After months of not writing about music, leave it to Taylor to bring me back into the conversation.
Taylor Swift’s newest album 1989 is a reminder that Taylor Swift still has got it. People have been critical of the fact that this album, produced by Max Martin (the genius behind Britney Spear’s greatest hits) is not a country album. That is true, but so what? Many of the greatest country singers of all time, like Kenny Rogers, charted on the pop charts and many of them deliberately recorded pop music in an effort to be more than a country artist.
Taylor Swift broke big in 2008 with “Love Story” (which I wrote about in this previous post). While this continues to be my favorite song by Swift and easily in my top 10 pop songs of all time, I appreciate and respect Swift’s evolution as an artist in the past six years.
“Blank Space” one of her strongest songs on 1989, reflects her growth as not only an artist but a self-aware and thoughtful public figure.
Swift knew that she would be criticized for diving so deeply into pop music so she led with “Shake It Off,” which was a hilarious but also inspiring response to the criticisms that she knew she would receive. Just like “Blank Space,” “Shake It Off,” is a song that people claim to not like but can’t get enough of because of its musical invention and intriguing message.
We live in a world where gender stereotypes are still strong in interpersonal relationships and this is so often illustrated in pop music. “Blank Space” is an exception taking common ideas and stereotypes and forcing us to reexamine them.
Swift as the narrator tells about all of the possibilities of a relationship. It could go well and as she sings “could go down in flames.” This idea, the potential failure of a relationship is suppose to leave people petrified, but Swift is undaunted. She still is excited about the possibility of a relationship even though she’s been hurt in the past. We aren’t supposed to look at relationships this way. If a relationship doesn’t last forever and ends with both people dying at the exactly same time when they are elderly, it’s a failure, right?
That’s what many of us are told, and with that attitude, we fear the bad possibilities that could happen which petrify us into not being ourselves, and not truly being with and for the people we love. “Blank Space” is asking us to break this down, embrace the bad with the good and just enjoy the uncertainty, revel in the unknown, because that’s what living life and loving others is really all about.
Swift admits to having a “long list of lovers.” Shock and awe. She admits to loving “players.” She sings about being “reckless.” Is she communicating an irresponsible approach to love? No, she is being honest about what life is like for many women her age. In a world where many people have yet to see “slut-shaming” as a pervasive and insidious problem in our society, Swift has given voice to woman who will not be made to be ashamed for playing the “game,” which men rarely receive shamming for embracing.
The bridge “boys only want love if it’s torture,” invites us to ask some important questions. In its repetition, it’s placing the stereotype that woman embrace and create drama and placing it on the guys. It’s not clear if she thinks guys only want love so that they can feel drama or if they want to be instigators of “torture.” If she is saying the latter, than she is warning girls about the misogynist power structure many guys still inject into their relationships with woman. If she is simply saying that guys enjoy drama as much as girls do then, bravo, because while not all boys are like this, many really do bring on the drama.
Taylor Swift’s “blank space,” represents embracing the possibilities of love. Along with this, the song itself expresses a level of pride in what it means to not be ashamed of what we desire in our love life and the choices we make as we live our lives.
Like great pop music, Taylor Swift is more powerful than she appears. Her long list of “Starbucks lovers” I mean um . . . “list of ex-lovers” may be right. Swift may be insane, but she might also be the most one of the important voices of her generation.
Showing posts with label Country. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Country. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Monday, April 22, 2013
Anything Like Me by Brad Paisley
Before
Brad Paisley was known for being an accidental racist all over the blogosphere, he was known by his fans and critics as one of the most creative and important forces in country music as well as mainstream popular music.
Paisley is one of the best representatives of country music paying tribute to his country music forefathers in songs like “This Is Country Music,” while composing clever songs about modern topics like “Online.” While Paisley’s music is full of humor his most powerful works are about his personal life.
I don’t really remember “Anything Like Me,” from Paisley’s 2009 album, American Saturday Night. It wasn’t until I heard this song on his greatest hits collection Hits Alive did the song really strike a chord with me (if you’ve been keeping up to date with this blog, the reasons to you will be obvious).
The opening of this song is exactly how I felt when I found out Diana was pregnant. You better believe when we found that it was boy, there were tears in our eyes. It wasn’t so much that we were happier that it was a boy, it just made it seem that much more real.
Brad works this his feelings of fear knowing that this boy will do the same things that he will which were a pain for his parents. My feelings of apprehension had to do with the fact that I wasn’t sure that I could father a boy.
After unpacking these feelings and my ideas about manhood partially through my “To Be A Man,” posts I’ve become more comfortable about raising a son. I’m still worried about it, but I’m beginning to see that I’ll be just fine.
Paisley lovingly sings about all of the things he thinks his son will do which he did, which will lead to him, probably like his own dad, loosing his temper. He envisions his son growing up and the little things he does wrong as being exactly that: little things.
My son may not play football but if he’s like me, he’ll have a first piano recital, get hooked on video games, read too many comic books and will fracture his elbow before a school dance but got to that dance anyways (that actually happened).
Paisley sings about this as “payback,” but the love and peace in his voice makes it seem like that he is looking forward to all of this. It is comforting to know that while fatherhood is overwhelming, it is something I am blessed to get to experience.
The last verse is one of the most incredible turnarounds I’ve heard in a song. So far the things that the son will do if he’s anything like Brad have mostly been things that cause difficulties in life. In the bridge, Brad sings about his son loving him (and hating him) and leaving the house. He’ll seem like he wants to go but that he’ll cry leaving home. Brad closes the songs singing “he’ll be alright, if he’s anything like me.”
This ending puts this whole idea in perspective. It’s about being confident in yourself and knowing that since you turned out okay, therefore your son will too. If my son gets the worst parts of me, he’ll also get the best parts as well and that’s a pretty amazing thing to think about.
I don’t have the confidence that our kid will be alright if he’s "anything like me." I know that it’s silly at this point in my life to feel a lack of confidence, but right now there’s a lot of things swirling around in my life. Especially with this fatherhood stuff, there’s just so much that is going to be new.
I told Diana recently that I have no doubts about her ability to be an amazing mother, but that I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle fatherhood. She told me that she has never doubted my ability to handle difficult situations. You know what? I guess my son will be alright because if he’s anything like me he’ll have a partner in his life like Diana who will believe in him in ways beyond his own confidence and his imagination.
Paisley is one of the best representatives of country music paying tribute to his country music forefathers in songs like “This Is Country Music,” while composing clever songs about modern topics like “Online.” While Paisley’s music is full of humor his most powerful works are about his personal life.
I don’t really remember “Anything Like Me,” from Paisley’s 2009 album, American Saturday Night. It wasn’t until I heard this song on his greatest hits collection Hits Alive did the song really strike a chord with me (if you’ve been keeping up to date with this blog, the reasons to you will be obvious).
The opening of this song is exactly how I felt when I found out Diana was pregnant. You better believe when we found that it was boy, there were tears in our eyes. It wasn’t so much that we were happier that it was a boy, it just made it seem that much more real.
Brad works this his feelings of fear knowing that this boy will do the same things that he will which were a pain for his parents. My feelings of apprehension had to do with the fact that I wasn’t sure that I could father a boy.
After unpacking these feelings and my ideas about manhood partially through my “To Be A Man,” posts I’ve become more comfortable about raising a son. I’m still worried about it, but I’m beginning to see that I’ll be just fine.
Paisley lovingly sings about all of the things he thinks his son will do which he did, which will lead to him, probably like his own dad, loosing his temper. He envisions his son growing up and the little things he does wrong as being exactly that: little things.
My son may not play football but if he’s like me, he’ll have a first piano recital, get hooked on video games, read too many comic books and will fracture his elbow before a school dance but got to that dance anyways (that actually happened).
Paisley sings about this as “payback,” but the love and peace in his voice makes it seem like that he is looking forward to all of this. It is comforting to know that while fatherhood is overwhelming, it is something I am blessed to get to experience.
The last verse is one of the most incredible turnarounds I’ve heard in a song. So far the things that the son will do if he’s anything like Brad have mostly been things that cause difficulties in life. In the bridge, Brad sings about his son loving him (and hating him) and leaving the house. He’ll seem like he wants to go but that he’ll cry leaving home. Brad closes the songs singing “he’ll be alright, if he’s anything like me.”
This ending puts this whole idea in perspective. It’s about being confident in yourself and knowing that since you turned out okay, therefore your son will too. If my son gets the worst parts of me, he’ll also get the best parts as well and that’s a pretty amazing thing to think about.
I don’t have the confidence that our kid will be alright if he’s "anything like me." I know that it’s silly at this point in my life to feel a lack of confidence, but right now there’s a lot of things swirling around in my life. Especially with this fatherhood stuff, there’s just so much that is going to be new.
I told Diana recently that I have no doubts about her ability to be an amazing mother, but that I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle fatherhood. She told me that she has never doubted my ability to handle difficult situations. You know what? I guess my son will be alright because if he’s anything like me he’ll have a partner in his life like Diana who will believe in him in ways beyond his own confidence and his imagination.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Accidental Racist by Brad Paisley (feat LL Cool J) - Part 2: The Hope
Now let’s talk about what everyone is focusing on: the lyrics.
I don’t think a kid who buys a Lynard Skynrd t-shirt at Target has any idea about the cultural baggage that is attached with the Confederate flag on that shirt. I also don’t think most kids when they where baggy pants have any idea what message that sends people. It’s not just kids, most adults have issues understanding the messages they are putting across.
Should we know better? Yes, but do we? Not always.
Brad offended a guy with his t-shirt when he went to Starbucks. It wasn’t his intention. But he realizes that maybe there’s something wrong and instead of blowing off this “can of worms” he takes it as a opportunity to have a conversation.
The chorus is all about understanding and accepting who you are which is the first step in having any kind of meaningful dialogue about race. He is Caucasian, and he’s from the south. He has no personal responsibility for slavery, Jim Crow laws and the sins of people who came before him. This line of thinking sometimes leads to people not taking responsibility for the past but Paisley does, acknowledging that they are still “picking up the pieces” and that he is torn between “southern pride and southern blame.”
