July 2nd, 2009 at 7:50 am
Filed under: News
Is Michael Jackson more famous than John Lennon? More famous than Elvis? Right now, the answer is clearly yes, as AOL Radio listeners are flocking toward anything that has to do with Michael Jackson.
AOL Radio’s All Michael Jackson station is currently the No. 1 most-listened-to station on AOL Radio, making the King of Pop the most famous dead music celebrity. People are rediscovering all the great music Michael has released in his career, and a whole new generation of young people are discovering Michael’s long list of hits for the first time ever.
Whether Michael’s massive surge in popularity will sustain remains to be seen. Over time, who will ultimately be the most famous dead music celebrity? Tell us in the comments below!
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June 30th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Filed under: Metareview
It’s been four years since Rob Thomas released his last solo effort, ‘Something to Be,’ and today his new album, ‘Cradlesong,’ hit stores. Reviews of the album have been positive, and you can listen for yourself on AOL Music’s full CD listening party. You can also hear Thomas’ new single, ‘Her Diamonds,’ on AOL Radio’s Adult Alternative station.
Rolling Stone (4/5): “Thomas’ second solo album shows … that he may well be Phil Collins’ heir: a talented, big-time pro with a fine voice and a finer way with hooks … he’s made a more straightforward modern-rock album [than his 2005 release], with a bit of country twang thrown in. But there is plenty of unexpected texture to keep your ears engaged.”
The Tune Music (A): “Thomas, lead singer of hugely popular adult contemporary band Matchbox Twenty, has been leaving his footprint on the road of rock music for nearly a decade and a half, is approaching 40, and is happily married … and all of those aspects play into the songwriting on ‘Cradlesong.’ … Between the perfect tracking and the naked aplomb of each song, there is little room for mistakes.”
All Music (3.5/5): “With its urgent hooks and surging sincerity, ‘cradlesong’ is recognizably Thomas’s work, right down to its lower-case typography. … If it seems somewhat out of step with its year, that almost makes Thomas’ somber, determined craft admirable — he’s doing this not because it’ll give him a hit but because he believes in it.”
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June 30th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Filed under: Feature, Best Songs
Now that the year is halfway through, we’re taking a look at the best songs of 2009 thus far. Here are this year’s top pop singles as rated by our AOL Radio listeners. If your favorite song from 2009 isn’t on this list, let us know about it in the comments.
10) T.I.: ‘Dead and Gone’
What’s it about? T.I.’s friend Philant Johnson was killed in May 2006 when T.I., Philant and friends were leaving a show in Cincinnati. The friends were caught up in a shooting in which all were harmed and Philant died from the injuries he sustained. T.I. uses this song as a tribute to his late friend.
Did you know? The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 before its official release. The song features Justin Timberlake, making this the pair’s second collaboration together.
Download ‘Dead And Gone’ | Read Lyrics
9) Linkin Park: ‘New Divide’
What’s it about? The song was written for the movie ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.’ The lyrics suggest an inner struggle with knowledge, correlating directly to Shia LeBoeuf’s character in the movie.
Did you know? This is the band’s highest-ranking debut ever, coming in at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Download ‘New Divide’ | Read Lyrics
Daughtry: ‘No Surprise’
What’s it about? ‘No Surprise’ is about a relationship worn down by time and how the end should be graceful instead of painful because the couple still cares for each other.
Did you know? Chris Daughtry had some help writing this song from Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger, former Click Five lead singer Eric Dill and Danish singer Rune Westberg.
Download ‘No Surprise’ | Read Lyrics
7) Black Eyed Peas: ‘Boom Boom Pow’
What’s it about? The song is lyrically futuristic, giving a digital rebirth to the Black Eyed Peas in their sound as well as their image.
Did you know? This is the band’s best-selling song to date, moving 465,000 digital song downloads in its first week of release. The Ying Yang Twins have already sampled the song for their own ‘Naked.’
Download ‘Boom Boom Pow’ | Read Lyrics
6) Kelly Clarkson: ‘My Life Would Suck Without You’
What’s it about? Though the title seems self-explantory, there is a little more to this fast-paced pop song than you may think. Clarkson sings that she and her boyfriend are dysfunctional and fight often, but for some reason he makes her life better and she cannot let him go.
Did you know? The song now holds the record for largest leap to the No. 1 position.
Download ‘My Life Would Suck Without You’ | Read Lyrics
5) Akon: ‘Beautiful’
What’s it about? Akon wrote ‘Beautiful’ from the perspective of a man at a club who sees a girl he really wants to talk to. Akon repeatedly calls the girl beautiful, giving the song its name.
