discount. Jungkook didn’t make huge bank since he had zero writing or producing credits. But Scooter Braun's clients and industry friends seemed to do pretty well. And just about every company that's related to the western music industry received payments for pushing and playing the songs from Golden.

So, I see two potential scenarios here.

Number One! HYBE used Golden as a means to, shall we say, line the pockets of the western music industry (cough...bribe...cough) so that releases from HYBE labels will get treated favorably in the future. Also, given the scope of marketing, media play, playlisting, and radio play, Golden could have been used for market research to determine where the company gets the most return on investment in terms of reach and charting. I think you can see this with the rollout of Illit's Magnetic, which has heavy Spotify Discovery Mode and a huge focus on TikTok, but very little standard media play via the traditional music media outlets. And no posters.

Number Two! Scooter Braun saw this album as an opportunity to financially enrich his friends, colleagues, and the companies he has investments in, like Spotify. Was he siphoning money out of HYBE by promising to make Bang PD's dream of western validation come true? Can't you see Scooter whispering sweet nothings into Bang's ear? "Mr. PD, give me a big budget and I will make you the biggest music mogul in 1,000 years!"

Whatever the grand scheme was behind Golden, one thing's for sure, the western music industry and social media platforms made out like bandits.

FYI:

HYBE America lost more in 2023 than Big Hit earned.

HYBE America Sales: 226.3 billion Net Profit: -142.4 billion won

Big Hit Music Sales: 552.3 billion Net Profit: 140.3 billion won

142 billion won is just under 105 million USD. Yowza.

In other news, HYBE Corporation was designated a conglomerate today. I'll try to unpack the implications of this if anyone is interested.

[thelensofyashunews]

Fuerza Regida Host a Never-Ending Party in "CRAZYZ" Video

Armed with their tight group chemistry and the songwriting and vocal chops of frontman Jesús Ortiz Paz, Fuerza Regida are leaders of the Mexican music boom. Today, the Platinum-selling grupo shares the video for "CRAZYZ," a fan favorite song from their Billboard-charting album Pa Las Baby's Y Belikeada. With hundreds of millions of streams across platforms, including over 144 million on Spotify alone, "CRAZYZ" tells the story of a party so wild and uninhibited that it feels like it lasts forever. In the video, Fuerza hosts one of these parties in a mansion in Southern California, inviting the baddest babes from their timelines to come join–including famed influencer Sky Bri (3M on Instagram). However, some of the party guests came to finesse instead of let loose, as some of the beautiful women take valuable pieces of jewelry from the band and sell them to the local pawn shop. The video for "CRAZYZ" comes hot on the heels of the announcement of Fuerza's "Pero No Te Enamores Tour," their next headlining tour. 

"CRAZYZ" and Pa Las Baby's Y Belikeada were highlights from their standout 2023, full of new commercial heights and well-deserved accolades. Pa Las Baby's Y Belikeada was their highest-charting album to date, peaking at #2 on Billboard's Latin Albums chart and reaching the Top 15 of the Billboard 200. The album generated billions of streams across platforms, led by hits like "TQM" (peaked at #34 at the Billboard Hot 100), "Sabor Fresa" (#26 on the Hot 100), and "HARLEY QUINN" (#40 on the Hot 100), their collaboration with Marshmello that became their first-ever #1 hit on the Latin Airplay chart. The success of Pa Las Baby's Y Belikeada propelled Fuerza Regida to two Billboard Music Awards in 2023, plus the #1 spot on Billboard's Top Duo/Group year-end artist chart.

Most recently, Fuerza released their EP, Dolido Pero No Arrepentido, which arrived just in time for Valentine's Day. The album debuted at #2 on Billboard's Latin Albums chart, and all six songs from the EP reached Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart. The group will debut songs from their new EP on the "Pero No Te Enamores Tour." Produced by Live Nation and kicking off on June 6th in Austin, TX, the "Pero No Te Enamores Tour" takes the group across North America for a series of dates, including shows in Atlanta, New York, Houston, and more, before closing with a show in Inglewood, CA. The 5-man group saluted their hometown fans with a special mural in their native San Bernardino, CA, displaying the tour artwork and dates in the center of the city. Tickets for the  "Pero No Te Enamores Tour" are available now at livenation.com.

Stay tuned for much more information about Fuerza Regida in the near future.

