The method to the madness:
Eric on the Charts is a review site in which a pop music hermit (me) reviews songs on the Billboard Hot 100. Since I haven't listened to the radio in years, and have very little input from mass media broadcasts and commercials, I'm trying to review these songs just as songs. I'm not looking for the video, I don't want to know the artist's backstory (though sometimes that's unavoidable)-- I just want the song.
First, some ground rules.
I am reviewing four songs per week, based on their position on the Billboard Hot 100. Since I'm not going to review any song more than once, we're skipping #1 on the charts (where a song can arrive, and stay for weeks at a time). The chart positions I review are #11, #33, #66, and #99, but I can skip up or down a number if I hit a duplicate, and since the numbers are more fluid, the songs are tagged in the blog as High (#11), HiMid (#33), LoMid (#66), and Low (#99).
The songs are selected from the Billboard listings every Thursday. Originally, that was a random day (it was the day I picked songs for the first week), but it does seem to be the day the charts are updated.
Also, no Glee. I'm reviewing the songs as they appear on the charts; I don't really want to spent my time covering autotuned karaoke versions of popular songs from the 80s. And yes, I am aware that the cast of Glee sings current songs too... but the when the original song is still on the charts, why would I review the knock-off? Seriously: no Glee.
Finally, I gave up on rating these songs by whether or not I'd keep them in my MP3 player or not because... well, next to nothing made the cut (sorry, pop radio.) I'm using three ratings now:
 | Stay | I want to stay with this song; this is a cozy tune I will listen to in my normal life, like any song I'd listen to as a normal guy listening to music I love. This is the highest praise I can give. |
|---|---|---|
 | Walk | I can walk away. It's not bad... it may even be good, but it's not good enough for me to stay. Even if I appreciate this song, it's not good enough to hang in my headphones for weeks; even if I'm not keen on this tune, it's not so bad as the music that inspires RUN! |
 | RUN! | Oh please, make it stop. It's hard to believe anyone can listen to music this empty and soulless without being sucked into a terrible void. Your best bet is to run like hell and hope the zombie apocalypse doesn't catch up to you. |
