When the internet gets it wrong…
Written by Emily on July 10, 2012 – 8:28 pm -
I saw this “Run The World vs Bohemian Rhapsody” picture (left) on Facebook this morning and it really irritated me. Typical of internet memes, this one is now making the rounds with comments attached like “sad” and “accountants created cookie cutter pop songs and marketed eye candi [sic], where are the real stars today?”. I’m sure the picture was intended to be funny in some way, but people are stupid…or worse, lazy. They don’t want to research the whole story about something randomly posted online to see if it even holds water, yet they will happily repost it and send it on to the next lazy ignoramus.
So let me do the work for you here…
The Judgement:
First of all, we have to assume that this photo is saying “Beyonce’s song took 6 writers and 4 producers to come up with utter crap, and Queen’s epic, amazing piece of art only required 2 geniuses.” Now let’s explore why this argument is so flawed.
The amount of writers and producers credited on both these songs is listed correctly. Notice I said credited. But you should also know that on “Run The World”, (credited writer) Beyonce and (credited writer) Dave Taylor are also part of the producer number. By that logic, all of Queen should’ve been credited as producers on “Bohemian Rhapsody”, skyrocketing that number from 1 to 5. But they weren’t. Why? Also, three of the “Run The World” writers are the creators of the music sampled in the song, which means they probably had little (if any) to do with the end product.
This is why the silly internet photo above riled my dander in the first place. The whole comparison is ridiculous. These two songs are from completely different eras. Technology and the music business have changed so dramatically in the last 40 years, you can’t compare. According to the argument of this photo, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is a piece of shit compared to Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender”. (Obviously, depending on who you ask, many would agree with this statement, too.)
The Reality:
How art is credited has changed dramatically throughout the history of popular music, thus to fault “Run The World” for crediting 6 people is not fair. It is true that Freddie Mercury is given full writer’s credit for “Bohemian Rhapsody” but he “wrote” it (in pieces) over a 15 year span. (And since we’re making ridiculous musical comparisons, Rossini’s opera The Barber of Seville was written in a week and is still one of the most performed operas today, while Wagner – who labored for years with snippets of music – doesn’t get nearly the same amount of stage time these days. However his epic and plentiful works overall are considered the best of the opera genre. Is Rossini the Beyonce or Mercury here? I don’t know who to judge anymore!)
As usual, I digress. Back to “Bohemian Rhapsody”… It has been noted in interviews and past documentaries that much of this finished piece was “written” while they were recording it. Brian May’s guitar solo (which is an intricate part of the composition as a whole and without it would not have had the musical dichotomy that makes it epic) was all his. Not Mercury’s. Why was May not credited as a writer? Why wasn’t Roy Thomas Baker (the solo producer listed on “Bohemian Rhapsody”) credited for co-creating the harmonies? Well, you’d have to talk to every band ever about that one. They all have their understandings. Paul McCartney and John Lennon gave writers’ credit to both for all Beatles songs. Garth Brooks insisted on being credited on most of his songs, even if he had to change one word to “deserve” it. Credits are the bane of art.
Technology: Let me go back to my Elvis Presley comparison. The songs of that era were recorded on two tracks, which was the technology at the time. Voice and live instruments…just an amazing song performed in its purest state, some would say. “Bohemian Rhapsody”, on the other hand, had the newer (better?) technology of a 24 track. Baker earned* his measly one credit by stacking the vocals and then bouncing them down to one track and bouncing and bouncing…eventually technically creating 180 (one hundred and eighty!!) tracks of vocals for a correctional-facility-worthy wall of sound. (Sorry, Mr. Spector.) You could argue that Bohemian’s songwriting needed all that technology to make it great and that, perhaps with just the four voices on one track, it would have sounded limp and disjointed.
Now jump to 2011. The technology used today in music is far more superior than 1975 and, whether you like it or not, listeners expect more (and they don’t even want to pay 99¢ for it. But that’s a rant for another blog). The film and television industry is the same way. Is the production of The Avengers (2012) any better or worse than The Magnificent Seven (1960)?
Your answer to all of these questions most likely depends on which of these came out during your rite of passage years. Music, movies, books, etc will always seem best if they’re attached to memories of you making out with your first love in the back of a car.