[ask-serendipity-sky]

Jimin's article written by a fan...

On March 24, Jimin released “Like Crazy” (with no features). "Like Crazy" didn't need a feature.

Outside of his work with BTS, Jimin’s highest-charting Hot 100 hit as a solo artist was “Set Me Free pt. 2,” his own song, at number 30.

There were a lot of noteworthy new songs coming out the Friday “Like Crazy” was released, including “Eyes Closed” by Ed Sheeran, “Spice Marley” by Spice and “Don't Play With It Remix” by Lola Brooke ft. Latto and Yung Miami. Not only that, but songs like “Flowers” (Miley Cyrus), “Last Night” (Morgan Wallen), “Kill Bill” (Sza) and “Die For You” (The Weeknd and Ariana Grande) continued to dominate streaming charts. With all that in mind, let’s take a closer look at how “Like Crazy” performed in its first week. The chart data for the seven days following March 24 was reflected in the Billboard chart dated April 04.

According to Billboard, “FACE” and "Like Crazy" massed 10 million streams and sold 234,000 units on the week of its release. According to Oricon, "FACE" recorded 222,120 sales on the first day, making it the 3rd album with the biggest first day sales. Jimin earned the BIGGEST First Week sales for a Korean album by a Korean Soloist in Oricon History. Immediately after its release on March 24, Jimin’s album made Hanteo history by being the first to surpass 1 million first-day sales of an album by a Korean soloist, despite the unclear issues that arose that day and the sales that were deleted. Even though the cd single of "Like Crazy" has not been restocked after 4 months, the sales it pulled from full album sales and digital sales were impressive. Although most were not counted after week 2 because fans were not informed of the rule changes Billboard had made to its chart. By the end of the first week, the song had been streamed nearly 22 million times and sold 234,000 album equivalent units in the US. With those 234,000 sales—the second highest of any song for the week—thrown on top of all its streaming figures, “Like Crazy” climbed to the top spot on the Hot 100. 

The song’s performance on the charts is noteworthy, but what is particularly impressive is its extensive streaming numbers, especially worldwide. On Spotify, “Like Crazy ” swiftly rose to number one on Worldwide iTunes Chart, Worldwide iTunes Song, European iTunes, and Japan's Line Music. "Like Crazy" also topped Spotify’s Daily Top Global Songs chart and Jimin was the first Korean soloist to do so. "Like Crazy (English Version)” also debuted at no. 2 on the daily Global Top Songs chart with 6.6 million streams. Out of the 7 tracks, 6 of them took up the top 6 positions on the Oricon Daily Digital Ranking, showing how much the album had been anticipated. The album also dominated the Worldwide Apple Music Album Chart and all songs were top sellers in Digital Music New Release, Digital Music Best Seller, International New Release, and International Best Seller in Amazon Music USA. According to Melon, "Like Crazy" in its first day, peaked at #8 and maintained the position in the chart. After 24 hours, "Like Crazy" obtained almost 3 million streams on Melon. Even after months have passed by, the song continues to be streamed over 2.5 million times every day. So far, the song has been no.1 in 111 countries, setting the record for the most no.1 on iTunes in 2023.

It's pointless to compare "Like Crazy" to other Western Songs or Korean song because there is nothing like "Like Crazy". It is one of a kind.

The song is written in Korean and there is also an English version that should be combined but hasn't been despite other artists having theirs combined, this marks an even more historic debut for an Asian artist, and the fact that it had only 0.6m of radio airplay is reflecting that significance. A sultry club synth pop song was the last thing I was expecting among solo discographies of BTS members. But the fact that this song has become one of the biggest K-pop hits is beyong exciting. As K-pop continues to explore new themes and approaches, the bold move of “Like Crazy” and its early and ongoing success may serve as inspiration for the next generation of K-pop artists, even his own company, to take similar courageous steps.

[black-arcana]

HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Hydra – Within Temptation

Although not confirmed to be a subtle dig, the timing was suspicious: during the recording of NIGHTWISH’s Endless Forms Most Beautiful in the summer of 2014, their newest member, Troy Donockley, said in a video diary that it is “still absolutely NIGHTWISH, but there are some parts that will probably startle some people. But nothing cheesy. There’s gonna be no dreadful, pathetic stabs at trying to jump on some bandwagon, slap some shit rap on it or something, none of that nonsense.” A few months earlier, WITHIN TEMPTATION released their sixth full-length record, Hydra. 

