Okay, so it’s the monumental question since the Grammies is: who should have won Best Album: Beck or Beyoncé?

How do I begin to answer? Well, let’s see, how about I start and finish by saying, Beck. Yes, that’s sounds pretty fine to me. You know, I watched a report the other month by Russia Today which highlighted, shall we call it, the dumbing down of music. Russia Today revealed or, rather yet, reminded us that pop artists today lip sync and auto tune, preposterous right? Not exactly.

According to the report, the likes of Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, Celine Dion and Madonna have all been caught not performing live. And yes, even the beloved bootylicious Beyoncé is no exception. In 2013 it was reported by numerous news outlets that the former Destiny’s Child member was indeed lip syncing the national anthem at President Obama’s inauguration. I wonder why then, according to the Guardian article, she posted a photo of herself on Instagram several days earlier in the studio ‘rehearsing’ for the performance?

Now I am not saying we should burn her alive on a stake for her treachery, but we should take her off her pedestal once in a while; no one, not even the wondrous Elvis deserves to sit on such a high horse. The reality is lip syncing and auto tune are becoming a norm for pop stars who either a) have no raw talent or b) are getting caught up with the ease of perfection. Neither option is a plausible excuse. Imperfections, especially in music, are necessary. They let us know it’s genuine. Bob Dylan is a clear cut example of this.

Unless your voice sounds like a bag of screeching cats, I don’t care if you don’t sound like a robotic angel. But sadly, the strive for perfection is transforming definitively the authenticity of the music industry today into an illusion. Now really I don’t want to go all ‘dude, where’s the music gone to bra?’ on you, but this formulated, contrived commercial music is boring me to oblivion. I believe the only time I will accept my ears to bear such music is when I am trapped at work in a confined shop or when I am in a club too intoxicated to care.

Most of this music is repetitive, meaningless, cringey and to be utterly emotive, soul destroying. After the Grammy craze, Buzzfeed made a post comparing Beck’s lyrics with Beyoncé’s to illustrate why Beck might have been merited best album after all.

I think doing the same thing here might be useful. So Beck’s lyrics go a little something like this: ‘Waking light, it grew from the shadow, brace yourself to the morning low, night is gone, long way turning, you’ve waited long enough to know’, whilst Beyoncé’s lyrical composition goes: ‘ I get filthy when that liquor get into me, I’ve been thinking, why can’t I keep my fingers off it, baby? I want you…Na Na.’

Now it all comes down to personal preference of course, but it may be safe to conclude Beck might be slightly more gifted when it comes to the poetic word. Also Beck, apart from writing all his songs, composes his songs, produces them and is a multi-instrumentalist artist. Like him or not the man has some talent and that should get some recognition. You don’t have to be a fan of Beck’s psychedelic alternative rock and you don’t necessarily have to loath Beyoncé’s R&B/Hip hop to take Beck’s defence.

But in all honesty who really gives a damn? How many of us actually watched the Grammys anyway?

Jemada Cicely

Categories: Comment Opinion

2 Comments

Beck vs Beyoncé: Who really should have won that Grammy?

  1. Not to sound like one of those guys, but it’s really obvious you have a very simplistic view of music and this is utter tripe.

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