Did you know? Akon recorded two Latin versions of the song, one with singer Dulce Maria.
Download ‘Beautiful’ | Read Lyrics
4) Flo Rida: ‘Right Round’
What’s it about? Based around Dead or Alive’s 1984 hit ‘You Spin Me Round (Like a Record),’ the song is about his night at strip club.
Did you know? The song was produced as a studio experiment, where audio mixer Dr. Luke provided the sample and Flo Rida recorded his lyrics over the song.
Download ‘Right Round’ | Read Lyrics
3) Lady Gaga: ‘LoveGame’
What’s it about? Lady Gaga wrote the song after a night when she was at a club and said to a man she was interested in, “I want to ride your disco stick.” This incident inspired the lusty lyrics.
Did you know? According to Lady Gaga, she wrote the song in four minutes. In concert, to emphasize the hook of the song, she often has an actual stick onstage with her.
Download ‘LoveGame’ | Read Lyrics
2) Beyoncé: ‘Halo’
What’s it about? The song is about finding the perfect person and the great effect that person can have in your life.
Did you know? The song was originally offered to Leona Lewis to sing, but Lewis was unable to record the song in time for when writer Ryan Tedder wanted it released.
Download ‘Halo’ | Read Lyrics
1) Taylor Swift: ‘You Belong With Me’
What’s it about? Swift is in love with a friend and tries to convince him that his girlfriend does not understand him the way that she does.
Did you know? The first lines of the song were inspired by Swift overhearing a male friend of hers on the phone with his girlfriend. She was berating him for hanging up on her.
Download ‘You Belong With Me’ | Read Lyrics
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June 30th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Filed under: News
It's the hot topic of the news these days: the Swine Flu has people concerned about their health and safety. For the latest news updates, listen to our news stations that we have as part of our partnership with CBS Radio. Click on the link below to check out any of our local stations, including NYC's 1010 WINS, WCBS 880, LA's KNX 1070, etc..
Listen to News Radio for Swine Flu News Updates
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June 29th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Filed under: Feature, Best Songs
In celebration of July 4, we have comprised a list of the 10 Best USA songs as rated by AOL Radio listeners. Enjoy the list and make sure to listen to the Patriotic Songs station on AOL Radio.
10) Alabama: ‘40 Hour Week (for a Livin’)’
Released: 1985
Album: ‘40-Hour Week‘
Did you know? The song is the band’s 17th No. 1 hit, and broke country music star Sonny James’ streak of most uninterrupted chart-toppers in a row.
Inspiration: Alabama wrote the song to give credit to the hard workers of America and the tough jobs they do.
Download ‘40 Hour Week’
9) Aaron Tippin: ‘Where the Stars and the Stripes and the Eagles Fly’
Released: 2001
Album: ‘Stars & Stripes‘
Did you know? This song was a major crossover hit from country to mainstream and was Tippin’s first song to reach the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Inspiration: The attacks of Sept. 11 propelled Tippin to write this song.
Download ‘Where the Stars and the Stripes and the Eagles Fly’
John Michael Montgomery: ‘Letters From Home’
Released: 2004
Album: ‘Letters From Home‘
Did you know? The music video for ‘Letters From Home’ was filmed at the Army Aviation Support Facility and features actual National Guard soldiers, with Fred Mullins portraying a G.I. who is receiving these letters from home.
Inspiration: The daily life of a soldier and the obstacles faced each day away from home was Montgomery’sinspiration.
Download ‘Letters From Home’
7) Daryl Worley: ‘Have You Forgotten?’
Released: 2003
Album: ‘Have You Forgotten?‘
Did you know? Worley wrote the song after he attended a USO tour in Afghanistan.
Inspiration: Worley’s motivation for the song was to honor those who died on Sept. 11 and to do his best to give them something. “I didn’t really care if I made a bunch of money from it,” he said.
Download ‘Have You Forgotten?’
6) Toby Keith: ‘Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)’
Released: 2002
Album: ‘Unleashed‘
Did you know? Keith originally did not want to record the song and instead only performed it in concert and for the military. It wasn’t until he was approached by Gen. James L. Jones, Commandant of the Marine Corps, who told him, “It’s your job as an entertainer to lift the morale of the troops” that he recorded the song.
Inspiration: The death of his father, who was a devoted patriot, as well as the events of September 11th, inspired Toby Keith.
