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Billboard rating of Ghost Town!!!

Filed Under () by Adam Lambert on Friday, May 1, 2015

Posted at : Friday, May 01, 2015

61 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ghost Town has a fresh new sound and it's well suited for radio. I love it. I made a playlist on Spotify of current songs on radio including GT in my playlist and it sounds fabulous.

LAMBERT Outlaw said...

Billboard doesn't speak for the majority ... most of the other sites give rave reviews to GT. Billboard means nothing to me .... a great deal of their 5 star songs are cringe worthy ... IMO

tess4ADAM(LAMBERT Outlaw)

Dee R Gee said...

It still got a good rating from BB. Of the other songs on the list, only one got four stars. Overall, GT is getting great press.

Anonymous said...

Billboard is trash and pointless

Anonymous said...

I give the song thumbs up. I like it.

Anonymous said...

Billboard is still calling Trespassing underrated and yet they get hate here for "only" giving GT three stars. Fickle glamberts.

Anonymous said...

No one is giving hate to Billboard; fans are just expressing disappointment for the rating someone there gave the Glam One! What happens in 24/7, stays in 24/7! Don't tell anyone how we really feel about them. We will smile and keep on supporting our man. We know Adam is the best; just hold your fire, and be gracious just as Adam would be! Three stars is good! I would stay at a Three star hotel, go to a 3 star restaurant and love a man that get's a 3 star rating for that great single that everyone seems to love!

Funny how someone can get a thousand compliments and one that is not to complimentary; and they just hang on and be upset with that one! What's up with that? Think about it!

Adam's single, "GHOST TOWN" official video, has over 500,000 STARS and counting!! How do you like them apples???????????

Anonymous said...

Agree that Adam fans should NOT miss that BB described Trespassing as UNDERRATED, very cool acknowledgement! Discipline is required IMHO when commenting on WWW regarding AML! 3 stars very acceptable!!! :)

Anonymous said...

They didn't like it :(

Anonymous said...

6:26 PM, so what do you call 5:24 PM's comment of calling Billboard "trash and pointless" if not hate? "Billboard means nothing to me" is dismissive.


Even if Tess4adam doesn't like Billboard or how they rate songs, Billboard's reviews do carry weight. Plus I like how much they still recognize Trespassing's greatness.

A three star rating from Billboard is not a bad thing.

Anonymous said...

They did like it. 3 stars is more than average. Saying they think it could use a bigger energy boost doesn't mean they dislike it.

What is this fandom's problem with having to complain and dislike everything that gives Adam less than a 5 star gold rating?

Anonymous said...

I look at it this way. Being the critic that is the MINORITY has its risks. When( Not if) this makes out to be a blockbuster for the summer) whoever rated this is going to be getting some backlash from management. Paybacks are hell. A 4 would have been a better way for ths to stay a little less controversial for the one giving it a 3. Just sayin'! :)

Anonymous said...

LOL, legitimate reviews are not done with an eye to being in the majority or fearing managerial backlash.

sunny said...

@6:02 PM Your generalities are unfair and untrue.

Anonymous said...

7:38. No not fearing managerial backlash, but understanding what's legitiamte and what is just a vibe that doesn't resonate. Most people assigned to this (and I have been on assignments not this big) are based on how one can relate on a personal level, but not take a personal stance. If 90% of the reviews from your peers are on the above 80% hyped about this single, you have to ask yourself am I missing something, or trying to be noticed?

Dee R Gee said...

The fact that BB is reviewing the song at all says something. It's a song that's getting lots of notice. That's a feat in itself. I still think review was pretty good.

Anonymous said...

Jason's twitter account seems to have a lot of Phila. Sixers as a header. Maybe he should try going into sports analysis. If music is your thing Jason, it sure looks like sports is more a passion. Your tweets show ONE small tweet about Adam and Madonna having the same record name out (which is a tota press point of interest), so GT may have fallen by the wayside into your interest as to it's validity and influence. Listen again, you might realize that he already is singing the song with heart, and truth, and not worried so much about the bigger energy boost. How much energy do we have when we have lost love or been rejected, or faced disappointment? Didn't you really get the message that hope is built on gradual emergence after the feeling of hopelessness? Adam's subtlities and eventual power is presented in his theory of "less is more" not flaunted by vocal wizidry. 4 would have been respectable. 3 is I like him but....

