BRITNEY SPEARS & THE RETURN OF SONG & DANCE

"BRITNEY SPEARS AND THE RETURN OF SONG AND DANCE"

BY PETE HOLLY

IN THE 60'S BOB DYLAN ONCE JOKED DURING A PRESS CONFERANCE
THAT HE WAS A "SONG AND DANCE MAN".IT WAS A FUNNY REMARK
AT THE TIME,BECAUSE DYLANS LYRICS WERE A SOUNDING BOARD FOR
BOTH THE INCREDIBLE TURMOIL OF THE TIMES AND FOR IT'S HOPE.
IN OTHER WORDS-DYLANS LYRICS AND MUSICAL STYLE,{WHICH WAS
WAS EVOLVING AT A RAPID PACE}WERE HIS DANCE.
MOST OF THE ACTS FROM THE SIXTIES WERE ALSO LYRICALLY
BASED."THE BEATLES" JUMPED AROUND ABIT BUT BY 66 THEY THIER
TOURING DAYS WERE OVER.ALL THE 60'S BANDS/ARTISTS THAT MOVED
{EXCEPT THE MOTOWN ACTS}DID SO IN A UNCHOREOGRAPHED MANNER.
-IT WAS ALL FREE-FORM-TOWNSEND,JAGGER,JAMES BROWN,JIM MORRISON
-WILD ABANDON-.
ONE OF THE LEAST DOCUMENTED CHANGES IN MUSIC WAS THE RE-
INTRODUCTION OF "SONG AND DANCE" AND EVENTUALLY FULL BLOWN
BROADWAY SHOW STYLE PRODUCTION BY "MADONNA" AS SHE BECAME
"THE STAR" OF THE 1980'S.THIS HAD A HUGE IMPACT ON THE YOUNGEST
MEMBERS OF HER FAN BASE ;ESPECIALLY ONE NAMED "BRITNEY SPEARS".
THE TOP THREE TOURS LAST MONTH WERE 1."THE DEAD"-THE AUDIENCE
DANCES BUT THE BAND DOESN'T{ALA THE 60'S}2."BRITNEY SPEARS"-FULL
BLOWN BROADWAY SHOW STYLE PRODUCTION{EMULATING AND SOME
MIGHT SAY OUTDOING HER IDOL- MADONNA}{THE 90'S TO NOW} 3."BRUCE
SPRINGTEEN"-{THE 70'S TO NOW}WHO'S MIX OF DYLAN LIKE LYRICAL
INTENSITY WITH HIS OWN "ROCK MOVES" MAKE HIM ONE OF THE BEST
LIVE ACTS OF ALL TIME.
IN ONE RESPECT THE 80'S ARE MISSING FROM THE WHOLE TOP-TEN
TOURS OF LAST MONTH-BUT IN ANOTHER ANOTHER SENSE THEY ARE NOT
BECAUSE "SPEARS" NEVER WOULD HAVE EVOLVED INTO THE KIND OF "SONG
AND DANCE" GIRL THAT SHE IS WITHOUT MADONNA'S BRINGING BACK
"SONG AND DANCE' AND BIG BROADWAY SHOW STYLE PRODUCTION IN
THE 1980'S.
YOU COULD ARGUE 'TILL THE COWS COME HOME ABOUT WHICH
APPROACH IS BEST BUT I THINK THE GOOD NEWS IS-IF YOU'VE GOT
AN ACT-AND IT'S A GOOD ONE-THERE ARE STILL LARGE AUDIENCES OUT
THERE FOR ALL THESE DIFFERANT APPROACH'S TO PUTTING ON A SHOW.
YOU CAN ALSO FIND INFLUENCE'S FROM EVERY GENERATION IN NEARLY
ALL OF THESE SHOW'S.DYLAN MAY HAVE BEEN JOKING BUT NOW "SONG
AND DANCE" -IS- ONE OF THE WIDE VARIETY OF SHOW STYLE'S THAT EXIST IN
TODAY'S LIVE MUSIC MARKET.I DON'T THINK ANYONE WAS THINKING
THAT WOULD BE THE CASE 35 YEARS AGO OR EVEN 29 YEARS AGO.
THE TRUTH IS WE PROBABLY HAVE THE WIDEST RANGE OF LIVE ACT'S
AVAILABLE TODAY AS FAR AS STYLE-THAT WE HAVE EVER HAD !
AND TO PARAPHRASE "THE BEATLES" YOU KNOW THAT CAN'T BE BAD.

WRITTEN BY PETE HOLLY-COPYRIGHT-2009-ALL RIGHT'S RESERVED