Songs you like, from genres you usually dislike

[bob_32_116]

The thread about rap got me thinking about how we all have styles of music that we generally don't care for, but there are always exceptions to every rule. What are examples of songs you like, that belong to genres that you don't normally give the time of day?

Some of mine:

Rap:

The Message
Rapper's Delight
Rapture (Blondie)
California Love (2Pac)

Disco:

Good Times (Chic)
Stayin' Alive
Night Fever
Take me Home (originally done by Cher, I prefer the version by Sophie Ellis Bextor)

Punk:

Quite a lot of the Clash
Pretty Vacant (like most of the Pistols' songs, the melody line and lyrics are rather vacuous, but it's a killer intro, and I swear U2 nicked it for "Even Better Than the Real Thing"
Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (Yes I consider this punk or proto-punk)

Country:

Some of Kris Kristofferson & Johnny Cash
Gentle on My Mind (written by John Hartford, recorded by hundreds of artists)

Jazz:

I don't usually like either "trad jazz" or the more "jazz fusion" type music by people like Miles Davis and Weather Report, but mixing jazz influences into rock music sometimes gives a very serendipitous result. Examples:
Joni Mitchell (she probably did it better than anyone else)
Crosby Stills & Nash (& Young) - I think it's chiefly David Crosby who brings this to the table
Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson

Synthpop:

Some of Pet Shop Boys ("Yes" is a terrific album)
A-ha (but I am very tired of hearing "Take On Me")
Orchestral Manouevres in the Dark
Kraftwerk



Your thoughts?

[davis]

I don't know the category it fits in, but the one Barry Manilow song I like is 'Copacabana"

[Garden Dreamer]

I don't know the category either for Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca" but I love that tune. I played in bands with horns all through high school and college and I can envision any of those bands doing that number and tearing the roof off the place!

[davis]

I don't know the genre, but the one song I like by Seether is "The Remedy." and I love that song. and I know this gets me banned from Thom York's fan club but I havent heard anything else by Radiohead that I like as much as Creep. and I think Korn has a song something about Falling Away fro me. I like that a lot.

[Progbear]

In general, I dislike country, but there’s occasional songs I enjoy. Or artists. I do like most of Patsy Cline’s stuff, some of Marty Robbins’ too. And I was reminded of this song a few weeks ago:



My mom used to play the country station a lot when I was a kid. Maybe it’s the nostalgia talking.

In general, I loathe the current crop of “dance pop” tarts, but some of Katy Perry’s stuff for some bizarre reason appeals to me. A lot of it is loathsome, a lot more is merely boring, but every once in a while something clicks:



Which is funny. Everyone tells me that Lady Gaga is the one with “talent,” yet I absolutely detest everything I have heard by her. “Bad Romance” is one of the worst things without a rap verse in recent memory.

[progeezer]

I'm not a fan of most Jimmy Webb pop songs, but I love the song "Wichita Lineman" enough that I used to sing it all the time when I was going to karaoke joints.

Cheesiness can be evocative from time to time.

[SteveSly]

In general, I loathe the current crop of “dance pop” tarts, but some of Katy Perry’s stuff for some bizarre reason appeals to me. A lot of it is loathsome, a lot more is merely boring, but every once in a while something clicks:

.

I agree about Perry. Although I will never buy an album from her, I do find some of her songs to be highly listenable.

[SteveSly]

I am going to blow what little credibility I have with this, but I really love this One Direction song. When I saw this on SNL last year it kind of blew me away.

[JJ88]

Relatively little disco does much for me, but I've always rated Chic (with the exception of 'Yowsah Yowsah Yowsah' which is dumb and irritating) and some of Donna Summer's things with Giorgio Moroder. There are other records such as George MacRae's 'Rock Your Baby' I like which are sort of on the cusp of disco.

The Bee Gees' disco things, I actually only like 'Stayin' Alive'. Songs like 'You Should Be Dancing', 'Night Fever', 'Boogie Child' etc, I find quite thin. I love all the ballads they did in that era, though.

For whatever reason I've always been fond of Engelbert Humperdinck's 'The Last Waltz', despite some clunky lyrics. Never cared for his other big ballads, which are decidedly unswinging party poopers in the context of the 'swinging 60s'!