LAMBERT Outlaw said...

Not trying to be nasty ... I just don't agree with Billboard & I said so. That's it ... end of conflict ... JMO ... that's all.

tess4ADAM(LAMBERT Outlaw)

Anonymous said...

7:38 You use the word legitimate as if everyone's critique is true. If you are the "minoriy" opinion, then perhaps the motive should be why, not because my opinion is legitmate for ,,,,,, Jason is allowed his opinion, but no one can take away the other opinions that out way to not take meaning. Could have been kinder to a great and surely successful song.

Anonymous said...

Dee R Gee :The fact that BB is reviewing the song at all? That's their job, and GT would HAVE to be reviewed based on so many levels. Adam isn't just a nobody showing up. Based on his ratings on Youtube, itunes, etc. they would not be a legitimate source to show credible importance if they ignored Adam and GT. This is the music business. Let's quit soft soaping entities and reviews involved that make a difference. Criricism has its affects. 3 out of 5 isn't disastor, but it shows some weak links to saying we support this 100% and DOES have impact on those that rely on them for feedback as to what to listen to.
Adam needs outside fans who don't know him to be sustainable in this business. Truth hurts, but it's still the truth. Trespassing a perfect example. Fans couldn't (and shouldn't) carry the burden of success for Adam.

Anonymous said...

3 stars is very good , i didn't like the song tbh

Lam-My said...

Ghost Town Song in terms of lyric, interesting and relevant; melody and beat, unique, cohesive; voice/singing excellent. However, the video seems lacking in one ingredient...the intrigue that a title Ghost Town conjures; perhaps Billboard may be referring to it as needing more "energy".
Having said all that...based on the other current pop songs/video/voice...the overall rating of Ghost Town could have been 4. Remember a song/video if judged must be bench-marked against other current songs/videos to be fair to everyone judged by Billboard. Perhaps they need to give a breakdown on how Ghost Town is given 3 to be more convincing. Adam's singing/voice/power already scores a lot higher than other current pop singers and must be taken into consideration; pure voice, not souped up as in many current pop songs. Final analysis, I give it a 4.

Lam-My said...

Judging a song/video or anything for that matter, is not just slapping numbers on it; you got to lay down the components judged. If someone simply slaps a number like 3 or 4 or even 5...then it becomes only one's subjective opinion. If judging is to be fair and proper, it must be based on qualities shown/seen/heard and bench-marked against other pop songs and not taken in isolation...such as singing/voice/power, impact/appeal etc. So I'm not too sure how Billboard arrived at 3 and not 4; arbitrary at best.

Lam-My said...

Whoa! Timeslot...now that's a number worth noting above...919...it's a double 10 !

Anonymous said...

8:20 PM, Jason is very much an Adam fan. He is a writer for Billboard. I didn't know his twitter needed to only reflect his occupation. He has tweeted about Adam muliple times just about GT.

Jason is the one who wrote the Billboard article saying Trespassing was underrated.


Jason Lipshutz – Verified account ‏@jasonlipshutz
I wrote about @adamlambert's "Trespassing" album & why you need to embrace it if you haven't yet: http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6458124/adam-lambert-trespassing-is-great …

Anonymous said...

8:37 pm,
a critical review from a source such as Billboard is not intended to be support for an artist. They are not paid for positive reviews. Would you expect Roger Ebert to write a great review for a movie just to show support?

8:25 pm,
I don't even know what to say. A writer for for Billboard absolutely has a valid critique. It is ignorant to think he doesn't because you don't think it was good enough. Being in the minority doesn't make you wrong. No legitimate reviewer bases their review on what others are saying.

