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Before we get too far along here I want to take a minute and
thank each and every one of you for the well wishes. When I wrote my BATTLE OF
THE BANDS POST I was thinking ‘what is wrong with people today?’ THEN you guys
showed up and told me just exactly what is RIGHT with people, at least some
people, today. THANKS!
Just so I don’t mislead you, my troubles aren’t health related,
other than the stress involved in this whole mess, but rather someone lied to
me, cheated me, and stole from me. In the end I’m having to hire a lawyer, and
probably go to court to get back what is mine. In other words: it’s a fine mess
and the only people who are really going to ‘make out’ in the end will be the lawyers.
Anyway…enough of that!
This BATTLE OF THE BANDS was a little different for me. Because
of the troubles in my life I was totally unprepared and had not made my choice
of songs or artists. The day before while I browsing some of my friends sites,
Donna Weaver over at Weaving a Tale or Two posted the Alex Boye version of ‘Roar’. I clicked on
the link, but didn’t recognize the song. I was thinking this song sounds
familiar, and when they got to the chorus. I was pretty shocked to realize it
was Katy Perry’s ’Roar’. All along I thought I hated this song, but it turns out what I really don't like is Katy Perry's shouting her way through a musical number, and calling it singing.
The final tally was pretty lopsided and there was a lot of ‘Katy
hate’ in the comment box. While I’m personally not a Katy Perry fan, I was
shocked that so many of you felt the same way, and so strongly. I normally don’t
try to predict (even in my own mind) how the voting will turn out, or who will
vote for which artist, but I have to say there was only one vote for Katy that
I had mentally predicted. Four of your really surprised me.
I’ll agree with most of you who said that Alex Boye’s version
was primarily drum driven, and a sing-a-long, but I did think it was fun. Alex
does a lot of covers. He calls them ‘Africanized’ versions. Most are beat
driven, as you might imagine African music would be. If you have the time, go
over to YouTube and check him out.
The ‘FINAL TALLY’:
Alex
Boye 14 votes including mine
Katy
Perry 5 votes
Before I forget, I also want to thank Sheboyganboy 6 and STMc
for the ‘conversation’ in the BATTLE comment box. You guys went a long way to
take my mind off my troubles. And Sheboyganboy 6, you can disagree and correct
me any ole time you want, as long as you continue to do it in French.
Leave me a comment and tell me what you think about the outcome.
Remember, a comment here and one at F-FFF gives you a final chance to enter the
drawing for a CD. Check out the contest rules HERE.
Also, be sure to see who won the other BOTB contests playing around town.
See you back here on June 1, when we’ll announce the winner of
this May BOTB contest and present another fine BATLE for your vote.
Hokey-Smoke! That was a very lopsided outcome.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't a shutout though, so Katy can at least "roar" about THAT.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
I never expect4ed it to be a shutout. Regardless of what anybody might think Katy is one of the popular girls.
DeleteSorry you have to go to court and everything!
ReplyDeleteAnd it shouldn't surprise you that an Alex won.
That right one won indeed and blah, lawyers are the only ones that will win. Big headache
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of this whole personal mess as a pain somewhere else more representative of the people who caused it.
DeleteNow I want to go read the Comment section....
ReplyDeleteI am glad your issues aren't health-related but am sad that happened to you. Any time someone betrays our trust it is heartbreaking.
I figured you would.
DeleteTrust me when I say, that at least for me, it's more than heartbreaking.
Legal stuff and disputes with others can get filled with negative emotion and bad for the health, physical and mental. Sorry you're dealing with this sad affair, but life gets weird and stupid sometimes. I know, I've been there and I'll probably see more nonsense in my life eventually.
ReplyDeleteDon't understand the Katy Perry hate, but on the other hand I'm only familiar with a few of her songs and I liked what I've heard. The "Africanized" versions of pop songs are good for a novelty, but that kind of stuff can get old to my listening ears. Kind of like Mariachi music--wouldn't want to hear it all the time, but it's fun with tacos and beer.
Take care and hope the weekend is a good one for you.
Lee
A Faraway View
'Stupid' is a good word for it. 'Stupid' is also something I try to avoid at all costs. Apparently, I wasn't so bright this time around.
DeleteI think what you have to remember is that in any BOTB it's not about how really good/popular/perfectly executed a particular song is, BUT rather about which of the two presented YOU happen to like at that moment in time. I've read many a comment, some even by you, that have stated; if you had heard this music at even a different time of day, you vote might have gone some other way. Occasionally, the novelty song will beat out something more technically sound...just because it's the whim of the listeners. Occasionally, because of who stops by to vote on that day, some outlandish version of a tune will be the winner. These BATTLES are by no means hit makers and I doubt the artists would give a flying fig about our votes. It's fun to see the varying opinions and tastes of those who choose to participate, at least for me.
