I've listened to this song so many times before, but funnily enough, I've never realized or paid enough attention to know what it says at the chorus. I never knew what the title was either, I just knew that it was by Chicago.
Anyway, the song is super catchy and looking over the lyrics, they make no sense. The phrase "25 or 6 to 4" has a either a secret meaning or no meaning at all. According to Wikipedia, the meaning either has to do with drugs or a name. With the time period that the song was written in, I wouldn't be surprised if "25 or 6 to 4" was about drugs. Especially with the second verse lines, "...Wondering how much I can take; Should have tried to do some more..."
Listening to the song, knowing what it could mean, the song gets a lot more entertaining.
Monday, November 4, 2019
Monday, October 21, 2019
"Sound of Silence" Simon and Garfunkel
Many people like the version of this song that is written by Disturbed, but I respectfully disagree. I love this version and I could listen to it all day if I had the time. In my ASL class in high school, we watched a music video that translated the Disturbed version of "Sound of Silence" into ASL. I'll attach the link below if any of you want to watch it. The signer's take on the original lyrics, "...And the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made..." refers to cell phones and the light that comes from cell phones as the neon god. Since Simon and Garfunkel didn't have cell phones at the time the song was written, I'm assuming that is not what the lyrics originally meant.
The song itself is great to listen to. I like how the song starts and how smooth it sounds. Like all of the other songs I've written about, this song has a feeling of nostalgia attached that the Disturbed version lacks.
Sound of Silence - ASL
The song itself is great to listen to. I like how the song starts and how smooth it sounds. Like all of the other songs I've written about, this song has a feeling of nostalgia attached that the Disturbed version lacks.
Sound of Silence - ASL
Monday, October 14, 2019
"Yesterday" The Beatles
I believe that this song is easily the most iconic of the Beatles songs. "Yesterday" is instantly recognizable and completely embodies the style of the Beatles songs but also still holds a unique twist. The words are simple, so the song is very easy to sing with and the song is also easily stuck in your head.
The tempo is very slow, the tone of Paul McCartney is smooth and soft. The song itself is about a break up between a boy and a girl, where the girl leaves because of something he said, which is why McCartney sings about "believing in yesterday." I really like listening to this song, because like most Beatles songs, there is a feeling of nostalgia that makes the listener wish for yesterday, but a yesterday where the Beatles were all still alive and writing music.
I believe "Yesterday" hit number one in the US charts and was inducted in the hall of fame. The writer, McCartney, came up with the tune during a dream one night, but took several months to figure out the title and appropriate lyrics.
After releasing the song, there were many covers. "Yesterday" is one of the top covered songs of all time, and even the movie being made about the Beatles is titled "Yesterday."
All in all, this is one of my favorite songs to listen to. "Yesterday" has such a unique history, most of which I did not know before, and I only mentioned a small part of it.
The tempo is very slow, the tone of Paul McCartney is smooth and soft. The song itself is about a break up between a boy and a girl, where the girl leaves because of something he said, which is why McCartney sings about "believing in yesterday." I really like listening to this song, because like most Beatles songs, there is a feeling of nostalgia that makes the listener wish for yesterday, but a yesterday where the Beatles were all still alive and writing music.
I believe "Yesterday" hit number one in the US charts and was inducted in the hall of fame. The writer, McCartney, came up with the tune during a dream one night, but took several months to figure out the title and appropriate lyrics.
After releasing the song, there were many covers. "Yesterday" is one of the top covered songs of all time, and even the movie being made about the Beatles is titled "Yesterday."
All in all, this is one of my favorite songs to listen to. "Yesterday" has such a unique history, most of which I did not know before, and I only mentioned a small part of it.
Monday, October 7, 2019
"That'll Be the Day" Buddy Holly
I love listening to Buddy Holly. I think he has a nice voice and the genre of music that he performed is one of my favorites. It's not a very long song, but it's very catchy. I don't know if I'd call it music that you could easily dance to because the tempo is kind of fast and kind of slow. It's a medium tempo, so it would be weird to slow dance, but fast dancing would be too fast. A similar song, like "Little Bitty Pretty One" by Thurston Harris would be more suited for dancing.
However, rockabilly still is influential to today's music. The song, "That'll Be the Day" is a classic and instantly recognizable. There aren't any racial themes, as this is more of a love song describing the singer's total dependence on his girl. "You say you're gonna leave, you know it's a lie, cause that'll be the day, when I die." This song has a classic AABA form where the quoted line is the 'A' and the most repeated line in the song.
Buddy Holly nowadays is most famous for his death. "The Day the Music Died" is a day in history that three very important musicians died in a plane crash. The three people were Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper. That event was immortalized when the song "American Pie" by Don McLean came out talking about the day the music died. Which is also a very good song to listen to.
However, rockabilly still is influential to today's music. The song, "That'll Be the Day" is a classic and instantly recognizable. There aren't any racial themes, as this is more of a love song describing the singer's total dependence on his girl. "You say you're gonna leave, you know it's a lie, cause that'll be the day, when I die." This song has a classic AABA form where the quoted line is the 'A' and the most repeated line in the song.
Buddy Holly nowadays is most famous for his death. "The Day the Music Died" is a day in history that three very important musicians died in a plane crash. The three people were Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper. That event was immortalized when the song "American Pie" by Don McLean came out talking about the day the music died. Which is also a very good song to listen to.
Monday, September 30, 2019
"Sh-Boom" The Chords
The Chords wrote and performed this song first, then later on another band, The Crew Cuts, recorded a cover of this song and reached number #1 on the pop charts. Nowadays though, people prefer the original, at least I do.