8:20 pm,
I have seem many tweets about Adam from Jason. I started following him after he wrote that great review for Trespassing. Your comment is your interpretation and review on GT. Jason made his. They don't have to agree. Three is still a respectable review. It is above average.

7:56 pm,
I very much disagree on that approach to reviews. Real critics don't work like that. Having a review that is not quite as good as others does not all mean you are looking for attention.

I don't understand the comments I've responded to unless they all came through fan glasses.

Do you really want to read reviews for books or movies that the writer made to show support or to stay in line with other reviews? Even after reading excellent reviews for a movie haven't you still hated that movie? Or loved something panned by the critics?

Pan said...

Anon 11:18 PM
A very reasonable, thoughtful post, an Admin-like post? LOL
Whenever I read posts like yesterday's posts, honest, argumentative, respectful my heart throbs with pride, bickering on trivial details, waste of time, joy of "trolls".
However thoughtful, conciliatory, the post is, I'll go with tess4ADAM, , "a great deal of these 5 star songs are cringe worthy."
I'll go even further, I'll be harsh because I'm pissed off! Since I became Adam's fan I've got accustomed to reading entertainment sections of serious/tabloid papers , as you also do, I imagine.To me it seems a generalized phenomenon, the reviews have become kind of "autistic", so many times reviewers praise artists when there's nothing to be praised, hmm,or maybe I'm not able to understand that profitability is a greater quality than artistry.And you can also notice their restraint to fully accept/praise other artists , others than the usual darlings.
Don't be afraid, they are not interested in our opinions, they will never be.We can't ignore these reviews , we can only help Adam prove that he is bigger than their 3 stars. BTW, THE VIDEO NEEDS VIEWS/LIKES.

Anonymous said...

A lot of fans are out of touch with today's music and proudly declare they don't like pop and haven't listened to radio in decades. It is hard to take their opinions on current music and what is 5 star worthy seriously.

Anonymous said...

I'd love to see what some of these five star songs are.

Lambert Outlaw, do you have a link or remember which songs it was?

Anonymous said...

@10:51, thanks for posting the article.

Anonymous said...

I would like to see a list of singles they gave 5 stars to as well. They don't give many of those at Billboard.

Tess?

Anonymous said...

@May 2, 2015 at 3:47 AM

Very,very well said. To use, once again, the term "cringeworthy", it is cringeworthy to me when fans make such declarations. Imo it hurts Adam's "sell-ability". I have wanted to say just that 3:47 but I don't want to be hurtful, it is a comment that stings a bit I'd imagine. However, it is also a FAIR comment, this has happened many times. I am not 30, but I'm not 50 either, and certain family members require me to be very current with pop music, both Adam's song and video are current, as they should be!! 3 Stars was very acceptable! Jason calling, more than once, Trespassing underrated is amazing! Adam almost never bites the hand that feeds him, a quality I very much admire in him; we would do well, as his fans who want the best for him, to practice the same discipline. These fansites are NOT closed environments! This is my point of view.

Anonymous said...

5:11 here. I didn't mean to imply anything negative by giving you an age range for myself, I was doing only that, giving you an age range (I am always careful when commenting on the internet, I comment on a lot of political blogs and there too I keep my "stats", if you will, very much underwraps {long story, I won't bore you with it}). Anyway, I'm sorry if the way I wrote out my age range offended anyone reading. That was not my intention. But again, I did feel the time was right for me to jump in and express my own personal opinion that fans' comments are more substantial, to me personally, this is just my POV, when they take into consideration what is current and on trend in Pop and Top 40 music. To me, that ability to compare and contrast is of great relevance. Also, at the risk of being terribly redundant, these fan sites and blogs are not closed!

Dee R Gee said...

Regarding Pan's post 1:31: THE VIDEO NEEDS VIEWS/LIKES.

Quirky said...

