Baby, Nooo.

151 million views on Youtube. A writing and production team that includes The-Dream, Ludacris, and Christina Milian, so I guess if they were being paid $1 per view, they'd still need about 200 Million more views, but hey, gotta spend money to make money, right?

I understand criticizing Justin Bieber is like going to a 6-year-old's soccer game and saying that the skill level just isn't there... I know that the music wasn't supposed to be for me. I know it was supposed to appeal to the only people left with disposable income: Kids. I know they never set out to impress me.

"...You want my love, You want my heart
And we will never ever ever be apart...

And I was like
Baby, baby, baby ohhh
Like baby, baby, baby noo
Like baby, baby, baby ohh
I thought you'd always be mine mine..."

All I ask is that we try a little. Try a little harder. Try to write a song again that appeals to young people and doesn't patronize them. Broaden their minds. This doesn't do that.

I know it doesn't set out to do that. But maybe, just maybe if our kids were a little smarter, they'd make the world a better place. And it starts with the music.

The Greatest Pretender?

One thing that's never changed about music; The industry wants money. The only way to get that money? Churn out the hits.

Buck Ram saw what he needed in the Platters; flexibility and a desire to be successful... all he needed to do was encourage the enigmatic Tony Williams to join the band. The result? One of the greatest acts of the 50's, and the first black act of the rock 'n' roll era to top the charts.

For a disgustingly short time (they deserved more), the Platters made the hits Ol' Buck wanted. But doo-wop was just a style, and soon passed. But they left some great music behind.