Maybe it's nostalgia but I also like The Killers' 'Mr Brightside'- don't like anything else they did nor that 'stadium indie' style generally.

[TheH]

There is much to like in genres you normally dislike. There are also things very Prog where you wouldn't look for them

Vágtázó Halottkémek are discribed as shamanic hardcore punk (which would put me off normally)

But I had to listen to a band with a (translated) Name like Galloping Coroners

[progeezer]

I am going to blow what little credibility I have with this, but I really love this One Direction song. When I saw this on SNL last year it kind of blew me away.

Never heard this song before. Just listened to it.

Don't know if I ever heard this group before (I know how huge they are, but avoidance ain't that hard).

Steve S. still has credibility with me at least. Beautiful melody, and sounds much less like a boy band than N'Sync or Backstreet did/do.

Two PE proggers like a One Direction song!!!

Should we close down the site?

[TheH]

^^

As long as you aren't going to throw your underwear on the stage we will survive that....

[SteveSly]

Never heard this song before. Just listened to it.

Don't know if I ever heard this group before (I know how huge they are, but avoidance ain't that hard).

Steve S. still has credibility with me at least. Beautiful melody, and sounds much less like a boy band than N'Sync or Backstreet did/do.

Two PE proggers like a One Direction song!!!

Should we close down the site?

Scary isn't it. Regarding One Direction, they are a typical boy band from England and are one of the hottest things going right now with the teenybopper set. I loathe most of what they do, but I do dig this song.

[Digital_Man]

I like some of the disco tunes by the Bee Gees and also I like Abba but I'm not really sure what they are(or were).

[bob_32_116]

I don't like much of what I've heard from One Direction, and that's not because I have a universal disdain for "boy bands". For example I love "No Matter What" by Boyzone (and yes I know it's not an original, but they do it justice).

You say "boy bands", I think "Wham!". You say "Wham!" and I think "Yuck", or rather I did until I heard the song "Everything She Wants", which is a great funky number more typical of what was to come later from George Michael as a solo artist.

[spacefreak]

I like ABC's "The Lexicon Of Love", Art of Noise and Grace Jones' "Nightclubbing".

[progeezer]

Another genre I never listen to is country/western & most country-rock.

I do, however think that "Amie/Fallin' In & Out Of Love" by Pure Prairie League is a beautiful piece of music with exquisite harmonies, as well as non-trad chord changes for the genre.

[Progbear]

I agree about Perry. Although I will never buy an album from her, I do find some of her songs to be highly listenable.

I really only like “Hot ’n’ Cold” and “California Gurls.” The latter, by all means, I should loathe. It has a rap verse. It has the nerve to reference both the Beach Boys and Big Star, and all this from the same person responsible for “I Kissed a Girl” (the evil one, not the good one) and “U So Gay.” And yet, it’s not one of those “flick the dial and make this s&*% go away” songs like, say, anything by Kedollarsignha. On the contrary, I kind of like it, and I’m kind of embarrassed by that fact.

[mozo-pg]

I think most people recognize Adele as a vocal powerhouse but don't really like her music. I can listen to it but it doesn't blow me away. There is one song, however, that I adore - Hometown Glory. I saw her first perform it on Jimmy Fallon when she was unknown and was pulled right in.

[nosebone]

Stacys Mom - Fountains of wayne

and I love Teenage Dream by Katy Perry

[PeterG]

I don't like or dislike by genre, I like or dislike by song...so sorry I can't play.

[bob_32_116]

I don't like or dislike by genre, I like or dislike by song...so sorry I can't play.

The whole point of my question was that I also like or dislike by song - but it so happens that I tend to dislike most songs in certain genres, so I thought the exceptions were worth noting.

Whatever.

[gryphs also]

Not a fan of rap/hip hop, but I really dig Empire State Of Mind by Jay z and Alicia Keyes.

[davis]

You say "boy bands", I think "Wham!".

I really like 'Wake Me Up Before You Go Go". I think I've heard it 2, maybe 3 times. it's the only Wham song I've heard. I'm not a fan of George Michael or the other guy. just that one song.