In the run up to its January launch, much had been made of their choice of collaborators across its tracklist. Dreams came true when Tarja Turunen was announced to feature alongside Sharon Den Adel on Paradise (What About Us?), a song which has become the answer to ‘what does symphonic metal sound like?’

What raised eyebrows was And We Run (feat. Xzibit). While other guest vocalists from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and SOUL ASYLUM broadly drew from the same rock palette as WITHIN TEMPTATION, here was an artist from a genre that could seriously be considered the polar opposite of symphonic metal.

Whether And We Run entirely works is subjective, but history has vindicated the band and Xzibit as being ahead of the curve. In the ten years since Hydra, heavy music has not only become more fashionable again, but it has diversified – and the two are surely linked. In 2023, SPIRITBOX remixed MEGAN THEE STALLION’s Cobra, introducing metal’s most hyped band in years to a whole new audience by a show of respect between them and one of the world’s biggest stars. In the UK, BRING ME THE HORIZON sell out the country’s largest venues because they introduced elements of pop, electronica, and hip hop to their initially abrasive sound. The future of music is genreless, but to get there, bands have to break down barriers.

There is more to it than just the music. One of symphonic metal’s most defining tropes is the vocal talent of its lead singer, who is often female and often white. Its lyrical content is heavily fantastical, referring to literary works by European authors who have written in predominantly white cultures. The lack of diversity in the genre can be seen in the source material for many of its songs. Introducing Xzibit’s deep vocals, having him write his own verse, destroyed the notion that symphonic metal has to look or sound a certain way.

In the years since, WITHIN TEMPTATION have taken up the mantle to promote peace and love. During live performances of Raise Your Banner, Den Adel would wave the rainbow LGBTQ+ flag, and in the last few years changed it to the Ukrainian one. Their new album Bleed Out draws heavily from accounts of war, documenting its horrors in anthems of solidarity.

Hydra was when the band realised this music, their music, was for everyone. When NIGHTWISH, who had long gone unchallenged at the top of the genre, decided to double down on their usual shtick, WITHIN TEMPTATION looked outward and opened their arms. They saw no reason why a rapped verse could not exist alongside all the other elements of their arsenal. The rousing Paradise that featured Turunen was inspired by a Dutch general who emphasised seeing the world as ‘us’ instead of ‘yourself’ and ‘them’.

It makes sense then that the album is also the band’s most palatable. There is none of The Unforgiving’s prog rock-like storyline, no epics like The Truth Beneath The Rose from The Heart Of Everything. In return, the acoustic-driven Whole World Is Watching received radio airplay in the UK – and was debuted on BBC Radio 2 by the legendary Ken Bruce. While rock music is a little more welcome on the airways in 2024, this marked a significant shift in WITHIN TEMPTATION’s profile at the time. No longer a niche band, they were welcome on the most listened to radio show in the country.

The rest of the album follows in this vein, for better or worse. That it lacks a distinct personality alongside most of their other records – the technicolour of The Unforgiving, the natural wonder of Mother Earth – is a symptom of how straight-forward it is. But there is an argument for Hydra as the band’s most consistent collection of songs, all of which are built on a strong foundation of pop music and familiar structures. Silver Moonlight in particular is overflowing with hooks, built upon chunky guitars and small symphonic flourishes. It sounds massive, which might be the only gear WITHIN TEMPTATION know how to operate in, but it sounds instant and immediate too.

Hydra arrived a year after the band recorded 15 cover songs for Belgian radio station Q-Music, in celebration of the band’s 15th anniversary. Most of these tracks were pop songs, like SIA’s Titanium, BRUNO MARS’s Grenade, and LANA DEL REY’s Summertime Sadness, which featured in their live shows at the time (and on the deluxe edition of Hydra). Den Adel said they wanted each cover to sound like a WITHIN TEMPTATION song, and not just a simple stripped back arrangement. It is no surprise then, after spending months familiarising themselves with mainstream hits, that they became tighter songwriters, something which they continue to reap the benefits of to this day, but which was first heard on Hydra.