Atticus Finch had it right. You have a walk a mile in another person’s shoes but you can’t in practice. I will never know what it’s like to walk down the street as a woman and I will never know what it’s like for my son to be mixed-race. We can try but we’ll never know and Brad points this out in the second verse.
LL’s angle is different. He brings up some stereotypes and how he thinks that we shouldn’t judge too quickly because of the clothing someone's wears. Like the point Brad makes in the chorus, he says that he wasn’t there during Sherman's march but that he also takes responsibility for the pre-judgment that he makes.
Then LL says that he wants to buy him a beer to have a chat to clear the air. Some people have criticized this line for trivializing racial issues with such a simplistic solution. LL isn’t saying that all issues can be solved this way but some can. And reaching with a gesture of good will to someone who is projecting things that you are uncomfortable with like the confederate flag is an enormous and powerful way to make progress.
At the end Brad and LL throw lines back and forth at each other. They aren’t trying to equate chains of slavery with gold chain necklaces or do-rags with the confederate flag. They are explaining their perspective. Some of this isn’t pretty and some of it is a little unsettling but that’s okay. “RIP Robert E. Lee, but I gotta thank Abraham Lincoln for freeing me. . . ” can be interpreted as a loaded or simply an acknowledgement of differences which must be acknoledged in order for a dialogue to be meaningful.
What’s concerning is that these two artists Brad Paisley and LL Cool J did something that was brave and important and instead of being praised they got heat.
My son is coming into this world in about a month. He’s coming into a society where we aren’t comfortable talking about racial issues and we don’t feel able to address the tensions within ourselves. Brad and LL bucked the trend through trying to make a world where we can move forward without forgetting the past. Through acknowledging the tensions and the the misunderstandings we can find common ground to reach a higher level of shared humanity.
Even though this song may be mediocre, the spirit of what Brad Paisley and LL Cool J expressed in "Accidental Racist," gives me hope for my son, myself and all of us.
I don’t think a kid who buys a Lynard Skynrd t-shirt at Target has any idea about the cultural baggage that is attached with the Confederate flag on that shirt. I also don’t think most kids when they where baggy pants have any idea what message that sends people. It’s not just kids, most adults have issues understanding the messages they are putting across.
Should we know better? Yes, but do we? Not always.
Brad offended a guy with his t-shirt when he went to Starbucks. It wasn’t his intention. But he realizes that maybe there’s something wrong and instead of blowing off this “can of worms” he takes it as a opportunity to have a conversation.
The chorus is all about understanding and accepting who you are which is the first step in having any kind of meaningful dialogue about race. He is Caucasian, and he’s from the south. He has no personal responsibility for slavery, Jim Crow laws and the sins of people who came before him. This line of thinking sometimes leads to people not taking responsibility for the past but Paisley does, acknowledging that they are still “picking up the pieces” and that he is torn between “southern pride and southern blame.”
Atticus Finch had it right. You have a walk a mile in another person’s shoes but you can’t in practice. I will never know what it’s like to walk down the street as a woman and I will never know what it’s like for my son to be mixed-race. We can try but we’ll never know and Brad points this out in the second verse.
LL’s angle is different. He brings up some stereotypes and how he thinks that we shouldn’t judge too quickly because of the clothing someone's wears. Like the point Brad makes in the chorus, he says that he wasn’t there during Sherman's march but that he also takes responsibility for the pre-judgment that he makes.
Then LL says that he wants to buy him a beer to have a chat to clear the air. Some people have criticized this line for trivializing racial issues with such a simplistic solution. LL isn’t saying that all issues can be solved this way but some can. And reaching with a gesture of good will to someone who is projecting things that you are uncomfortable with like the confederate flag is an enormous and powerful way to make progress.
At the end Brad and LL throw lines back and forth at each other. They aren’t trying to equate chains of slavery with gold chain necklaces or do-rags with the confederate flag. They are explaining their perspective. Some of this isn’t pretty and some of it is a little unsettling but that’s okay. “RIP Robert E. Lee, but I gotta thank Abraham Lincoln for freeing me. . . ” can be interpreted as a loaded or simply an acknowledgement of differences which must be acknoledged in order for a dialogue to be meaningful.
What’s concerning is that these two artists Brad Paisley and LL Cool J did something that was brave and important and instead of being praised they got heat.
My son is coming into this world in about a month. He’s coming into a society where we aren’t comfortable talking about racial issues and we don’t feel able to address the tensions within ourselves. Brad and LL bucked the trend through trying to make a world where we can move forward without forgetting the past. Through acknowledging the tensions and the the misunderstandings we can find common ground to reach a higher level of shared humanity.
Even though this song may be mediocre, the spirit of what Brad Paisley and LL Cool J expressed in "Accidental Racist," gives me hope for my son, myself and all of us.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Accidental Racist by Brad Paisley (feat LL Cool J) - Part 1: What The Critics Got Wrong & The Music
Somewhere between the people in our society who don’t think racial issues are clear and present in our society and the people who fight racial issues as a war are the rest of us well-intentioned and self-aware individuals who do the best we can to understand each other.
Brad Paisley and LL Cool J are two of these people.
I understand why “Accidental Racist,” has received criticism. People are uncomfortable talking about race, especially when the discussion is as honest and up front as in this song. While I’ve read some well thought-out analyses of this song, most people are missing the mark and the point.
I’m going to steer away from addressing critics of this song but I got to say a couple things in reference to the many criticisms Brad Paisley and LL Cool J have received for their work together. These are two musicians reflecting how they feel about an issue in their lives. They are not sociologist, they are not experts in racial relations, they are musicians. Their responsibility is not to address and unpack the complex racial issues in America.
Much of the criticism of this song comes from people who have little expertise in the hip-hop or country genre and many of these people are not even experts in music. Whenever something in our society stirs up controversy it’s interesting how many people jump into the fray to criticize something they don't consume or understand. It’s like the person protesting a video game for being violent when they don’t play video games themselves or another person they will never buy a Tiger Woods product when they never bought his merchandise to begin with.
If you take away the critics who:
1. Take the lyrics out of context
2. Place inappropriate responsibility on Brad Paisley and LL Cool J’s shoulders
3. Don’t understand the genre of music they are addressing or the nature of pop music itself
. .. you aren’t left with a lot of legitimate critiques. Think about the larger context, stick with what you know and don’t jump on the criticism bandwagon.
First off, let’s take a look at the musical part of this song. It’s not great but it’s not horrible. Melding rap into other genres can be tough. Springsteen it tried with “Rocky Ground,” it was okay but again wasn’t great.
Brad leads in with this slick and bluesy guitar licks. The slow pace allows for a level of reflection and Brad as he usually does a nice job moving through simple but interesting harmonies. After varying through more sung and then spoken lines the chorus opens really nicely. LL Cool J’s verse isn’t as dynamic as other ones. My favorites LL Cool J verse is at the beginning of this song “Curious.”
His verse doesn’t have the swagger or aggressiveness that we are used to with LL but he moves through the verse with skill has some interesting rhymes (“gangled, DJango,”) while weaving historical context of Sherman’s march. Maybe it’s because we’re not used to rap being calmer, but it doesn’t feel right. Part of it is that rap over a non-hip-hop beat doesn’t sit well in the ear. It’s not a logical thing, but it doesn’t feel like it fits.
Musically this combination feels a little awkward when LL ad-lib's towards the end. I’m not sure what would have made it better but maybe a musical compromise or a hip-hop beat coming in during a break down would have smoothed it over a little. Regardless it’s a really pretty song but it lacks a certain energy and momentum that Paisley and LL characteristically have in their music.
It's hard for people to divorce their musical tastes from the lyrical content. If you're not a fan of country music, you are going to be turned off from this song regardless of the lyrics.
Next week I'm going to analyze the lyrics which are where most of the scorn is being directed. In the mean time, really think about what they are saying. Don't just hook onto a single phrase.
We limit ourselves in racial discussions if we don't dare to look deeper not only into what is said but also how our reactions to these words reflects our own feelings and insecurities.
Brad Paisley and LL Cool J are two of these people.
I understand why “Accidental Racist,” has received criticism. People are uncomfortable talking about race, especially when the discussion is as honest and up front as in this song. While I’ve read some well thought-out analyses of this song, most people are missing the mark and the point.
I’m going to steer away from addressing critics of this song but I got to say a couple things in reference to the many criticisms Brad Paisley and LL Cool J have received for their work together. These are two musicians reflecting how they feel about an issue in their lives. They are not sociologist, they are not experts in racial relations, they are musicians. Their responsibility is not to address and unpack the complex racial issues in America.
Much of the criticism of this song comes from people who have little expertise in the hip-hop or country genre and many of these people are not even experts in music. Whenever something in our society stirs up controversy it’s interesting how many people jump into the fray to criticize something they don't consume or understand. It’s like the person protesting a video game for being violent when they don’t play video games themselves or another person they will never buy a Tiger Woods product when they never bought his merchandise to begin with.
If you take away the critics who:
1. Take the lyrics out of context
2. Place inappropriate responsibility on Brad Paisley and LL Cool J’s shoulders
3. Don’t understand the genre of music they are addressing or the nature of pop music itself
. .. you aren’t left with a lot of legitimate critiques. Think about the larger context, stick with what you know and don’t jump on the criticism bandwagon.
First off, let’s take a look at the musical part of this song. It’s not great but it’s not horrible. Melding rap into other genres can be tough. Springsteen it tried with “Rocky Ground,” it was okay but again wasn’t great.
Brad leads in with this slick and bluesy guitar licks. The slow pace allows for a level of reflection and Brad as he usually does a nice job moving through simple but interesting harmonies. After varying through more sung and then spoken lines the chorus opens really nicely. LL Cool J’s verse isn’t as dynamic as other ones. My favorites LL Cool J verse is at the beginning of this song “Curious.”