Comments: As I mentioned in the first paragraph, I saw a comment stating the entertainers of today are just “eye candy”. (Well, that dumdum spelled it “candi”.) I hate to break it to said dumdum, but Freddie Mercury was TOTAL eye candy. Maybe not for this female commenter, but there was a reason Mr. Mercury wore tight pants and tank tops! Sex, baby! Elvis’ shirt was unbuttoned to his belly because women wanted to see the goods (and bads). People that are willing to get up in front of mass crowds and shake what their momma’s gave ‘em are “real stars” to someone. It hasn’t changed since the beginning of time.
Let me also make it clear that I am not defending “Run The World” or Beyonce or even new music. I have actually never heard “Run The World” all the way through, and I love “Bohemian Rhapsody”. But it doesn’t matter what I personally like or dislike. It doesn’t matter what you like or dislike. It’s ART, jackwipe! Everyone likes their own thang, so stop judging it like YOUR opinion matters.
I could go on and on about these types of internet postings and why they are perpetuating everything that is wrong with the universe, but I know you guys want to get back to watching “Dance Moms”. So let me just leave you with this: Take responsibility for the information you spread. In fact, if I’m wrong on any of what I said here, leave a comment! Correct me, but only if you have the references. I have tried to do my fact checking, but this is just a website. There are no rules out here. Just our own ethics. MEME RESPONSIBLY.
*As I ranted about this at home all today, my husband (Mark Volman) also added that Roy Thomas Baker’s vocal layering concept came to life when he was working with Flo & Eddie (um…my husband and his vocal partner for 40 years Howard Kaylan) on T Rex’s album. Thus, I think Mark was saying HE came up with this idea and HE wants credit for “Bohemian Rhapsody”. I think. Freddie probably won’t mind now.)
**This picture was apparently originally posted (created?) by the following people: http://www.facebook.com/lolwall.fp
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- Oct 20, 2012: Beyonce Versus Mercury - A Poorly Chosen Deathmatch Meme | Mark E Tisdale
By Shawn Colton on Jul 10, 2012 | Reply
I agree with this.
By Rob Fee on Jul 10, 2012 | Reply
Very nice!
By Mark on Jul 11, 2012 | Reply
Pay me for every idea.. Ever
By Isabella on Jul 11, 2012 | Reply
This meme bugged me too, and I found your blog by googling it. I love what you wrote, and I’m a Freddie Mercury fan. I might add that “Bohemian Rhapsody” is a really fun song, but it’s not actually deep or anything.Unless I’m missing something, I just took it to be a humorous parody of real operas.
By Emily on Jul 11, 2012 | Reply
Thanks for reading, Isabella! From what I’ve read “Bohemian Rhapsody” is somewhat of a collection of parts of songs that Mercury had written since the 60s, and then he had the idea of putting them all together. He obviously had an appreciation (or at least knowledge) of many types of musical genres, which -to me- is further confirmation that we shouldn’t use his (of all people) music to compare to different styles.
By Isabella on Jul 11, 2012 | Reply
Yes, I was talking about this with my 17 year old son, who also prefers Freddie, and his first reaction was that it was stupid to compare these two songs. I really love your blog, especially the GAGA concert story!
By Emily on Jul 11, 2012 | Reply
Thanks again, Isabella! I’m glad you found me!
By DrMuzzBuzz on Jul 11, 2012 | Reply
Great analysis. You are 100% correct that it reflects changes in who gets credited on the album, not who does the work. Nobody would have thought to credit a producer as a songwriter “back then”! Now it is common practice. Thanks for speaking out, Emily!
By Joe on Jul 11, 2012 | Reply
That sure is a long and roundabout way of missing the point ,Emily. The point is that Beyonce’s song has no real artistic merit, at least as far as the lyrics are concerned, and Queen’s song has a great lyrically depth to it. Who cares how many producers or writers were or were not involved. It is the end result that matters. Beyonce’s song is making the statement that,”Girls run the world”. Ok , got it. That’s it, nothing else. Queen’s song is actual art. It has layers of meaning that open the imagination of the listener. That is what art does , and it is transcendent of time and technology. Both songs are very popular and have achieved commercial success and that , however , is a statement about the lack of artistic integrity in much of today’s most popular music. There is no room for the imagination in Beyonce’s song , thus rendering it to the realm of propaganda. The Queen song is not trying to convince you of anything,it is open to your own meaning and experience. That is the difference between propaganda and art.
By Emily on Jul 11, 2012 | Reply
Thanks for commenting, Joe. Respectfully, this meme only printed the repetitive chorus for “Run The World”. There are more lyrics to it than what the creators of this propaganda decided to edit for you. Again, since “BR” has no chorus, it’s hard to accurately compare the two songs.
