Pentatonix Giving Up On You: Mind-Blowing Cover of “Say Something” (Video)

Prepare to wear out the repeat button. “The Sing Off” champs who have taken the a cappella world by storm majorly step up their game with their latest cover of A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera’s “Say Something.” With the inclusion of just their voices but a new addition to the team (the cello) in this cover, the group blows this cover out of the park with their haunting, yet serene take. Check it out below and let us know what you think!

The Red Hot Chili Peppers Super Bowl Uproar

So apparently, the RHCP went “unplugged” for their Superbowl performance. The Internets noticed all their guitars unplugged and went mad! Mad I tell you! How is it NOT ok for a singer to lip sync but ok for a guitarist to “air guitar” they say! They have photo evidence and all! Bring out the pitch forks!

Anthony Kiedis, the RHCP lead, still sang live however, so no pitch forks on him.

Well, the great Flea (RHCP bassist) has responded. According to the official Red Hot Chili Peppers site:

[quote cite=”Flea” url=”http://redhotchilipeppers.com/news/454-a-message-from-flea”]Dear everybody,

When we were asked by the NFL and Bruno to play our song Give It Away at the Super Bowl, it was made clear to us that the vocals would be live, but the bass, drums, and guitar would be pre-recorded. I understand the NFL’s stance on this, given they only have a few minutes to set up the stage, there a zillion things that could go wrong and ruin the sound for the folks watching in the stadium and the t.v. viewers. There was not any room for argument on this, the NFL does not want to risk their show being botched by bad sound, period.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers stance on any sort of miming has been that we will absolutely not do it. The last time we did it (or tried to) was in the late 80’s, we were thrown off of ‘The Top Of the Pops’ television program in the U.K. during rehearsals because we refused to mime properly, I played bass with my shoe, John played guitar atop Anthony’s shoulders, and we basically had a wrestling match onstage, making a mockery of the idea that it was a real live performance.

We mimed on one or two weird MTV shows before that and it always was a drag. We take our music playing seriously, it is a sacred thing for us, and anyone who has ever seen us in concert (like the night before the Super Bowl at the Barclays Center), knows that we play from our heart, we improvise spontaneously, take musical risks, and sweat blood at every show. We have been on the road for 31 years doing it.

So, when this Super Bowl gig concept came up, there was a lot of confusion amongst us as whether or not we should do it, but we eventually decided, it was a surreal-like, once in a life time crazy thing to do and we would just have fun and do it. We had given this a lot of thought before agreeing to do it, and besides many a long conversation amongst ourselves, I spoke with many musician friends for whom I have the utmost respect, and they all said they would do it if asked, that it was a wild trippy thing to do, what the hell. Plus, we the RHCP all love football too and that played a big part in our decision. We decided that, with Anthony singing live, that we could still bring the spirit and freedom of what we do into the performance, and of course we played every note in the recording specially for the gig. I met and spoke with Bruno, who was a beautiful dude, a real talented musician, and we worked out something that seemed like it would be fun.

We recorded a track for the day, just banged one out from our hearts that was very like in spirit to the versions we have been playing live the last few years with our beloved Josh on guitar.

For the actual performance, Josh, Chad, and I were playing along with the pre recorded track so there was no need to plug in our guitars, so we did not. Could we have plugged them in and avoided bumming people out who have expressed disappointment that the instrumental track was pre recorded? Of course easily we could have and this would be a non-issue. We thought it better to not pretend. It seemed like the realest thing to do in the circumstance. It was like making a music video in front of a gazillion people, except with live vocals, and only one chance to rock it. Our only thought was to bring the spirit of who we are to the people.

I am grateful to the NFL for having us. And I am grateful to Bruno, who is a super talented young man for inviting us to be a part of his gig. I would do it all the same way again.

We, as a band, aspire to grow as musicians and songwriters, and to continue to play our guts out live onstage for anyone who wants to get their brains blown out. Sincerely, Flea [/quote]

What do you think? Should there be an uproar or are haters gonna hate? Let us know in the comments below.

Viral Video Wednesday: Pentatonix & Todrick Hall Retell “The Wizard of Ahhhs”

wizardofaahzThe winners of NBC’s recently revived “The Sing Off” have continued to impress and make waves with their collaborations and creative song covers since winning the a cappella singing competition back in 2011. Known for their playful covers like “Gangnam Style,”stunning collaborations like “Radioactive“, and the viral “Evolution of Music,” the a cappella group may have just outdone themselves with their most recent project.

With the help of “American Idol” finalist Todrick Hall, the group takes us down the yellow brick road to retell the classic story of “The Wizard of Oz” through contemporary Top 40, R&B, and country music. Covering everyone from Carrie Underwood to Katy Perry to Phillip Phillips and even Motley Crue, relive the story of Dorothy, her dog Toto, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion in a way you never imagined. As you embark on the journey, we’d be remiss to not point out that this production is strictly based on vocal – from the singing to the vocal percussion. Talk about talent!

