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Two Women Swede Pop Singers
Plethora of Pop Rate a Song Series
Leave it to Terry Barr to take what was a low point of popular music media in the 60’s-80’s (the American Bandstand’s “Rate a Song” challenge) and transform it into a fascinating series on Plethora of Pop. (For those unfamiliar with the original, here’s a sample. Millenials and later: next time one of my Boomer compatriots tells you we were the coolest generation, play this clip for them.)
To keep my challenge as close to the original as possible (but hopefully with better music), I’m choosing songs most people won’t know. A few of you hipsters are no doubt familiar with some Swede Pop music stars (post ABBA), but these two vocalists may be less well-known. I’m not going to give a lot of background. Look them up later if you’re moved to do so. Both of these tracks are live versions of studio recordings. Pretend you’re on American Bandstand watching these artists sing (but without the lip synching).
Asha Ali, “The Time Is Now”
This is a sort of live version of one of Asha Ali’s songs, performed for the reveal of a new SAAB car. It’s stripped down to piano and vocals. Don’t blame Asha for the commercialism — SAAB is after all a fairly cool car (okay, cool if you’re a Boomer).