The reason WITHIN TEMPTATION are headlining Wembley Arenathis year is because of Hydra. It is the turning point in their career where they said no to limiting themselves, and realised their capabilities reached far beyond the confines of symphonic metal. They are too good at songwriting, too strong as performers to be anything less than a legitimate marquee band. Throw on any of its 10 tracks and you hear a band with a new sense of confidence at the start of a new beginning, discovering what they are truly capable of. It was the blueprint to go even bigger, even more widescreen, on what came next. Everyone was welcome on the journey. Just look at them now.

Hydra was originally released on January 22nd, 2014 via BMG.

[jonathantaylorthomas]

Taylor Swift leads all artists in every main consumption category in the United States in 2023, according to Luminate.

She ranks #1 in album sales, physical album sales, digital album sales, digital single sales, on-demand streams, and airplay so far this year.

[midnight-star-world]

#CountryMusic

Artists Of The Year 2023

So today we will be honoring our 10 Artists of the year for 2023 from the MSR (Midnight Star Report). So let's start right now.

Our first artist of the year goes to Jason Aldean. This is Jason's 5th time being an Artist of the Year. He has won in the years 2018 to 2021. Jason had two hits this year with songs like "That's what tequila does", & his "Try that in a small town". Jason kind of made people mad but they weren't really listening to the lyrics of the song. But he did get us talking about him, and that's what an artist needs to do to earn this honor.

How about a new artist of the year up next. Nate Smith is up next. He had 2 hits this year with songs like "Whiskey on you", & "World on fire". Nate scored a total of 8 times at number 1 with the two songs. Earning 1 of the last spots on the artist of the year. And he will probably start 2024 strong as well at the top.

Kane Brown is up next. Kane Brown will be earning his 4th artist of the year. Kane won the honor in 2019 to 2020, and once again 2022. Kane had 2 hits in 2023 with songs like "Bury me in Georgia", & his duet with his wife Kaitlyn "Thank God". Kane earned 10 times at number 1 with 2 songs.

Let's talk about the year for Lainey Wilson up next. Lainey had 4 songs at the top of the charts this year. Those songs are "Heart like a truck", & "Watermelon moonshine". And she even teamed up with the likes of both Hardy, & fellow artist of the year honoree Jelly Roll with songs "Wait in the truck" & "Save me". The CMT Video of the year was "Wait in the truck". Lainey scored 17 times at number one with 4 songs this year. This is Lainey first time earning artist of the year.

Now since we have already mentioned Jelly Roll earning his first ever artist of the year. Jelly was getting airplay all over the place. Jelly had 3 songs this year for a total of 16 times at number one. Those songs are "Save me" featuring Lainey Wilson, "Need a favor", & "Son of a sinner". Jelly Roll will continue to roll into the next year with momentum.

Up next is the only duo in consideration is Dan + Shay. This is Dan + Shay's third time being an Artist of the year. Dan + Shay have won in 2019, & 2021. Dan + Shay had 2 hits this year "You", & "Save me the trouble". They scored 3 times at number one with 2 songs.

Jordan Davis had a breakout year in 2023. Jordan had 2 hits this year with "What my world spins around", & "Next thing you know". Jordan scored 4 times number one with 2 songs. This is Jordan's first time being named an artist of the year.

Up next is Bailey Zimmerman. This is Bailey's first time being named an artist of the year. Bailey had songs like "Rock and a hard place", & "Religiously". Bailey had 14 times number one with the 2 songs. Bailey is going to be one of the artist to watch in the future for sure.

Luke Combs had another banner year. This is Luke's fifth year being named artist of the year. Luke earned the honor every year since 2019. Luke had hit songs this year like "Going, going, gone", "Love you anyway", & Tracy Chapman's "Fast car". Luke scored 17 times number one with the 3 songs. But one artist had a better year than Luke this year.

Morgan Wallen would be the sole artist of the year, if I had to only pick one. Morgan started the year on top with the song "You proof" which scored 4 times at number one. Then also later during the year, he scored 11 times number one "Thinkin' bout me". Morgan also had 7 times number with the song "Thought you should know". But his song of the year was "Last night" which earned a lot of honors this year including "The ultimate countdown 2023", "MSR 2023 Song of the year", "MSR Billboard Country Music Airplay Chart 2023". Morgan scored 18 times number one with "Last night". Morgan would have scored 4 songs with a total of 40 times at number one.

