Consequence of Sound: "Lana Del Rey’s 'Summertime Sadness' is a fake radio hit."

[YUNGKALIMXEL 88]

 

I’m mad that Lana Del Rey is on mainstream radio. And not because she’s a treasured indie artist that I want to keep stashed away in a cupboard far from the greedy grasp of corporate heads and trendy, fickle teens. It’s because that “Summertime Sadness” song that’s being played– relentlessly, tirelessly, at all hours of the day– is not hers. At least, not that version.

A heaping share of the glory should go to a man named Cedric Gervais. Who, you ask? Well, he’s the French house producer (seen above) behind the remix, and he’s the real reason LDR is more relevant than ever. Before you raise your pitchforks, hear me out.

Where was “Summertime Sadness” before Gervais’ rework hit the airwaves this summer? (Technically, it was first issued in February via Netherlands-based electronic label Spinnin’ Records). Sure, its album, Born To Die, was released back in 2012 to wide acclaim from “tastemakers” and veteran critics alike. And yes, the original track had jumped onto a few smaller, niche charts both here in the U.S. and abroad. But let’s be real here: The thing’s been out for over 14 months, and only now has it become a major mainstream behemoth. Only now do both your grandma and that 8-year-old brat you babysit know who Lana Del Rey is.

And that’s all Mr. Gervais’ doing. That, and the fact that the world is currently EDM-obsessed and rabidly hungry for anything that’s beat-heavy and wobble-centric. Personally, I preferred the slow-burning and dramatic original, but as history has shown, the radio gods never wanted “Summertime Sadness” until it became tailor-made for the clubs.

I’m not an LDR hater (though I do remember the potent backlash, especially after her disastrous SNL performance). Actually, I do enjoy of her material, themes, and style, so this is hardly a targeted “H8 ON LDR 4EVER”-type post for everyone to pounce on. What I am, however, is someone who likes to throw credit where credit is due.

Recent articles point to the remix’s commercial success, but they hardly go beyond dropping the beat-maker’s name, leaving the story behind the career-changing collaboration untouched. Most radio stations playing the remix provide even less information: They barely ever mention that it’s a remix at all.

Upon first hearing it on the radio, for a while it seemed to only be played during Friday night “EDM segments”. I did a double take, wondering, “Wait… is this who I think it is “Wait…is this the original” At first, I was happy for LDR, but that quickly morphed into annoyance and confusion. After hearing it play a few more Friday nights (yeah, I like staying in, what of it?), I took to the internet to find out more. I turned to Google to find out just who was behind this new dance-crazed tune. And sure, a quick web search isn’t much of a task, and it didn’t take terribly long to figure it out, but it’s the fact that I even had to go searching for the information in the first place that seems a little ridiculous.

It’s obvious why this is the case. Of course, no one wants to post a story about him. “Who the hell is that guy?” everyone will say when they can plaster LDR’s name in bolds and italics. I mean, c’mon, that’s prime-time homepage space that’s better used for an eye-grabbing headline: “LANA DEL REY TOPS NATIONWIDE CHARTS”. And while that’s not an entirely false statement (and for god’s sake, I did something similar in this editorial’s title), it’s not entirely true either. Aside from putting out the stellar original over one year ago, LDR had nothing to do with the remix, with the real reason why it’s so popular right now.

Poor Gervais, I think to myself. The guy’s a superstar in his own right, thanks to a number of other remixes and his hit song “Molly”. Yet, to many hit radio listeners, his name barely registers as a blurry afterthought.

But you know who else suffers? Lana Del Rey! Poor woman. Whether you hate her– her sound, her look, her H&M commercials– at the end of the day, the girl has this craft, this art form, like any other artist out there. Maybe it’s not the most original music in the world, but it’s one that’s pretty recognizable (not to mention many up-and-coming female vocalists cite her as inspiration). But for those people who hear the “Summertime Sadness” remix on the radio (and yes, it’s true, she does benefit from her name being more recognizable now than ever), it’ll probably be their first introduction to LDR. Since there’s likely to be no mention of Gervais or the fact that it’s a remix, many of those same people (for example, my own cousin and sister) might simply assume that this is what LDR sounds like on a regular basis: catchy and primed for real fist-pumping, strobe light-happy action. Little do they know that she’s somber and tragic as hell, and ranges far from the successful female vocals + EDM formula of today. (Hi, Ellie Goulding, Foxes,Krewella, Icona Pop).

