We Built This City [On Rock an' Roll]

mascarpone lady mumble, obv

wretched song. a friend brought it up the other day as a guilty pleasure, and i was utterly appalled.

I used to love it as a kid. Now I hate it.

The defunct magazine Blender's ranking of the song as the worst song ever was in conjunction with a VH1 Special of The 50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs...Ever.[7] In order to qualify for the distinction, the songs on the list had to be a popular hit at some point, thus disqualifying many songs that would by consensus be considered much worse. Blender editor Craig Marks said of the song, "It purports to be anti-commercial but reeks of '80s corporate-rock commercialism. It's a real reflection of what practically killed rock music in the '80s."[8]

However, an article in the Sydney Morning Herald pointed out that "Blender's list - compiled via an arbitrary and anecdotal data collection process and ranked by Marks - included several whimsical criteria. One was to go easy on novelty songs." In a discussion with the band's manager, Bill Thompson, he was surprised at the ranking, but also "thrilled" because of the other high-profile groups on the list, saying, "I wish Blender had called us for a group shot. I'd love to have my picture taken with Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney."[9] Mickey Thomas, one of the singers of Starship, stated in regards to the review from the, by then folded, Blender magazine, "From what I heard, they got so much flack about it that they sort of retracted their statements in a way about the song. And not only that, but Blender's folded, and we're still here."[10]

ah sixties survivors:

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/5/18/1305716093730/We-built-this-city-on-roc-007.jpg

Stay gold, Jefferson Wheelchair

I really want to hear the whole track of the version they did for Milken - "We built this city - on high yield bonds!"

WE BUILT THIS CITY ON FEED YOUR HEAD

The only thing missing from that picture is Pat St. John.

(For reference: Can we be shown weirdos + Mike Love?)

http://static.nme.com/images/gallery/StarshipWeBuiltThisCityGb071011.jpg

Thurs Mar 8 2012: Jefferson Starship @ Reggie's

Jefferson Starship, created by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Jefferson Airplane founder Paul Kantner, embarks on tour in 2011 marking 40 years since the release of their first album "Blows Against the Empire." "Blows" was the first ever rock music recording nominated for literary science fiction's prestigious Hugo Award and represented a pinnacle of collaboration for Kantner's "Airplane camp". Jefferson Starship takes flight again in 2011, reprising a 40 plus year repertoire that is the soundtrack to a generation. Paul Kantner's music has appeared in numerous films including "Forrest Gump" and "A Serious Man" and his plans include producing, composing and touring well into the future. In 2011 he will be 70 years young. The version of the Starship features Kantner, David Freiberg, Cathy Richardson, Chris Smith, Slick Aguilar and Donny Baldwin.

Thu, March 8, 2012
7:00 pm
Reggies Rock Club
Chicago, IL
--> $30.00 - $80.00 <--

This Reggie?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjy3rr7J_yQ

Different Reggie, in Chicago
Books all kinds of stuff, nice venue, a lot of mid level metal shows are there afaik (never cost more than $12 ime)...and also 2012 Jefferson Starship, at those prices!

Unbelievable.

Well, believable, but give me 1 break pls

I pulled it out after it was referenced on both How I Met Your Mother and New Girl. It's really crammed full of hooks and the production is uber-gloss. Nice synths.

I remember the first time the local FM rock station played this. Jefferson Starship records were always in heavy rotation (especially "Jane" and "Miracles"), so expectations were high. As the song ended, the DJ hilariously slipped out of his DJ Voice and said, "What the hell was that?!" and went straight into a commercial.

Sorry--I've been called in to perform an exorcism on this thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxA3Q96a8XE&feature=related

(Btw, I listened to Surrealistic Pillow and Red Octopus before I got around to this one, if that makes anyone feel better.)

It's really crammed full of hooks and the production is uber-gloss. Nice synths.

This track has been stuck in my head for days at a time. It probably could have used fewer hooks - the outro alone has three or four songs' worth of ideas. The lyrics really are horrible though. They were obviously overly proud of the "knee deep in the hoopla" lyric and the corporation segment is pathetic.

