NPR: "The Songs We Should Retire"
 

I saw this story on NPR today, which originally ran in October, 2017:

Encore Episode: Hallelujah! The Songs We Should Retire

This struck me as going too far, and being a bit snobbish, and I felt sorry for the artists named in the article, even though they have presumably raked in a gob-load of money from royalties.

Who are NPR critics (or anyone) to decide (or at least suggest) what should no longer be heard?

I am surprised that this kind of story would be done by NPR.

Or am I overreacting? I realise that the article doesn't carry any official "weight", but still...

Yeah, I kinda think you are taking this a bit too seriously/literally. If they had labeled the episode “stuff we are kind of tired of hearing, isn’t there something else you could play?” it might have been less pushy but I bet it wouldn’t have has as many views. Given its NPR I’d read this as an attempt at lighthearted wry commentary paired with a headline that gets someone to listen.

On the merits, I’d agree with the basic sentiment on most of theses, even the half of them I like.

I remember Guitar Player magazine did a feature on the "100 Licks That Must Die" some years back. Uh-huh. I still hear most of those licks today. Still play most of them too.

I'd rather retire self-absorbed taste arbiters who think that what they are tired of hearing has some relationship to anything that means anything. To anyone. And, come on, it's not even a very musically erudite list: members of the great unwashed have been complaining for years about the ubiquity of most of those songs, so its not like this guy has some special insight into what deserves to be relegated to the dustbin.

To me, it read like click-bait that was just a level or two above "this weird trick the banks don't want you to know about to cut your mortage in half with no risk."

I hear what you're all saying, but I think we (I guess meaning the world at large, but particularly so-called critics) should have some respect for these mostly-classic pieces of art, even if we are all fed up with them by now.

I would not have minded if the list was comprised of silly one-hit wonders that have probably been heard almost as much, like the Birdie Song, Agadoo, etc.

Crap! Now I'm singing "Aaaaa-ga-doo, doo, doo, push pineapple grind coffee" :cry:

Back in the 80's I was a dance club DJ once a week. Me and my partner had a list of the "Seven Deadly Songs" we wouldn't play, no matter how many times it was requested. Same idea: good songs, but we were sick to death of hearing them.

I'm sure we ticked some people off, but hey, it was our show. And 30 years later I can actually listen to some of them again.

I've played open mics in lots of places. In NYC, there was a place where they had a Ghostbusters-type red-crossout sign in the green room that said "Send In the Clowns." In LA, same thing only it was "Hallelujah."

Which of course calls for this! :)

http://www.publicradionamegenerator.com/

I am JaMarcus Chadad-Russell

LOL, the article writer is just another fool trying to make himself relevant.

No need to take offense.

I think I'll go play a medley of all the offending songs, and I'll throw in Amazing Grace as an encore. :eek:

Now that would be offensive (not the songs, my performance). :D