And who knows? Maybe they’ll never know. Maybe those people will never look beyond that adrenaline-fueled remix. But if they do, if they hop onto Spotify, Rdio, or even just YouTube seeking more beat-heavy songs, there’s a high chance they might be sorely disappointed by what they find. You really can’t bust epic moves to “Video Games” or “Blue Jeans”. Although“National Anthem” has a great swagger-filled groove to it, it’s nothing compared to what Zedd, Diplo, and Calvin Harris have been feeding America. But it wouldn’t be farfetched for loyal radio listeners and LDR newbies to mistakenly lump her, instead of Gervais, in with that crowd.

I don’t have a bone to pick with EDM remixes; heck, I used to be an editor at electronic-leaning blog The Music Ninja and posted countless remixes on a daily basis. Some unfortunately suck the gusto out of the originals, but then there are others that truly breathe new life into otherwise plain or unremarkable tracks. Remixes are wonderful things to have because the interpretations of music are endless and because they give us, the listeners, a new way to enjoy songs. But where do they stand against the almighty original pop music of mainstream radio and Billboard charts? Where is their place? What is their artistic value? And how do we properly acknowledge them, as well as the originals they are built from? Maybe we should make it a point to ask Del Ray and Gervais next time.

 

Source: http://consequenceofsound.net/2013/09/lana-del-reys-summertime-sadness-is-a-fake-radio-hit/

 

I can't help but agree with him, however, it's evident that she's got new fans out of this because of the fact that Born To Die and her singles have shot up the charts again on iTunes. Hopefully it'll continue, and her next single (you know, if she doesn;t decide to take a break from music and all that bs) will chart well even though it's not EDM and people recognize her for that. 

[Sitar 22,210]

Yo what's the source for this?

[DominicMars 1,763]

Yo what's the source for this?

 

Disgruntled-hipster.tumblr.com/annoyingdrivel

[Trash Magic 28,373]

Eh nothing relevant, opinion not news

 

Don't care

[lostindarkparadise 2,083]

 

[lola 6,640]

Yo what's the source for this?

http://consequenceofsound.net/2013/09/lana-del-reys-summertime-sadness-is-a-fake-radio-hit/

 

 

 

....is this journalism

 

also

Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness" is a fake radio hit

Maybe we should make it a point to ask Del Ray and Gervais next time.

i don't get it, you're supposed to sound legit

[elllipsis 1,441]

This dude raises relevant points but pretty much sabotages himself and his own credibility by starting the article with such an inane sentence as 'I’m mad that Lana Del Rey is on mainstream radio'. I wanted to stop reading right there.

[Hellish 488]

When I first read this, I honestly thought it was a joke or he was just trying to get a rise out of people.

(which the latter seems to be the result)

"I'm mad that Lana Del Rey is on mainstream radio"

* stares into space directly above computer screen*

[slang 1,532]

When I listened to pop radio they hardly ever annouced what was playing. The one time I saw the Cedric mutation of summertime sadness on MTV it was clearly labeled LDR vs. CG (wo acronyms), and on spotify and youtube the two tracks have distinct labels (with many more plays and views to the original BTD release). IMO, it's ok to give CG credit for making SS relevant to a specific music consuming group, but it's not ok to say LDR is irrelevant to that group given the sheer number of EDM remixes done on her other work. I also wonder what the effect of releasing this would be:

 

 

Many on youtube mistake this as a remix (at least I'm assuming it's a mistake).

 

As the musical observer says: "Little do they know that she’s somber and tragic as hell, and ranges far from the successful female vocals + EDM formula of today." Little does he know what the leaks or even AKA have implied.

[Guest Dot]

 

 I also wonder what the effect of releasing this would be:

 

 

 

Gurl this song is long overdue in terms of a release:

 

http://youtu.be/cpe__GbUzI4

 

And that article is shit, cuz he's like "Oh, she's indie, she should not be mainstream!" That's complete bullshit! Many people here in Germany know Lana and her music, and if I say HER music, I mean HER music and not her voice over some crappy EDM instrumental, is played on the radio and did quite well on the charts. It's good that she's gaining popularity, yes. But she's not gaining it for her own work, which is sad. What's worse though is the fact that her own record label doesn't see the potential a lot of her songs have. EDM is on it's way out, clearly. We need people like Lana to CHANGE the face of music and that means being different and taking risks. Many people did it before her and they became iconic. I think now that the SS remix has been doing quite well on the charts it's time for them to release COLA and I know I've said it many many times already, but this song will be her one of her career-defining and signature songs, I'm telling you.

