70th Birthday of John Lennon

Was just reminded over at Google that today would have been John Lennon’s 70th birthday.  So, of course, it put me in mind of what started all of us down ODD (thanks for the HQ version, Peter):

And now for the ORIGINAL! 🙂

David’s shout-out on Channel One News (thanks for this link, Bright Light!)

Week in Review

“Like faaaaaaalling staaaaaaaaaars …. Like craaaaaaashing caaaaaaars….”

ODD Song-on-a-Loop for the Day: “Falling Stars.”

Obviously, the song choices are going to change on a daily basis from this infectious, day-uplifting album that is The Other Side of Down (especially if you’re like me, who works in education and have to attend tension-filled meetings announcing which programs are getting cut at your university due to budget cuts).  Something about getting into my car, at the end of a work day, and listening to TOSOD on your car’s full surround system, with the volume up loud, and arriving home in the most optimistic, hopeful, and bubbly mood!

I highly recommend David’s album as an ANTIDEPRESSANT! 😀

How does that song go?

YOUR VOICE, VOICE, VOICE IS MY DRUG… YOUR VOICE, VOICE, VOICE…

So, according to today’s iTunes, TOSOD is #6 on the pop albums chart, #25 on the overall chart.

Expected first week sales: somewhere between 22,000-25,000 (not bad for an album that has no lead-in singles playing on radio, and despite his appearances this week on TV and on Z100, I have yet to hear “Elevator” on the radio).

But who cares? Radio sucks! And TOSOD makes me very happy in these rotten economically depressing times! 🙂

It also looks like David is getting on swimmingly with Melinda over at WEG. Here’s hoping that we’ll soon see the effects of good management.

In other news, according to the polls I conducted this week on Soul David, everyone’s favorite song is “My Kind of Perfect,” with “Falling Stars” following closely behind, and “Other Side of Down” respectably placed at third place.  It’s the same results with the Snarky Archies poll.  Funny thing, but according to the popularity bars on iTunes, this is the same line-up (actually, FS has the lead over there)!

However, the least favorite track, according to my poll, is “Parachutes and Airplanes” (get out!), with “Things are Gonna Get Better” not far behind.  And, get this, “Elevator” got a few votes (which, I suppose, isn’t too surprising considering the hatefest it’s received on fansites like Idol Forums).

Hmmmm, methinks “Falling Stars” would make the most sense as a single promoting the album.  (And no, that’s not just because today it’s my ODD song of the day).

Consider this: let’s imagine that David had “good management” earlier this year and not just recently.

A “Good Manager” IMO would have done the following things:

1. Recognize that, in order for David to make his comeback from his glory year of 2008, and doing so in the midst of Bieber Fever and Lady Gaga, the most logical way to “market” The Voice is through his organic and natural talent as a Vocal Master Class. How to highlight this? Pick a song from the new album that makes the best use of The Voice and recollects for a public that last remembered David from his Idol days as the “Ballad Boy” (it’s not lost on me, peeps, that most people’s favorite songs are the ballads).  At the same time, knowing that ballads are not the main tone of the new album, I would work with the label and convince them that a song like “Falling Stars” blends both elements of the ballad and pop music exquisitely.  No comparison to the Bieber with this one!

2.  A GM would fight to get David featured on American Idol during a “prime guest spot,” which IMO is the results show announcing the Final Two.  This is late May, right in the nick of time for the June promotion of his memoir, Chords of Strength. Having David premiering “Falling Stars” to an Idol audience that remembered his iconic performances of “Imagine” and “Apologize” would register favorably, especially if the song then gets featured on radio.  Which brings me to:

3. A GM would work at convincing the label to cough up some moolah from its tight fist and get a decent amount of radio play and perhaps a creative music video while we’re at it.

4.  A GM would convince the label that an album now needs not 1 but 2 singles to sell it in these economically hard-hit times.  So, by the time David shows up at the Capital Fourth event, he could, in addition to singing the national anthem, debut another song – preferably the title track, which has an appropriately danceable, upbeat tempo for a summer song.  At least, by the time David sings for a July 4th crowd, they’ll have two songs – “Falling Stars” and “Other Side of Down” – to go on.  And considering everyone is always in such a happy mood for Independence Day, the newer song will go over fabulously.  By the time it hits radio, we’ve got ourselves a hit (JMHO).  Not to mention OSOD is the one song that has the most promise as a dance club remix.

5. With FS and OSOD capturing different elements of The Voice, David gets to keep his musical integrity while slowly shedding his “teen star” persona.  A GM would simultaneously sell him to the Disney crowd and to Adult Contemporary with some spillover to other niche markets, like urban and college radio.

6.  After releasing the album, on the strength of two singles playing widely to audiences, a GM would push for other possible appearances (like a guest spot on “Glee,” the latest rumor I’m hearing, or featuring one of his singles on a TV show or even a movie soundtrack, or how about consideration as a voice actor for the next animation musical?).

7.  In time for the holiday season, a GM would push the label to release another single to support the sales of the album.  Here, it might work to feature a ballad like “My Kind of Perfect” or the stronger song, “Good Place.”

8.  A GM would make sure a new song of David’s was in the public conscious while he’s making his Christmas appearances with the likes of The Celtic Women and Mormon Tabernacle Choir!!

(As an aside, can I register that I’m doing cartwheels at the thought of David, the “youngest artist to do so,” according to this article, will be performing with MTC? Their concerts are featured on PBS! And, yes, yes, yes!!! I will be buying the DVD with my PBS support money!!!! Woohoo!!!!!)

9. A GM would reintroduce promotion for A Christmas from the Heart (naturally!).

10. A GM would try to get an appearance (or even a performance) at the American Music Awards (it may be too early to expect anything from Grammy).

So, in following this plan, I’m sure the first week sales for TOSOD would be much much more than the projected 22,000-25,0000 copies (updated info).

But we have what we have, and David is doing fine where he’s at. For those of us who wanted “world domination” for him, he still has time (does he not? We can’t give up when he’s all of 19!)

Anyway, David should be proud (as we all should be) that he gave us the gift that keeps on giving, which is TOSOD.

That it was able to lift me up after a harrowing workplace meeting (at least, on the positive side, I still have my job) means it’s doing something right.  As the Voice always does.

Top picture (fan art by FrogCooke).