His verse doesn’t have the swagger or aggressiveness that we are used to with LL but he moves through the verse with skill has some interesting rhymes (“gangled, DJango,”) while weaving historical context of Sherman’s march. Maybe it’s because we’re not used to rap being calmer, but it doesn’t feel right. Part of it is that rap over a non-hip-hop beat doesn’t sit well in the ear. It’s not a logical thing, but it doesn’t feel like it fits.
Musically this combination feels a little awkward when LL ad-lib's towards the end. I’m not sure what would have made it better but maybe a musical compromise or a hip-hop beat coming in during a break down would have smoothed it over a little. Regardless it’s a really pretty song but it lacks a certain energy and momentum that Paisley and LL characteristically have in their music.
It's hard for people to divorce their musical tastes from the lyrical content. If you're not a fan of country music, you are going to be turned off from this song regardless of the lyrics.
Next week I'm going to analyze the lyrics which are where most of the scorn is being directed. In the mean time, really think about what they are saying. Don't just hook onto a single phrase.
We limit ourselves in racial discussions if we don't dare to look deeper not only into what is said but also how our reactions to these words reflects our own feelings and insecurities.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Always On My Mind by Willie Nelson
You know one of your friends is really into someone they like when they bring that person up in conversation all of the time. If you’ve been on the other side of this you know what it’s like to have someone always on your mind.
Like the first burst of emotions when you fall in love, the intensity of your thoughts about this other person wanes over time but it never really disappears. What happens after years in being in a relationship with someone isn’t that they leave your thoughts, it's just that you get so used to them being in you thoughts it becomes normal to think of the them all of the time.
“Always on My Mind,” is one of the most famous and beautiful love songs in popular music. It’s as much an apology song as a statement of commitment. Brenda Lee first recorded it in 1972:
This song was a moderate success but it was Elvis Presley’s cover the brought this song into prominence:
My introduction to this song was through Willie Nelson:
Brenda Lee is a fantastic singer but what works with Nelson’s and Presley’s version is the fact that they both exude this feeling of regret and heartache. This song isn’t an open apology. It’s not saying: “I did all of these things wrong,” instead it goes with “maybe. . . I did something bad.” That’s a big deal for this character in this song. You hear that in the desperate voice of Elvis in his later years and the beat-up and battered voice of Willie Nelson.
Willie Nelson really owns this song. It feels like songs that he wrote for himself. There’s a conversational feeling to the verses that opens up into a beautiful chorus. There’s desperation, a feeling that this is the last attempt to bring this person back into his life, yet he can’t just come out and say that he was wrong. It’s tragic on some level how much he just can’t bring himself to open himself up. But you feel like he’s trying and maybe that’s enough.
What consolation is it really that someone who has done you wrong was thinking about you the entire time?
It depends on the situation, but for me it means a lot. It’s a statement that other things in life aren’t as important and through all of stuff they did wrong, they couldn’t help but think of you. The knowledge that someone is thinking about you is comforting. It lets you know that you matter, that you mean something and that you are always with the people who love you.
Like the first burst of emotions when you fall in love, the intensity of your thoughts about this other person wanes over time but it never really disappears. What happens after years in being in a relationship with someone isn’t that they leave your thoughts, it's just that you get so used to them being in you thoughts it becomes normal to think of the them all of the time.
“Always on My Mind,” is one of the most famous and beautiful love songs in popular music. It’s as much an apology song as a statement of commitment. Brenda Lee first recorded it in 1972:
This song was a moderate success but it was Elvis Presley’s cover the brought this song into prominence:
My introduction to this song was through Willie Nelson:
Brenda Lee is a fantastic singer but what works with Nelson’s and Presley’s version is the fact that they both exude this feeling of regret and heartache. This song isn’t an open apology. It’s not saying: “I did all of these things wrong,” instead it goes with “maybe. . . I did something bad.” That’s a big deal for this character in this song. You hear that in the desperate voice of Elvis in his later years and the beat-up and battered voice of Willie Nelson.
Willie Nelson really owns this song. It feels like songs that he wrote for himself. There’s a conversational feeling to the verses that opens up into a beautiful chorus. There’s desperation, a feeling that this is the last attempt to bring this person back into his life, yet he can’t just come out and say that he was wrong. It’s tragic on some level how much he just can’t bring himself to open himself up. But you feel like he’s trying and maybe that’s enough.
What consolation is it really that someone who has done you wrong was thinking about you the entire time?
It depends on the situation, but for me it means a lot. It’s a statement that other things in life aren’t as important and through all of stuff they did wrong, they couldn’t help but think of you. The knowledge that someone is thinking about you is comforting. It lets you know that you matter, that you mean something and that you are always with the people who love you.
Monday, November 19, 2012
8th Grade Playlist: 5. Red by Taylor Swift
Define work . . . if you define works as: Can you get something out of it? Was it good for you? Was it good for them? Did you grow in this relationship? Do you look back at it with some fondness if it should end before your death or his death? Than yeah, it can work. . .
Dan Savage Savage Lovecast: Episode 226The idea of a relationship for many people is a relationship that lasts 50 or 60 years. Sometimes in our struggle to find that relationship, we see the relationships that don’t last the long haul as not really “working.”
If you think about what Dan Savage is saying, a relationship that lasts 60 years and then ends because someone dies, may not have necessarily “worked.” And a relationship that lasted a year could have really worked for that period of time. Just because it ended, as all relationships eventually do, doesn’t mean that it didn’t work.
“Red,” the title track from Taylor Swift’s most recent album is about a relationship that worked. It ended, but Taylor is able to look past this to celebrate what the relationship meant. I’m reminded of Springsteen’s “Bobby Jean,” which has a similar message. It’s not about trying to get back together, but rather its' about acknowledging how what was meaningful about a relationship.
Taylor goes into some great similes and metaphors, “Loving him is like trying to change your mind, Once you’re already flying through the free fall." However I got to say though the opening line “Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street,” is kind of hard to relate to for most of us. She takes us through different colors, expanded on the idea of feeling the “blues,” to feeling “grey,” and most powerfully: “red.”
Taylor effortlessly sings through this song and introduces some great musical touches that are heard throughout the album. Right after the bridge she sings the chorus in a slightly different way with more intensity and darkness. Also the line “and that’s why he’s spinning round in my head,” feels like its twirling. Taylor could have made an entire section of this song repeating this part but rather she leaves it undeveloped as a catchy and beautiful musical nugget.
“Red” revels in the wide range of emotions that love can bring and celebrates the drama, the lack of control, the intensity and the true wonder that is love. We hear her struggle in the bridge trying to get over the relationship but part of her doesn’t want to because she remembers everything about the relationship that worked.
Sometimes we feel like the only way that we can get over a break-up is by convincing ourselves that the relationship never worked and that there was never anything worthwhile in the relationship. Well, if there wasn’t anything of value even for five minutes then the relationship would have never happened.
Yes it’s hard to get over the end of a relationship. However this process isn’t always about burning photos, bad mouthing the other person with friends and being bitter.
After Ellie dies in Up!, Charles struggles to move on with his life. The way he accomplishes this is by cherishing the time they spent together, which helps him realize the value of the relationship he develops with Russell.
If you go out with a guy for a month and it doesn’t work out, am I saying you should strap some balloons to your house and go to South America? No, but don’t let the way it ended cloud the beautiful colors of the memories of when it worked.
Monday, May 28, 2012
This Is Country Music by Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley’s title track from his latest album This Is Country Music is a statement of pride and tradition. It’s not meant to put down genres of music or argue why country is better; it simply defines what makes country music great.
Growing up in Seattle, country music was the least popular genre of music and if you liked country music in my high school that was the least cool thing you could do. I carried this with me until college when I discovered Johnny Cash and then an entire world opened up to me and I became connected to one of the most important American traditions. While some argue that Jazz is the only true original American genre of music, I argue that country music should hold that honor as well.
So what is country music to Brad Paisley? Well, from the first line it’s talking about cancer, religion, it’s representing and reflecting a culture in America that isn’t living in Manhattan and L.A. It’s not abad thing to have a show set in New York but sometimes we forget that there’s a lot of people in this country who are more familiar with a seeing a tractor on the drive to work than a Mercedes.
The second verse starts with the simple joys in life and goes into the power that music has to speak when words fail. Whether it’s love or frustration music can be that expression, that vent, and that connection that lets you know that your feelings are shared with others.
Patriotism is often present in country music and it’s not always handled well or respectfully. Paisley gets to the heart of it in the third verse, holding the connection close to home and it’s this genuine sense of pride that is a powerful part of what country music is about.
The last section of this song is made up of quotes from famous country singers. It’s this respect and connection to tradition that breeds the greatest artists and reminds fans that music really is a conversation. Art is not created in a vacuum and like how meeting someone’s parents make her make more sense, understanding the history of a genre makes the appreciation of a song that much deeper.
Most people I encounter who don’t like a genre of music express a level of ignorance. Whether it’s rap, rock or country, people who dislike genres as a whole, rarely can even name a song they don’t like. They just decided one day they don’t like it for one reason or another.
So when people tell me they don’t like country music, I don’t get offended, I just try to explain what makes it special. It’s not that country does things or says things that other types of music don’t. In the same way a disco song can get your beat moving better than a Beethoven symphony, the best country songs tells stories a whole lot better than most pop singles.
Paisley is one of the greatest ambassadors for country music because he elevates the music he loves without putting other music down. There's no superiority complex in this song. It's pride without prejudice and good feelings without cynicism and insecurity.
"So turn it on, turn it up, and sing a long. This is real; this is your life in a song."
Friday, April 13, 2012
Would You Go With Me by Josh Turner
“Would you like to go out with me?”
This is one of the hardest questions I’ve ever had to ask. The funny thing is that I’ve only had to ask this question once when I wasn’t sure of the answer and that was to Diana. I didn’t go out on many first dates because most of them were put together through circumstance or the girl asked me out.
I remember trying to change the wording to make it seem less formal (“you want to hang out sometime?”) but the meaning is the same. Believe it or not, the first time I asked, Diana said no. She was busy dealing with some stuff and her rejection wasn’t a reflection of her feelings on me. I didn’t know that at the time, so I kept trying.
