Starship’s ‘We Built This City’: Really The Worst?

[Paul Young 1,074]

https://bestclassicbands.com/we-built-this-city-1-7-17/

 My guess is those that thought so had never experienced enough decades of music.  Maybe it's because it was not a one hit wonder band.  The must have missed Disco when just about every mainstream artist made a contribution to that genre.   Disco Duck was one of the worst things I've heard. In the 80's music become more visual and changed whether a song was great. 

[craigb 3,254]

Jorma hates that song.

[bitflipper 1,060]

 

[Toddskins 58]

6 hours ago, kitekrazy said:

https://bestclassicbands.com/we-built-this-city-1-7-17/

 My guess is those that thought so had never experienced enough decades of music.  Maybe it's because it was not a one hit wonder band.  The must have missed Disco when just about every mainstream artist made a contribution to that genre.   Disco Duck was one of the worst things I've heard. In the 80's music become more visual and changed whether a song was great. 

There's much about that article I dislike.  Allow me to list 2 or 3:

1) The interviews with the keyboardist, and bassist, have absolutely nothing to do with their keyboard or bass part, except the bassist' comment about sampled bass sounds.  Nothing about the music itself.  Why would you interview the instrumentalists and ask them about the words of the song?

2) Typical horseshit comments like this one about Grace Slick: "She was an outspoken, rebel-rousing troublemaker, dynamic singer, multi-instrumentalist and daring songwriter, a strong woman who insisted on being an equal to the guys in the band."  

So what, I ask, does her being "outspoken", or "rebel-rousing troublemaker" have anything to do with being a musician?  Typical crap that continues to perpetuate and affect all youth, who think that being a jerk, or in trouble with the law, are prerequisites having something to do with being a musician. 

I'll stick with those 2 points, because they're actually enough.

[emeraldsoul 1,197]

I didn't read the article, but I personally agree with the headline. That song's an earworm but it's trying to be an anthem for something and it doesn't measure up. I lived in SF for years and wow the balls to claim  "we built this city" . . . anyway, it's just a song. It sold a jillion copies and infected the radio for years. Well done  Starship.

 

 

[John Maar 386]

Overheard in a bar in Milwaukee in the late '70s...

I'm shooting pool with a friend, when 2 young punks walk in and head to the jukebox. When they come across a Jefferson Airplane:

Dude 1: Jefferson Airplane? I thought it was Jefferson Starship.

Dude 2: Jefferson Airplane was their name before they got their $hit together.

Those 2 almost got beaten with pool cues.

[SteveStrummerUK 1,128]

I never realised there was so much global distaste for this particular song.

It's not particularly bad - quite catchy if anything - a throwaway bit of pop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nah........ it's dreadful.

[Resonant Serpent 0]

It sounds like rocket science compared to the last two decades of top ten in America.

[paulo 2,132]

It really is fookin awful, but I've probably heard worse.I'm not going to spend any time trying to remember them though.

[bdickens 261]

45 minutes ago, Resonant Serpent said:

It sounds like rocket science compared to the last two decades of top ten in America.

No kidding. 

 

At least there's more than four different words in the lyrics....

Edited July 28, 2019 by Byron Dickens

[craigb 3,254]

1 hour ago, Resonant Serpent said:

It sounds like rocket science compared to the last two decades of top ten in America.

 

49 minutes ago, Byron Dickens said:

No kidding. 

 

At least there's more than four different words in the lyrics....

And they use words you can say in front of your Mom (provided she's not a sailor). 

[Toddskins 58]

I was a teenager in the 70's and I know that whenever the topic of "what are the words?" came up, the majority of us said "who cares?"

We were far better listeners to the music, appreciating the entire invention of all the parts than what happened to the culture starting in the next decade due to MTV and VH1, associating music with visuals.

In the 70's, we did not care if we sang the correct words.  The music was the experience.

[John Maar 386]

Welp, someone's gotta.

If you think the song is bad, check out the OFFICIAL video.

 

[S.L.I.P. 1,001]

 

[Jesse Screed 339]

20 hours ago, bitflipper said:

 

Thanks a lot BIT, now I will be mentally ruminating on "American Girl"  for the next two hundred and whatever

[John Maar 386]

17 hours ago, S.L.I.P. said:

 

This is SO much better than the original!

[Bajan Blue 528]

Hi john

wow I cant believe that "official video" of Starship - I thought the song was bad, but...well I think I'm speechless!!!!!!

I'm not sure I should say thanks for sharing - shouldn't videos of this nature come with some kind of warning 😎

Nigel

 

[InstrEd 2,106]

Looks like they a blast making the video and its going for a good cause

[John Maar 386]

1 hour ago, Bajan Blue said:

Hi john

wow I cant believe that "official video" of Starship - I thought the song was bad, but...well I think I'm speechless!!!!!!

I'm not sure I should say thanks for sharing - shouldn't videos of this nature come with some kind of warning 😎

Nigel

 

You mean like this one?

EDIT:

After posting this, I scrolled up to the video, thinking I might watch the train wreck again. Before clicking on it, I came to my senses and thought "No. I. Can. Not. Watch. That. Ever. Again."

Whew. That was close.

Edited July 29, 2019 by John Maar

[Michael Grathwohl 0]

Whoever writes these lists obviously has never heard Paul McCartney's "Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time".