Revelation 3:16 “Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”
In my past few blog entries I lament about Adam Lambert’s first single “Better Than I Know Myself” (BTIKM) off of his new, yet to be released album, “Trespassing.” I said that it wasn’t the “EXPLOSION” and I wrote about the contrasting of the “Dark Adam” and “Light Adam” in the video. My last blog was a complaint about the release date getting pushed back. As I write this it’s been pushed back again to “Spring 2012.”
There is already discussion about BTIKM being a flop. It may be too soon to tell if it’s a “flop”, but it certainly wasn’t a “hit” coming out of the box. Well, if it’s not a hit or a flop, what is it? Adam has said that the album has a dark side and a light side and that BTIKM “bridges” the two sides. In the video the dark saves the light and we see Adam as a combination of the two. Kind of “lukewarm” I guess.
From what Adam has said about the album, it is funky. There are dance songs, ballads, anthems, a little bit of disco, a nod to the 80s, a nod to the 90s, along with a taste of today’s club music. So to me it’s “nothing.” It will be rejected in the pop world and in the classic rock world. And most of it was written by Adam Lambert himself, a runner-up on American Idol.
Speaking of American Idol, this is a show that awards a recording contract as the prize. But while it started out being a way to find a star, it is now a brand, a TV show designed to make the show a success, not the contestants. And it has been since season 2. Although they didn’t mention the vote split, I imagine in the first season that Kelly slaughtered Justin, so a huge majority of the show’s audience was waiting to purchase her music. Season 2 gave us the near tie between Ruben and Clay. Many thought that Clay should have won and didn’t because they couldn’t get an open phone line to vote. While Clay’s first single, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” was a hit and hoards of Claymates went to his concerts, he got very little play on the radio. Why? Because Clay is not an artist as much as he is a performer of cover tunes. So Clay made a choice and is recording and performing cover tunes. I would think that Clay would still be a huge success had he been comfortable enough in his own skin to be “gay”. What we saw on Idol and in his early years was a nice man who was kind of asexual, pretending to be straight for his older female, conservative fan base. For better or worse, we live in a world where stars have no personal life. American Idol fosters this by promoting the contestant’s back stories, introducing us to their families and making visits to their home towns. Again, this makes for some great TV, but doesn’t really help the contestants sell records. The next winner to have big success was Carrie Underwood. I think she won, like Kelly, by slaughtering her competition and by being very clear who she was, a country artist with a great voice and great looks.
Season 8 brings us Adam Lambert. Here was the best voice and a great looking guy. For his audition he sang Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You”, a pop song, and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, an iconic rock song. Now Idol has learned over the years how to manipulate their audience so they only showed Adam singing the rock song, thereby stamping him as “The Rock Guy.”
To make the top 13, Adam sang “Satisfaction”, a rock song. During country week Adam said a big “F(_)CK YOU.”
He came out in leather and did the most sexed up version of a song ever performed on the Idol stage with “Ring of Fire”.
Now if Idol had showed Adam’s back story performing “A Change is Gonna Come” or “Crawl Through Fire” on The Zodiac Show, the audience would have seen that this is the closest to who Adam is an artist and perhaps his performance would not have been so polarizing. But then again, he may not have ever seen the top 13.
I’m not sure the American Idol audience of flyover country was ready for that. But if you didn’t care for Adam’s “Ring of Fire”, Adam came back with stunning performances of “Tracks of My Tears” for Motown week, “Play That Funky Music” for top downloads week, “Mad World” for birth year (1982) week, “If I Can’t Have You” for disco week and “Feelin’ Good” for rat pack standards week. Do you see a pattern? It’s a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Each week Adam pulled in fans from each of the genres. But to me, the majority of the fans came with “Born To Be Wild”, “Slow Ride” and “Whole Lotta Love”… rock songs. Do you recall some of the judges’ comments? Kara said he should be doing 9 Inch Nails and punk rock because nobody is doing it. She also gave him the title of “Rock God”. Randy said his album should be rock. Simon said they found a star and Paula, well, she was gushing over anything and everything Adam did since his audition when she said he was the best we heard from every city.
Adam gave us another “F(_)CK YOU” moment when, after the votes were counted and it was safe, he came out with rhinestones on his eyes, a costume with arm cages and his glittery platform boots that he wore in The Zodiac Show to sing with Kiss, a rock group, to complete the American Idol penned story of the “Birth of a Rock God.”
Then to seal his destiny with a full circle moment, joined Queen on stage for the finale of the finale.
Adam was the runner-up.