The drum program has no bottom. The best synth is Grace Slick's imitation on the line CUZ WE'RRRRE DE SHIP OF FOOOOOOOOOOLZ

Sand is a safer foundation

DID NOT remember Willie Brown being in this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8Hy873B78M

The best part of the video is Mickey and his punk army singing to the Lincoln Memorial, Abe standing up, no one reacting, Abe turning back to stone.

Grace Slick's leaning over the side from 3:51-3:55 is the gif I want played at my funeral, it is a thing of profound beauty and limitless meaning

Another example (think: Mr Mister, Heart) of a song sold as a band performance when no one except the singers showed up to sing over an engineer's programming.

There should be a 33-1/3 book about this. Not the album, just the single. From inception to writing to recording to video shoot to legacy. It would be amazing.

I agree - there is something vast about it. I remember where I was the first time I heard it - at a youth AIDS awareness meeting SE Portland

a guy whose face I remember super-clearly was casually lipsyncing the bridge while the speaker told us about condoms

Another example (think: Mr Mister, Heart) of a song sold as a band performance when no one except the singers showed up to sing over an engineer's programming.

I can't think of any time in the last half century when this wasn't a common practice for pop records

oh sure (hey we're the Monkees!) -- this is the eighties edition, during which Emulators replace session men.

One of many reasons why the '80s sucked, musically and otherwise

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/starship-lead-guitarist-mark-abrahamian-dies-of-heart-attack-after-concert-in-nebraska/2012/09/03/0843a824-f62c-11e1-a93b-7185e3f88849_story.html

Abrahamian joined Starship 11 years ago. Starship’s history goes back to the 1960s with Jefferson Airplane and in 1980s Jefferson Starship.

"The stage was now set for the Alan Parsons Project, which I believe was some sort of hovercraft."

Jefferson Starship just played a gig here two nights ago. I just learned Starship and Jefferson Starship are now two completely different bands.

It's easier if you just categorize it all under Jefferson Wheelchair and leave it at that

The less you think about it, the easier it is

jefferson airplane ended up the anti-fleetwood mac somehow, like FM floating on a cloud of awesome despite constant changes for decades after their founding and JA watering down into starship.

Marconi plays the mamba

The greatest article ever:

http://www.gq.com/story/oral-history-we-built-this-city-worst-song-of-all-time

Martha Davis (vocalist, the Motels): As best I remember—and we're talking about the '80s, so I don't remember much—[Elton John lyricist] Bernie Taupin sent me the lyrics to “We Built This City” so I could write music to it. I called Bernie and said, “My artistic muse won't let me finish the song.” Regrets? Oh, hell no.

Will read, but this remains my favourite piece of writing on the song:
https://web.archive.org/web/20080221011559/http://www.epinions.com/content_4818706564

wtf is with all of these unfunny fake gq oral histories

Stay gold, Jefferson Wheelchair

― Janet Snakehole (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, January 22, 2012 8:38 PM (four years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Chaquico: I do the song with my band—sometimes as a full-on power trio, like if Cream or Jimi Hendrix were to do it, but we also do a reggae version of it, when we're in the mood. Imagine Bob Marley singing “We Built This City.”

wait that was fake? Pretty good read -- I'm sure a ton of bands and artists start to hate their big hits, either at the time, or after performing them a 1000 times.

yeah it could've fooled me

I dunno, quite a fair few of those look like actual quotes to me.

Far from the very worst song ever, let alonea tune with Taiping writing the words. I hear unintended compositional irony: The song validates synclaviers as worthwhile foundation stones in this city of rock 'n' roll.

er Taupin

it's a tacky song, not a terrible song. the lyrics always confused me.

I think as a song it's absolutely fucking wank.

Genuinely perplexed as to why this gets to the top of US lists for worst songs ever - surely it's just a fairly typical 80s mainstream rock hit, nothing more, nothing less. Maybe everyone was expecting another 'White Rabbit' or something.