As most people would advise, our first date was meeting at a public place like a restaurant. Slowly the degree of trust worked up to a point where went on adventures into Chicago and day trips up to Wisconsin.
Now besides work we go together to almost everything we do. Whether it’s something that is for both of us like going to the library or accompanying Diana on a trip to Walgreens, we go with each other. We go together. We don’t have to, it’s just nice because having her with me even with the most mundane errands turns it into an adventure.
Josh Turner’s “Would You Go With Me,” is about asking somebody out not just for a date but for life. It’s about sharing the experiences, as unpredictable as they can be and being okay with going wherever with your partner just as long as they are there with you.
Turner continues the grand country tradition of Baritone singing. Probably the most notable country singer to sing in a low voice is Johnny Cash. While most male mainstream male pop singers sing in a high tenor voice like Justin Timberlake, country music is filled with low singing legends.
Straining through high notes creates a great sense of desperation and drama in music, which fits a lot of pop and soul music. While people who sing high with good training don’t need to strain to hit higher notes, many people who can easily sing high notes often make it sound like they are reaching.
The thing about singing low is that you can’t really force it. Low range is limited while the high vocal range can be expanded through training. To get good low tones you have to be relaxed. The sound that great low voices like Turner expresses relaxed and laid back feeling. Turner does a nice job of keeping this feeling as he moves up to his tenor range during the chorus.
Along with a beautiful Mandolin, banjo and guitar backing, “Would You Go With Me,” quickly sets a mood that is relaxed like an endless Sunday afternoon but gently flowing like a stream through a forest.
Turner asks his love is she will go with him through moments of excitement “streets of fire, “ and experiences of uncertainty “would it be okay if I didn’t know the way.” He speaks about optimism “could you not look down forever?” and the freedom they can experience together. In the center of this this song is a simple confession of love with a simple question. While the song never provides an answer the feeling of the song does and you know that he is asking her this question in middle of a journey she is happy to go on with him.
Diana, in my life, is knowing that there will always be someone to go with me if I need it and even when I don’t. It’s security and it’s trust. It’s something that is important, something we all need. There are time when I hesitate to go somewhere with Diana. Here’s the thing, sometimes I regret not going with Diana but I never regret going along with Diana.
Be brave, ask someone to go with you and next time somebody you care about asks you to go with them, put down whatever you are doing and go. You never know what great adventures await you because you are spending time with someone you love.
This is one of the hardest questions I’ve ever had to ask. The funny thing is that I’ve only had to ask this question once when I wasn’t sure of the answer and that was to Diana. I didn’t go out on many first dates because most of them were put together through circumstance or the girl asked me out.
I remember trying to change the wording to make it seem less formal (“you want to hang out sometime?”) but the meaning is the same. Believe it or not, the first time I asked, Diana said no. She was busy dealing with some stuff and her rejection wasn’t a reflection of her feelings on me. I didn’t know that at the time, so I kept trying.
As most people would advise, our first date was meeting at a public place like a restaurant. Slowly the degree of trust worked up to a point where went on adventures into Chicago and day trips up to Wisconsin.
Now besides work we go together to almost everything we do. Whether it’s something that is for both of us like going to the library or accompanying Diana on a trip to Walgreens, we go with each other. We go together. We don’t have to, it’s just nice because having her with me even with the most mundane errands turns it into an adventure.
Josh Turner’s “Would You Go With Me,” is about asking somebody out not just for a date but for life. It’s about sharing the experiences, as unpredictable as they can be and being okay with going wherever with your partner just as long as they are there with you.
Turner continues the grand country tradition of Baritone singing. Probably the most notable country singer to sing in a low voice is Johnny Cash. While most male mainstream male pop singers sing in a high tenor voice like Justin Timberlake, country music is filled with low singing legends.
Straining through high notes creates a great sense of desperation and drama in music, which fits a lot of pop and soul music. While people who sing high with good training don’t need to strain to hit higher notes, many people who can easily sing high notes often make it sound like they are reaching.
The thing about singing low is that you can’t really force it. Low range is limited while the high vocal range can be expanded through training. To get good low tones you have to be relaxed. The sound that great low voices like Turner expresses relaxed and laid back feeling. Turner does a nice job of keeping this feeling as he moves up to his tenor range during the chorus.
Along with a beautiful Mandolin, banjo and guitar backing, “Would You Go With Me,” quickly sets a mood that is relaxed like an endless Sunday afternoon but gently flowing like a stream through a forest.
Turner asks his love is she will go with him through moments of excitement “streets of fire, “ and experiences of uncertainty “would it be okay if I didn’t know the way.” He speaks about optimism “could you not look down forever?” and the freedom they can experience together. In the center of this this song is a simple confession of love with a simple question. While the song never provides an answer the feeling of the song does and you know that he is asking her this question in middle of a journey she is happy to go on with him.
Diana, in my life, is knowing that there will always be someone to go with me if I need it and even when I don’t. It’s security and it’s trust. It’s something that is important, something we all need. There are time when I hesitate to go somewhere with Diana. Here’s the thing, sometimes I regret not going with Diana but I never regret going along with Diana.
Be brave, ask someone to go with you and next time somebody you care about asks you to go with them, put down whatever you are doing and go. You never know what great adventures await you because you are spending time with someone you love.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
My Next 30 Years by Phil Vassar
There's many amazing things about Diana's maternal Grandmother. One of them is the fact that she can find a printed card for almost any occasion. It's not just that she sends these cards that are special, but she always finds the perfect card. Since I married Diana, I've started receiving these cards. I'm not joking when I say that I've numerous cards directed at "my grandson-in-law" in the printed message. I didn't even know they made these cards until I started receiving them from her.
Earlier this week I got musical greeting card featuring this song:
Though I don't really have any scores to settle and no, I'm not going to start eating salads, I love the spirit of this song. While I don't really expect to have anything else figured out after my next 30 years, I do think I'll feel better about that fact. Vassar's optimism and outlook on the "rest of life," is exactly the message I expect from Grandma.
Wait a second, isn't this the guy who did that "Carlene" song? I love that song!
Not quite a stadium rocker Phil, but what a nice sense of nostalgia.
Earlier this week I got musical greeting card featuring this song:
Though I don't really have any scores to settle and no, I'm not going to start eating salads, I love the spirit of this song. While I don't really expect to have anything else figured out after my next 30 years, I do think I'll feel better about that fact. Vassar's optimism and outlook on the "rest of life," is exactly the message I expect from Grandma.
Wait a second, isn't this the guy who did that "Carlene" song? I love that song!
Not quite a stadium rocker Phil, but what a nice sense of nostalgia.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Go Ahead And Rain by JD Souther
JD Souther could have been a member one of the most successful bands in pop music history, The Eagles. He was instrumental in the creation of the band encouraging Glen Frey to play with a group of musicians behind his then-girlfriend Linda Ronstadt. Souther co-wrote some of the Eagles most popular songs, played with the band but refused to join.
As the Eagles developed as a band, members of The Eagles including Don Henley continued to sing his praises and work with him. Even when the Eagles were the hottest ticket around in the 1970s, Souther stayed out of the limelight focusing on his songwriting over fame.
I first became of aware of Souther when Don Henley talked about him in an introduction to “The Heart Of The Matter.”
I praised this song in an earlier post for capturing the nuance and emotional complexity of love.
I wasn’t really sure how much Souther contributed to the song so when I started to listen to JD Souther’s most recent solo album Natural History, I didn’t really know what to expect. The first track on the album is “Go Ahead And Rain.” After about thirty seconds in, I was absolutely speechless.
Everything about this song is what I love about The Eagles. To say this song is beautiful doesn’t begin to acknowledge the depth of the songwriting. The melody and the chords feel organic and natural but twist and wind around each other in a fresh and interesting way.
The lyrics are easy to understand on a literal level. Like Hemingway, Souther manages to use simple language to express the complexity of the human experience. The basic idea of this song is that he asking a girl to love him which he describes as “let it rain down on me.” There’s a beauty in being surrounded by love as you would be with rain but also a mystery and darkness as rain often represents sorrow. Lines like “you know this old world would keep spinning around without a lucky guy like me,” adds a layer of self-doubt which Souther mixes with hope as he asks this woman to love him.
He doesn’t know how this woman goes on with his sorrows, but that doesn’t stop his dream. It’s like he doesn’t understand this woman, but she’s part of him all of the same. At the song, Souther mournfully sings “because maybe things will never be the same again.”
Every encounter, no matter how seemingly insignificant changes . Sometimes we don’t sense it but sometimes we can. It is the moments that change us that we can’t deny that open up ourselves to take action to make our dreams reality.
JD Souther is an interesting figure in popular music and though it may be hard to understand why he passed up being part of one of the most successful bands ever that he helped create, I'm glad that he understands the depth of the human heart to articulate to us the parts of ourselves that only music can express.
As the Eagles developed as a band, members of The Eagles including Don Henley continued to sing his praises and work with him. Even when the Eagles were the hottest ticket around in the 1970s, Souther stayed out of the limelight focusing on his songwriting over fame.
I first became of aware of Souther when Don Henley talked about him in an introduction to “The Heart Of The Matter.”
I praised this song in an earlier post for capturing the nuance and emotional complexity of love.
I wasn’t really sure how much Souther contributed to the song so when I started to listen to JD Souther’s most recent solo album Natural History, I didn’t really know what to expect. The first track on the album is “Go Ahead And Rain.” After about thirty seconds in, I was absolutely speechless.
Everything about this song is what I love about The Eagles. To say this song is beautiful doesn’t begin to acknowledge the depth of the songwriting. The melody and the chords feel organic and natural but twist and wind around each other in a fresh and interesting way.
The lyrics are easy to understand on a literal level. Like Hemingway, Souther manages to use simple language to express the complexity of the human experience. The basic idea of this song is that he asking a girl to love him which he describes as “let it rain down on me.” There’s a beauty in being surrounded by love as you would be with rain but also a mystery and darkness as rain often represents sorrow. Lines like “you know this old world would keep spinning around without a lucky guy like me,” adds a layer of self-doubt which Souther mixes with hope as he asks this woman to love him.