Adam said that “Rock Week” was his favorite. But when Adam is asked about his favorite performers or influences we get a mix of pop and rock. We hear Bowie and Queen on the rock side and Michael Jackson and Madonna on the pop side. And what we end up with is a guy with the best voice in the industry who can sing anything, trying to straddle that bridge, trying to please everyone and ending up being lukewarm to most of them. He’s not getting play on pop radio and he’s being rejected by a vocal minority of rock purists. The American Idol story begins and ends with Queen. When the season ended, the headlines and interviews asked if Adam would be Queen’s new front man. His answer was no but they may work together again someday. Adam wanted to meet Madonna, the iconic Princess of Pop. Adam had been in a band with Monte Pittman who was Madonna’s guitarist and he set up a meeting. Madonna’s advice, “Keep your eyes on the prize”. The question is, what is the prize?
Adam had just graced the cover of the Rolling Stone with a major “F(_)CK YOU,” letting what fraction of the world didn’t notice or didn’t care, know that he was gay.
During the Idol tour Adam opened, or blasted off, with “Whole Lotta Love” and ended with a Bowie medley. Several “F(_)CK YOU” dance moves found their way into Adam’s performances. Many of us loved this but there was a fraction of parents with kids who didn’t think this was appropriate for their children.
Not really knowing what his audience wanted, Adam’s first album reflected his Idol journey with a little rock, a nod to the 80s, a nod to the 90s, a little dance music and one “F(_)CK YOU” song “Fever” which he says with one word, “he.” The song chosen for the first single was the title track, “For Your Entertainment.” It was the closest to who Adam was an artist, a sexed up, leather clad rock god. The video had images of a man who was in complete control, getting what he came for, flanked by dancers obeying his commands. Adam gets the opportunity to take that image to prime time TV at the American Music Awards.
In a “F(_)CK YOU” moment, Adam kisses Tommy.
And now we have another polarizing performance. In order to please the mortified vocal minority, a different single was released. People like “Whataya Want From Me.” It gets a fair share of radio play and due to his American Idol recording contract prize and representation from 19 Entertainment, Adam is able to make enough appearances and sell enough records to keep him moving forward. It was a perfect song to cross the bridge into the pop radio world, where Adam wanted to go.
The cover said “F(_)CK YOU.”
Adam makes another “F(_)CK YOU” move. He wants to tour but he’s not opening for anyone. He’s doing what he wants to do. He’s in control. He came up with a concept. He found a way to make a story out of a mix of songs. Adam appears barefoot with a purple fringed coat and a top hat with a feather and a scarlet “A.” This is who Adam is and he wears the scarlet “A” like a badge of honor. He sang the sexed up “Ring of Fire” then immediately went into “Fever” complete with planting some hot kisses on Tommy each night. Adam went on to sell out the tour and took it all over the world. Of course there was that vocal minority who picketed outside of some of the concerts.
With his “F(_)CK YOU” attitude, Adam takes a year (or so) and records his next record. Adam kept his anxious, obsessed fans happy by letting us know who he was recording with. He was photographed with his new boyfriend, punched a hole in the ceiling at Lady Gaga’s birthday party and ended up getting arrested while visiting his boyfriend’s family in Finland. The only new song we heard was “Outlaws of Love.” Adam’s fans who were disappointed that “Fever” was never released as a single were excited that a song about the plight of gay couples is possibly the first single from the new album. This is what Adam needs. He needs a song that says, “F(_)CK YOU.”
Next Adam tells us to watch the MTV European Music Awards. Adam appeared fronting Queen. His name was not in lights. It’s not even announced. Adam seemed to not want to ruffle any feathers. Brian May and Roger Taylor know who Adam Lambert is. He is a “Rock God” worthy of standing in the place of the iconic Freddie Mercury. Adam returns to Hollywood to put the finishing touches on his album which we just know will be a giant “F(_)CK YOU.”
In an “I’M GONNA MAKE MYSELF AND ALL THE RADIO LISTENERS HAPPY” moment, Adam releases “Better Than I Know Myself.” I don’t know. It just doesn’t roll off the tongue like “F(_)CK YOU.”
Teasing us for what seems forever, Adam says he will be doing something with Queen. But he’s not joining Queen because he has his own album to finish and promote. We got to hear the song “Trespassing” which is similar to Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust”, which ironically is Adam’s ring tone on his phone. Finally it is announced, almost like I had predicted, one night with Queen and Adam Lambert at Sonisphere on July 7, 2012.
This is the place where Freddie Mercury last performed in August of 1986.
Adam has delayed his album yet again to work on some songs from Dr. Luke. I guess he’s going back over that pop radio bridge. And he tells us while wearing comfy, loose jackets and untied boots…
Sorry, I nodded off there for a second.
What I really want to hear is Adam is working on a song with Queen. It’s a song that says “F(_)CK YOU” much like “Bohemian Rhapsody” did to radio back in the 70s. It sounded like nothing else with its soaring operatic vocals mixed with rock music.
Adam Lambert, I love you and will support you by buying anything you put out.
But even though you think your prize is a career as a
“Pop Prince,”
it is your destiny to say
“F(_)CK YOU” and be crowned the “Rock God.”
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