Beyonc??'s new single spells economic doom

Duderonomy

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/jan/12/beyonce-single-ladies-economic-downturnAccording to an NYU professor, some of history's steadiest pop songs were released before a market crash ??? and the 'low beat variance' of Single Ladies signals financial meltdownBeyonc??'s worldwide hit, Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It), is not just catchy ??? it may spell doom for international finance.According to findings by Phil Maymin, professor of finance and risk engineering at New York University, the more regular the beat on Billboard's top singles, the more volatile the American markets. After studying decades of Billboard's Hot 100 hits, Maymin found that songs with low "beat variance" had an inverse correlation with market turbulence. Which is to say, the more regular the song, the crazier the stock market.And Single Ladies is very regular."If it's a steady beat, the same beat, no matter if it's fast or slow, that's a low beat variance song," Maymin explained to PRI Radio. These are the songs that signal market volatility. "[But] if [the song] starts off slow and becomes fast and comes back down, that's a high beat variance." And it means the markets will be steady.Some of history's steadiest hits ??? such as A-Ha's Take On Me ??? were released at times of market crash. Whereas complex songs, "with all these beat changes and stuff", seem to catch on when the markets are sedate."The correlation is pretty strong," Maymin argued. Weirder still, the beat variance of songs seems to predict the markets - not the other way around. According to his research, the market becomes unstable only after the charts are full of steady tunes - almost as if certain hits can cause market shake-ups."The turbulence of the music predicts the steadiness of the market," Maymin explained. And Beyonc??'s chart dominance? Well, it may not mean good things for your pension.[/b]

Jimster

I therefore think Kaidi Tatham can single-handedly fix the global financial crisis.

Swayze

Kaidi Tatham

mannybolone

How did this even occur to someone to look at?

drewnice

Kaidi Tatham

Yes, so ill. Need to hear something new from the gahd.

jlee

How did this even occur to someone to look at?

Reynaldo

Yup.

skel

How did this even occur to someone to look at?

Economists be always looking for correlations that give them the edge over other "shitheel dork fukkkstick economists"^TM

There was once a serious study of the relationship between the vogueish length of skirts and the economic cycle, but can't remember for the life of me if minis were signifying good or bad times to come.

verb606

I therefore think Kaidi Tatham can single-handedly fix the global financial crisis.

Haha, Bugz in the Attic to the rescue! Superfriends and shit.

mannybolone

There was once a serious study of the relationship between the vogueish length of skirts and the economic cycle, but can't remember for the life of me if minis were signifying good or bad times to come.

More minis?

Good times, most definitely good times

Jimster

Kaidi does indeed have new product out:

http://jazzzin.blogspot.com/2008/12/kaidi-tatham-in-search-of-hope.html

Folls be trippin' on the reviews above though - coming like it's better than sliced bread. I say 7/10. Worthy.

hemol

Isn't one of the characteristics of a pop song that it has a steady unvarying beat? Has this dude been paying attention to the radio for the last 9 years?

Deegreez

This is garbage!!!!
Nothing about this holds water at all, this is the type of shit that is making me mad.

mannybolone

I'm just trying to figure out what would be the example of a pop song with "high beat variance."

Supergood

"with all these beat changes and stuff"

Reynaldo

I'm just trying to figure out what would be the example of a pop song with "high beat variance."

"A Day In The Life"

Supergood

I'm just trying to figure out what would be the example of a pop song with "high beat variance."

"A Day In The Life"

I suppose Day In The Life was a pop song, but not a pop/hit single.

johmbolaya

Some of you dingdongalotuses will remember the attack towards maiselfandload and now look. Time signaturatti will bite the boil of doom and penny lover won't you walk on by, fuaka!

johmbolaya

I'm just trying to figure out what would be the example of a pop song with "high beat variance."

"A Day In The Life"

I suppose Day In The Life was a pop song, but not a pop/hit single.

Exactly, and there is no high beat variance in that. We're talking more along the lines of Paul McCartney & Wings' "Band On The Run", Richard Harris' "MacArthur Park", and King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man including Mirrors", specifically the "Mirrors" section.

Almond

My opinion is that Beyonce and her producers will be financially well off despite the current economic recession. I bet Beyonce and Jay-Z and company don't even realize there's a mortgage crisis, and thus probably do not reflect the stock market index in their hit singles. That's why she's still dancing around, singing about rings. There is a difference between correlation and coincidence.

johmbolaya

My opinion is that Beyonce and her producers will be financially well off despite the current economic recession. I bet Beyonce and Jay-Z and company don't even realize there's a mortgage crisis, and thus probably do not reflect the stock market index in their hit singles. That's why she's still dancing around, singing about rings. There is a difference between correlation and coincidence.

Chichi bobo luns and Chachi Arcola, shelemu ogalats!

Mjukis

"Hm. Complex songs, with all these beat changes and stuff, seem to catch on when the markets are sedate."

Deegreez

My opinion is that Beyonce and her producers will be financially well off despite the current economic recession. I bet Beyonce and Jay-Z and company don't even realize there's a mortgage crisis, and thus probably do not reflect the stock market index in their hit singles. That's why she's still dancing around, singing about rings. There is a difference between correlation and coincidence.

Chichi bobo luns and Chachi Arcola, shelemu ogalats!

Whoa is that Tagalog?

And as for the meaning of 'single ladies' isn't the tale about running into her ex man of 3 years at the club and telling him to step off and if you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it?

best imitation video right here:

johmbolaya

Whoa is that Tagalog?

No sir, it is not.

Duderonomy

I suspect the guy responsible for this started out his thesis along the lines that "We are definitely[/b] entering a recession, so... what's in the charts now that has also been in the charts in the past just before a recession?"


He's gone for 'low beat variance' as his 'symptom' of impending doom... I don't know if he based his study on the English pop charts or American though: throughout the nineties the charts here were dominated by dance music* songs with zero[/b] beat variance, occasionally punctuated by some Britpop or the Spice Girls. At one point there was much gnashing of teeth and wailing from rockist commentators because the entire top twenty was 'dance music', but we didn't sink into the abyss.
Although it's got me thinking about another correlation.
Dance music was the first musical movement/style/fad/whatever to buck the 11 year trend, and the economic period of the same time (late eighties til now) was also the first instance of the world economy bucking the usual boom'n'bust cycle for as long as it did... and over here at least, this has all been to a 'low beat variance' soundtrack.








* 'dance music' as in house/techno four-to-the-floor unending beat repetition

Jimster

I blame the Jeremy Beadle muhfugs:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtec...scientists.html

Reynaldo

I blame the Jeremy Beadle muhfugs:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtec...scientists.html

That's true, though--(and my ring finger is quite long relative to my index...)