Thanks for taking the time to read this report for 2023. This list was created in part and thanks to CMT (Country Music Television), the Billboard Country Music Airplay Charts, & lastly the MSR (Midnight Star Report). See ya all next time.

[shakira-fan-page]

Shakira via Instagram Stories. (Jul 26, 2023)

[musicmakesthemovie]

"What Was I Made For?" A Look into Barbie's Most Tear-jerking and Overplayed Song

[WARNING: Spoilers for Barbie ahead]

If you've been alive and conscious for the last few months, you've at least heard of Barbie if you aren't one of the people who's been decked out in pink to go see what could, arguably, be called the Movie of the Year.

Even if, by some miracle, you haven't seen Barbie, you've probably heard Billie Eilish's song "What Was I Made For", which plays a pivotal, emotional role in the film. And you've probably drawn your own conclusions about the song, whether you're a fan of Billie's or not.

If you know anything about Billie Eilish, you know that she is no stranger to airplay and TikTok fame, and her most played songs tend to be earworms, played repeatedly until you're ready to pull your hair out. We've all been there.

So, it wasn't shocking when a friend, after seeing Barbie, told me how much he despised the song. I mean, he absolutely loathed it. His argument was clear: "It doesn't fit with the movie! 'Don't tell my boyfriend, it's not what he's made for' totally undermines the entire plot!"

Initially, I nodded in agreement. I like Billie's music, but did it really fit with the movie? Like every weekly hyper fixation, this required a deep dive. I researched how Billie Eilish came up with the song and what it meant to her. To my surprise, I found that it resonated beautifully with the Barbie movie. Let's break down the lyrics before delving into the song's musical significance.

"'What was I made for?' is...it's Barbie's voice...it's your voice...it's anybody's voice" - Billie Eilish Jul. 13, 2023 (Interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music)

The first verses are quite straightforward in their references. "I used to float, now I just fall down" alludes to Barbie's malfunctioning state, a central plot point in the movie. "Looked so alive, turns out I'm not real" reflects Barbie's mental conflict with realizing that she's just a toy; however, it could also be seen to reflect the other struggle Barbie faces: realizing that the real world is not the feminist, women-driven world she thought it was. Even as "Stereotypical Barbie," she senses that something's amiss. For her, it means that everything the other Barbies worked for has been lost. What's her purpose now? What was she made for?

Now, let's address the contentious line: "I'm sad again, don't tell my boyfriend, it's not what he's made for." At first glance, it seems like Barbie is concealing her sadness from her boyfriend as if she needs to put on a facade to shield him from distress. While this is partly true, there's a broader context that some miss. Barbie grapples with depression, a daunting experience for someone who has only known happiness. We've witnessed how it affects Barbie, both physically and mentally. In the film, Barbie lacks someone to confide in about her feelings, especially Ken, who's portrayed as having limited critical thinking skills. Barbie refrains from telling Ken because she understands he either wouldn't grasp it or wouldn't cope with the impact of her emotions. Thus, the song authentically mirrors Barbie's inner struggle to communicate her newfound feelings and her desire to protect others from her experience.

Another criticism my friend raised was that the music wasn't complex enough. The melody was too simple and the harmony was boring, etc. Here's where we delve into the technical side of the song, starting with the harmony or chord progression.

Firstly, Billie's song is originally composed in C major, one of the simplest keys due to its absence of flats or sharps, with a 4/4 time signature, making it rhythmically straightforward. The main progression comprises C-Em-F7, with an Am thrown in on the repeat of "What was I made for?" resulting in C-Em-F7-Am-Em-F7 until the beginning of the chorus, where the Dm and G chords are introduced.

So if we look at it as a numerical chord progression, it would look like this:

(verse) I-iii-IV7-vi-iii-IV7

and (chorus) ii-V-I-iii-IV

The most used chords in pop songs of a major key are I, V, vi, and IV.

So, what's the "iii" chord doing there? It's rarely used in recent pop music. The Beatles featured it in "Here, There And Everywhere," and Elton John in "Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters," but it's uncommon. When we think of common progressions, it's typically I-V-vi-IV.

