​In 1962, Neil Sedaka said everything that needs to be said about ending relationships when he sang, "breaking up is hard to do." It's simple in an "aw shucks" 1960s pop song sort of way, but the tune's direct approach has not meant the end of the break-up song. In fact, we've got some pretty dandy ones the past few years, the kind that make you almost forget that guy/girl/celebrity crush who just won't return your fan mail who ripped out your heart, spit on it and fed it to his/her dog for dinner. Almost.

Here, for your misery and heartache, are five recent songs that say everything about breaking up that you never could.
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Hide Your Kids!

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​Long Island rock band Brand New are reissuing their debut, Your Favorite Weapon, in November. The set was originally released on Nov. 21, 2001, but the 10-year-anniversary edition will have new artwork, liner notes and a download card with previously unreleased demos.

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​In mid-September, store owner Kelvin Anderson announced that the World Famous VIP Records in Long Beach announced the end of an era. He said that the store, which was made famous by Snoop Dogg and was considered a landmark of the famed West Coast rap sound in the '90s, will fold by the end of October if an alternative business plan can't be developed. Since his Sept. 14 announcement, Anderson has launched a petition to get VIP recognized as a historic landmark (sign it here), but he's also said that the store may just go a different (non-musical) direction after the outpouring of  support for the brick-and-mortar location.

In a story by the Press Telegram, Anderson cites the store's debt as the cause of the news. His physical record store was not being able to compete with the Internet, he says: "I knew this day was coming...It's been real tough for the last few years, maintaining, but we are way too far behind financially now to come back selling CDs."

For followers of Southern California hip-hop, the news is heartbreaking--especially after Nate Dogg's death in March this year. VIP was a hub for many artists throughout its history; Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Nate Dogg, known as 213, got their start at VIP, and recorded their first album there.

After the jump, the top five reasons we're going to miss the World Famous VIP Records.
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​The whole "band playing a classic album in its entirety" schtick is beaten to death by now, but regardless, the format works--aging bands stay on the "still relevant" side of the nostalgia spectrum, and casual fans don't have to sit through post-prime material generally reserved for piss-and-beer runs. It's a win for everyone involved.

This time, it's Peter Hook on tour performing Joy Division's final album Closer, its sprawling magnum opus released in the wake of Ian Curtis' suicide in 1980, and also, on different dates at different venues, the band's landmark debut Unknown Pleasures. It's Hook on vocals and bass, backed by his studio band, The Light.

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​Lady Gaga finished recording her voice over for an upcoming episode of The Simpsons earlier this week. The episode, "Lisa Goes Gaga," will air in Spring 2012. Gaga comes to Springfield to boost the collective morale after hearing its residents had a notably low self-image. She tries to cheer up a lethargic Lisa Simpson and even plants a smooch on Marge Simpson. "I play a little bit of a slut," Gaga said in an article first reported by Entertainment Weekly. "The apple doesn't fall far from my artistic tree."

While Gaga is no stranger to the recording studio, working with The Simpsons was a bit different. "I make music, but I don't do voice-overs every day of the week, and their characters are so awesomely convincing and sincere and wild and funny, I had to remind myself constantly of the sincerity of the humor," Gaga said of her appearance on the show. "That's what I was trying to focus on, not putting on a character too much and really being as sincere as I could with the lines."

While waiting for the episode to air, we've compiled several awesome and classic musician cameos on The Simpsons over the years.
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Most people who grew up in the early '80s were lucky enough to witness MTV's revolutionary images but for many of us, who were just in grade school at the time, the cutting-edge visuals that appeared before us were too conceptual for us to comprehend.

It wasn't until the early '90s (when we were allowed more TV time) that we could really sit and process the music videos, and were able to differentiate our musical tastes. Also, by this time MTV's original programming had began to launch several new shows, so MTV wasn't just a musical haven but was slowly becoming a mecca for all things cool and thought provoking.

So while the generation before us had Michael Jackson's "Thriller," we had yet to experience high-budgeted, mega, videos until way later. And that was just the beginning.

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​Today I saw a list on Buzzfeed that named the 25 Things Kids Today Will Never Have. Five of those items were music-related, and I immediately got all nostalgic for those things as well. I listed them after the jump, with additional commentary on why they were important to us. Find out what technology killed after the jump and wax nostalgic about the good old days--back when you actually had to wait after you pressed <<,  >> or >.
 
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​Happy birthday, "Wannabe!" You are now officially making me feel really, really old.

Here's the history of the song as per Wikipedia:  "Wannabe" was written in 30 minutes--mainly because the group had already written parts of the song beforehand--in what member Melanie Brown describes as a "sudden creative frenzy." During the session, Brown and Emma Bunton came up with the idea of making a rap near the end of the song."

And what about zigazigaaaaaah? Where did that come from?More >>

Reel Big Fish

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