He doesn’t know how this woman goes on with his sorrows, but that doesn’t stop his dream. It’s like he doesn’t understand this woman, but she’s part of him all of the same. At the song, Souther mournfully sings “because maybe things will never be the same again.”
Every encounter, no matter how seemingly insignificant changes . Sometimes we don’t sense it but sometimes we can. It is the moments that change us that we can’t deny that open up ourselves to take action to make our dreams reality.
JD Souther is an interesting figure in popular music and though it may be hard to understand why he passed up being part of one of the most successful bands ever that he helped create, I'm glad that he understands the depth of the human heart to articulate to us the parts of ourselves that only music can express.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Sunday Morning Coming Down by Johnny Cash
Have you ever had a hangover?
If you’re not sure, then you haven’t had one. Waking up feeling unrested with a slight a headache is not hangover. Lying in a fetal position unable to move without having your head feel like it’s about to explode while you stomach does backflips and praying to deities that you never thought previously existed for relief is a hangover.
Leave it to Johnny Cash, country music’s bad boy to record a song about this feeling.
Kris Kristofferson, award winning actor and musician ended up working as a janitor at Columbia Records after earning a Masters degree at Oxford and becoming a captain in the US army because he wanted to be songwriter. After composing “Sunday Morning Coming Down” and recording a demo, he got his tape to Cash. Some stories of how this happened involved landing a helicopter on Cash’s lawn, but more likely Kris was simply persistent and eventually Kristofferson came up with a song that Cash fell in love with.
With a classic Johnny Cash rhythm guitar backing, this song begins simply enough describing waking up in the morning with simple but clever lyrics that immediately characterizes the protagonist.
While the song continues, strings enter the musical background rising up like the sun filing up with musical landscape with light. At the same time Cash goes on to singing about gigging the night before and while this darkness is in the front of his mind, the world of Sunday morning reminds him of “something” he lost.
In the chorus Cash wants to escape from the realizations of what is missing in his life.
There’s something about a hangover that reveals what you really have in your life. In this moment of physical trauma while your mind is swirling around you face your regrets, your hopes and what you have to live for. It’s a stark reminder for some how little they have but for many of us how much we have to look forward to once the hangover has passed.
If you’re not sure, then you haven’t had one. Waking up feeling unrested with a slight a headache is not hangover. Lying in a fetal position unable to move without having your head feel like it’s about to explode while you stomach does backflips and praying to deities that you never thought previously existed for relief is a hangover.
Leave it to Johnny Cash, country music’s bad boy to record a song about this feeling.
Kris Kristofferson, award winning actor and musician ended up working as a janitor at Columbia Records after earning a Masters degree at Oxford and becoming a captain in the US army because he wanted to be songwriter. After composing “Sunday Morning Coming Down” and recording a demo, he got his tape to Cash. Some stories of how this happened involved landing a helicopter on Cash’s lawn, but more likely Kris was simply persistent and eventually Kristofferson came up with a song that Cash fell in love with.
With a classic Johnny Cash rhythm guitar backing, this song begins simply enough describing waking up in the morning with simple but clever lyrics that immediately characterizes the protagonist.
Well, I woke up Sunday morningKristofferson paints a bleak picture of the internal logic of this man who man who drinks to get up in the morning and doesn’t have it together enough to have clean clothes around.
With no way to hold my head that didn't hurt.
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad,
So I had one more for dessert.
Then I fumbled in my closet through my clothes
And found my cleanest dirty shirt.
While the song continues, strings enter the musical background rising up like the sun filing up with musical landscape with light. At the same time Cash goes on to singing about gigging the night before and while this darkness is in the front of his mind, the world of Sunday morning reminds him of “something” he lost.
In the chorus Cash wants to escape from the realizations of what is missing in his life.
On a Sunday morning sidewalk,Cash wants to escape from this world because it shows him that there is something more meaningful in life than partying during the night. People aren’t out walking around on Sunday mornings, instead they are home with their families or singing in a church choir. Yes, moments of partying are fun, but who you are left with on the Sunday, the people who you share your life with after the partying is over is what brings true fullfillment.
I'm wishing, Lord, that I was stoned.
'Cause there's something in a Sunday
That makes a body feel alone.
And there's nothing short a' dying
That's half as lonesome as the sound
Of the sleeping city sidewalk
And Sunday morning coming down.
There’s something about a hangover that reveals what you really have in your life. In this moment of physical trauma while your mind is swirling around you face your regrets, your hopes and what you have to live for. It’s a stark reminder for some how little they have but for many of us how much we have to look forward to once the hangover has passed.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Busy Being Fabulous by The Eagles
Since The Eagles got butchered by the ‘Cats last Saturday I think the Eagles could use a little love.
Let me explain.
Last weekend the Northwestern University Wildcats played the Boston University Eagles at football. Since most of my friends are from Northwestern there was a flurry of Facebook posts Saturday morning in support of the Northwestern. Most of them were some variation of “Go ‘Cats beat the Eagles.”
Facebook grouped all of these posts as comments about the rock band The Eagles. So on my feed it says “_______________ and 30 friends also posted about the Eagles,” with a hyperlink on the word Eagles, linking to the Eagles Facebook fan page. Now if you go to The Eagles fan page you will find a long list of posts celebrating the ‘Cats victory.
Since there’s all this misdirected negative energy against The Eagles, I feel like they could use a little love.
When hell froze over and The Eagles reunited in 1994 the accompanying album and concert special was incredibly successful and introduced a whole new generation including myself to one of the greatest and most successful band in the history of rock. For fans of The Eagles this reunion seemed like something that would never happen and in 2007, The Eagles answered the prayers of their fans again and recorded an album of new music.
During at time when CD sales were plummeting the Eagles release of “Long Road Out Of Eden,” their first album of original music since 1979, ended up selling over seven million copies. This double album featured some great songs but the one that always stuck with me is “Busy Being Fabulous.”
Busy Being Fabulous
Eagles | Myspace Music Videos
One of the things I love about artists who record music past middle age is that they are able to sing about things in a way that younger artists can’t. “Busy Being Fabulous” is about a person telling someone how much they missed out on because they were out partying.
This songs has a refreshing and beautiful blend of rock and country which instantly brings us back to the feeling of California rock which the Eagles so beautifully defined in the 1970s.
If you read the lyrics off the page this song may seem full of bitterness and anger. However Henley’s singing and the beautiful back-up vocals transforms the lyrics. While the songs exists as an “I told you so,” message telling someone they messed up, it is also a celebration of the great things in life the protagonist didn’t miss out on.
Like the Eagle’s greatest music, this song has layers that go beyond the surface with a surprisingly layer of maturity and depth.
So check out this song and the accompanying album. It’s really great stuff. The ‘Cats aren’t playing anyone who could mistaken by Facebook as a band again this year so hopefully this sad/hilarious instance of school spirit gone wrong will not happen again.
Let me explain.
Last weekend the Northwestern University Wildcats played the Boston University Eagles at football. Since most of my friends are from Northwestern there was a flurry of Facebook posts Saturday morning in support of the Northwestern. Most of them were some variation of “Go ‘Cats beat the Eagles.”
Facebook grouped all of these posts as comments about the rock band The Eagles. So on my feed it says “_______________ and 30 friends also posted about the Eagles,” with a hyperlink on the word Eagles, linking to the Eagles Facebook fan page. Now if you go to The Eagles fan page you will find a long list of posts celebrating the ‘Cats victory.
Since there’s all this misdirected negative energy against The Eagles, I feel like they could use a little love.
When hell froze over and The Eagles reunited in 1994 the accompanying album and concert special was incredibly successful and introduced a whole new generation including myself to one of the greatest and most successful band in the history of rock. For fans of The Eagles this reunion seemed like something that would never happen and in 2007, The Eagles answered the prayers of their fans again and recorded an album of new music.
During at time when CD sales were plummeting the Eagles release of “Long Road Out Of Eden,” their first album of original music since 1979, ended up selling over seven million copies. This double album featured some great songs but the one that always stuck with me is “Busy Being Fabulous.”
Busy Being Fabulous
Eagles | Myspace Music Videos
One of the things I love about artists who record music past middle age is that they are able to sing about things in a way that younger artists can’t. “Busy Being Fabulous” is about a person telling someone how much they missed out on because they were out partying.
This songs has a refreshing and beautiful blend of rock and country which instantly brings us back to the feeling of California rock which the Eagles so beautifully defined in the 1970s.
If you read the lyrics off the page this song may seem full of bitterness and anger. However Henley’s singing and the beautiful back-up vocals transforms the lyrics. While the songs exists as an “I told you so,” message telling someone they messed up, it is also a celebration of the great things in life the protagonist didn’t miss out on.
Like the Eagle’s greatest music, this song has layers that go beyond the surface with a surprisingly layer of maturity and depth.
So check out this song and the accompanying album. It’s really great stuff. The ‘Cats aren’t playing anyone who could mistaken by Facebook as a band again this year so hopefully this sad/hilarious instance of school spirit gone wrong will not happen again.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Round 13: Aerosmith & Run-D.M.C. Vs. Aerosmith & . . .
In 1986 Run-D.M.C. with the help of producer Rick Rubin re-recorded "Walk This Way" with Aerosmith. This song was originally released eleven years earlier off of Aerosmith's Toys in the Attic. This duet with Run-D.M.C. revolutionized the music industry as the first mainstream melding of Rock and Rap music. "Walk This Way" helped legitimize Rap as a musical genre and revitalized Aerosmith's career.
Vs.
Through the years Aerosmith has tried to recreate the magic of their re-imagining of this song with Run-D.M.C. In 1989 Bon Jovi joined Aerosmith at a peformance in the UK.
Then in 1999 when Kid Rock joined Run-D.M.C. and Aeromsith at the 1999 MTV VMA's.
