They say a well-rounded education is the key to success, and if that truly is the case, the my schooling is woefully incomplete when it comes to the subject of pop. That's why we bring you "Popology," the guide to modern radio-friendly stars as seen through the eyes of a guy who grew up on punk and metal. In case you missed previous installments, catch up with Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and the Spice Girls here.
In this week's installment, Ricky Martin throws a fiesta on the radio.
As I've stated many times before in this column, the end of the '90s was a confusing time. Because there was no dominant trend in pop music, dozens of different trends all descended at once. There was the ska trend, the swing revival, the rise of pop-rap and, of course, nu-metal. Also all over the radio waves near the end of the millennium? The so called "Latin invasion," which allowed for smashing success for Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, "Macarena" and the subject of today's column: Ricky Martin.
Martin, a native of Puerto Rico who first got a taste of fame as a member of Menudo when he was still a teenager, had been recording as a solo artist in his native Spanish for most of the 1990s before he dropped his self-titled English-language debut in the spring of 1999. It was an instant hit, as the lead single "Livin' La Vida Loca" immediately accosted the radio waves and topped the charts. Martin quickly became not just a musician but a meme, a representation of a new influx of Latino talent that was taking shiny pop songs and dressing them up in salsa horns and South American dance beats. "Livin' La Vida Loca" started as a catchy tune and quickly became so ubiquitous that it became a cliché, seemingly within a few days of topping the Billboard Hot 100.
But it's important to ask the question that "Popology" always asks: Are the songs — especially the non-singles — any good? Read More...
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