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re: Hey, Charles Isherwood: SCREW YOU!

Posted by: Thom915 (Thom915@aol.com) 12:53 pm EST 12/06/13
In reply to: re: Hey, Charles Isherwood: SCREW YOU! - MikeR 11:19 am EST 12/06/13

If you read the original poster (heaven forbid!) he did not criticize Isherwood for not liking the song but rather for the remark that he wished Bacharach hadn't written it. His point was that treacly or not, the song thanks to Bacharach's work in writing it and generosity in letting it be used to raise money for the charitable cause should be applauded no matter what one thinks of the artistic nature. The song had its purpose served its purpose and accomplished much more good in the world than many of Bacharach's more successfully artistic achievements. I appreciate what all the artists involved contributed rather than wish they hadn't. (And if any of us seem a bit hysterical it is because so much work still needs to go on to be done.)


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re: Hey, Charles Isherwood: SCREW YOU!

Posted by: enoch10 04:52 pm EST 12/06/13
In reply to: re: Hey, Charles Isherwood: SCREW YOU! - Thom915 12:53 pm EST 12/06/13

>> His point was that treacly or not, the song thanks to Bacharach's work in writing it and generosity in letting it be used to raise money for the charitable cause should be applauded no matter what one thinks of the artistic nature.

This is wrong on so many levels. A bad song is a bad song and this is a bad song. It may have been used to raise money but that just makes it a bad song used to raise money, exactly what Isherwood wrote.

The decision was made to use pop singers to raise money. If they hadn't chosen this one they could have chosen another. The song had bombed on its own. The performers were all by this time in their careers selling primarily albums, not top 40 singles. The song was a hit because it was being used (and promoted ) as a fundraiser. Someone mentioned "You've Got A Friend" - which I agree is a better song - I'm sure had they used it it would have been a hit as we'll.

Isherwood is right.


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re: Hey, Charles Isherwood: SCREW YOU!

Posted by: Budinsky 11:29 am EST 12/07/13
In reply to: re: Hey, Charles Isherwood: SCREW YOU! - enoch10 04:52 pm EST 12/06/13

RE "A bad song is a bad song and this is a bad song": Thank you for your definitive and irrefutable assessment. I had no idea you were the ultimate authority.

RE "It may have been used to raise money but that just makes it a bad song used to raise money, exactly what Isherwood wrote": Not exactly, your highness. What he wrote was: "I didn’t know that Mr. Bacharach wrote the music for this treacly Warwick hit from the 1980s (with Carole Bayer Sager as lyricist), and frankly I wish he hadn’t." There's not a word about the song's role as fundraiser.


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re: Hey, Charles Isherwood: SCREW YOU!

Posted by: ryhog 11:44 am EST 12/07/13
In reply to: re: Hey, Charles Isherwood: SCREW YOU! - Budinsky 11:29 am EST 12/07/13

Re the first point, it seems to me you always have to assume that the person calling a song "bad" is implicitly adding "to me" to the sentence. A song is only bad if no one responds to it positively, so the most that someone can say is that they don't like it. I really don't understand what strength some people apparently gain from pretending they have some formula for discerning everyone else's taste.

Re the second point, what we have is a classic case of a premise that exists only on ATC, that somehow takes on a life of its own.


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re: Hey, Charles Isherwood: SCREW YOU!

Posted by: Budinsky 12:41 am EST 12/08/13
In reply to: re: Hey, Charles Isherwood: SCREW YOU! - ryhog 11:44 am EST 12/07/13

RE "...you always have to assume that the person calling a song 'bad' is implicitly adding 'to me' to the sentence": No, I don't have to always assume anything. If he/you meant "to me," then he he/you should have clearly stated such -- which he/you didn't.

RE "A song is only bad if no one responds to it positively, so the most that someone can say is that they don't like it": That makes no sense at all.

RE "...what we have is a classic case of a premise that exists only on ATC, that somehow takes on a life of its own": This is even more senseless than the previous quote which would seem an impossibility as that one made no sense.


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Peter Allen's

Posted by: StageDoorJohnny 11:19 pm EST 12/06/13
In reply to: re: Hey, Charles Isherwood: SCREW YOU! - enoch10 04:52 pm EST 12/06/13

Love Don't Need a Reason is a much better song and more in keeping with the AIDS crisis, tho' I don't believe it was written for that reason either -- tho it sure could have been, given the lyric


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