. . . then there was the Superbowl performance with Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake . . .
. . . then there was Fergie. . .
And just last week . . . SIGH. . . Carrie Underwood joined Steven Tyler the lead singer of Aerosmith at the 2011Acadamy Of Country Music Awards Show (skip to 2:45).
The Winner:
Now I love "Walk This Way." It's a great song. The original version features one of my favorite guitar licks. It's got rapid-fire suggestive lyrics that are clever and hilarious. Run-D.M.C. really did bring new life to this song but the following performances well. . . it's just not the same. Frankly it's getting a little tiring. I mean Carrie Underwood? Really?!? It's not that it was a bad performance but how many time can you bring this song out and expect it to be fresh and exciting.
While the audiences almost always erupts in enthusiasm every time Steven Tyler whips this song out with a new artist, I feel it's a unsuccessful attempt to capture the magic of the original duet with Run-D.M.C.
This is where it all started live in 1977.
Vs.
Through the years Aerosmith has tried to recreate the magic of their re-imagining of this song with Run-D.M.C. In 1989 Bon Jovi joined Aerosmith at a peformance in the UK.
Then in 1999 when Kid Rock joined Run-D.M.C. and Aeromsith at the 1999 MTV VMA's.
. . . then there was the Superbowl performance with Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake . . .
. . . then there was Fergie. . .
And just last week . . . SIGH. . . Carrie Underwood joined Steven Tyler the lead singer of Aerosmith at the 2011Acadamy Of Country Music Awards Show (skip to 2:45).
The Winner:
Now I love "Walk This Way." It's a great song. The original version features one of my favorite guitar licks. It's got rapid-fire suggestive lyrics that are clever and hilarious. Run-D.M.C. really did bring new life to this song but the following performances well. . . it's just not the same. Frankly it's getting a little tiring. I mean Carrie Underwood? Really?!? It's not that it was a bad performance but how many time can you bring this song out and expect it to be fresh and exciting.
While the audiences almost always erupts in enthusiasm every time Steven Tyler whips this song out with a new artist, I feel it's a unsuccessful attempt to capture the magic of the original duet with Run-D.M.C.
This is where it all started live in 1977.
Monday, April 4, 2011
“Mean” Week 1 – A Letter To Taylor Swift
Dear Taylor Swift,
Last week a group of third graders sang your song “Mean” in my music class and reflected on one of the most important issues in the lives of young people in our society: social aggression and bullying.
My name is Kingsley Tang and I’m a music teacher in a school in Chicago. I teach 3rd and 5th grade general music as well as 7th and 8th grade band. Last week I started a four-week unit based on your song “Mean” with my third grade class to study song form, lyrics and the feelings expressed in your song.
In whatever song I’m teaching my students I always look for ways to apply the songs to my students’ lives. When we learned “Follow The Drinking Gourd” we talked about the Underground Railroad as well as the issue of fairness in my students' live.
Most of the time I apply songs to my students’ lives in a roundabout way and I’m always searching for music that directly addresses my students’ thoughts and feelings and “Mean” is the perfect vehicle to do this.
Feeling unprepared to have discussions with my students about this topic I enlisted the help of our school counselor. She jumped at the idea and we’ve put together an exciting unit we are co-teaching that will teach our students not only about music but also about what it means to be “mean.”
In the first class, which we taught last week, the students learned the first verse and chorus and discussed their reactions to their song. In the next class, the counselor and I will split the class into two groups and discuss things that people have done to them that are mean, things that they have done that are mean and ways that they deal with meanness. I will take these thoughts, write them into new lyrics for the song and then the students will learn the lyrics they helped create in the next two classes.
The first class went fantastic. We started by watching this clip of you singing this song:
After watching this clip we had a great discussion. My students had some really insightful things to say about your lyrics. Many children reflected how words can hurt and that the saying “sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me” is false.
The most profound and impressive observation a couple students pointed out was that they didn’t agree with the line “all you’re ever going to be is mean” from the chorus. I was proud to hear them point out the fact that being mean is an action not something about who they are that they can’t change.
Thanks for creating such a wonderful song. It’s a beautiful musical space for my students to reflect on their own feelings.
-Kingsley
Last week a group of third graders sang your song “Mean” in my music class and reflected on one of the most important issues in the lives of young people in our society: social aggression and bullying.
My name is Kingsley Tang and I’m a music teacher in a school in Chicago. I teach 3rd and 5th grade general music as well as 7th and 8th grade band. Last week I started a four-week unit based on your song “Mean” with my third grade class to study song form, lyrics and the feelings expressed in your song.
In whatever song I’m teaching my students I always look for ways to apply the songs to my students’ lives. When we learned “Follow The Drinking Gourd” we talked about the Underground Railroad as well as the issue of fairness in my students' live.
Most of the time I apply songs to my students’ lives in a roundabout way and I’m always searching for music that directly addresses my students’ thoughts and feelings and “Mean” is the perfect vehicle to do this.
Feeling unprepared to have discussions with my students about this topic I enlisted the help of our school counselor. She jumped at the idea and we’ve put together an exciting unit we are co-teaching that will teach our students not only about music but also about what it means to be “mean.”
In the first class, which we taught last week, the students learned the first verse and chorus and discussed their reactions to their song. In the next class, the counselor and I will split the class into two groups and discuss things that people have done to them that are mean, things that they have done that are mean and ways that they deal with meanness. I will take these thoughts, write them into new lyrics for the song and then the students will learn the lyrics they helped create in the next two classes.
The first class went fantastic. We started by watching this clip of you singing this song:
After watching this clip we had a great discussion. My students had some really insightful things to say about your lyrics. Many children reflected how words can hurt and that the saying “sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me” is false.
The most profound and impressive observation a couple students pointed out was that they didn’t agree with the line “all you’re ever going to be is mean” from the chorus. I was proud to hear them point out the fact that being mean is an action not something about who they are that they can’t change.
Thanks for creating such a wonderful song. It’s a beautiful musical space for my students to reflect on their own feelings.
-Kingsley
Monday, March 21, 2011
Spiritual by Spain/Johnny Cash
“What do you believe?”
When someone asks you this question, do you tell them what you want to believe or what you actually believe? I would love to believe that there is something out there, a being, a force that provides us comfort and companionship in times of darkness, but I'm not sure if that's what I truly believe.
“Spritual” by Spain is about this belief. I first encountered Johnny Cash’s version of this song on his first album he did with producer Rick Rubin, Unchained, which marked his comeback at the end of his life.
The voice in this song is a man in pain praying to Jesus. He knows that he has sinned but seeks comfort regardless. This is a man who is desperate. All his troubles and all his pains are coming back at this moment and all he wants is to not go through it alone. Deliberate and almost uncomfortably intense to listen to, this song expresses an honesty and sorrow that few songs dare approach.
Is this what believing in Jesus is really about? Not wanting to be alone in life? I want to believe that in all my troubles we will never be alone. It's a comforting thought but it's just that, a thought . . . but maybe that’s enough. Maybe we never really know what we believe because it’s too closely tied to what we want.
Most of the pain humans inject on each other are a manifestations of feeling lonely and regret. Calling to Jesus is an expression of a belief that someone is always out there and this idea of companionship may be the most powerful solution to our world's troubles.
In this way, music is religion for me. It reminds me other people are out there, feeling the same emotions that I am and through music I know that whatever challenges I go through in life are shared with others.
Darkness doesn’t ties us together, rather it is what binds.
The need to be with others and seek companionship during pangs of loneliness are what binds us because. In these moments we realize the strength that we find in ourselves, each other, Jesus or whatever force that fills your heart with faith. Faith that the sun will rise up tomorrow and that nothing is more powerful in the world than love.
That is what I know I believe.
When someone asks you this question, do you tell them what you want to believe or what you actually believe? I would love to believe that there is something out there, a being, a force that provides us comfort and companionship in times of darkness, but I'm not sure if that's what I truly believe.
“Spritual” by Spain is about this belief. I first encountered Johnny Cash’s version of this song on his first album he did with producer Rick Rubin, Unchained, which marked his comeback at the end of his life.
The voice in this song is a man in pain praying to Jesus. He knows that he has sinned but seeks comfort regardless. This is a man who is desperate. All his troubles and all his pains are coming back at this moment and all he wants is to not go through it alone. Deliberate and almost uncomfortably intense to listen to, this song expresses an honesty and sorrow that few songs dare approach.
Is this what believing in Jesus is really about? Not wanting to be alone in life? I want to believe that in all my troubles we will never be alone. It's a comforting thought but it's just that, a thought . . . but maybe that’s enough. Maybe we never really know what we believe because it’s too closely tied to what we want.
Most of the pain humans inject on each other are a manifestations of feeling lonely and regret. Calling to Jesus is an expression of a belief that someone is always out there and this idea of companionship may be the most powerful solution to our world's troubles.
In this way, music is religion for me. It reminds me other people are out there, feeling the same emotions that I am and through music I know that whatever challenges I go through in life are shared with others.
Darkness doesn’t ties us together, rather it is what binds.
The need to be with others and seek companionship during pangs of loneliness are what binds us because. In these moments we realize the strength that we find in ourselves, each other, Jesus or whatever force that fills your heart with faith. Faith that the sun will rise up tomorrow and that nothing is more powerful in the world than love.
That is what I know I believe.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Back To December by Taylor Swift
I’ve been waiting for “Back To December” ever since I first heard “Love Story.”
Taylor Swift’s breakout single “Love Story” and my first exposure to her stands as one of Swift's greatest achievements as an artist. The lead single from Speak Now “Mine” which I praised in this earlier post is a beautifully crafted song, which tells a touching and powerful story. However, “Mine” doesn’t take any dramatic and musical chances. It’s a display of incredible skill but in many ways it’s similar to “Love Story” in its turn around in the middle of the song and its general musical construction.
While this is impressive, it’s in “Back To December” that we find Swift taking musical and dramatic chances, and creating an achievement as a true successor to “Love Story.”
