#the browns

[kendallville]

Welcome back Jeremy Strong looking doomed, we missed you

Photo by Cibelle Levi, source: ig jeremystrongbestphotos

[pixieoftheopera]

When I find myself in times of trouble I ask myself

WWMBD

what would Mary Brown do and then all is well

[wkaseke]

[twilightofthesandwiches]

What is your Favorite Song From Billboard’s Top Singles of 1959?

"The Battle of New Orleans" - Johnny Horton

"Mack the Knife" - Bobby Darin

"Personality" - Lloyd Price

"Venus" - Frankie Avalon

"Lonely Boy” - Paul Anka

"Dream Lover" - Bobby Darin

"The Three Bells" - The Browns

"Come Softly to Me" - The Fleetwoods

"Kansas City" - Wilbert Harrison

"Mr. Blue" - The Fleetwoods

"Sleep Walk" - Santo & Johnny

“Put Your Head on My Shoulder" - Paul Anka

Voting ended onJan 13

[sunskate]

Ice Dance International “Soar” - ⬆️ from EXPERIENCE (2020) choreo by Cindy Stuart

IDI is a performing company that emphasizes the art side of ice dance. most of this show was contemporary/modern dance based i think? from the program, you can see it's similar to dance performances in how important the choreographers are and how some of these are pieces in their repertory. this was 80 minutes with one piece often flowing into another, no intermission. i thought a lot of it was beautiful, and being outside the competition framework allowed a kind of exploration you don't have time for in 3-4 minutes

this performance was in the Chelsea Piers Sky Rink in Manhattan - totally no frills production as you can see - they were holding a 10th anniversary party/fundraiser right afterwards and had the rink between hockey tryouts -- and sure enough, hockey players were stomping across the walkway in front of the bleachers in between pieces. Jordan Cowan was on ice the entire time filming

i was so happy to see Gabi - she skated a duet with Alissa Czisny that was made by Benoit Richaud and a solo and skated in some of the ensemble pieces - she's very expressive and musical. seemed surprised to be singled out for applause at the end as a special guest

it was fun to see Oona and Gage in this context - they were often paired with other skaters during the group numbers - him with Karina Manta most often. but they skated a new piece on their own which was really gorgeous. Rohene Ward has so much presence as a performer, and he choreographed the dramatic 16 min piece that closed the show. Alissa Czisny skated a Chopin solo that threw back to before the 2000s in presentation somehow- in the way she takes time with movements, but also the facial expressions (she skated with a smile throughout the solo but not the group pieces) - elegant and kind of old school. and her famous spins were lovely

[sims-for-semi]

The Browns

Selene is a happy child now that she's been adopted! And she also wants to be her own friend since she doesn't know any other child yet 🤦🏻‍♀️

[hit-song-showdown]

Year-End Poll #10: 1959

More information about this blog here

Choose your favorite song from 1959

1. The Battle of New Orleans by Johnny Horton

2. Mack the Knife by Bobby Darin

3. Personality by Lloyd Price

4. Venus by Frankie Avalon

5. Lonely Boy by Paul Anka

6. Dream Lover by Bobby Darin

7. The Three Bells by The Browns

8. Come Softly to Me by The Fleetwoods

9. Kansas City by Wilbert Harrison

10. Mr. Blue by The Fleetwoods

Voting ended onApr 24, 2023

Welcome to the year of pining for love and killing people.

I'm kidding. This is the first year-end chart after the implementation of the Hot 100, resulting in a larger pool of music to pull from. It's interesting how the presence of rock and roll doesn't feel as strong as it's been in previous years. Dick Clark, a radio and television personality at the time (who will definitely come up in future entries) advised Bobby Darin not to release Mack the Knife because he worried a traditional pop/jazz track wouldn't work in a post-rock and roll musical landscape. Mack the Knife ended up winning Record of the Year at the second ever Grammy Awards and the first to be televised.

I bring this up, not to spend too much time focusing on a single song, but to show the various ways the music scene has changed in the mainstream. With both the Hot 100 and the Grammy Awards, we're seeing a shift in how music is being talked about and consumed. However, looking at the origins of the Grammy Awards makes the absence of rock and roll on the charts feel rather eerie, especially after the numerous blatant examples of racial bias centering the awards. Even with all of the marketable white faces, rock and roll is still a Black genre. To many people in the industry, rock and roll wasn't a fad -- it was a threat. I found one quote claiming that in 1957 [the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences] "didn't want to slave to the enthusiasm of teenage girls". I was not able to confirm the source of the quote, but its sentiment can still be felt to this day. Rock and roll was considered juvenile, loud, sexual, dangerous, and Black. It was everything white America was afraid of and something the National Academy had in mind when creating the thesis behind the Grammy Awards.

Did this effort to shield the musical landscapes from the shifting tides pay off? Will the "enthusiasm of teenage girls" never touch the charts again?

I'll see you all in the 1960s.