That Was Then - This Is Now, Volume 9: The Jarring Juxtaposition of Female Vocalists Past and Present!

 You've come a long way, baby... 

 and these jarring juxtapositions 

 offer indisputable proof! 

Welcome to Vol. 9 of my series

Jarring Juxtapositions:
That Was Then - This Is Now!

It is not my intention to pass judgement. (That's your job. :) This series
merely invites you to compare apples and oranges. Hard as it might
be for you to believe, I enjoy all of the female recording artists
you are about to see and hear. Join me on this jarring journey
back and forth through time as we compare the look,
the sound and the attitude of female singers

then... and now!

THAT WAS THEN

CONNIE FRANCIS

It's a different world, my friend. When I was a boy, girls looked, sounded

and acted like Connie Francis and the other coeds in the coming-of-age

romantic comedy film Where the Boys Are (Spring Breakers 2012 was
 light years away!). Return with me now to the age of innocence as
Connie sings a song from the Brill Building songwriting team of
Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, the theme from the movie
that hit theaters at the end of 1960 and marked her acting
debut-- "Where The Boys Are.""

"Where the Boys Are" - Connie Francis

(Feb./Mar. 1961, highest chart pos. #4 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

THIS IS NOW

 NICKI MINAJ 

IMAGE COURTESY OF CDCOVERS @ deviantart.com

Like Connie Francis and her girlfriends, Trinidad-born rap star Nicki Minaj

loves to go where the boys are- the beach. And, wouldn't you know it,

Nicki's wearing an itsy bitsy teenie weenie bikini. Nicki believes in

partying hard, and she does just that on two Hawaiian islands,

the filming locations for the 2012 music video "Starships,"

an international hit single from her second studio

album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded.

"Starships" - Nicki Minaj

(May,June, July 2012, highest chart pos.

#2 Dance Club/#5 Hot 100/#2 UK/#1 UK R&B)

THAT WAS THEN

THE CHORDETTES

Nearly identical to Nicki Minaj in every single way 😋 are the singing sweethearts

of Sheboygan - The Chordettes. The traditional pop quartet made the hit parade

in the 1950s and early 60s with "Lollipop," "Zorro," "Never On Sunday" and the

song you are about to hear, a #1 charting best seller from Christmas time 1954

through the early weeks of 1955. Here are The Chordettes performing their

first single, the biggest hit of their career-- "Mr. Sandman."

"Mr. Sandman" - The Chordettes

(Dec. 1954, Jan. 1955, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

THIS IS NOW

 ADDIE NICOLE AMICK 

 & HALOCENE feat. 

 LAUREN BABIC & 

 ALANNA STERLING 

Lead zinger Addie Nicole's hair ranges from fire engine red to carrot orange,

and the exciting frontwoman is back at Shady's Place along with her fierce

 Phoenix-based rock band Halocene. They're here to perform a metal/rock

cover of "Bang Bang," the chart-topping 2014 hit by English singer

Jessie J in collaboration with American singer Ariana Grande and

the spark-plug who just sang "Starships," Trinidadian-American

rapper Nicki Minaj. Joining Addie Nicole on lead vocals is

Alanna Sterling aka "Mermaid Unicorn."  YouTube star

Lauren Babic will blow you away when she jumps in

on the rap part. Yessum, it's three rockin' ladies for

the price of one - Addie, Alanna  and Lauren -

comin' atcha with guns blazing, doing their

electrifying version of-- "Bang Bang!"

"Bang Bang" - Jessie J/Ariana Grande/Nicki Minaj

metal/rock cover by Halocene ft. Lauren Babic

and Alanna Sterling (Feb. 2022) 

THAT WAS THEN

MARIANNE FAITHFULL

Marianne Faithfull turns age 76 this year.
I repeat. Marianne Faithfull turns 76 this year.
The English singer, songwriter and actress was
discovered by Rolling Stones manager and
producer Andrew Loog Oldham. Marianne

had a long and turbulent relationship with
Mick Jagger and the two were part of the
hip Swinging London scene of the mid
to late 60s. Here is Marianne singing
her best known hit, a song penned by
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and
Andrew Loog Oldham entitled--
"As Tears Go By."

"As Tears Go By" - Marianne Faithfull

(Jan. 1965, highest chart pos.

#22 Hot 100/#30 Cash Box)

THIS IS NOW

 ANNALISE MAHANES 

 and imy2 

Lastly but not leastly, here's eye and ear candy for your feastly. Her name is

Annalise Mahanes and she fronts the Nashville-based pop trio imy2 which

stands for "I miss you, too."  The band writes and records original music

with, in their own words, "a dose of confidence, individuality and self-

love... powerful, nostalgic female vocals supported by the band's

undeniable chemistry." Here's Annalise supporting a woman's

right to chews... performing a song you can really

sink your teeth into-- "Bubblegum!" 

 

"Bubblegum" - imy2 (June 2020) 

'Til he holds me

I wait impatiently

Where the boys are,

where the boys are

Where the boys are,

someone waits for me

That Was Then - This Is Now, Volume 7: The Jarring Juxtaposition of Female Vocalists Past and Present!

                                             Image courtesy of AsylumCreations @ DeviantArt

 You've come a long way, baby... 

 and these jarring juxtapositions 

 offer indisputable proof! 