“Back To December” is the third track on Speak Now after two tracks that would have fit perfectly well in Swift’s previous album. So when you hear the shimmer of the guitar and the string instruments flow in gently at the beginning of “Back To December” it’s almost a little jarring.
There’s something so different about the tone of the introduction with slowly falling guitar lines like leaves failing in a forest. The slow ascending turn at the end of the guitar brings a sense of hope but as the guitar ripples it blends back into the texture. The introduction is beautiful but it’s also cold and as the song unfolds we understand why.
Taylor Swift’s songs are statements of power and independence. On initial listening, her first song that is an apology seems to go against these themes. In the first verse she starts a conversation and then takes a step back reflecting on its awkwardness. An emotional wave hits as the chorus opens and we realize that this song is about Taylor asking for forgiveness. Swift delivers one of her most powerful lines “freedom ain’t nothing but missing you,” juxtaposing the freedom she thought would make her happy with consequences of her error: her feelings of regret.
The lyrics in this song don’t provide us any revelations beyond what you understand in the first verse and the chorus however she adds layers of depth to her emotion. Swift does what she does best, telling a love story, but from a different angle and the beauty of this story makes this song all that much more powerful.
Yes, it is not admirable to be full of regret and to apologize to someone who doesn’t deserve an apology. However, it takes great strength to tell someone that you have wronged and try to make amends. This isn’t a weak girl breaking down in front of guy, it’s a girl standing up and admitting a mistake fighting for the love that she has lost.
Watching her perform this we worry about what the result of this situations and Taylor’s shocked response from the standing ovation reminds us that after all of this she is okay.
Yes, it's just a song, but with a song this great you can't help but wonder.
Taylor Swift’s breakout single “Love Story” and my first exposure to her stands as one of Swift's greatest achievements as an artist. The lead single from Speak Now “Mine” which I praised in this earlier post is a beautifully crafted song, which tells a touching and powerful story. However, “Mine” doesn’t take any dramatic and musical chances. It’s a display of incredible skill but in many ways it’s similar to “Love Story” in its turn around in the middle of the song and its general musical construction.
While this is impressive, it’s in “Back To December” that we find Swift taking musical and dramatic chances, and creating an achievement as a true successor to “Love Story.”
“Back To December” is the third track on Speak Now after two tracks that would have fit perfectly well in Swift’s previous album. So when you hear the shimmer of the guitar and the string instruments flow in gently at the beginning of “Back To December” it’s almost a little jarring.
There’s something so different about the tone of the introduction with slowly falling guitar lines like leaves failing in a forest. The slow ascending turn at the end of the guitar brings a sense of hope but as the guitar ripples it blends back into the texture. The introduction is beautiful but it’s also cold and as the song unfolds we understand why.
Taylor Swift’s songs are statements of power and independence. On initial listening, her first song that is an apology seems to go against these themes. In the first verse she starts a conversation and then takes a step back reflecting on its awkwardness. An emotional wave hits as the chorus opens and we realize that this song is about Taylor asking for forgiveness. Swift delivers one of her most powerful lines “freedom ain’t nothing but missing you,” juxtaposing the freedom she thought would make her happy with consequences of her error: her feelings of regret.
The lyrics in this song don’t provide us any revelations beyond what you understand in the first verse and the chorus however she adds layers of depth to her emotion. Swift does what she does best, telling a love story, but from a different angle and the beauty of this story makes this song all that much more powerful.
Yes, it is not admirable to be full of regret and to apologize to someone who doesn’t deserve an apology. However, it takes great strength to tell someone that you have wronged and try to make amends. This isn’t a weak girl breaking down in front of guy, it’s a girl standing up and admitting a mistake fighting for the love that she has lost.
Watching her perform this we worry about what the result of this situations and Taylor’s shocked response from the standing ovation reminds us that after all of this she is okay.
Yes, it's just a song, but with a song this great you can't help but wonder.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Round 5: Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers Vs. Pras, Mya & Ol' Dirty Bastard
Can you imagine if this was an actually fight? My money would totally be on Dolly Parton.
Anyways, in 1983 Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton released "Islands In The Stream." At this time Dolly and Kenny were two of the most popular celebrities in America. The idea of them singing a duet was a dream come true for many fans.
This love song written by the Bee Gees exemplifies the genre of Country Pop which permeated the 1980s. Wholesome, optimistic and catchy, "Islands In The Stream" may not be a well known song nowadays but for people who were around when this song first came out, they have never fogotten it.
Vs.
"Ghetto Superstar" by Pras featuring Pya and Ol' Dirty Bastard is my favorite rap song of all time. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying it's the best rap song ever recorded, there's just something about this song that has always stuck with me.
From the soundtrack of the film Bulworth, this song sampled the chorus of "Islands In The Sun" which Mya sings (not very well, mind you) and has rap verses from Pras of the Fugees, Wyclef Jean's breakout group and the late 'Ol Dirty Bastard from the Wu-Tang Clan.
Adding an awesome infectious bass line and an undeniably funky beat, this song really gets you grooving. Pras and 'Ol Dirty do their thing rapping about paranoia, power and life in the ghetto.
The Winner:
"Ghetto Superstar" is one the great examples of sampling done right. The chorus is not simply lifted but is re-interpreted to create a completely different emotion. "Islands In The Sun" is a beautiful song but it really sounds dated. While the lyrics of "Islands In The Stream" are universal and timeless, the raps in "Ghetto Superstar" are relevant even now in our society more than ten years after its release.
Next Week: Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terell Vs. Amy Whinehouse
Anyways, in 1983 Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton released "Islands In The Stream." At this time Dolly and Kenny were two of the most popular celebrities in America. The idea of them singing a duet was a dream come true for many fans.
This love song written by the Bee Gees exemplifies the genre of Country Pop which permeated the 1980s. Wholesome, optimistic and catchy, "Islands In The Stream" may not be a well known song nowadays but for people who were around when this song first came out, they have never fogotten it.
Vs.
"Ghetto Superstar" by Pras featuring Pya and Ol' Dirty Bastard is my favorite rap song of all time. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying it's the best rap song ever recorded, there's just something about this song that has always stuck with me.
From the soundtrack of the film Bulworth, this song sampled the chorus of "Islands In The Sun" which Mya sings (not very well, mind you) and has rap verses from Pras of the Fugees, Wyclef Jean's breakout group and the late 'Ol Dirty Bastard from the Wu-Tang Clan.
Adding an awesome infectious bass line and an undeniably funky beat, this song really gets you grooving. Pras and 'Ol Dirty do their thing rapping about paranoia, power and life in the ghetto.
The Winner:
"Ghetto Superstar" is one the great examples of sampling done right. The chorus is not simply lifted but is re-interpreted to create a completely different emotion. "Islands In The Sun" is a beautiful song but it really sounds dated. While the lyrics of "Islands In The Stream" are universal and timeless, the raps in "Ghetto Superstar" are relevant even now in our society more than ten years after its release.
Next Week: Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terell Vs. Amy Whinehouse
Monday, January 31, 2011
The Long Way Home by Tom Waits/Norah Jones
Sometimes when I read a book or listen to a song it seems like I am reading a first draft. Other times I feel like I’m experiencing the fiftieth draft, a piece of art that has carefully and painstakingly crafted. That’s how I feel every time I listen to a song by Tom Waits.
Most people’s exposure to Tom Waits is limited to Rod Stewart's cover of “Downtown Train,” (which I discussed in this earlier post). In addition, the Eagles recorded “Ol’ 55” which was from Waits first album.
Then there’s Springsteen’s cover of Waits’ “Jersey Girl.”
The list goes on and on of famous artist who covered Waits work. Last week I discovered one more. Norah Jones’ cover of “The Long Way Home” on her second album Feels Like Home.
For the past three weeks I’ve been on a Tom Waits kick and when I typed his name up
in iTunes her version of “The Long Way Home” came up and I was simply mesmerized.
Usually Jones plays somewhere between Jazz and Blues so it was a surprise to hear her sing this relaxed country ballad with a guitar part straight out of early Johnny Cash. Like every other recording I have of Jones, her smoky, subtle and beautiful voice makes everything else in the world disappear. Waits on the other hand voice has a completely different kind of smoky to his voice:
Waits sounds like something between Louis Armstrong and a drunk homeless guy, and even though it’s ugly at times there’s something genuine and real in his voice.
Waits beautifully constructs a song about commitments, giving and love. The first verse expresses a sense of loneliness while Waits sings about not having the hope in him to wait for the light to show him the way home. Instead, he stubbornly takes the long way home.
The third verse talks continues this idea as Waits sings he would rather be on the highway than be at home putting food on the table. He warns that “watch your back if I should tell you, loves the only thing I’ve ever known.”
The lyrics in the last verse finally relfect the hopeful and peaceful melody as Waits commits his love to her in a gentle and beautiful way.
Man, this guy is good. These lyrics are so well crafted. Every syllable is laced with meaning. Whether its Jones or Waits singing, this song is truly amazing.
Most people’s exposure to Tom Waits is limited to Rod Stewart's cover of “Downtown Train,” (which I discussed in this earlier post). In addition, the Eagles recorded “Ol’ 55” which was from Waits first album.
Then there’s Springsteen’s cover of Waits’ “Jersey Girl.”
The list goes on and on of famous artist who covered Waits work. Last week I discovered one more. Norah Jones’ cover of “The Long Way Home” on her second album Feels Like Home.
For the past three weeks I’ve been on a Tom Waits kick and when I typed his name up
in iTunes her version of “The Long Way Home” came up and I was simply mesmerized.
Usually Jones plays somewhere between Jazz and Blues so it was a surprise to hear her sing this relaxed country ballad with a guitar part straight out of early Johnny Cash. Like every other recording I have of Jones, her smoky, subtle and beautiful voice makes everything else in the world disappear. Waits on the other hand voice has a completely different kind of smoky to his voice:
Waits sounds like something between Louis Armstrong and a drunk homeless guy, and even though it’s ugly at times there’s something genuine and real in his voice.