3:47 Are you seriously going there and labeling "older fans" as out of touch with today's music? I've not seen anyone actually say I haven't listened to music for decades. As an older fan, I have listened to music all my life and currently listen to top 40 stations. I will say that music (like Queen) has gone by the wayside in many cases. Auto tuning has become what makes mediocre singers acceptable. The rating 3 does NOT take into account Adam's creative writing and superior vocal skills compared to 80% of the other artists out there.Lip syncing has become the new "normal" now and takes away from the quality of performing live. The 3 rating misses all of those additional attributes to Adam and the video. Yes, I'm a fan, but I am a fan of Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith,John Legend who were all up for AMA lyric of the year award. Taylor Swift won for Shake It Off. WTH? That's the direction the music world is tracking. So yes, there are others of us who may be older and already know from the past what good writing and singing are.The 3 rating if using a comparable critique for what is top 40 is a slap in the face. IMHO

Anonymous said...

5:43 AM, like 3:47 AM and 5:11 AM, I have seen many fans on twitter and at Atop saying they haven't listened to radio in years and/or saying they don't like pop music.

As for what you said about the review, it is a review of the song, not the music video. This wasn't a review of the writing and Adam wasn't the main writer. This song came to him as a demo. A review of a song will never take into account how good that performer is live versus other performers. All these reasons you listed why Adam deserved more than a three have nothing to do with a review of a song.

Three stars is a solid review from Billboard.

This is reminding me of the QAL reviews where if it wasn't a totally glowing and stellar review of Adam that fans got irrationally upset. I am dreading the reviews of upcoming singles and the album if this is going to happen again.

Anonymous said...

The over-defensive, Adam is a victim glamberts are out again. I haven't checked the review for comments. I hope fans aren't complaining at Billboard again.

Anonymous said...

5:11 My son has been a dj for over 25 years. Graduated from Penn State with degree in Broadcast Cable and Communications. and now works for major station in a major east coast city. (won't embarras with his name and call letters.)OUR family grew up with all kinds of music in our household. (Hippie from the 60's). He loves 80's classic rock, and we usually have that type of station on when he comes home. His 21 yr. old and 12 yr. old listen to top 40. They LOVE Adam! We have gone to QAL concerts in Phila. and NY. I think Quirky 5:43 has a good point. My 94 year old mother loved/loves Adam. She also was stricken with Frank Sinatra, me with Elvis. What we found in Adam is a talent that feels real. My own son (43) said "Adam sure has it compared to most of 'em out there." He LOVES Ed Sheeran too Quirky. He says pop is pop but poetry from the great writers is lacking. I love Robert DeLongs Long Way Down new song. Reminds me of serious commentary. Adam brings that. There is still room for just fun pop, but let us remember the world we live in isn't so different from the 60's. Serious Sh$it. And Adam wants to connect on what affects us. The GT video shares he and his friends experiences which are new to the industry. The freshness of who he is and how he addresses the value of each of us is the reason for the vast age range fans. I think that notion lacks in the 3 rating. If he "likes" it, does it bring something to the table to ponder? Which has great value to commentary today. The 3 doesn't say it does.
And age is irrelevant. Ask my "Rosie Riverter" 94 year old mom.

Anonymous said...

6:47 AM, your family is unusual due to your son's occupation and you know it. By your own admission your son, you and your mom don't listen to pop radio. I don't see what your point to 5:11 was.

The three stars is for the song, not the video and all of Adam great attributes like seeing value in all of us.

I agree with 5:11's comments and think her comment of "Adam almost never bites the hand that feeds him, a quality I very much admire in him; we would do well, as his fans who want the best for him, to practice the same discipline" is very well said and we should all keep it in mind.

Anonymous said...

7:11 Correction, I do listen to top 40 to stay current with my grandkids. We didn't happen on Adam by mistake. I have followed Adam since 2009. I'm not biting anyone's hand. And to say Adam would approve of us agreeing to be agreeable doesn't sound like what he wants. I wasn't giving disparaging remarks about the reviewer and his opinion. My take was that he probably doesn't have the experience some have in hearing the evolution of the music industry. Kids love Taylor Swift. That's the age range that radio tends to play. I'm saying the review (sorry I mispoke about the video versus the song)wasn't bad, but didn't seem engaged into it's potential to affect us. There was a quote from a twitter follower, "he might review the album, so thanks for taking one for the team." Does our opinion have no validity. If our comments disagree with the rating the reviewer should respect that not everyone agrees, just as he knows he believes in his rating. No contest here, just opinions.