From your phrasing mentioning your troubles in the BOTB preamble, I rather suspected that they were not health-related, so my comment was a general "I hope things go better for you." Even though legal troubles are bad, health troubles can be worse, and so I am happy that it is just money. And with that comment I certainly don't mean to minimize your woes, "ma belle amie."
ReplyDeleteThere will be no convincing the "Katy-haters," but I rather think vitriol is a very cliche' and easy stance to take against someone who has had a lot of success. It is a double-negative. She has had success, therefore she must be a sell-out, or dumb, or appealing to the masses, or "if THEY like it, it MUST be bad." So, let's all jump on the Katy-hate bandwagon. I doubt most folks here don't know much other than she wears flamboyant costumes.
Roar is a so-so song - nowhere near her best. In a hurry you snagged the song and the other guy's version and it generated some debate, which is good. Though your readers here like this Alex Boye character's version better... it is not. He is a semi-interesting dilettante. He fools around with other people's songs, creates a certain sound, pinpoints a certain niche demographic (Mormons) and aims for it.
Had you been able to find a version by William Shatner or Squeeky Fromme or Otto von Bismark... your readers would have voted for it just to cast a vote against Katy.
I appreciate the well wishes wholeheartedly. I have been on the negative side of the health issue, very negative, for myself and well as those that I love, and while financial woes and court battles are a royal pain, and are currently causing me more stress than I like, it is in fact 'only money'.
DeleteI'm sticking to my guns about my personal dislike of Katy's music, BUT I agree with you in full. The vote here doesn't truly reflect musical superiority by any means. I'm pretty sure most of the votes cast for Mr. Boye are more in the nature of a vote against Katy. As I'm also sure that a good number of the voters here would have no idea who Squeeky Fromme is without the aid of Lord Google.
I probably should not admit this publicly, (it will be interesting to see if anyone reads all of the comments and replies) but I often use songs and artists that I'm not particularly fond of simply because they have an interesting version of the same song. In other words there are BATTLES in my background that include music I would never pay to own. There are also BATTLES in my background where I really 'stretched' to use a song that I thoroughly enjoy or I might go so far as to say; a song that breaks my heart with it's beauty and intricacies, but really has 'no competition' to speak of.
In other words it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Hopefully, at the end of the day the only person who might get hurt is a recording artist like Katy Perry, whom I doubt cares one little bit what this insignificant blogger thinks. Let's face it, if we count success by the world of today's standards (money) Katy is far more successful than I ever want to be. I truly take no personal affront to the votes cast or the comments made.
All that said, I want to add that I enjoy the novelty of Mr. Boye's cover here and some of the others I listened to after posting this song. The reason being that after three years living as a minority among Africans, I'm homesick. Most people think of the music in the Caribbean as strictly Reggae, or (gasp!) Jimmy Buffet. I found that at least where I lived it was decidedly African (as are ter roots of Reggae). As I think you know, I lived in the USVI, but the people there almost never referred to themselves as African Americans, but rather African, although many of their ancestors has been in the islands for centuries. It may seem silly that I'm homesick for a place where I stood out like the proverbial sore thumb, and where as my father (a man who would have made Archie Bunker look politically correct) was proved wrong, because I was in face, called a 'white woman' and NOT in a good way. Yet I have many days where I long for the slower pace, blue waters, and all the duty free rum of the Caribbean.
OK, that's it. It must be all that French, that got me to reveal so much personal carp.
FAE -
DeleteThanks for revealing so much! When you go back to the Caribbean you should skip the USVI and head to Martinique, Guadaloupe, or even St. Barts where "de stoosh" live. There you'll hear French all the time!
I'm gonna have to fight shoving some French in all my comments on your blog from now on! Who KNOWS what "carp" you'll spill in the future.
I missed the last botb post (sorry), so I didn't know you were having troubles. Sorry to hear it and I hope you can get things worked out without making the lawyers too rich.
ReplyDeleteThanks, LD. I'm sure I will 'pull the plug' (take the settlement) before I purchase the new Mercedes for my attorney, he will have to be happy that I made the down payment,
DeleteI was in a mental fog and missed those songs. Katy Perry seems to be moving into uncertain ground.
ReplyDeleteCould be it was just as well for you.
DeleteYep, I was drinking that haterade, and it tastes damn good. B-)
ReplyDeleteAnything involving lawyers is the worst. Worse than health issues, some might say. Hope it all works out in the end without too much financial or mental damage done!
I'm sorry about your legal problems. It sounds like a headache.
ReplyDeleteMy vote's for Alex.
I had no idea that Katy Perry song was a remake. So sorry you have to deal with the legal system. It's never pleasant...but it feels really good when you win!
ReplyDelete