I got a bit obsessed with this new VICE series on YouTube, “The Story Of,” which follows the “Behind the Music” format popularized on VH1 a whole lifetime ago. We follow the trajectory of five hit songs, all the while being given a fun oral history of the process behind their creation.
In almost every case (besides “Last Resort” by Papa Roach), the songs featured on this series were throwaways, mistakes. Carlton’s “Thousand Miles” was originally called “Interlude,” a midway point on her demo tape. Shaggy’s “It Wasn’t Me,” almost didn’t make the record, and once his label fucked up promotion, only found its second life because a DJ in Hawaii downloaded it off Napster. Eiffel 65 compiled “Blue” in two hours, threw it away, it flopped…then it didn’t. And Sisqo’s “Thong Song” was built on a beat originally composed for Michael Jackson. All these little moments of serendipity built into the fabric of these songs, all of them now 20 years old (or more).
Baby’s crying. Sorry these blogs have sucked the past week. Sleep deprivation is really getting to me.
More tomorrow.
Broken River Blog 