Welcome to Vol. 7 of my series

Jarring Juxtapositions:
That Was Then - This Is Now!

It is not my intention to pass judgement. (That's your job. :) This series
merely invites you to compare apples and oranges. Hard as it might
be for you to believe, I enjoy all of the female recording artists
you are about to see and hear. Join me on this jarring journey
back and forth through time as we compare the look,
the sound and the attitude of female singers

then... and now!

THAT WAS THEN

LYNN ANDERSON

Today's Jarring Juxtaposition journey begins back then, in the early 70s, with multi-

award-winning country singing star Lynn Anderson. In 1967 Lynn began a series of

appearances on The Lawrence Welk Show.  Columbia took notice and awarded Lynn

a recording contract.  Lynn rose to national fame with her biggest hit, a cover of the

Joe South song "Rose Garden." In late 1970, Lynn's single spent five weeks at the

top of the Country chart, and in early 1971 the record reached #1 on Cash Box

and top 3 on Billboard. Lynn Anderson was only 67 when she took ill and

died in 2015. Let's turn back the clock to happier times and watch Lynn

on the TV show That Good Ole Nashville Music doing her signature

song "(I beg your pardon... I never promised you a) Rose Garden." 

"Rose Garden" aka "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden"

- Lynn Anderson (Dec. 1970/Jan. & Feb. '71, highest chart

pos. #1 Country/#1 Cash Box/#3 Hot 100) 

THIS IS NOW

 LETTERS FROM THE FIRE 

In stark contrast to Lynn Anderson is hard rocker Alexa Kabazie, lead zinger

of the San Francisco band Letters From The Fire. Alexa left the band in 2017,

but not before giving us this rock nugget, the first single released from their

debut studio album Worth the Pain. Here now are Letters From The Fire

with "Give In To Me" which went top 40 on the Mainstream Rock chart.

"Give In To Me" - Letters From The Fire

(May 2016, highest chart pos. #33 Mainstream Rock,
from Sept. 2016 album Worth the Pain)

START PLAYING VIDEO
AT 25 SEC. MARK!

THAT WAS THEN

THE SUPREMES

Now let's go back to 1964, with The Supremes and "Come See About Me,"

their third single of five in a row to reach the top spot on the pop chart.

Two days after Christmas that year, Motown's premier act of the 60s

performed their latest hit on The Ed Sullivan Show, the first of

17 live appearances by The Supremes on the program. In this

extended remix clip you will see The Supremes dressed in

hot pink as they sang on Sullivan, and in black and white

 appearing on other music variety TV shows of the period.

"Come See About Me" (Extended Remix) - The Supremes

(Nov./Dec. 1964/Jan. 1965, highest chart pos.

#1 Hot 100 & Cash Box/#3 R&B)

THIS IS NOW

 STITCHED UP HEART 

A far cry from Diana, Mary and Flo is Alecia "Mixi" Demner, lead zinger of

Stitched Up Heart, a Los Angeles based hard rock/metal band that toured

with the band you saw and heard earlier - Letters From The Fire. In 2016

Stitched Up Heart's debut album Never Alone reached the Top 10 on

the Heatseeker and Hard Rock charts. "Monster," the second

single released from the album, thrashed its way into the

top 30 on the Mainstream Rock survey.

"Monster" - Stitched Up Heart

(Apr./May 2016, highest chart pos. #27 Mainstream Rock,
from June 2016 album Never Alone)

THAT WAS THEN

MARIE OSMOND

It's safe to say Marie Osmond is a woman of many talents. She has hosted a popular

TV variety show and later a talk show with brother Donny. She is an actress who
has starred in Broadway shows, had her own TV sitcom, is a published author,

a doll designer and the pitchwoman for a weight loss program. Meanwhile,

I'm still learning how to wave bye-bye.  As a recording artist Marie sings

country and pop.  Here's a clip of Marie singing "Cry, Baby Cry," the B

side of her uncharted 1977 single "Please Tell Him That I Said Hello,"

on an early 1978 episode of The Donny & Marie Show.

"Cry, Baby Cry" - Marie Osmond

(late 1977, B side of "Please Tell Him That I Said Hello,"

perf. on Jan. 20, 1978 ep. of The Donny & Marie Show)

THIS IS NOW

 HALOCENE & FRIENDS 

Now meet my #1 favorite female rocker of the 2020s - Addie Nicole - lead zinger

of the Phoenix, Arizona, band Halocene. I am 100% SOLD on Addie and her band.

In this performance, Addie and her guys are joined by three other female rock stars

who rose to fame on YouTube in recent years. They include Audra Miller of the

Erie, PA,  band First To Eleven, Violet Orlandi, an artist based in São Paulo,

Brazil, artist Lauren Babic of Toronto, Canada, plus a Toronto-based

male musician, guitarist Cole Rolland. Watch and listen as this

dream team of hot, young and talented rock performers

covers the Journey song "Don't Stop Believin'."

"Don't Stop Believin'" - Journey cover by Halocene

ft. Audra Miller of First To Eleven, Violet Orlandi,

Lauren Babic and Cole Rolland (Dec. 2020)

Cry, baby, cry... and

tears will mend your heart.

Have a Shady day!