Anonymous said...

6:37 The BB are solid review. 6:40 over-defensive fans. You sound scared that our opinions that 3 is not good enough is defensive. It's a "c" mediocre, and so-so. Most of the "radical" defenders seem okay with a 4. So, labelling them as over-defensive, irrational, and causing trouble is such a disservice to their opinion. You'll defend BB (who I haven't contacted, heaven forbid)who rated it 3, but not willing to believe some of us are opinioned that it should have rated higher. Oh, and the fact that he gave Trespassing such a great review has nothing to do with GT. Please don't make excuses for people who felt it deserved a higher rating. We aren't going to shoot the reviewer, but his right to give it a 3 does not give anyone a right to criticize those that thought it should be higher. Oh, so you liked the 3 rating, right? Good for you. some of us didn't. I think the reviewer can take our opinion without flipping out.

Anonymous said...

The bigger issue for me is fans saying on public forums that they are vigorously supporting Adam Lambert, but aren't really, truly listening to Top 40/Pop radio. This type of comment has been written on Adam forums OFTEN over the years. I am cringing now putting it in writing right here tbh! This is the specific matter I take issue with, not opinions being bandied about on a fansite. Reasearch people are reading forums more than we might think I believe. It is such an incredible disservice to AML to make such declarations imo. We can illuminate our opinions for all participants of a blog to read and discuss, but maybe something things we can just keep a little cloer to the vest, eh? JMO. Sue wrote on some thread a few days ago about our opinions being a little less important at this particular juncture, and our support of Adam in the best interest of his career being a little more at the forefront... good words imho.

Dee R Gee said...

We do Adam no favors by being over the top, defensive whiners and complainers. Just makes our whole fandom look pathetic. Sorry, but it's true. Positive comments from his fans has a much better impact for him.

Anonymous said...

Adam's songs should ALWAYS be rated HIGHER, so sayeth Glamberts.

Anonymous said...

@Dee R Gee Saying the rating seemed low, is not defensive and whining. It is a legitimate opinion by fans who think they are giving a supporting positive OPINION! Maybe some comments go after the reviewer, but that is not the overall look here. First post, but wonder if I'll get criticized for being over the top. This is an Adam blog right? What do you think Billboard would expect here? Just sayin...lighten up with criticizing the fans. BTW Just heard GT again on 98.9 Seattle. He is in the rotation. Have heard it several times now.

Anonymous said...

Please help Adam's video. Need views. The count is slowing down, so use the time now to view and click. ;)

Anonymous said...

7:47 AM, wow, you really read a lot into my short comment and jumped to a lot of assumptions. I'm not scared. I wasn't defending Billboard and I believe you and others think it should have been rated higher. I never said anyone was causing trouble. I said I hope defensive comments haven't been left because Shosh and Adam asked us not to do that and it has continued. What I was saying was this has been a typical over-defensive reaction to a review perceived as not good enough. Most of the reasons here for thinking it should be higher than a 3 star rating are based on things beyond the scope of a review of a song. 2.5 stars would be average, 3 stars is above average. As Billboard rarely gives 5 stars a 3 is good. And of course I wish it had been a 5. If you think you and others should be entitled to criticize his review I should be able to disagree with that and state my opinion as well.

Anonymous said...

8:21 AM
Well said.

I adore Adam but some of his fans give me the screaming horrors.

Anonymous said...

Also good to keep in mind what glitzylady has mentioned, that this blog frequently comes up in Google searches. Adam's success should be our priority, not our right to complain about a decent review.

Anonymous said...

8:23, I agree but we aren't allowed to say that here. Prepare to be attacked.

Anonymous said...

@8:30 AM
People are attacked here OFTEN.

Anonymous said...

Billboard is important.