Download ‘Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)’
5) Big & Rich: ‘8th of November’
Released: 2006
Album: ‘Comin’ to Your City‘
Did you know? The song is about the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, which was ambushed by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. The survivor of the song is Niles Harris, a hero of Big & Rich’s Big Kenny. Big Kenny received a top hat from Harris years after his Vietnam days and now wears it onstage during live performances.
Inspiration: The story of Harris’ time in Vietnam prompted Big & Rich to write ‘8th of November.’
Download ‘8th of November’
4) Alan Jackson: ‘Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)’
Released: 2001
Album: ‘Drive‘
Did you know? Jackson immediately wanted to write a song about September 11, but he didn’t want it to be jingoistic or vengeful. It took him more than a month to think of the lyrics, which came into his head when he woke up one morning in October. He was afraid to record the song, because he did not want to capitalize on tragedy, but after showing the song to his wife she knew he had something.
Inspiration: Jackson drew his inspiration from the Sept. 11 attacks.
Download ‘Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)’
3) Johnny Cash: ‘Ragged Old Flag’
Released: 1974
Album: ‘Ragged Old Flag‘
Did you know? This was the first Cash album that was solely written by him, the title track obviously included. ‘Ragged Old Flag’ is actually a spoken-word tribute to America, with patriotic chords playing in the background.
Inspiration: Cash’s own patriotism during the Watergate scandal inspired him, making it clear that no matter what his country goes through he will be proud of it.
Download ‘Ragged Old Flag’
2) Toby Keith: ‘American Soldier’
Released: 2003
Album: ‘Shock’n Y’all‘
Did you know? ‘American Soldier’ was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard country singles chart for four weeks. Keith grew up in a patriotic family and has put on seven USO shows for the troops since the War in Iraq began in 2003. Toby commented on the song saying, “I would have never been able to complete ‘American Soldier’ if it weren’t for the experiences I had.”
Inspiration: The song was written in response to Keith’s first visit to Iraq, where he was overcome with gratitude for the men and women in service.
Download ‘American Soldier’
1) Lee Greenwood: ‘God Bless the USA’
Released: 1984
Album: ‘You’ve Got a Good Love Comin’‘
Did you know? The song itself was not written for any war or political event in particular, but it has been massively popularized during wartime. First, during the Gulf War and again after the Sept. 11th attacks and Iraq War. After its original release the song reached No. 7 on the country chart, and after being rereleased in 2001 it reached No. 16.
Inspiration: ‘God Bless the USA’ was influenced by the recession in the early ’80s and released during the 1984 presidential race between Ronald Regan and Walter Mondale.
Download ‘God Bless the USA’
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June 29th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
We spoke with Headnodic, Kat Ouano and Raashan Ahmad (pictured at right) of the Crown City Rockers before their
live set here at Pandora.
Their music, captured well on their album Earthtones,
matches Ahmad's quick and agile rapping with a rhythmic
stew that pulls in nods to dub, reggaeton, acid jazz, r&b
and jazz. Turntablist/rapper/MPC percussionist Woodstock
and drummer Max MacVeety round out the crew.
Enjoy the show - this is a good-time band, and a real joy.
"B-Boy"
"Balance"
"Contagious"
"Point/Fight"
June 29th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Filed under: Programming
AOL Radio has an exclusive premiere of the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince[TM] soundtrack. The movie hits theaters July 15th, but if you can’t wait make sure to tune in to the Movie Scores station on AOL Radio. You’ll hear a track from the album every hour at the top of the hour!
The Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince[TM] soundtrack will be released July 14th.
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June 29th, 2009 at 11:00 am
Green Day’s new album ’21st Century Breakdown’ is in stores now! AOL Radio has an exclusive 10% discount coupon code for the Special Edition Vinyl/CD Art Book version. Only 3000 copies of this special edition version have been made! The coupon code gets announced once an hour on AOL Radio’s All Green Day station. Listen to the station for the code, then buy the album at greendaymusic.com to save 10%. (This is only available to US costumers).
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June 28th, 2009 at 8:02 am
nina simone high priestess of soul mp3 download
For
the latest podcast in our ongoing audio series, "The Musicology Show," we talk with two hip hop MCs and two beatmaking producers about the art of Sampling.
The MCs are Macsen Apollo and Anderson Ray from V.E.R.A. Clique, and the producers are Dan Craig and Johnny Igaz. Craig is a software-sampling maven who imports audio directly from old LPs; Igaz uses a hardware sampler for his production work with Ill Mondo. All four bring interesting perspectives to the controversial and rich subject of sample-based music, and Craig breaks apart one of his productions to show how he layered the snares and manipulated the source material to make the beats snap.
