"Summer Sunshine" by The Corrs (2004)

Memory of a great Irish folk rock band

I miss summer vacation, and I miss the songs that popped out many summers ago. I'm not talking about the singles of lady gaga or demi lovato.

I'm talking out this one, "Summer Sunshine" by the Irish band The Corrs. One talented lad plus three beautiful and equally talented ladies equal one great band, and they were gone. They make Irish / Celtic music sound cool. Like many artists of the yesteryears, they made good music...real music.

They are great musicians, them Corr siblings: Multi-talented, multi-instrumentalists, and good-looking too. They are one of the best music acts to come out of Ireland. The others include U2, Boyzone, Westlife and to some degree, B*Witched and Bellefire.

Back in high school, we played one of their popular songs for the prom dance. In the summer of 2004, "Summer Sunshine" came out, and a midnight music show played their songs almost every midnight for the whole summer. While going through this classic, I recalled a number of past songs. (They will be featured later in this blog.)

Too bad I hear less of The Corrs on the radio today. People now care about justin bieber, one direction, taylor swift, kanye west, nicky minaj, ariana grande, iggy azalea, etc. Even if these things combine, they would still end up less talented than The Corrs. Music is so relaxing back in the days, and it was all about music. But now... never mind.

Sorry, it's just another bout of generation gap. I have no right to criticize today's youth's choice of music. Blame it on the FM stations, blame it on the record shops and blame it on us elders who fail in our mission to spread good music.

But let today's youth know, music is all about music back in the days, not striptease and good looks.

"Crush On You" by Aaron Carter (1997)

Aaron Carter, a memory of a kid phenom revisited

Before Justin Beiber, there was Aaron Carter. Before Bieber looked like a thug, Aaron looked more like a real popstar than that guy who sang "baby baby baby ohhh" multiple times on YouTube, something which musicians of the yesteryears don't have to get famous or land a record deal. Before Bieber acted arrogant and registered a diva-like attitude, Aaron faded into obscurity and figured into some troubles.

The young Aaron Carter, way back in 1997

Trappings of fame

Fame is such a cruel mistress, and for someone like Aaron who tasted it early on, it always has a dark side. Aaron cheated on his girlfriend in 2003, experienced emotional and spiritual issues (and entered a treatment facility in 2011), was sued in 2006 for allegedly reneging on a record deal, was arrested for overspeeding and marijuana possession in 2008, and filed for bankruptcy in 2013.

Aaron in 2000

Aaron Carter all the way

If I am to choose between Aaron and that dude from Canada, it's no contest. Aaron may run into troubles, but he was never thuggish and never exhibited a diva-like attitude to fame. He was all about music, entertainment and not thuggery and braggadocio. His music videos were far more wholesome, more viewer-friendly, never commanding the thuggish and arrogant vibe that's present in the videos belonging to that dude from Canada. Moreover, his music is more fun than today's so-called hits.

Aaron in 2002

Generation gap? Nah! Who would not hate that dude from Canada who goes around pissing people and creating public scandals? The dude is full of himself.

Aaron Carter may never have fans who will bleed and die for him. I believe his fans also feel sad about his demise, but I'm sure Aaron has never embarrassed his fans throughout his whole career. Anyway, he's back in the music scene, though not experiencing the same level of success he had many years ago.

Aaron in 2012

To the fans of that dude from Canada, forgive me. And if you're not angry, please listen to Aaron Carter. You'll be surprised to find out he's way cooler than your dude. You're not too young to ditch that ex of a former Disney Child star (whose song I will write about in some later time.)