Musc 1020 blogposts

  For this extra credit opportunity, I decided to listen to Switched on Pop 's most recent podcast episode titled, “Listening 2 Britney: …Baby One More Time.” This episode started off with the discussion of the timbre of Britney Spear’s voice. They first describe it as “weird” but not in a pejorative way. More specifically, she brings force to every syllable of her words in a unique way. They then proceeded to play a segment of her hit song “Baby One More Time,” but they stripped away the backing and production effects. I found this to be revelatory because I never noticed the ferocity and vehemence with which she pronounces her words. She articulates each syllable of each word, which results in a more percussive element to her pronunciation that is galvanic to say the least. The hosts later proceed to analyze another one of her hit songs titled, “Oops I did it again.” They discuss the variety of styles of music that she incorporates into this song. I had never noticed, but there a...

  This week, I chose to do Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles because I really like the message of despondency, nihilism, and isolation that is portrayed in this song. One of my favorite lines from this song given when Paul McCartney states, "Lives in a dream, waits at the window wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door. Who is it for?" I really liked this line because I like physical imagery of the façade that we all put up around each other. I like the image of a version of us that we keep in a jar, ready for whenever we have to meet someone. While this part of the phrase is profound, I find that the most poignant piece of this stanza is the very last sentence when he asks "who is it for?" I really liked this because it brings up the fact that regardless of who we're putting up the façade for, they will really never mean anything to us because whether we pretend to be someone we want to be or not, we'll still never be enough for anyone. They successf...

  For this week's blogpost, I decided to do "Nature Boy" by Nat "King" Cole. I chose this song because I have quite the predilection toward the crooning style. The performer of this song, Nat Cole, has the most delicate and placating voice that I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. He has a slight vibrato that gives his voice the most dulcet and comforting feel. The word choice of this song also enhanced his performance. Such words like "enchanted" and "wander" gave it an occult and almost numinous vibe that I found entrancing. The orchestral accompaniment also enriched this song as well. The solo flute that plays throughout the song provides an imagery of walking through a brumous woodland. The powerful opening with the French horns was an amazing hook for the audience. I always know exactly what song is play the moment it begins. Another aspect of the accompaniment that I loved was the piano. It is very gentle, almost indiscernible ...

  I chose to do "In the Mood" by Glenn Miller because I absolutely adore jazz music. It might seem like quite the cacophonous din to some people, but I find every aspect of jazz music enthralling. I especially love “In the Mood” because of its galvanizing dynamics. The transition from low to high volume can be stunning yet absolutely beautiful. The ending is always a shock because they lead you to believe that it’s about to end numerous times, and then they re-enter at full volume, I absolutely love it. I also love the dulcet solo exchange between the two saxophones about halfway through the song. I also love this song because I had the opportunity to play it when I was in jazz band in high school, so it educed many memories that I had long since forgotten. For this particular song, our jazz band had an unbelievable amount of choreography to accompany it, so it was super fun to relieve the feeling of being at a performance and dancing with my trombone. It was also surreal to ...

  I chose to do "Gospel Ship" by The Carter Family because I am enthralled by the discussion of religion and that was the cardinal topic throughout this song. I personally don't believe in a god but I admire people that do. In my opinion it takes quite a bit of intrepidity to believe in a greater being that is ceaselessly surveilling us. Some of my favorite lyrics in this song arise when they sing, "I'm a-going far beyond the sky. I'm gonna shout and sing til the heaven rings when I hid this world goodbye." I loved this line because I like the idea of divine providence and the afterlife that different people choose to believe in. I love the interpretation of the afterlife that these lines portray. The idea of getting on a ship with people that make you happy and absconding to paradise for the rest of eternity is quite the alluring notion. I also love the guitar accompaniment throughout this song. The bouncing beat is so happy, and when paired with the im...

  I chose to do "My Blue Heaven" by Gene Austin because my mother would sing this song to me before I would go to sleep in the evenings when I was younger.  I love the tranquil picture he paints in the listener's head. This is the most beautiful, placating song, and I still listen to it whenever I become distressed or worried. I love the entire crooning era that came from microphones and this song is by far my favorite. I appreciate the gentle connotation of the words. The repetition of certain placating words help put the listener at ease. He frequently says words such as "cozy," "happy," and "nestled." These words are eloquently conciliatory and they always make me feel happy. I also adore the instrumental of this song. The deep cello at the beginning is very comforting. Subsequently, the soft bouncing beat of the piano is also very sweet. Though to completely transparent, I do abhor the whistling bird that enters near the end of the song. ...

     I have listened to all the songs for the first chapter of this course multiple times and "Stagolee" is by far my favorite song. I love the melancholy connotation of the words. One phrase that I find to be the most poignant is "Billy Linus told Stagolee "Please don't take my life, I've got two little babes and a darling loving wife."" This line engages the listener on a deep emotional level as the reader imagines a man murdered, consequently leaving behind a widowed wife and fatherless children. Another intriguing aspect of this song is the syncopated onomatopoeia that he uses when he says "Boom boom, boom boom, with a '44," implying gunshots. It gives an amazing beat to the song that I find entrancing. I also enjoy the controversial implications of this song. John Hurt never explicitly discusses race during this song, but I personally believe that he is trying to discuss how Caucasian people were not typically punished for their ...