This episode was recorded and cut by the great Tyler Brown at Bellboy Recording in Richmond CA.
For other episodes of "The Musicology Show," check out the subject pages: Instruments, Rhythm, Composition, Singing and Styles.
June 26th, 2009 at 10:46 am
Filed under: Feature, Best Songs
To pay tribute to the King of Pop, we’re counting down the top 10 Michael Jackson songs of all time, as rated by AOL Radio listeners. We also want to hear what your favorite MJ song is in the comments! Read the list, then listen to AOL Radio’s All Michael Jackson station.
10) ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough’
Released: 1979
Album: ‘Off the Wall’
Did you know? The song was MJ’s debut single from ‘Off The Wall’ and the first solo recording that he had creative control on.
Download ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough’ | Read Lyrics
9) ‘Rock With You‘
Released: 1979
Album: ‘Off The Wall‘
Did you know? This was one of the last big songs from the disco era, hitting No. 1 on both the Pop and R&B charts.
Download ‘Rock With You’ | Read Lyrics
‘Bad’
Released: 1987
Album: ‘Bad‘
Did you know? The song was originally set to be a duet between Jackson and Prince, but Prince declined and told Jackson and record producer Quincy Jones that “it would be a hit without [him].” The full music video of the song is an 18-minute short film with Jackson portraying a young man named Daryl who once was “bad” and tries to prove to his old friends that he still has an edge after spending time in prep school.
Download ‘Bad’ | Read Lyrics
7) ‘Man in the Mirror’
Released: 1987
Album: ‘Bad‘
Did you know? When Jackson played ‘Man in the Mirror’ on his Dangerous World Tour in 1992, stuntman Kinnie Gibson dressed like him and flew out of the arena wearing a jet pack.
Download ‘Man in the Mirror’ | Read Lyrics
6) ‘Smooth Criminal’
Released: 1987
Album: ‘Bad‘
Did you know? Michael does one of his most memorable dance moves in the music video for ‘Smooth Criminal,’ where he seemingly defies gravity and leans forward without bending his knees and keeps his heels firmly in place. While he used wires for the video, his team patented a special type of shoes in 1993 that he wore for his stage performances. Before Michael leaned forward, the shoes would become attached to the stage through special pegs, thus leaving concert fans wondering, “How did he do that?”
Download ‘Smooth Criminal’ | Read Lyrics
5) ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’
Released: 1987
Album: ‘Bad‘
Did you know? Michael wrote this song in response to his mother, Katherine Esther, who wanted him to write a song with a “shuffling kind of rhythm.” For his 30th anniversary concert in 2001, he performed the song alongside Britney Spears. However, CBS cut her from the footage and her performance did not air.
Download ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ | Read Lyrics
4) ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin”
Released: 1983
Album: ‘Thriller‘
Did you know? The phrase at the end of the chorus — “Mama-se, mama-sa, mama-ma-coo-sa” — are taken from a 1973 song ‘Soul Makossa,’ by Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango. “Makossa” means “dance” in Duala, a Cameroonian language. Jackson has never lip-synched this song on any of his tours since 1984.
Download ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin” | Read Lyrics
3) ‘Beat It’
Released: 1983
Album: ‘Thriller‘
Did you know? For the 25th anniversary re-release of ‘Thriller,’ a remix was included titled ‘Beat It 2008,’ which featured additional vocals by Fergie, although a parody song released in 1984 by “Weird Al” Yankovic was much more popular. That spoof, ‘Eat It,’ was recorded with Michael’s permission and won a Grammy for Best Comedy Recording.
Download ‘Beat It’ | Read Lyrics
2) ‘Billie Jean’
Released: 1983
Album: ‘Thriller‘
Did you know? The song was almost removed from ‘Thriller’ after a disagreement occurred between producer Quincy Jones and Jackson. The video brought MTV into the mainstream, and it was reportedly the first video the channel aired by a black artist.
Download ‘Billie Jean’ | Read Lyrics
1) ‘Thriller’
Released: 1983
Album: ‘Thriller‘
Did you know? MTV named the 14-minute-long video as the greatest music video of all-time. ‘Thriller’ was the seventh and final single released from the album of the same name. The original name for the song was ‘Starlight Love.’
Download ‘Thriller’ | Read Lyrics
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