Lil Nas X follows “Old Town Road” with a new EP.
AS “OLD TOWN ROAD” closes out its third month on top of the Bill board “Hot 100” chart, it enters the company of the most successful hit singles of the past 20 years. It has already enjoyed a longer stay than event records like Pharrell’s “Happy,” Adele’s “Hello,” and Destiny’s Child’s “Independent Women, Pt. I.” Those songs still get burn today; they’re etched into the history of popular culture. Maybe, in the future, we’ll remember “Old Town Road” as a bright spot in strange times.
This feat is doubly impressive because “Old Town Road” is Atlanta rapper Lil Nas X’s first official single. The last time a solo artist got this much distance on the first at bat, Jimmy Carter was president: In 1977, vocalist Debby Boone, daughter of the wholesome film and pop star Pat Boone and a member of his Christian family band, cut a cover of “You Light Up My Life,” the Oscar winning theme song to the forgettable low budget romance of the same name. Boone’s ballad broke big—her reign on the top lasted ten weeks—and her team rushed an album out to capitalize on the momentum. That album, also called You Light Up My Life, was a mess that not even Beatles and Abba covers could save. Boone got lost in the shuffle trying to juggle pop, rock, country, and sentimental ballads. She didn’t have the range. Light went platinum, but in three years Boone’s pop career dried up and she returned to the Christian-music circuit.
Denne historien er fra July 8-21, 2019-utgaven av New York magazine.
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Denne historien er fra July 8-21, 2019-utgaven av New York magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Trapped in Time
A woman relives the same day in a stunning Danish novel.
Polyphonic City
A SOFT, SHIMMERING beauty permeates the images of Mumbai that open Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light. For all the nighttime bustle on display-the heave of people, the constant activity and chaos-Kapadia shoots with a flair for the illusory.
Lear at the Fountain of Youth
Kenneth Branagh's production is nipped, tucked, and facile.
A Belfast Lad Goes Home
After playing some iconic Americans, Anthony Boyle is a beloved IRA commander in a riveting new series about the Troubles.
The Pluck of the Irish
Artists from the Indiana-size island continue to dominate popular culture. Online, they've gained a rep as the \"good Europeans.\"
Houston's on Houston
The Corner Store is like an upscale chain for downtown scene-chasers.
A Brownstone That's Pink Inside
Artist Vivian Reiss's Murray Hill house of whimsy.
These Jeans Made Me Gay
The Citizens of Humanity Horseshoe pants complete my queer style.
Manic, STONED, Throttle, No Brakes
Less than six months after her Gagosian sölu show, the artist JAMIAN JULIANO-VILLAND lost her gallery and all her money and was preparing for an exhibition with two the biggest living American artists.
WHO EVER THOUGHT THAT BRIGHT PINK MEAT THAT LASTS FOR WEEKS WAS A GOOD IDEA?
Deli Meat Is Rotten
