Over the Wire

Our Heart Will Go On

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So for anyone who knows me, you know that at least as far as pop culture goes, I am in lockstep with America – I follow American Idol like a religion, have set my home page to www.ew.com, rarely miss an issue of People magazine; and can lip synch all the words to Lady Gaga’s "Bad Romance."

So pardon my flabbergast when Celine Dion was named the #1 favorite singer by you-guessed-it: America. 

I barely broke a sweat with the next three: U2, Elvis Presley, and the Beatles… and even felt semi-comfortable with Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson and George Strait, knowing of course that against my better judgment, country would rule America (though really, 3 singers in the top 10 seem like overkill)…

And I felt no surprise that Frank Sinatra was tied at #9 which, in my estimation, may even be unacceptably low for Ol’ Blue Eyes…and Lady Gaga is obvs, if only because my daughter emotes all her songs into a hairbrush every night before she goes to sleep.

But… Celine Dion.  Besides 3 years ago being one of the largest celebrity earners of the year and appearing magically with Elvis Presley on Idol Gives Back, what has she done for us lately?  But if you – unlike me and the rest of NYC – think Celine is the top artist of the year, then check out these fun facts.

Now really, you other married female Democrats from the East, please tell me … to quote Ms. Dion herself… Why Oh Why? 

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Favorite Bands or Musicians - Interviews on the Streets of NYC!

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Post by Whitney Heckathorne, Marketing Manager

...And here we go! Round 2 of the Harris Poll Wrap-Up video, this time asking about people's favorite bands and musicians. Getting the opportunity to co-host a video like this (err...solicit people on the streets of New York City) definitely brought out some interesting moments. Being in the numbers biz, I thought I'd provide you with a few fun facts about the results and making of this video...

The Numbers Don't Lie

• 1 - Ranking for Celine Dion as America's favorite musician
• 0 - Number of people on the streets of NYC who said Celine was their fave
• 29 - Number of times Dan and I hadn't heard of a particular group or artist
• 29 - Number of times our camerawoman had to tell us who the group or artist was
• 32 - Degrees Fahrenheit outside the first day we filmed
• 72 - Degrees Fahrenheit outside the second day we filmed (wearing the same coats and scarves for consistency)
• 2 - Number of Harris employees who've gotten mad at me for not knowing who "Cream" is
• 5 - Number of times I've meant to Wikipedia "Cream," but haven't

So who's your favorite band or musician? See if your faves are mentioned in our video, below!

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Wishing For A Silent Night?

Classics in literature, art, music... you typically either love them or hate them... but in the case of holiday songs, perhaps it’s both.  It appears that we look forward to these hits coming around at this time of year, but by the end of the season, we hope we never hear them again.  According to The Harris Poll,

• Silent Night – both our #1 most beloved and our #8 most irritating (is it heresy to say that about a holiday song?)
• White Christmas – both #2 beloved and #4 irritating
• Jingle Bells – both #4 beloved and #1 irritating
• Little Drummer Boy - #5 beloved and #5 irritating

Which songs top your list of good and bad?

Battle of the Bands - Baby Boomer Edition

Post by Kathy Steinberg (Research Manager, Public Relations Research)

Today's data snapshot revealed that most Baby Boomers in America prefer the music of their youth to today's pop music. But, within the music of their youth, what do they prefer?

Boomers came of age in the era of the British Invasion and, later, Woodstock. These cultural phenomena are still widely discussed today, and the age-old questions "Beatles or Stones?" and "Hendrix or Page?" have yet to be resolved...until now!

We asked Baby Boomers where they stand when it comes to popular "Battles of the Bands" and here's what we found:

• In a match-up between The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, 2 in 3 Baby Boomers (66%) say they personally prefer the Fab Four -- 32% chose the Stones and 3% claim they are not familiar with either (what rock have they been living under?!).
• The duel between The Doors and The Who ended in a draw, with 44% of Boomers preferring the trippy, poetic tunes of Jim Morrison's crew and the same proportion (44%) saying they prefer the musical stylings (and guitar-smashing antics) of "The Godfathers of Punk." A closer look, however, reveals that older Boomers (ages 55-63) prefer The Doors, while younger Boomers (ages 45-54) like The Who more.
• In the battle of the guitars, it's no contest - Baby Boomers are more than twice as likely to prefer Jimi Hendrix (58%) to Jimmy Page (27%). But all is not lost for my personal favorite band of all time, Led Zeppelin -- between the two giants of psychedelic rock, 1 in 2 Boomers (50%) prefer to "Get the Led Out," while 1 in 3 (34%) would rather listen to Pink Floyd.
• And who can forget about the ladies of folk rock? Baby Boomers are about evenly split when it comes to Janis Joplin (44%) vs. Carole King (46%). But, again, we find that this generation is not homogeneous in its music taste, with older Boomers being more likely to prefer Joplin while younger Boomers prefer King. Interestingly, women are more likely to like Carole King, while men are more likely to prefer Janis Joplin...is it the throaty voice? Or could it just be the unkempt hair and hard-partying lifestyle?

What about you? Whether you're a Boomer or not, do you prefer the Beatles or the Stones? Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd? Are there any other famous "Battles" we've omitted? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments... 

Data Snapshot

More than 4 in 5 Baby Boomers (82%) say they prefer the music of their youth to today's pop music.---HarrisPoll BoomerQuery, conducted online between September 24th-September 29th, 2009 among 1,003 U.S. adults born between 1946-1964