Tell Me Why

Sometimes my brain sends me down a rabbit hole that I really didn't want to go down. In my continuing effort to share with you all how it works and why I probably would have made good use of therapy if it was offered to me in my youth, I give you what I spent most of the night and the early morning today wondering.

As I've written about many times in the past, I was watching my favorite show last night for three hours and I kept wondering the same thing. Why are some singers/bands iconic superstars and others one hit wonders, or just not very famous.

Why do some become some of the biggest stars in the world and others aren't recognized if they stood next to you in line at Wendy's? What is it about them that gave them the "it" factor while someone else, equally or more talented, never reaches the same level? It is one of those things that I think about every time I hear a song or see a story about one of the legends of music.

There aren't many singers that are more famous than these three. They are universally hailed as superstars, they have had many hits, and every time they went on stage they commanded your undivided attention. Generations that never saw them live or in their prime still recognize them and are enjoying their music to this day.

Why did Diana Ross become the breakout star of the Supremes while the other two never made it big on their own? They all could sing, they all were attractive, and they all shared equal billing for the first half of their time together. Why did she rise to the top? Ok, sure, she was sleeping with the owner of the record company, but it was more than that.

Billy Corgan, on the left, founded and was the lead singer for a huge band in the 1990's called Smashing Pumpkins. They were massively popular for a sect of music lovers but unrecognizable outside of their hometown of Chicago. The man on the right, Van Morrison, arguably was one of the great singer/songwriters of his era and yet while he is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he never enjoyed the huge success of others of his era that were less talented, like Rod Stewart for example.

Granted, many of these singers never sought out stardom. They were ok with living in the shadows and only being in the limelight when on stage for two hours a night while they were performing, but many of them, I'm sure, were stunned that they never reached the pinnacle of popularity.

I can't think of any other profession where the haves and the have nots are so far apart. I know, many of you are thinking well the same is true for movie stars, writers, TV stars, and Broadway, but it really isn't the same. There are way fewer top dogs in those professions while the music industry has a boatload of huge stars.

Is it random, luck, connections, or a deal with the devil that makes one person a legend and another have short lived fame. I find it fascinating and tiresome that I have nothing more on my plate than to wonder about this stuff.

I also find it amazing that Frank Sinatra recorded songs in the 1940's and 1950's that are still popular and timeless today. Same with Elvis, The Beatles, The Temptations, and on and on. Why?

My brain hurts.