Jared Braden » Madonna

Cyndi Lauper Nominated For 2014 Songwriters Hall of Fame

Jared Braden — Wed, 09 Oct 2013 23:28:37 +0000

Pop singer and avid LGBT rights activist Cyndi Lauper is nominated alongside a number of artists for the 2014 Songwriters Hall of Fame. The octave-vaulting songstress is in the running against her former 80s rival Madonna, John Mellencamp, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Linda Perry, and more. The nominees were revealed by The Associated Press in advance of the official announcement. Eligible voters can select two nominees from the list of songwriter-performers and three nonperforming songwriters before voting ends Dec. 16th.

With an impressive back catalog of well-written tunes, it is a wonder it has taken the Songwriters Hall of Fame so long to acknowledge Cyndi Lauper! Sure, she didn’t write a few of her biggest hits (True Colors/ I Drove All Night), but she has penned some pretty remarkable tracks over her 30+ year career. I thought it would be fun to look back on my top five Cyndi Lauper gems. I chose these because the lyrics have always had a direct connection to my heart.

05. “Time After Time”
Writers: Cyndi Lauper , Rob Hyman
Year / Album: 1984 /She’s So Unusual

After my picture fades and darkness has turned to gray.

04. “You Don’t Know”
Writers: Cyndi Lauper, Jan Pulsford
Year / Album: 1997 /Sisters of Avalon

Left suppresses right, right suppresses left. So what’s left, and what’s right ?

03. “Shine”
Writers: Cyndi Lauper, William Wittman
Year / Album: 2002 /Shine

I can see the frown you wear all around, like some faded crown.

02. “Sally’s Pigeons”
Writers: Cyndi Lauper, Mary Chapin Carpenter
Year / Album: 1993 /Hat Full of Stars

I had a fool’s confidence that the world had no boundaries. But instincts and common sense come in different quantities.

01. “Boy Blue”
Writers: Cyndi Lauper, Stephen Broughton Lunt, Jeff Bova
Year / Album: 1987 /True Colors

You send a letter with photographs, and I’ll tuck them under my dreams.

Kylie Minogue Sued Over “Speakerphone” Sample

Jared Braden — Wed, 09 Oct 2013 16:01:50 +0000

Could our Kylie actually be a beat stealer? Well, if you ask the Delaware based record company VMG Salsoul, the answer would be ‘yes’! VMG is alleging that the pop icon and her producers intentionally used samples from the 1978 disco song “Sing Sing” by Gaz for her track “Speakerphone.” According a lawsuit filed in California on October 7th against the Australian singer and Warner Music Group, Kylie never paid to use the sample — and has illegally profited off the song since she released “Speakerphone” in 2007. The track, which features production work from Bloodshy and Avant, is taken from the album X.

This isn’t VMG Salsoul’s first time to allege copyright infringement. The company sued Madonna last year after claiming the singer sampled the horns and strings from Salsoul Orchestra’s 1977 dance song “Chicago Bus Stop (Ooh, I Love It)” in her 1990 worldwide smash “Vogue.”

New Madonna Album Coming Next Year?

Jared Braden — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 02:42:46 +0000

Could the pop gods have something big in store for us next year? It’s possible! In a Reddit live question-and-answer session, the Queen of Pop has hinted that a new album might be coming! When a fan asked about new music, Madonna said, “There might be [a new album in 2014]…my creative juices are flowing….”

This really could mean anything, but I am hoping it means a new record. I wasn’t a big fan of MDNA, so I am hoping she can somehow reconnect to her aging fanbase, which includes me!