The untimely demise of the single?
Not that it is a surprise to you, though it may be to some, but the most played single of all time on British radio is ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen. A six minute slab of prog-rock, with twinkling pianos, introspective lyrics, head-banging guitar, gongs and vocals laden with three-part harmonies, which owe more to Opera than they do to mid-‘70s guitar noodling. There’s no point disputing the majesty and pomp of our affective national anthem, which has been Christmas number one twice (1975 and 1991), selling an astounding million copies in both years.
Today, the chances of such a phenomenon is slimmer than a stick of Pepperami. No band today would seriously entertain the idea of a huge hit single. As Johnny Borrell unimaginatively sings: “There’s nothing on the TV, nothing on the radio that means that much to me.” If one concedes that he might be right, the singles from recent years, which comprise the mainstay of popular radio, are no way near as catchy or exciting as they were when Radio Luxembourg floated around the English Channel.
But then again, there are still sublime, golden nuggets of pop tickling our collective ears. I stand resolute and perhaps alone when I say I bloody love ‘Shine’ by Take That and ‘About You Now’ by Sugababes. And for the indie bands that briefly stalk around the lower ends of the top forty, without single releases you don’t get the B-sides and the limited edition 7” releases which make people of my disposition go weak in the knees.
Some would point to downloading as the cause of the single’s demise. But then hapless JK and Joel’s singles chart takes into account downloads. Instead, I think bands, their management and their labels prefer to promote their music with high-budget music videos and television commercial tie-ins. Why? Well more money of course.
Let’s face it - the single is an outdated, cumbersome way of releasing music. Most bands of integrity shun singles and prefer their music to be appreciated in the context of the album it is from. Led Zeppelin refused to release singles in the 1970s and, more recently, Radiohead have had an ongoing dispute with iTunes to only release their tracks as an album, and not as individual tracks.
Perhaps the emphasis these days is more on the album than the single. The Beatles’ first album (what was it called again?) was recorded into a business where it was hit single or bust. We have them to thank for bringing the concept of the album to life.
Although I zealously love and cherish albums, a part of me will pine away for the instantly catchy and fun single. Can they occur when our record shops don’t stock singles anymore? Will it die an undignified death as someone’s ringtone or as an illegal MP3 download on someone’s laptop? I hope not, I still see the purpose of hit singles to collectively unite people on any dance floor. I don’t think discussing your limited edition vinyl edition of ‘Kid A’ will catch on.
Singles should be fun and also throwaway, the same impulse which makes you eat at McDonalds. So if and when the next ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ hits the airwaves, it will sparkle that bit brighter.
