Loser – Gaga And Perry – Yes folks, it has come to this. Gaga steals off Madonna, Perry off Sara Bareilles and both off them come across like your maiden Aunt for Iowa. A duo so passed it, if you put them both together for a 1000 years witha typewriter they could write out the lyric to “Get Lucky”… maybe. The problem here isn’t good or bad or right or wrong, or even smart or stupid, this is pop music. The problem is sale or no sale and when what you are working on pop music, what your side of the street should do is sel. Indeed, I lower grades when pop isn’t popular. It is like having car that keeps on breaking down. However good the care looks, it isn’t performing its function. Gaga and Perry aren’t performing their function.
Winner – Paul McCartney – I don’t make many great claims for “New” but I will claim this: it is McCartney’s best song in years and years. The harmonies are great and it is like Beatles meets Wings meets solo. It is, within its own limitations, and despite the pedigree, a really good song at this stage of the game: something to excite everyone, now that is a real pop music artist.