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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Couple stranded in snow on Upper Grave Creek Road rescued ... Man in jail for allegedly groping jogger on Bear Creek Greenway ... Mail Tribune 100, Feb. 9, 1916 ... Couple stranded in snow on Upper Grave Creek Road rescued ... Man in jail for allegedly groping jogger on Bear Creek Greenway ... Mail Tribune 100, Feb. 9, 1916 ... Victor D. Infante: If loving bad pop songs is wrong ... Comment By Victor D. Infante The Telegram & Gazette MailTribune.com By Victor D. Infante The Telegram & Gazette Posted May. 14, 2015 at 8:21 AM By Victor D. Infante The Telegram & Gazette Posted May. 14, 2015 at 8:21 AM » Social News With the news this week that Fox’s “American Idol” — once the undisputed emperor of televised singing competitions — will be coming to an end, it’s hard not to draw a parallel to the rise of one of the most addictive TV shows ever made: Spike’s “Lip Sync Battle.” The first is a show that pitted often surprisingly talented young singers against each other singing songs familiar to the audience. The latter is a show that has celebrities pantomime performing to pop favorites. Both shows are driven by a giddy love of music that many people are a little embarrassed to admit that they actually love. It seems sort of ridiculous that anyone should feel guilty for loving a song, but there you are. Whether it’s some sort of hipster peer pressure or a deep-seated shame at being endeared to a really dumb piece of music, it’s clear that some people must keep their musical loves safely out of sight. We took to Facebook to ask people for their favorite musical guilty pleasures, and had more than a 100 suggestions in a matter of hours. So here are a mere handful of songs from the past few years that readers reluctantly admitted they loved, and a valiant attempt to validate them. Because no one should suffer a secret love of Taylor Swift alone in silence. “Uptown Funk,” by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars The complaint: “I loathe Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson. I have a wealth of funk and soul in my library, and yet I still accept this.” The validation: When we asked for recommendations of recent “guilty pleasures,” this one was the overwhelming winner. And why not? It’s one of the most infectious, hook-laden songs in recent memory. Who cares that it’s as shallow as a kiddie pool when it gets into your skin and practically forces you to dance. “I Won’t Give Up,” by Jason Mraz The complaint: “It’s sappy and sentimental!” The validation: Do you even want to know anyone who isn’t sappy and sentimental once in a while? Seriously. In what world is having a heart something to be ashamed of? And even though this one can be mildly cavity–inducing, it’s also a beautiful piece of music. So go ahead: Give it a listen and have a good cry. “Toxic,” by Melanie Martinez The complaint: “It’s a cover of a Britney Spears Song! From ‘The Voice!’” The validation: Let’s take these complaints in reverse order, because shows like “Idol” and “The Voice” get a rap for encouraging bad songs, and that’s not really true. If anything, these shows’ biggest sin is prodding singers to tackle songs that might be a tad too difficult for their experience. How many times do we need to hear butcherings of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” or Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”? These are songs that murder the unprepared, and these shows prove it every year. And as to Spears, it’s easy to confuse a singer with the song: From Richard Thompson’s stupendous cover of “Oops I Did It Again” to Niki Luparelli’s rendition of “Toxic” in French, there’s ample evidence that Spears’ songbook has a little more going for it than might seem likely at first glance, and Martinez’s quirky take here is delightful, by any standard. “FourFiveSeconds,” by Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney The complaint: “This is just a cynical stunt to pair McCartney with more currently relevant pop stars.” The validation: Yeah, OK. That’s true. But it’s also actually a pretty good song: Understated, with a compelling urgency in both Rihanna’s and West’s vocals. For pop stars with penchants for going over the top in both performance and production, there’s a ring of honesty about this one that makes it easily relatable: The sense of frayed nerves and being pushed to one’s limit are, after all, things that are almost universally relatable. Admittedly, though, there’s very little about the song that screams “Paul McCartney,” even though he’s playing all the instruments on the song. The fact is, while McCartney is a talented musician, he’s not a very distinctive one, at least when he’s not singing. “Awoo,” by Lim Kim The complaint: “You can tell how vapid this song is, even if you don’t speak a word of Korean.” The validation: It’s true. Just knowing the song is called “Awoo” is enough to set off alarms, and K-pop’s not exactly known for its heavily cerebral lyrics. But there’s just something strangely lovable about this song, and about the way the music seems like it could have been composed by a junior high school student on a Casio keyboard. And yes, the lyrics are vapid: the chorus translates in English to something like, “I flirt with you/you fall for me.” But one of the beautiful things about listening to music in a language that you don’t speak is that you don’t have to dwell on it, and can instead allow yourself to get a little obsessed with the strangely compelling drop beat that hooks you as soon as it falls. “Style,” by Taylor Swift The complaint: “Flaily, flaily, teeth-gnashing, wailing and moaning Taylor Swift AAAAAARRRRRGGHHH!!!!” The validation: So many people “confessed” to liking Taylor Swift songs that I’m forced to ask why they feel they’re supposed to be embarrassed by it. Honestly, the only way to explain her record sales is to admit that a whole bunch of people are being disingenuous about hating her. So trust me: Even if loving Taylor Swift feels wrong, you are definitely not alone. Email Victor D. Infante at Victor.Infante @Telegram.com and follow him on Twitter @ocvictor. By Victor D. Infante The Telegram & Gazette MailTribune.com By Victor D. Infante The Telegram & Gazette Posted May. 14, 2015 at 8:21 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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