"Life could be a dream" is the first line of the lyrics in the song "Sh-Boom" by The Chords. I love how smooth and calming the music is while still having a happy undertone to it. Of course, most people who listen to this song are now reminded of Cars, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. I think this song was written with a certain nostalgic feeling, and this song certainly fits the scene in Cars where it's featured.
This song doesn't have any political messages or racial streams in it like we saw in some of the other music we've listened to, "Sh-Boom" is definitely a romantic song with the singer just trying to get a girl to fall in love with him. It may seem cheesy, but I definitely prefer these types of songs to any other of that specific time period because it's easy to sing to and enjoy.
"Life could be a dream" is the first line of the lyrics in the song "Sh-Boom" by The Chords. I love how smooth and calming the music is while still having a happy undertone to it. Of course, most people who listen to this song are now reminded of Cars, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. I think this song was written with a certain nostalgic feeling, and this song certainly fits the scene in Cars where it's featured.
This song doesn't have any political messages or racial streams in it like we saw in some of the other music we've listened to, "Sh-Boom" is definitely a romantic song with the singer just trying to get a girl to fall in love with him. It may seem cheesy, but I definitely prefer these types of songs to any other of that specific time period because it's easy to sing to and enjoy.
Monday, September 23, 2019
"In The Mood" Glenn Miller
I love the song "In the Mood." I played trombone in Jr. High, so my teacher showed me some songs by Glenn Miller and his orchestra and "In the Mood" was one of them. Since then, I loved listening to some of Glenn Miller's songs, but I think "In the Mood" is still my favorite. I study to this song sometimes because it's upbeat rhythm helps me think.
There is a certain part of the song that lasts for a few measures and repeats itself throughout the song. It assists in making the song memorable and easy to dance to. Nowadays, songs that repeat themselves over and over kind of get annoying, but I think "In the Mood" really has enough variance that the listener or dancer stays entertained throughout the entire song. Even though there is not any words in the song.
This song has withstood time because (in my opinion) it's so memorable and unique. Maybe not unique at the time of the composition, but it's a great piece that represents that time period so well. It's unique and unusual for our day and age, which is why people remember "In the Mood" when they hear it.
Glenn Miller and his orchestra did a really good job performing this song, the tempo changes and the dynamic changes are really accentuated and add a depth to the song that otherwise would leave the song lacking. This type of swing really adds a sense of nostalgia that is felt by the listeners, even though I, an eighteen year-old, have literally no idea what that time period was like.
There is a certain part of the song that lasts for a few measures and repeats itself throughout the song. It assists in making the song memorable and easy to dance to. Nowadays, songs that repeat themselves over and over kind of get annoying, but I think "In the Mood" really has enough variance that the listener or dancer stays entertained throughout the entire song. Even though there is not any words in the song.
This song has withstood time because (in my opinion) it's so memorable and unique. Maybe not unique at the time of the composition, but it's a great piece that represents that time period so well. It's unique and unusual for our day and age, which is why people remember "In the Mood" when they hear it.
Glenn Miller and his orchestra did a really good job performing this song, the tempo changes and the dynamic changes are really accentuated and add a depth to the song that otherwise would leave the song lacking. This type of swing really adds a sense of nostalgia that is felt by the listeners, even though I, an eighteen year-old, have literally no idea what that time period was like.
Monday, September 16, 2019
"I've Got Rhythm" George and Ira Gershwin
Today I listened to "I've Got Rhythm" by George and Ira Gershwin. The piece was composed by George Gershwin and the lyrics were written by his brother Ira Gershwin. I already had heard of this song before taking this class, but listening to Ethel Merman sing this song never gets old. I love how unique and powerful Ethel Merman's voice is.
The song evokes various emotions including happiness and being carefree. I think that those emotions are achieved through Merman's voice and upbeat, driving rhythm of the song. Like the song I listened to last week, ("Maple Leaf Rag" by Scott Joplin) I could listen to this song all day. The music and the words go very well together, especially considering the tempo.
A surprising part about this piece was the section, "...who could ask for anything more?" It's faster than I would expect and is a nice ending to the phrase preceding that. It's fun to listen to the music at that section, it sounds like the song is running down some stairs for a dramatic effect. And it works. The music fits very nicely with the rest of the piece, and "I've Got Rhythm" has withstood the effects of time very well.
The target audience of the time was most likely middle-class Americans. The song was published in 1930, and was included in a Broadway show titled "Girl Crazy." After that, the song was featured in many more shows and has appeared in some movies as well, including one of my favorites, "American in Paris."
The song evokes various emotions including happiness and being carefree. I think that those emotions are achieved through Merman's voice and upbeat, driving rhythm of the song. Like the song I listened to last week, ("Maple Leaf Rag" by Scott Joplin) I could listen to this song all day. The music and the words go very well together, especially considering the tempo.
A surprising part about this piece was the section, "...who could ask for anything more?" It's faster than I would expect and is a nice ending to the phrase preceding that. It's fun to listen to the music at that section, it sounds like the song is running down some stairs for a dramatic effect. And it works. The music fits very nicely with the rest of the piece, and "I've Got Rhythm" has withstood the effects of time very well.
The target audience of the time was most likely middle-class Americans. The song was published in 1930, and was included in a Broadway show titled "Girl Crazy." After that, the song was featured in many more shows and has appeared in some movies as well, including one of my favorites, "American in Paris."
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