Waits beautifully constructs a song about commitments, giving and love. The first verse expresses a sense of loneliness while Waits sings about not having the hope in him to wait for the light to show him the way home. Instead, he stubbornly takes the long way home.
The third verse talks continues this idea as Waits sings he would rather be on the highway than be at home putting food on the table. He warns that “watch your back if I should tell you, loves the only thing I’ve ever known.”
The lyrics in the last verse finally relfect the hopeful and peaceful melody as Waits commits his love to her in a gentle and beautiful way.
You know I love you baby,Waits shares his doubts, flaws, fears and insecurities with his love. After all of that she is still there and he realizes that he really does love her. If she’s still with him after hearing all of this, than maybe he can commit to be with her, they can take the long way home, together.
More than the whole wide world.
You are my woman,
I know you are my pearl.
Man, this guy is good. These lyrics are so well crafted. Every syllable is laced with meaning. Whether its Jones or Waits singing, this song is truly amazing.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Somebody’s Crying by Chris Isaak
It’s always easier to talk about “somebody” than it is to talk about ourselves. We’ve all had moments when we tell a story about ourselves and use the ambiguous “somebody.”
“Somebody I know got a parking ticket in that same spot that you did.”
“Somebody I know once ate a whole package of Thin Mints in one sitting.”
“Somebody I know thought that Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus were two different people.”
One of the most often uses of the “somebody” is in love. It’s the whole “hey, I hear somebody’s into you.” Then you gauge their reaction and you can either continue talked about how it’s you or back up when the girl relates that she has a husband. This isn’t really a strategy I would endorse. I believe that being up front is always the best policy but for adolescents this whole “somebody” tactic is a way to talk to people without exposing themselves up and being vulnerable.
Chris Isaak in his 1995, hit “Somebody’s Crying” takes this idea as a way of telling a girl how much she has hurt him.
He opens singing about how “somebody” has been hurt and is crying. He’s trying to express his pain but cannot and like someone unable to look another straight in their eyes the only way he can talk about himself in through “somebody.”
At the chorus, Isaak let’s loose and cannot keep this ruse up. He asks directly for her love back. However at the end of the chorus he regains his composure stating “somebody’s lying” remembering the wrong she has done.
Isaak balances the different layers of emotion within a break-up effortlessly as his Elvis Presley-like voice draws us in. I can’t really speak to the sensual nature of his voice that people often discuss (he doesn’t really do that for me). What I can comment on is the range he sings with from a whisper to a flying falsetto and a deeper tenor.
There’s a very deliberate switch between the colors of his voice that work together seamlessly. Isaak carefully colors the conflicting emotions with different tones of his voice to create something that is intimate and immediate.
Somebody I know has been at the crossroads after a break-up and know exactly what Chris Isaak is expressing.
Somebody I know wishes that he could sing like Chris Isaak and thinks that it would instantly make him more appealing to woman.
Somebody I know when he was a teenager wished he could recreate Isaak's "Wicked Games" music video with a supermodel but on further consideration would rather not. I mean the sand would get everywhere and it was probably really could and I wouldn't . . . I mean that um. . . somebody I know really wouldn't enjoy.
“Somebody I know got a parking ticket in that same spot that you did.”
“Somebody I know once ate a whole package of Thin Mints in one sitting.”
“Somebody I know thought that Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus were two different people.”
One of the most often uses of the “somebody” is in love. It’s the whole “hey, I hear somebody’s into you.” Then you gauge their reaction and you can either continue talked about how it’s you or back up when the girl relates that she has a husband. This isn’t really a strategy I would endorse. I believe that being up front is always the best policy but for adolescents this whole “somebody” tactic is a way to talk to people without exposing themselves up and being vulnerable.
Chris Isaak in his 1995, hit “Somebody’s Crying” takes this idea as a way of telling a girl how much she has hurt him.
He opens singing about how “somebody” has been hurt and is crying. He’s trying to express his pain but cannot and like someone unable to look another straight in their eyes the only way he can talk about himself in through “somebody.”
At the chorus, Isaak let’s loose and cannot keep this ruse up. He asks directly for her love back. However at the end of the chorus he regains his composure stating “somebody’s lying” remembering the wrong she has done.
Isaak balances the different layers of emotion within a break-up effortlessly as his Elvis Presley-like voice draws us in. I can’t really speak to the sensual nature of his voice that people often discuss (he doesn’t really do that for me). What I can comment on is the range he sings with from a whisper to a flying falsetto and a deeper tenor.
There’s a very deliberate switch between the colors of his voice that work together seamlessly. Isaak carefully colors the conflicting emotions with different tones of his voice to create something that is intimate and immediate.
Somebody I know has been at the crossroads after a break-up and know exactly what Chris Isaak is expressing.
Somebody I know wishes that he could sing like Chris Isaak and thinks that it would instantly make him more appealing to woman.
Somebody I know when he was a teenager wished he could recreate Isaak's "Wicked Games" music video with a supermodel but on further consideration would rather not. I mean the sand would get everywhere and it was probably really could and I wouldn't . . . I mean that um. . . somebody I know really wouldn't enjoy.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Mine by Taylor Swift
“People like to fixate on Taylor Swift’s youth, as if to say, yeah, she’s pretty good for her age. But that just begs a question: Where are all the older people who are supposedly making better pop records than Taylor Swift? There aren’t any.”
This opening from Rolling Stone’s four star review of Taylor Swift’s new album Speak Now pretty much sums up the reality of the situation. Her career has no parallel in popular music. Taylor Swift a country singer, on an independent label, recording music that she composes and at the age of 20 is one of most popular and critically acclaimed musicians of her time.
If you don’t like her music, it’s all good, there’s no apologizing for taste, but it is undeniable the incredible craft and skill she puts into her song writing. Is Taylor innovating like crazy? No, but what she is doing reflecting on her own life and beliefs in a genuine and intimate way that speaks directly from her soul to our hearts.
The lead single “Mine” is “Love Story” matured from an idealized fairy tale romance to realistic struggle of a couple. It follows a similar form providing background on a relationship building to a flipping perspective in the song which for “Love Story” is when he proposes to her (which is a moment that gets to me every time I listen to that song).
What is remarkable about this song is the way that Taylor packs in so much information in so few lines, painting a rich and deep emotional story in a subtle and unassuming way.
The first verse sets up the story as Taylor meets a college student. She describes her own insecurities “I was a flight risk, afraid of falling, wondering why we bother with love, if it never last” (man, that’s girl has a little Bob Dylan in her, wow) which sets up her emotional journey.
The chorus describes a critical memory which will come back to bring Taylor comfort as well as describing how she views herself, “you made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter.” This line not only sounds great but it speaks to the reality that girls often end up with guys like their father and while she views her dad as careless it is the same rebellion that this guy bring out of her, helping her embrace the parts of her father that are within herself.
The second verse describes the struggles in her relationship and how thinking back on a memory helps her get through the fights. The conflict is continues in the bridge as she feels that the relationship is “slipping right out of our hands” like she predicted in the first verse. Bracing herself of the worst her love interest responds not with an apology but a memory, the same memory that she holds so dear in her heart. Knowing that they feel the same way Taylor exclaims at the end that she “I can see it now,” the future they have together.
Relationships succeed or fail often because of the similarities or differences in the way people feel about each other. When you know in your heart that the person you love, loves you back with the same depth and passion that you feel instead of grasping at past glories as Taylor does in the first part of the song the future opens up with possibilities and wonder.
I love the memories I have of times I spent with my wife Diana but more than that it's the future that excites me. I don't know how Taylor Swift captured all of this so beautifully in her music. I just know that Taylor Swift reflects my belief in love and the beauty of life and for that I will forever hold her music close to my heart.
This opening from Rolling Stone’s four star review of Taylor Swift’s new album Speak Now pretty much sums up the reality of the situation. Her career has no parallel in popular music. Taylor Swift a country singer, on an independent label, recording music that she composes and at the age of 20 is one of most popular and critically acclaimed musicians of her time.
If you don’t like her music, it’s all good, there’s no apologizing for taste, but it is undeniable the incredible craft and skill she puts into her song writing. Is Taylor innovating like crazy? No, but what she is doing reflecting on her own life and beliefs in a genuine and intimate way that speaks directly from her soul to our hearts.
The lead single “Mine” is “Love Story” matured from an idealized fairy tale romance to realistic struggle of a couple. It follows a similar form providing background on a relationship building to a flipping perspective in the song which for “Love Story” is when he proposes to her (which is a moment that gets to me every time I listen to that song).
What is remarkable about this song is the way that Taylor packs in so much information in so few lines, painting a rich and deep emotional story in a subtle and unassuming way.
The first verse sets up the story as Taylor meets a college student. She describes her own insecurities “I was a flight risk, afraid of falling, wondering why we bother with love, if it never last” (man, that’s girl has a little Bob Dylan in her, wow) which sets up her emotional journey.
The chorus describes a critical memory which will come back to bring Taylor comfort as well as describing how she views herself, “you made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter.” This line not only sounds great but it speaks to the reality that girls often end up with guys like their father and while she views her dad as careless it is the same rebellion that this guy bring out of her, helping her embrace the parts of her father that are within herself.
The second verse describes the struggles in her relationship and how thinking back on a memory helps her get through the fights. The conflict is continues in the bridge as she feels that the relationship is “slipping right out of our hands” like she predicted in the first verse. Bracing herself of the worst her love interest responds not with an apology but a memory, the same memory that she holds so dear in her heart. Knowing that they feel the same way Taylor exclaims at the end that she “I can see it now,” the future they have together.
Relationships succeed or fail often because of the similarities or differences in the way people feel about each other. When you know in your heart that the person you love, loves you back with the same depth and passion that you feel instead of grasping at past glories as Taylor does in the first part of the song the future opens up with possibilities and wonder.
I love the memories I have of times I spent with my wife Diana but more than that it's the future that excites me. I don't know how Taylor Swift captured all of this so beautifully in her music. I just know that Taylor Swift reflects my belief in love and the beauty of life and for that I will forever hold her music close to my heart.
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