Tag: the doors

A Close Look at India’s Love for International Pop

Did you know there was once a Danish band that was more popular in India than in Denmark? The group Michael Learns to Rock shot to fame with singles like “The Actor” and “That’s Why You Go Away” in the ’90s. At the height of their success, they made tour stops in the Indian cities of Bengaluru and Chennai. The band was so well received that they amassed an enormous cult following across the country for years to come. 

“They got into cabs and went to the airport in Copenhagen—living the normal life. And when they landed in India, there was a huge entourage that greeted them with garlands, and limousines carried them to their hotels,” Padmanabhan Nurani, Spotify’s Head of Artists and Label Marketing India, tells For the Record. 

It’s just a mere glimpse of how the country’s music fans have long embraced local and global artists. 

Home to countless Bollywood stars, along with raga virtuosos, indie talent, and more, India has been a vibrant hub for international music and a top tour destination for world-class acts like Led Zeppelin and Bruce Springsteen. Sneha Singh, Head of Music Culture and Editorial India, credits the rich diversity of the country’s music landscape for this broad acceptance of global sounds.

“Because we have so many languages, it’s just ingrained in us to take in and to respect each other’s cultures,” Singh tells For the Record. “Acceptance is fairly easy and this means we listen to all kinds of music.”

The robust and rich content on Spotify India ranges from locally curated favorites like Top Hits Hindi and Punjabi 101 to global playlists like Today’s Top Hits and New Music Friday. Now, with the recent addition of the Warner Music Group catalog in India, listeners are also streaming the latest tracks from global stars such as Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, and Cardi B, and rock fans have access to entire discographies of Coldplay, Linkin Park, and The Doors, among others.

In the first two weeks of the catalog’s availability in India, Ed Sheeran and Dua Lipa were the top two most-searched Warner Music artists, respectively. The most-searched-for tracks wereDance Monkey by Australian songwriter Tones And I, followed by Roddy Ricch’s infectious hip-hop anthem “The Box.” 

Nurani says it’s no surprise that Ed Sheeran comes up tops for the nation of 1.3 billion people. Sheeran has performed in India twice. In 2017 he greeted his audience with a respectful “namaste” (“hello” in Hindi) before performing dressed in a blue silk kurta, the traditional shirt worn across South Asia. TheShape of Youstar’s choice of wardrobe made national headlines, and the song played on the radio for the next two years. 

Like Sheeran, Dua Lipa is also a regular in India and shows her appreciation for local culture whenever she performs there. Before playing in Mumbai last year, Dua Lipa took some time to meet with Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan and even picked up a few of his dance moves. Khan’s post to Instagram fed a local media frenzy online and delighted fans everywhere—such is the interest in “Bollywood meets Hollywood.”

To editorial expert Singh, these cross-cultural collaborations are all a natural expression of how pop culture works in this diverse, music-savvy country. “We have borrowed from the West, and the other way around,” she says. “Music has always been about inspiration and evolving it for the listener’s ears.”

Looking for a deep dive into Indian pop? Start with Spotify’s Hot Hits India playlist and keep going with New Music Friday India and This Is Arjit Singh.

10 Albums That Prove the Summer of ’69 Was a Hot One for Music

It’s been 50 years since the summer of 1969, three months that remain one of the most memorable periods in modern music history. Of course, many associate the summer of ’69 with the Woodstock music festival, which featured now legendary performances by Santana, Grateful Dead , Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix, to name just a few. But it was also an incredible time for album releases.

As the warm-weather months of 2019 comes to a close, here’s a look back at 10 of the many albums that rocked the world during the summer of ’69.

At San Quentin by Johnny Cash

This album, Cash’s 31st, was the follow-up to his groundbreaking 1968 performance and album recorded at Folsom Prison. The show also marked the first live performances of “San Quentin” and “A Boy Named Sue.” At San Quentin was later nominated for Album of the Year.

First Take by Roberta Flack

First Take is still considered an extraordinary debut from an artist of any genre. It went on to top the charts in 1972 after Ewan MacColl’s cover of her song “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” was included in the 1971 Clint Eastwood film Play Misty for Me.

Suitable for Framing by Three Dog Night

Suitable for Framing included hits like the instantly recognizable “Feeling Alright,” as well as “Lady Samantha,” written by then-unknown Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The band’s previous album from 1968 featured “One,” written by Harry Nilsson, which was still in the top 10 by the summer of ’69. (Nilsson’s song “Gotta Get Up” was rediscovered recently in the hit Netflix series Russian Doll.)

From Elvis in Memphis by Elvis Presley

The tenth studio album by The King was considered one of his best ever, both at the time of its release and now. Recorded in a country-soul style in Memphis, the album came after a long dry spell in which Elvis mostly focused on soundtracks for the films in which he starred. The album’s single “In the Ghetto,” written by Mac Davis, hit number three on the charts.  

The Soft Parade by The Doors

The fourth studio album by the band, The Soft Parade marked The Doors’ transition to a more mainstream sound. It features one of their biggest hits, “Touch Me.”

Bubblegum, Lemonade, and… Something for Mama by Cass Elliot

This effort had two big hits from Elliot’s five-album solo career after her time in The Mamas & The Papas, including “It’s Getting Better” and “Make Your Own Kind of Music,” the latter of which was added to the album when it was re-released later in the year.

The Stooges by The Stooges

Although it was initially dismissed by critics, the debut album from Iggy Pop and his bandmates is now considered a classic—essentially punk before punk existed. The band broke up after a couple years, but was revived by Stooges fan David Bowie.

Green River by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Not only is the album itself impressive, with its hits “Green River” and “Bad Moon Rising,” but this was the second of three classic full-length albums the band released in 1969 alone.

My Cherie Amour by Stevie Wonder

Wonder’s 11th studio album is just one in a long string of successful records, but this one stands out for its original songs “My Cherie Amour” and “Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday,” as well as Wonder’s inventive cover of “Light My Fire” by The Doors.

Santana by Santana

If nothing else, Santana knows not to squander an opportunity. The band, featuring guitarist Carlos Santana, got its big break at Woodstock and delivered a memorable performance ahead of their debut album’s release.

Want to tap into the sentiment of ’69 even more? Stream Parcast’s new Summer of ’69 true-crime podcast series.