The People's Choice Music

The People's Choice Music
EP by
Komar and Melamid and Dave Soldier
Released1997 (1997)
Genre"Unwanted":
"Wanted":
Length27:07
Label

The People's Choice Music is an extended play by artists Komar and Melamid and composer Dave Soldier, released in 1997. The EP comprises two songs, "The Most Wanted Song" and "The Most Unwanted Song". The former, a pop duet, was written to incorporate lyrical and musical elements that were received favorably by most respondents to an opinion poll. "The Most Unwanted Song", meanwhile, features lyrical and musical elements that the same respondents most disliked. Accordingly, the track includes bagpipes, cowboy music, an opera singer rapping, and a children's choir that urged listeners to "do all [their] shopping at Walmart!"[1][2]

The People's Choice Music was released on CD in 1997, sold through the Dia Art Foundation bookstore and later through Soldier's Mulatta Records.[3][4] Although deliberately designed to be as unpleasant as possible, "The Most Unwanted Song" became the more popular of the two songs on the album. The album has been praised both for its comedic value and as a social statement criticizing the influence of market research, focus groups, and opinion polling on contemporary society.[5][6][7]

In 2019, The People's Choice Music was remastered and reissued on vinyl, CD, and cassette by Needlejuice Records.[8]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference NinaMankin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Soldier, Dave (June 2, 2008). "The Most Unwanted Music: Full Score" (PDF). davesoldier.com. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Komar & Melamid and Dave Soldier "The People's Choice: Music"". Artists : Release. Mulatta.org. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference CMJ was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference AllMusic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Salon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "The Most Unwanted Song coming vinyl/CD/cassette". Needlejuice Records. January 8, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2019.