[lola 6,640]

Gurl this song is long overdue in terms of a release:

 

http://youtu.be/cpe__GbUzI4

 

And that article is shit, cuz he's like "Oh, she's indie, she should not be mainstream!" That's complete bullshit! Many people here in Germany know Lana and her music, and if I say HER music, I mean HER music and not her voice over some crappy EDM instrumental, is played on the radio and did quite well on the charts. It's good that she's gaining popularity, yes. But she's not gaining it for her own work, which is sad. What's worse though is the fact that her own record label doesn't see the potential a lot of her songs have. EDM is on it's way out, clearly. We need people like Lana to CHANGE the face of music and that means being different and taking risks. Many people did it before her and they became iconic. I think now that the SS remix has been doing quite well on the charts it's time for them to release COLA and I know I've said it many many times already, but this song will be her one of her career-defining and signature songs, I'm telling you.

yeah bc ppl are going to take a song whose first line is "my pussy tastes like pepsi cola" seriously. i think it could do well as a single but it really won't help with lana being accepted as a serious artist or a ~beautiful poet~

[Guest Dot]

yeah bc ppl are going to take a song whose first line is "my pussy tastes like pepsi cola" seriously. i think it could do well as a single but it really won't help with lana being accepted as a serious artist or a ~beautiful poet~

 

They'll change it to "My lips they taste like Pepsi Cola" anyway.

[PennCentralFan 269]

Meh! Lana wrote the song. She deservers the credit. DJ's who remix are not artists. 

[PrettyBaby 2,219]

Meh! Lana wrote the song. She deservers the credit. DJ's who remix are not artists. 

 

 There are plenty of remixes more creative than this SS one. Sometimes it's amazing how a reinterpretation can add new layers of meaning. Remixers must choose which elements to put together and decide how they will juxtapose these elements. It's not a question of whether they are artists, but whether their creation speaks to anyone, on a case-by-case basis -- artist-by-artist, work-by-work -- just as with any other form.

[smoledman 200]

Lana Del Rey's true songs will never be top 10 hits. They're too "arty" and emotional for the masses.

[lola 6,640]

Lana Del Rey's true songs will never be top 10 hits. They're too "arty" and emotional for the masses.

or they're just never going to be released, get a music video or be promoted in any way bc lana's ppl suck

[slang 1,532]

Lana Del Rey's true songs will never be top 10 hits. They're too "arty" and emotional for the masses.

 

or they're just never going to be released, get a music video or be promoted in any way bc lana's ppl suck

 

I'd feel bad for LDR if I knew artists like Goldfrapp and St. Vincent *were* regularly played on the radio, but I suspect they aren't (don't know as I don't listen to radio). On the other hand, if you consider Spotify a kind of radio, it's clear that LDR resembles a pop A-lister more -- with respect to audience size -- than the other artists I just mentioned (whom I also really like). In Spotify, follow the artist name link, that appears on their icon, and it will show actual numbers of listens for an artist's 10 most popular songs (unlike the popularity bars). LDR looks more like Katy Perry (numbers-wise!!) than St. Vincent.

 

With Tropico I'm expecting 3 videos on Youtube (one for each song). I'm not sure whether the full piece will be on Youtube or not, although I hope it  will.

 

As for LDR's ppl sucking, is she in full control or in no control? Do fans "polarize" much on how much control they believe she has? I tend toward the full-control view, but I really don't know. 

[lola 6,640]

As for LDR's ppl sucking, is she in full control or in no control? Do fans "polarize" much on how much control they believe she has? I tend toward the full-control view, but I really don't know. 

 

she's on a major label, there are supposed to be people there to promote her stuff so people will buy it so everyone at the label, including lana, makes money. i have no idea why nothing she does gets any promotion, the released of btd (the album) was so hyped, there were posters everywhere, she was performing on tv etc. but now there's nothing at all.

[YUNGKALIMXEL 88]

why is this now in thoughts????