What's intriguing is that the dominant (V) chord is only used 3 times in the entire piece, with the final one being the very last chord as a Dominant 7th chord, which, in itself, is such a cool choice. The "V" chord naturally gravitates back to the "I" chord, and the addition of the 7th intensifies this desire to return to the home chord, especially since the expectation has been set for it to revert to C major, as it did twice before in the song. Thematically speaking, this choice reflects Barbie's longing for answers and a purpose. The last chord leaves you aching for something more.

Up to this point, we have a harmonic progression that may not be groundbreaking, but it creates compelling tension. So, what about the melody?

Billie's sung melody is quite simple when looked at on its own. All of the notes are diatonic (within the key signature), and the most complex thing is the few leaps between notes that are present. However, when the simple melody combines with the harmony, that's where the magic happens.

The interplay between the melody and harmony is where much of the tension lies. Billie often sings notes that are "unstable" or not part of the chord playing in the harmony, even though the individual notes are diatonic to the key of C major. This adds complexity and tension to the song. When we hear these notes that don't quite harmonize with what's playing underneath, our ears long for something less discomforting, like the warmth and safety of the tonic chord. In this case, that mild discomfort is what gives the song its potency and relevance to the movie as a whole.

If you want to take a deeper dive into the music theory behind the song, I highly encourage this website to get you started!

Q&A: Do you have a song from a film that you feel strongly about, whether you love it or hate it? Share your thoughts and why it resonates with you.

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The Voice sure does know how to go out with a bang! As the reality competition show draws to the close of its 24th season, the Emmy-winning program has announced its star-studded lineup for its finale episode, which is set to air on NBC's Dec. 19 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

2024 Grammy nominees Jelly Roll and Tyla are set to take The Voice stage to commemorate the season 24 finale, alongside performances from Earth, Wind & Fire, AJR, Keith Urban and season 25 coaches Dan + Shay. The intergenerational genre-spanning lineup will play a collection of songs that combine major moments in their respective careers, the dominant songs and styles of 2023 and their latest releases.

Jelly Roll, a four-time 2023 Billboard Music Awards finalist, will perform his Grammy-nominated Lainey Wilson-assisted "Save Me," the second single from his chart-topping album Whitsitt Chapel. Amapiano/Afropop star Tyla will perform "Water," her breakout single, which recently hit the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 ahead of the release of her forthcoming debut studio album.

Music legends Earth, Wind & Fire will perform a career-spanning medley that previews the band's upcoming Heart & Soul 2024 Tour, which they are co-headlining with Chicago. Another genre-fusing band, AJR, will perform a medley of its hit single "Bang!" and "Yes I'm a Mess," which hit No. 28 on Rock Airplay this year.

Keith Urban, a four-time Grammy winner who previously served as a judge on American Idol and a coach on the Australian version of The Voice, will perform "Blue Ain't Your Color," his 2016 hit single which ranked at No. 9 on Billboard's Decade-End U.S. Hot Country Songs (2010-2019). Another superstar country act, Dan + Shay, will grace the stage with a performance of "Bigger Houses," the title track from their most recent LP.

In addition to these eye-popping guests, The Voice has even more performances in store for the season 24 finale. Season 22 winner Bryce Leatherwood will return to perform "The Finger," a single from his forthcoming project. Furthermore, this season's top 12 artists will band together for a special joint performance. In that spirit, this year's coaching panel - Niall Horan, John Legend, Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani - will join forces for a bubbly rendition of "Let It Snow."

This season marks the first in which none of the show's original coaches - Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and CeeLo Green - from the series' inaugural season appear on the coaching panel. Shelton departed after last season, which saw One Direction alum Niall Horan emerge victorious.

Jelly Roll, Tyla & Dan + Shay Lead Star-Studded ‘The Voice' Season 24 Finale Lineup (msn.com)

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Tracy Chapman - Fast Car 1988

"Fast Car" is a song by American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman, released in 1988 as the lead single from her self-titled debut studio album. Chapman's appearance on the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute helped the song become a top-ten hit in the US, reaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100. In the UK, it reached number five on the UK Singles Chart in 1988.

"Fast Car" received three Grammy Award nominations: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, the latter of which it won. It also received an MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Female Video in 1989.

Since the release of Chapman's original, the song has had success in two electronic dance versions, as well as a country music cover by singer Luke Combs. Combs's version was a number-one single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts in 2023, and won Chapman the Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year, making her the first Black person to win the award.

"Fast Car" received a total of 82,4% yes votes!