MUSIC

The Top 20 Saddest Christmas Songs

Gather round the Christmas tree and get ready to cry!

Phoebe Bridgers - Christmas Song (Official Audio)

Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy, but sometimes you're not feeling the cheer.

Or maybe you just love sad music and want to get in the holiday spirit. Whatever your reason for listening to melancholy music, there are plenty of devastating Christmas songs to help you cozy up with a cup of spiked cider and the blues. From indie gems to old classics, are our favorites.

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MUSIC

R.I.P. Marvin Gaye – Here Are His Best Songs

When the singer was killed on his 45th birthday in 1984, he was at the pinnacle of his career.

Marvin Gaye

Photo by Eugene Adebari/Shutterstock

On this day in 1984, Marvin Gaye was shot and killed at the apex of his career.

Since his early days in Motown's ranks, Gaye was always a tastemaker. Initially a reclusive drummer, Gaye quietly emerged onto the 1960s Motown scene with a handful of early doo-wop hits. When crooning began to dominate mainstream radio, Gaye shifted with the tide and positioned himself as a crooner in his own right with hits like "My Funny Valentine and "How High The Moon." He then naturally dove into the world of R&B before pivoting for a brief stint in psychedelia with an acclaimed reimagining of Dion and Beatles songs. As the 70s brought on disco and sly funk, Gaye curated his own material to add to the exploding genre.

All of it was so naturally Gaye. He was an unstoppable musical polymath who could easily switch with the times, making his senseless murder on his 45th birthday all the more depressing. His endless musical cache about societal ills and personal heartbreak would eventually inspire the talents of Drake and The Weeknd, just to name a few. In honor of the legendary singer, here are a few of his best moments.

How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)

A 1960s Motown classic, this infectious jam came after a seemingly abundant number of smash hits from songwriters Brian Holland and Eddie Holland, and the way Gaye sings it with a glint in his eye became almost more iconic than the earworm itself. "Try as they might, no other vocalist could combine those two sensibilities as Gaye does here," wrote Stereogum, "bringing to life the guy that you wanted to bring home to meet mom and then sneak off to the bathroom for a quickie before dinner is served."

That’s The Way Love Is

Another earworm, "That's the Way Love Is" wasn't written for Gaye, but the soul for which Gaye calls out "that's the way love is, babe" would suggest otherwise. A lot of Gaye's early work through 1970 wasn't written by the balladeer, but his ability to elevate lyrics with emotional transparency became a niche, if not extremely marketable, talent for Gaye. On this cover of the Isley Brothers hit, Gaye enlists the help of the Funk Brothers to turn the track into a bouncy R&B smash.

I Heard It Through The Grapevine

While Gladys Knight's rendition turned the soulful ballad into a funky chart-topper, Gaye's arresting rendition of "I Heard It" will always remain superior. While Motown head Berry Gordy preferred Knight's interpretation, Gaye's rendition surprisingly caught the attention of radio DJs, who spun the track so much Gordy allowed Gaye's version to be released as a stand-alone single. Over 50 years later, and the track remains as raw and powerful as ever. The scarcity of its arrangement allows Gaye's backing string section to soar, while Gaye sings frankly about budding infidelity as if he's experiencing the roller-coaster of heartbreak in real-time. The song would go on to be Gaye's first US smash.

Marvin Gaye - Lets get it on

While Gaye's legendary love-making anthem was originally billed to him by Ed Townsend as a religious ballad, Gaye reworked it into the classic love-making hit we all know and adore. Lyrically inspired by Janis Hunter, Gaye's eventual wife, "Let's Get It On" was crammed onto so many sex playlists that it became a cliche, but for years, it was the most seductive song in the country, thanks to Gaye's smooth vocals and unrestrained passion. You could practically hear him taking off his clothes.

Sexual Healing

Listed by Rolling Stone as one of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, "Sexual Healing" became Gaye's calling card later in life. Riddled with IRS woes and cocaine addiction, Gaye moved to Belgium where he became introduced to Reggae. In 2012, Gordon Banks told The Atlantic that the lyrics were inspired by Gaye's intrigue for Amsterdam's Red Light District, to which his producer David Ritz said that he needs "sexual healing." Prior to 2012, a rumor floated around that Gaye's lyrical inspiration came from Gaye's sadomasochist comic book collection.

MUSIC

The Sexiest Album Covers of All Time

This is by no mean a definitive list, but these albums are worth revisiting

In the last few years, Vinyl has experienced a massive resurgence.

It accounted for 9.7 million album sales in 2018, thanks, begrudgingly, to what NPR called the "Hipsterfication of America." While the sales can mainly be attributed to classics like Michael Jackson's Thriller and The Beatles' Abbey Road, it seems fitting to pay homage to the records that gave us Millennial's a "thunder down under" and kickstarted our sexual awakenings.

The racy nature of the album covers below sparked cultural phenomenons. Let's dive into the birth of the "Parental Warning" and revisit the album that turned whipped cream from a mere dessert topping into something much more. These are some of the most risque records in history.

Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, "Whipped Cream and Other Delights" (1965)

Arguably one of the most famous album covers of all time, Whipped Cream & International Delights would go on to bring notoriety to model Dolores Erickson, who achieved fame as "the whipped cream" lady. "They stared at it constantly. It was very risque," Erickson said of the cover. "They hadn't seen this much breast in their life." The album has sold over 6 million copies and was the band's most popular release to date.