Dee R Gee said...

I'm just saying that sometimes it's the tone that used to make a comment that can make all the difference in how Adam's fans are perceived. Sure, we can disagree with a reviewer, but I've read my share of over-the-top crazies from this fandom. I'm just saying, it's how you say it that counts.

glitzylady said...

Disagreement and differences in opinion are one thing, exactly!!! It's called "discussion".. "Yelling" is quite another..

I've unfortunately seen comments on the big (and small) media sites that are disparaging, and insulting, and worse.. to the reviewers & authors.. While we may not agree with someone, calling them names and insulting them is not representing Adam or the fandom well..

Also, fans mentioning on those sites that they "never listen to radio, pop music" etc.. isn't helpful to Adam either.. Age is a factor also... In order to be helpful, keep the "public" comments positive and leave age out of it..

Be a smart and helpful supporter and fan for Adam.. We can offer our more "detailed" opinions, concerns, stories, etc.. here on 24/7.. But on the official sites, use some discretion..

coloforadam said...

I am going to claim the "Thumper" philosophy....sorry!!!

Anonymous said...

There is a difference between criticizing the reviewer and differing in opinion. I'm sure there are people that think 3 is too high, but the review is based on an individual listening and giving his honest opinion. As far as this blog goes, it is mostly Adam fans that come on here. So, logic tells us we will have passionate opinions but I don't see anyone calling the reviewer names. I think 3 is probably a decent review based on others I've looked at. Ed Sheeran got a 4 for his Thinking Out Loud. I think also well deserved. If we disagree that it should be a 2,4,or 5, it is saying our take away is different and is JUST a difference in opinion. Comments on a public forum sometimes have gotten downright ugly. But when I think of some of the other fandoms, it is likely most reviewers see the same or worse. Human nature sometimes is not our friend. But passion is also something that has gotten Adam where he is. Calm down, keep it in check and love the interest the music is showing. Thanks for listening....

Anonymous said...

This is a tidbit from Billboard... idk, for me, just another reason why we comment carefully at that site, it's an influential place, I don't that can be debated! JMO. Anyway, check this out re Twitter Tracks, #7, pretty cool

https://twitter.com/_AOStarlighter_/status/594461069101428737/photo/1

original source BB I believe:
http://www.billboard.com/charts/twitter-top-tracks#row-7

Lam-My said...

Well, since I called for a review breakdown of how 3 is arrived at, I'll just give mine as how I arrived at 4.

Song : 4 (original...lyric, melody, beat)
Video : 3 (intrigue could have been expanded further, as a Ghost Town element)
Adam's singing/voice/power/emotion : 5 (pure, tonal quality, no auto-tuning)
Adam's looks/moves/fashions : 4.5

Total : 16.5
Final : 16.5 divided by 4 (components) = 4.1 lwl!

Pan said...

Lam-My
If I were J.L. , assistant editor at Billboard, I'd hire you as counselor on Adam Lambert music career. LOL. On a serious note, your criteria are perfectly valid.
Yesterday I had the bad idea to check on the number of stars given by B. to some of the albums released in 2014/2015, only T.Swift got 4 from 5. Hmm, interesting!I also read Mr. Caramanica's review, in The New York Times, on the same T.S. ,a poem, what a pity that... .
I warmly recommend it to you, a-like-in-bloom-trees-in-spring-style,I "know" a certain Lam-My whose like- in bloom style resembles it.

LADIES&GENTLEMEN, THE VIDEO HAS ONLY 669,8I5 VIEWS!

Lam-My said...

Hellooo Pan.....can always rely on you to update me on the latest around the internet realm. lwl! Thank you for all your latest updates and your verification of my Ghost Town assessment. lwl! I'm not as enthusiastic as you with regard what people say/do, but try to keep up especially regarding Adam news.

Anonymous said...

Pan brought up a good point, Billboard gives out very few 5 star ratings, making that 3 star even better than people thought.

I noticed Tess4Adam hasn't provided that list of 5 star songs she said she didn't like.