Melodic Mondays: Evolution of Music Courtesy of NBC’s “The Sing Off” Champs – Pentatonix

pentatonixIn a special installment of Melodic Mondays, this video was too good to pass up. NBC’s newly revived A Cappella series “The Sing Off” gave us a truly talented bunch when Pentatonix was crowned champs back in 2011. The reality competition series will return this December, as previously announced, but PTX have been making music and headlines since. In addition to stellar covers, which can be found on their YouTube channel, the a cappella group, which formed specifically for the show, has released an album and are in the midst of their latest headlining tour.

Taking their favorites from the 11th century all the way to 2013, the talented group takes us through an Evolution of Music with just their voices. Check out the video below. To order PTX Vol 1, click here. For everything Pentatonix, including details on the remaining tour dates for 2013, check out their official website.

For a list of the songs used in the video above, see below.

11th century-
Salve Regina

1600s-
Canon in D – Pachelbel

1800s-
Symphony No. 5 – Beethoven

1910s-
Danny Boy – Frederic Weatherly

1920s-
Old Man River – Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II

1930s-
Minnie The Moocher – Cab Calloway

1940s-
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy – The Andrew Sisters

1950s-
I Walk The Line – Johnny Cash
La Bamba – Ritchie Valens

1960s-
Stand By Me – Ben E King
Barbara Ann – Beach Boys
I Want To Hold Your Hand – The Beatles
Respect – Aretha Franklin

1970s-
ABC – Jackson 5
Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen

1980s-
Celebration – Kool & The Gang
Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
Thriller – Michael Jackson

1990s-
Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer
…Baby One More Time – Britney Spears
Say My Name – Destiny’s Child
I Want It That Way – The Backstreet Boys

2000s
Hey Ya! – Outkast
Drop it Like Its Hot – Snoop Dogg
Crazy – Gnarls Barkley
Hips Don’t Lie – Shakira
Single Ladies – Beyoncé
I Kissed A Girl – Katy Perry
Bad Romance – Lady Gaga
I Gotta Feelin – Black Eyed Peas

2010s-
Baby – Justin Bieber
We Found Love – Rihanna
Some Nights – Fun.
Somebody That I Used To Know – Gotye
Gangnam Style – Psy
Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen

Billboards Announces Top Selling Albums and Songs of 2012

21-AdeleDepending on where your heart aligns with music, 2012 was either an excellent year or a terrible year musically for you. That’s the beauty of music. Billboard, early Thursday, announced the top selling albums and songs of 2012, based on their records and compilation of sales. Longevity is all that matters in the eyes of Adele fans, as “21,” although released in 2011, was the top selling album of 2012 with 4.41 million records sold. She took home the honor in 2011, as well. Rounding out the Top 10 was Jason Aldean’s, “Night Train.”

Related | YakkityYaks Best of 2012 in Television, Movies, Music, & More

Sales were compiled from Jan 2, 2012 and ended on December 30, 2012. Billboard notes that “21” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart way back on the list March, 21, 2011. It has yet to leave the tally and has never been absent from the weekly top 40. Trailing behind Adele, in the No. 2 spot, was “Red” by Taylor Swift (3.11 million sold), which is pretty significant seeing that the album was released in October 2012. It’s the fourth time Swift has had an album ranked among a year’s top three sellers. Also making the list were One Direction, Justin Bieber, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie and Mumford and Sons. One Direction marks the first time, since SoundScan began keeping track in 1991, that an act has two albums that debuted in the same year taking two of the top five spots. Swift and Garth Brooks have come close to such an honor. 2012 also marks the first year that more than four country albums hold a place in the top ten, as 5 of the Top 10 albums of 2012 are country albums.

In 2012, overall album and physical CD sales decreased a little bit, while digital downloads expectantly increased. The top selling digital album of 2012? “21” by Adele, as well. Also of note, Billboard notes that for the fifth consecutive year, more vinyl albums were sold than in any other year since SoundScan launched in 1991. Finally, 2012 was a record year for digital downloads where a record 1.336 billion tracks were sold digitally, an increase of 5% from 2011. Check out the full list of the top album and song sales of 2012 below!

Top 10 Album Sales of 2012

“21” – Adele, 4.41 Million
“Red” – Taylor Swift, 3.11 Million
“Up All Night” – One Direction, 1.62 Million
“Babel” – Mumford & Sons, 1.46 Million
“Take Me Home” – One Direction, 1.34 Million
“Believe” – Justin Bieber, 1.34 Million
“Blown Away” – Carrie Underwood, 1.20 Million
“Tailgates & Tanlines” – Luke Bryan, 1.10 Million
“Tuskegee” – Lionel Richie, 1.07 Million
“Night Train” – Jason Aldean, 1.02 Million

Top 10 Song Sales of 2012

“Somebody That I Used To Know” – Gotye (feat. Kimbra), 6.80 Million
“Call Me Maybe” – Carly Rae Jepsen, 6.47 Million
“We Are Young” – fun. (feat. Janelle Monae), 5.95 Million
“Payphone” – Maroon 5 (feat. Wiz Khalifa), 4.76 Million
“Starships” – Nicki Minaj, 3.98 Million
“What Makes You Beautiful” – One Direction, 3.89 Million
“Some Nights” – fun., 3.84 Million
“Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” – Kelly Clarkson, 3.82 Million
“Gangnam Style” – Psy, 3.59 Million
“One More Night” – Maroon 5, 3.46 Million