MUSIC

Is Bob Dylan Really the 7th Best Singer of All Time?

How could Bob Dylan rank number 7 on a list of best singers of all time?

Bob Dylan

Shutterstock

On Monday, October 21st, the world woke up to see "Bob Dylan" trending on Twitter, immediately causing a jolt of panic in the hearts of fans.

But a quick scroll revealed that Dylan wasn't trending because he died, but because of a 2008 Rolling Stone list of the greatest singers of all time. The account that reposted the list, @crockpics, is committed to "sharing entertaining and memorable pictures of classic rock artists," according to its bio.

But the seemingly innocuous, dated list—reposted by a run-of-the-mill content-farming account—soon sparked heated online debate. Upon reading the list, fans began to argue amongst themselves about the validity of Bob Dylan's place on the list at number 7. In particular, many took issue with Dylan's placement above Freddie Mercury, who is listed at number 18.




Of course, as many pointed out, it's not clear whether the rankings were based merely on technical vocal skill or on a singer's whole package, including presentation, performance, individuality, etc. Based on Dylan's high ranking, one assumes the latter is the case. In fact, the article that prefaces the original list, written by Jonathan Lethem, states, "For me, Bob Dylan and Patti Smith, just to mention two, are superb singers by any measure I could ever care about — expressivity, surprise, soul, grain, interpretive wit, angle of vision...If one of the weird things about singers is the ecstasy of surrender they inspire, another weird thing is the debunking response a singer can arouse once we've recovered our senses. It's as if they've fooled us into loving them, diddled our hard-wiring, located a vulnerability we thought we'd long ago armored over."

This seems to more than explain the list's logic. As much as American Idol and the like have trained us to think good singing is quantifiable, the truth is some of the musical artists who have most set the soundtrack to the common experience of being alive would not even make it past the first round of auditions on your average singing reality show. Everyone who really loves music, who has been transformed, soothed, or awoken by just the right song at just the right time, knows that singing is as much about soul and storytelling as it is about perfect technique.

So yes, if we're judging a singer's talent by range, pitch control, breath control, tone, rhythm, and diction, Mariah Carey should absolutely rank above Bob Dylan on the list of 200 best singers. But if you're judging a singer on their ability to tell a story, the pain and joy they can imbue their voice with, the distinct nature of their unmistakable sound, and the simple ability to deeply affect a listener, Bob Dylan is among the best singers there ever was.

MUSIC

Ed Sheeran Announces Hiatus After Stealing Music (Again)

The singer announced an "18 month" hiatus to be with his wife, but we know the truth.

Ed Sheeran in concert at the Metlife Stadium - 2018

Photo by Xinhua/Shutterstock

Ed Sheeran announced at a show in Ipswich last night that he will be taking a break from music for "probably 18 months."

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MUSIC

Stephen Puth Talks New Single and Working Alongside His Brother

"I mean music, in general, is in a weird but great place."

24-year-old Stephen Puth has dedicated his musical career to navigating the minute intricacies of romantic relationships.

From "Half Gone" to "Sexual Vibe," each of his breakout singles so far has attempted to unravel and understand a different nuanced phase of romance. His latest release, "Look Away," expands further on this theme. "It's not necessarily the first time we fight or fall in love, it's that weird awkward in-between phase leading up to some sort of breakdown," Puth told Popdust. The track, which he co-wrote alongside his brother Charlie Puth, was a complicated endeavor for Stephen to put into words. "We wanted to talk about something universal that everybody goes through," Puth said of the track's creative process. "It's hard to open up about emotion and make a great song out of it." Stephen spoke further with Popdust about the new single and what else we can expect from the up-and-coming pop sensation.

Tell me more about the new song!

People's eyes can tell the whole story in a break-up, and we wanted to take more about that specific moment, that moment right before the breakdown of a relationship.

Does this stem from personal experience?

Everyone always thinks, "This experience must have just happened to the artist, so that's why they're talking about it." But this is really just an accumulation of having both good and bad relationships, and even in the good moments having those times when you look away from each other. I just think everyone can draw from that.

Is this part of a larger body of work?

I'm working on an EP. The music is ready; we're just ironing out all the wrinkles. I want it to come out as soon as possible. I'm excited to grow the fanbase and start touring more. I'm looking forward to all that.

How did you get into music?

My mom was my piano teacher, and I pretty much learned to hate the piano. I went to a very academically rigorous school. So it all culminated in a massive burnout. I taught myself guitar instead, and it became a real big stress reliever for me.

Did you know that you wanted to pursue music professionally?

At the end of college, I was working in finance and had a job set up with that, and then I took some time off from school, and then one day just didn't go back. I couldn't do that for the rest of my life. So I downloaded Pro Tools on my computer, moved to California, and started interning as an assistant at a record label.


When did things start to change for you?

I started working with an Australian artist named Connor Sewell, and next thing I knew I was in Scott Storch's house. It was a very weird process, but I'm glad it all worked out.

Where do you see pop music heading, and what can you bring to the table?

I mean music, in general, is in a weird but great place. I saw some crazy statistic that 100,000 songs of any sort are globally released on a weekly basis or something like that, and that's crazy. But that's also great, because that means anyone can create a stylistic wave. Personally, I wasn't the big pophead growing up; I used to listen to classic rock. So for me, my influences are going to come from there.

Follow Stephen on Instagram and Twitter.