The latest entrant in the “covers of Kings Of Leon’s ‘Use Somebody’” sweepstakes is none other than inaugural American Idol Kelly Clarkson, who mashed the track up with Alanis Morrissette’s “That I Would Be Good” at the Mohegan Sun arena in Uncasville, Conn., the other night. I like this reworking because it shows off her outstanding instrument, and I especially love that she picked the two covers just because she really, really liked them. You know, I’m starting to think that if I ever had the chance to follow one musician out on tour, it could maybe be Kelly! Although that would get kind of expensive. [YouTube via Vicki] MORE »
Posts Tagged ‘kings of leon’
remixes
Kelly Clarkson Thinks You Oughta Know About That Kings Of Leon Song That’s All Over The Place
everybody's a winner
MTV Gets Ready To Honor “Single Ladies” One More Time
Beyoncé, Kings of Leon, and Shakira have each scooped up multiple nominations for MTV’s European Music Awards, which will be held in Berlin on Nov. 5 and feature performances by Green Day, X Factor-winning warbler Leona Lewis, and “popular on the Internet” mope-rock act Tokio Hotel. The winners in most of the categories—save Best Video Of The Year, which inexplicably includes Eminem’s stale-on-arrival “We Made You” as the lone male-fronted video in its ranks—will be determined by fan voting, which probably explains the Jonas Brothers vs. Tokio Hotel matchup in the “Best Group” category. (Gimme an S! Gimme an E! Gimme an O!) Full list of non-regional nominations after the jump. MORE »
100 and single
Belting Like It’s 1989: Mariah And Whitney Enjoy (Fleeting) Chart Redemption
We complain often around here about the mainstream media’s tendency to oversimplify music stories in their quest for an easy headline. This week, Billboard’s Hot 100 and Billboard 200 suggest splashy headlines that practically write themselves: Return of the Big-Voiced Divas!
Topping the album chart is Whitney Houston’s much-dissected comeback effort I Look to You, her first No. 1 disc in more than 16 years. And breaking into the Top 10 on the songs chart is her onetime rival and duet partner, Mariah Carey, with the beleaguered pre-album track “Obsessed” — the single that might bring her one step closer to tying the Beatles’ all-time record for Hot 100 chart-toppers.
So: mission accomplished, right? We can pretend pegged jeans and Bill Clinton are back in style, because Diva Era Redux is on? (Why not: Melrose Place is on the tube again!)
Sure, let’s let the two aging pop queens enjoy their week of glory; in Houston’s case especially, it’s earned (and all the intense press Carey’s been getting lately almost makes me feel for her). But a close look at the numbers that brought them back to the winners’ circle suggests that we might not be talking much about these two come Christmas. MORE »
Things that are awesome
Paramore Get Kings Of Leon Where They Want Them
Continuing the theme of Pretty Good Covers You Might Have Missed While Keeping Away From Your Computer This Weekend, Paramore visited Radio One’s Live Lounge on Friday and performed an unplugged version of Kings Of Leon’s slow-building Top Five hit “Use Somebody.” Lead singer Hayley Williams’ voice is what makes the cover; it’s rich with longing and makes me wonder just what tricks the band will pull out on the can’t-get-here-soon-enough brand new eyes. Clip after the jump. MORE »
Charts
Will Any Other Song In The Hot 100 Right Now Have The Staying Power Of “I’m Yours”?
Lost in the hullabaloo over the Black Eyed Peas’ stranglehold on the Billboard Hot 100’s top spot was the news that Jason Mraz’s strummy “I’m Yours” set its own record on the singles chart this week as well; the sweet ditty has now been on the Hot 100 for 70 weeks, breaking the record set by the 69-week chart run of LeAnn Rimes’ “How Do I Live.” MORE »
videodrone
Amazon’s MP3 Pricing Plan: Looks Like They Went The “Pick Songs Out Of A Hat” Route
Amazon has entered the world of charging $1.29 for certain songs, following the lead taken by iTunes yesterday and rendering somewhat irrelevant the snarky remarks of Diggsters. By and large, iTunes’ pricing scheme has resulted in popular songs having their prices jacked up; in contrast, if there’s some logic to which songs saw a hike on Amazon, I’m certainly not seeing it. MORE »
100 and single
Lady GaGa Takes Slow and Steady Route to the Top
“Lady GaGa Scores Hot 100 Milestone,” a Billboard headline trumpeted yesterday upon the release of the new Hot 100.
What could this milestone be? you might ask yourself. Biggest self-aggrandizer since 50 Cent to reach the top slot? Most similar-sounding pair of hits since Rick Astley? Most successful pantsless act?
As it happens, GaGa’s achievement has to do with her Billboard batting average: two chart hits, two No. 1’s. This week, “Poker Face” follows January’s smash “Just Dance” into the top slot. She’s the first act to step up to the plate, swing just twice, and hit two homers since Christina Aguilera’s first pair of hits, “Genie in a Bottle” and “What a Girl Wants,” topped the Hot 100 in 1999–2000.
That’s nice for the Lady and all, but it masks a more notable achievement: her slowness in achieving those hits. The amount of time “Dance” and “Poker” took to reach No. 1 is literally unprecedented in recent chart history.
In a sea of hits that explode up the charts based on faddish bursts of iTunes sales, GaGa’s chart pattern is contrary to everything going on in pop music promotion right now, recalling the more languid runs by songs in the ’70s through the mid-’90s. It’s almost enough to make an old-school chart geek like me root for her. MORE »
everybody's a winner
“NME” Awards Show Little Consensus, Lots Of Interest In American Politics
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Oasis, Alex Turner, MGMT, and Muse were the big winners at tonight’s NME Shockwaves Awards in London, which also doled out awards to the Killers (Best International Band), the Jonas Brothers (Worst Band and Worst Album), and YouTube (Best Web site) in between performances by half of Blur, Franz Ferdinand, and the Cure. Also honored and dishonored: newly minted U.S. President Barack Obama, who won Hero Of The Year honors, and recently departed Commander-In-Chief George W. Bush, who was named 2008’s villain. Full list of winners after the ump. MORE »
top
The Grammy Awards Awards: Most Soul-Crushing Category
We are now less than seven days out from the 2009 Grammy Awards, the most important night in music that few people truly care about. We wanted to do something to pay tribute to this great institution that, once a year, reminds us that long past their prime artists are still making records people enjoy. And so, Idolator is proud to announce the 2009 Grammy Awards Awards, recognizing the most Grammy-esque things the Grammys have done in the past year. MORE »
videodrone
The Brit Awards Nominations: Kanye West, International Male
Of the seemingly neverending parade of British music awards, the Brits—which will be given out this year on Feb. 18—seem the most interesting to me. Not only is this year’s recipient of the “Outstanding Contribution To Music” award the Pet Shop Boys, the inevitable news reports the day after the award ceremony, regarding one musician or another involved in some form of drunken embarrassment, are old reliables, even in this tough time for the music biz. And reading the list of hopeful winners gives you an excuse to work on your “puzzled befuddlement” look, especially when you take a gander at the nominees for “International Male Solo Artist”: Beck; Neil Diamond; Jay-Z; Kanye West; and Seasick Steve. The full list of those practicing their acceptance speeches at home right now is below the cut. MORE »
