Its by Pitbull, the Cuban-American club-pop action figure, and features the gleefully trashy pop star Kesha.This trend even dates back to the disco era and such winter dominators as the Bee Gees Stayin Alive and Night Fever and Chics Le Freak although the latters lyrics were actually inspired by not being allowed in the club.And it starts with Mumford Sons, the wildly popular, exceedingly over-rewarded English folk-rockers.
Rarely has a popular act so changed the sound of radio while not scoring a major hit single themselves. That fluke development got the Mumfords a bunch of new fans and a rock radio hit or two, but it didnt get them on the Z100s of the world. Back then Top 40 radio was at the peak of turbo-pop; the Hot 100 was awash in club beats, from the likes of Far East Movement, LMFAO, Britney Spears, Rihanna, and Pitbull. Top 40 programmers started rotating twinkly, strummy tracks by the likes of Imagine Dragons ( Its Time ) and Of Monsters and Men ( Little Talks ). By the start of 2013, one-trick-pony act the Lumineers rode the stomping, positively Mumfordesque Ho Hey to No. Hot 100. The timing was especially surreal for the Mumfords, who were then dominating the Billboard chart with their sophomore disc, the future Album of the Year Grammy-winner Babel, but whose single I Will Wait couldnt get any higher than No. His Wake Me Up a collaboration with soul vocalist Aloe Blaccmerged folk-and-country-flavored acoustic guitar with electro-club beats, to produce a crossover smash that spread from triple-A to rock to dance to Top 40 formats. The song eventually peaked at No. Hot 100 last fall and, by Christmas, became the most-played song at U.S. With its prominent harmonica and bro-country -savvy lyrics, Timber can best be understood as the unasked-for sequel to the mid-90s Jock Jam staple Cotton Eye Joe by Rednex. Its several steps down the Americana-manqu food chain from the Mumfords, and it owes its existence to Top 40s shift since 2012 toward vaguely rootsy pasticheyou can tell that its creators, including hit-music mastermind Dr. ![]() The man born Armando Christian Prez emerged a decade ago on the heels of two early-aughts hip-hop trendsthe bassy southern-rap style known as crunk, and the Latin-dancehall hybrid reggaetn. Pits first crossover hit, in 2004, was Culo, a thumping reggaetn ode to asses backed by crunk king Lil Jon. In 2009 he reached No. Hot 100 with I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho), a hit that transitioned Pitbull from his former Latin-rap persona to dancefloor denizen. In summer 2011, his Ne-Yo and Afrojacksupported Give Me Everything, with nary a Spanish lyric (My familys from Cuba But Im an American idol), topped the Hot 100. Although he still periodically scores Latin-radio hits, Seor Prez knows where his medianoche is buttered. Kesha Rose Sebert, daughter of veteran Nashville songwriter Patricia Rose Pebe Sebert, first broke as an uncredited hook-singer, on Flo Ridas 2009 hit Right Round. Whatever you think of the choruss dim-witted melody and lyric, shelike Rihanna on Eminems Monsteris the best thing about the track, playing up her native accent and clearly embracing the cornpone. But its still not a patch on the best K-dollar hits like Your Love Is My Drug or We R Who We R. And even Pitbulls been better beforecertainly on Culo, arguably on Calle Ocho. I still hear Flo Ridas ass-celebrating Low at parties and Cotton Eye Joe at baseball games, so Timber could well have the uncanny resilience of many monster club jams before it. And its impossible to know whether folktronica frippery like this will finally break Top 40 of its roots-pop fever or inspire yet another trend-hopping actwill.i.am, perhapsto take us even further down this rabbit hole. Join Slate Plus to continue reading, and youll get unlimited access to all our workand support Slates independent journalism.
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