Secondly, you may want to read up on the origins of Mercury’s lyrics. Many close to the project have said that they had very little intention of depth. Is that true? Who knows. The good news is, YOU as the listener get to decide what those words mean to YOU.
I would argue that you missed my point. Art is in the eyes (or ears) of the beholder. (And, to be fair, much of history’s art has had a hidden political agenda…)
By Joe on Jul 11, 2012 | Reply
Why didn’t you start your response to this “meme” by mentioning and providing the missing lyrics to Beyonce’s song? It is obvious that that is the comparison being made here. It is unfair to omit her lyrics and include all of Mercury’s.Presenting that is easily your strongest point and you could have made a much more persuasive argument, depending on what those lyrics are , of course.
By Emily on Jul 11, 2012 | Reply
Well, because I’m not trying to compare them, am I?
By Curt on Jul 12, 2012 | Reply
Crisann suggested I read this.
I need to follow her suggestions more often.
Thank you for setting the record straight.
Pun intended.
By Kevy Nova on Jul 12, 2012 | Reply
”…three of the “Run The World” writers are the creators of the music sampled in the song, which means they probably had little (if any) to do with the end product.”
That is total BS. I am sick of current “artists” who resort to sampling other people’s music because they can’t write their own hooks. Would this writer also say that Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise” has little to do with Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise?”
The picture is correct.
By Emily on Jul 12, 2012 | Reply
Thanks for your comment, Kevy. The picture IS correct, as there are no false statements made on it. I guess I should’ve clarified that by “had little (if any) to do with the end product”, I meant this particular production. Do they deserve writers’ credits for having written their part of the song? Of course. This makes them money. I have a strong feeling Stevie Wonder didn’t complain too much when he received a check for his part on Coolio’s record either.
But you’re entitled to your opinion of whether or not sampling songs to make something new is enjoyable. People have collaborated and intertwined medias throughout time and some have liked it…some not. Again, my point is that everyone sees art differently. “Comparing” is futile. There is no right or wrong when it comes to taste.
By Kevy Nova on Jul 12, 2012 | Reply
“There is no right or wrong when it comes to taste.”
That I totally agree with. For me personally, I prefer music that was written AND played on instruments by musicians. But that is obviously not for everyone.
By Dave on Jul 12, 2012 | Reply
I like your blog, but I tend to agree with some of the other posters in that I think you miss the forest for the trees. It’s not about the semantics of how the terms “producer” and “writer” are applied and whether the current practices of the music industry or the available technology make the reality of recording different today. I took this picture to mean that the guys in Queen were talented musicians and writers producing creative music without the need of a lot of industry experts to put it together and make it sound good. In contrast, today we have a music industry that tries to find stars who have “the look” that will be easy to market and then they fill in the rest with sampled music, heavily over-produced vocals, and vapid assinine lyrics. There were lots of stupid songs written in every era of pop music. Including by Queen. Less face it, “Fat Bottom Girls” ain’t Shakespeare. But I can’t think of a Beyonce lyric with depth or creativity unless you consider the act of generating highly marketable product to be “creative.” It’s creative in the same sense that the person who invented the snuggie was creative, but it’s not what I would consider art. And it’s not just Beyonce. I think she has talent. But there are many, many artists in various genre’s today that seem “produced” by a music industry trying to generate fast-moving product. That’s true in every decade, but it seems to be a trend that is worsening. I’m not an artist, but have had several friends who are, and they are often frustrated by a world where a good looking 19 year old will be handed contracts and resources and top the charts with stuff that has little artistic merit while others spend years mastering the craft of writing and performing with only the hope of being able to support themselves doing what they love. And yeah, sex has always been an element of pop music, but if you think things haven’t changed, then you haven’t seen pictures of some of the top artists of the 60s and 70s. There were stars with great sex appeal and then there were also fairly unattractive people producing beautiful music. I’m afraid Freddie Mercury’s teeth alone would disqualify him in today’s market.
By Erin on Jul 12, 2012 | Reply
Good article. Good discussion. I will be sharing this.
By Emily on Jul 12, 2012 | Reply
Thanks for chiming in, David. I think your “I took this picture to mean…” confirmed my point perfectly.
By Dave on Jul 12, 2012 | Reply
You know what? You nailed me. I was lazy. Didn’t research. Looking at Beyonce’s personal history, she has worked for decades to craft her art and began developing as a performer at a very young age. It’s not that she’s eye candy. I guess it’s just that I don’t appreciate the music she is choosing to produce.
