ARTISTS’ MOST POPULAR SONGS VS. DEEP(ish) CUTS Part 1

Comparing and contrasting my favorite artists’ top songs on Spotify vs. one of my favorite lesser known songs from them 

(credit to my dawg veil for the idea) (they made me say this)

The Garden

“This Could Build Us a Home” vs. “No Destination” 

# of Streams:

• TCBUaH: 33,428,623

• ND: 5,039,084

Album/Year Released: 

• TCBUaH: haha (2015)

• ND: Mirror Might Steal Your Charm (2018)

Same genre: Kind of 

• TCBUaH: electro-punk

• ND: indie-punk (?) 

Similarities:

• Wyatt’s vocals have not really changed since the band’s inception (apart from becoming deeper from age), which is really cool to me because he has managed to make it work throughout all of the styles the band has explored. Both tracks have the same raw, bold vocals with a heavy Californian accent. 

• Another staple of The Garden since the beginning has been the prominent bassline and punk influence – both of which can be found in each song. 

Differences:

• Because the songs are from two different eras of The Garden, the core of their sound differs greatly. TCBUaH leans more into an electronic sound, using off-putting synths to create an ominous feeling. On the other hand, ND takes a more warm, nostalgic route using a MIDI piano as the main attraction rather than the ghostlike synths. Both of these songs are products of the band’s styles at the time, as during the haha era The Garden had a more esoteric and developing sound, while in the Mirror Might Steal Your Charm era they became less eerie and more funky/loose in their presentation (presumably because they finally started to find their footing due to more musical and life experience). 

• Lyrics-wise, TCBUaH is more abstract and cryptic than ND. The lyrics are heavily up to interpretation, while in ND they tell a clear story with little room for debate about what they mean. This is another difference in the two eras: during haha the band wrote seemingly gibberish and incoherent lyrics for the sake of abstraction, while in Mirror Might Steal Your Charm their lyrics were more introspective and/or narrative-like to communicate developed messages. 

TV Girl

“Lover’s Rock” v. “Every Stupid Actress”

# of Streams:

• LR: 1,337,577,077

• ESA: 5,306,098

Album/Year Released: 

• LR: French Exit (2014)

• ESA: Death of a Party Girl (2018)

Same genre: Yes

• LR: indie pop

• ESA: indie pop

Similarities: 

• Sound-wise, both tracks sound exactly the same. The instruments, the musical style, and the vocals are unchanged from one to the other, despite being four years apart. One thing about TV Girl is that they have had an unwavering, iconic sound for most of their run that makes them easily recognizable. (At least, this was the case until they released Fauxllenium earlier this year. It wasn’t necessarily a massive change, but it definitely took a bit of a different, more modern direction. However, they collabed with George Clanton on that one, so his club-music style inevitably interacted with TV Girl’s and changed the outcome of the record.)

Differences:

• I must admit that LR is definitely a lot more engaging than ESA. First of all, the lyrics for LR are written in second person, putting the listener in the position of the subject of the song and immersing them in the intimate lovers’ escapade being told. Meanwhile, the lyrics of ESA are written in first-person, making it feel like you’re just listening to a guy yap uninterrupted about how stupid and naive aspiring actresses are for an ungodly amount of time. 

• In addition, LR has a faster bpm at 105 increasing its “groove factor” over ESA’s slower bpm of 80. 

• Finally, the amount of time each song lasts has a huge impact on audience engagement factor. LR runs for 3:33 – a pretty average amount of time for a song to run. Maybe on the longer side, but nothing too crazy. ESA, however, runs for a solid 5:45, which is a lot for a chill song that does not have any climax. 

• TL;DR: LR is a more emotional and powerful song that runs for a shorter amount of time, while ESA is a laid back song that will drag on to those who are not too invested in it. I still like it though because it’s got a very melancholic vibe to it and also it's catchy so idgaf about the ESA haters. Learn to develop an attention span longer than ten seconds.

The Smiths

“There’s a Light that Never Goes Out” vs. “Well I Wonder”

# of Streams:

• TaLtNGO: 811,666,136

• WIW: 71,761,474

Album/Year Released: 

• TaLtNGO: The Queen is Dead (1986)

• WIW: Meat is Murder (1985)

Same genre: Yes

• TaLtNGO: post-punk

• WIW: post-punk

Similarities:

• The Smiths are another band that have had a prominent, consistent sound throughout most of their run. Both songs feature the same bellowing vocals of Morrissey, as well as Johnny Marr’s recognizable jangly guitar and the classic post-punk simple drum patterns. 

Differences:

• The overall emotional quality of TaLtNGO in comparison to WIW are on opposite ends of the spectrum. While both songs are about longing to be with someone, they are from the perspectives of two vastly different situations. From TaLtNGO’s point of view, the speaker is expressing how he does not want to leave the side of the person he is with, even in death. From WIW’s perspective, the speaker is instead yearning to be thought of and valued by the subject instead of being just another thing in the background for them. In other words, in one song the speaker wants to be with the subject forever because he has a good relationship with them, while in the other the speaker wants to be with the subject forever because he has a one-sided infatuation with them.

• The different vibes of the songs really shine through in their musical elements. TaLtNGO has a very uplifting melody, while WIW has a somber one. Morrissey also hits an almost pained falsetto in WIW, enhancing the emotional turmoil of the track. 

I really enjoyed doing this type of analysis, as it allowed me to gauge what audiences find appealing in different types of songs. I think that one of the most important aspects of a song that can make or break its popularity are the lyrics. For two out of three of the bands I covered, the main difference between the two tracks was the subject matter. The more popular out of the two had more positive emotions expressed through the intimate lyrics, which is what I think put them at number one. I hope that I will be able to lock in and continue this series in the near future, because lord knows that I always forget to continue the series I create lol.