I do however think the development of music production technology and specifically pitch correction software like auto-tune has allowed the music industry to (in some cases, if maybe not Beyonce’s) create stars out of people lacking in natural talent as musicians. Maybe that is no worse now than in previous eras, but so much of modern pop music sounds so ridiculously over-manipulated it makes me question the talent of the underlying performers. So maybe that’s where the less initiated like me think “yep, some music industry exec is generating this crap and finding a pretty face to perform it.” When I hear the more raw sound of bands like The White Stripes and the Black Keys, or the poignant lyrics of an artist like Patty Griffin or envelope stretching music of a band like Radiohead I think I’m getting more “authentic” music. But perhaps I’m just naive and deluded and don’t realize how much that music is also being “produced.”
By Emily on Jul 12, 2012 | Reply
I genuinely appreciate you writing back, David. Admittedly, I had grown weary in the last two days of defending the concept of “artist”, so I didn’t give your comment as much time as I would have liked.
In reality, the internet has made researching topics so much easier than back in the “ol’ library” days, but it has also made us ALL lazy to accept whatever we see on social medias and blogs as truth. That was the main reason I wrote this piece. I see it happening with politics, entertainment, news. Half-truths are much more dangerous than blatant lies, as far as I’m concerned.
I could also argue that many of the artists that “older” people (which I’m lumping together as anyone over 30) hold dear didn’t even play on their own albums. If the internet was around in the 1970s, would The Wrecking Crew have been paired next to The Monkees in some Crap vs Creative meme? (I LOVE The Monkees, btw!! Everyone, please don’t start yelling at me for calling them “non-musicians”. They ARE musicians and played on many of their songs.) They’re just an example of bands of that era that the RECORD COMPANIES didn’t want playing on their own albums. Even during the “good music”, the business stiffs were manipulating the puppet strings. You could even go further back in time (and artforms) to find that patrons used their purse strings to determine what an artist created.
I’ve gone on too long again! I just want people to see that there is always more to the story than some picture being posted online, and let’s not be so quick to judge and hate. (Hating once you know all the facts is totally fine.
By Faith Franklin on Jul 20, 2012 | Reply
Well researched and very easy to read! Great job! Let us hope that people meme responsibly rather than ignorantly, however, a lot of the posts I see on my news feed daily give me doubt that it will ever happen.
By Mr. Liu on Jul 29, 2012 | Reply
NO, I think YOU got it wrong. Just look at one of the songs 6 writers actually said about the song as quoted on Wikopedia. Perhaps you should check YOUR facts, and get clue for having the audacity to suggest that these to songs are both ART:
Diplo revealed that lot of people don’t know “where the song came from”.[8] He added that the song “never really had a push. It was a song we did, kind of like a funny kind of a joke song.”[
I think the joke is definitely on you and your mindless followers!
By Emily on Jul 29, 2012 | Reply
Thank you for writing in, Mr. Liu. I am honored to have the Purveyor of All Things Interesting, Beautiful and Emotionally Stirring on my site.
I was familiar with Diplo’s quote on Wikopedia [sic] as much as I was familiar with that site’s quote from Roger Taylor describing the meaning of BR as “fairly self-explanatory with just a bit of nonsense in the middle”.
I stand behind my point that you are entitled to opinion about what is and what is not art. Just like everyone else.
By Drew Brantley on Jul 29, 2012 | Reply
I think research bears out the comparison and suggestion pop music has become simpler despite astronomical leaps in technology.
By Emily on Jul 29, 2012 | Reply
Thanks for your comment and link, Drew. Considering the researcher studied several genres of music that didn’t even exist in the 60s and 70s, I would be skeptical of it being a valid comparison. If the point of this research was to say “electronica and hip-hop use fewer chords than previous genres”, then sure. I’m sure many would not dispute that. If the point of this research was to say “newer music is simpler, thus not good”, some might argue that many songs of the 50s and 60s used only a three chord progression for most of their songs. But, again, compared to electronica (that sometimes only use two notes in an entire song), three chords may seem like listening to a 70 piece orchestra playing a White Stripes song.
But the real question of this meme still remains: Can you compare art? Does “simple” translate to less artistic? Are the early Beatles songs crappier than their later, more complicated counterparts? Are the Blues (standard 3 chord progression) less impressive than a Radiohead song (using an unconventional 5 chord progression)? Or is it a matter of taste, one’s life experiences and/or what personally moves a person?
By Sybil on Jul 31, 2012 | Reply
Thank you Kevy and Dave. ‘ Producers of sampled music’ oh please!!!
By Emilyvolmanhastoomuchtimeonherhands on Aug 4, 2012 | Reply
Noone mentioned, though it’s only rumored, that Bohemian Rhapsody is about Freddie Mercury contracting AIDS. (HIV if you want to be a stickler) Where might the hidden meaning be in Beyonce’s song? Where is the nuance? And where would the Beatles and Dylan be if they spelled everything out for us and left nothing to the imagination? Song titles like “Drugs are awesome” probably wouldn’t have carried the same weight nor stood the test of time such as songs like “Strawberry Fields Forever.” And no wonder you love the Monkees and “Run the World.” Staying power is the real test, get back to me in six months when noone remembers the Beyonce song…
By Phill on Sep 8, 2012 | Reply
Spot on, you can’t compare art like this. You might prefer one song or the other, but neither actually sold well in the US when they were released. Musicians create what they like and hope that you like it too. I can guarantee that there are songs that you hate even more that sold better than both of them. Run the world is more than a year old and people still remember it because of the misleading comparison. This reminds me of the time that people were pursuaded to buy the rage against the machine single to stop the xfactor single getting to number one. However not only did it generate sales for rage against the machine, but there was a backlash against the campaign which generated sales for the xfactor single too. The genius was both are signed to the same label, rumours abound that the campaign was started by employees of a marketing company with ties to said record label. I don’t remember how the rage against the machine song goes, I couldn’t even remember the name. I do remember the beyonce song. Bohemian Rhapsody is an interesting song, but I prefer Underpressure and that has many many people credited.
By Dylan on Sep 8, 2012 | Reply
Hi Emily,
I think you’re missing the point. The point isn’t technology, or collaboration… It’s a statement of disgust for what passes as music of today. It is saying; “how is this dribble, with the same two sentences, making Beyonce a millionaire?”
The comparison isn’t anything other then pointing out how music has taken a dive and that any crap can be mixed and called music.. Then marketed with flare and made available for .99c and BAM.. Instant hit.
I agree with your points but I think you have taken a funny meme and read WAY to far into it and got lost.
My kindest regards,
Dylan.
By Vic on Sep 8, 2012 | Reply
No matter what you say this is just one of the million examples.
Like you said technology is advancing pretty fast but it is also true that artists rely more and more on it and fill the music world with crap like this.
No it is not all artists that are going that way and yes some still try to innovate but it remains that the majority is going on the easy side of things with generic beats that will please a bunch of soon to be zombies. We are alienating society.
I often go back to older songs to appreciate different view on things. I could even go as far as to say *junk food* music is taking over. It’s good but it does not last since it lacks any kind of depth.
I recently started to go towards dubstep and the likes to hear some creative beats without all the shallow lyrics.
By Nick on Dec 1, 2012 | Reply
Literally, there are 9 words in the entire song. and thats counting “mother” and “motha” as two separate words.
By Emily on Dec 1, 2012 | Reply
Beethoven’s Fifth had no words. Someone then added religious words and people still sing them in churches all over the world. Whether this was/is “bad” or “good” is up to each of us.
And another person misses my point. Everyone is allowed their opinion on the creative. That is yours. Thank you for sharing.
By mmoo on Apr 5, 2013 | Reply
Yeah ,queen had TALENT ,and did it without a ton of technology ,and this thing has her butt wiped for her by twelve people before she goes out to lipsync Ido then new president .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Rhapsody
By Dinko on May 13, 2013 | Reply
It might be stupid and difficult to compare the two songs, however, this is the only merit I have when doing so:
People will know and sing Bohemian Rhapsody in 50, 70 and 100 years from now on, while it can’t be said for Beyonce’s music. Hell, people in 10 years won’t even know who was Nicki Minaj or Lil’ Wayne or that they even existed? Anybody remembers Kris Kross? Exactly my point.
By Jeff on Jun 15, 2013 | Reply
I see your point, but I believe this graphic is trying to express how talented musical artists used to be compared to today. Even if you were to list all five members of Queen, it would still be the artist(s) who wrote the song who performed it. In Beyonce’s case, she is taking credit for something others wrote for her. If it were not for songwriters, she and many other musical “artists” today would never have become famous.