Ben E. King recorded one of the most unforgettable songs in popular music "Stand By Me" in 1961.
Powerful, soulful and beautifully recorded it's no wonder that John Lennon knew this song by heart, like so many of us who have experienced this song.
Vs.
Lennon recorded "Stand By Me" in 1975 for his album Rock 'n' Roll. With a different driving beat and a vocal styles uniquely Lennon's, this song stands as one of Lennon's most popular solo works.
The Winner:
This is a tough one. Both songs are touching and unique in very different ways. While I like the rawness of Lennon's recording, the cleanness and clarity of Ben E. King's recorded showcases his amazing vocals which express the profound meaning of longing and hope in this song.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
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.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Week 22: The Leader and The Professional
It’s been a rough couple weeks for teachers in America and it hasn’t eased off. I’ve been struggling how to react to the news this week. My initial reaction was full of sadness, disappointment and frustration. As much as I would like to react with these emotions, I’m committed to respond with positivity as I have for the past two weeks with my post about unions and last week's post about how it is important how we talk about teachers.
In the same way that only love, not hate can defeat hatred. I will not react to the critics of teachers, unions and public education with venom, spite or anger. Instead, I chose to celebrate two fellow teachers I have met this year who inspire me on a daily basis and make me proud to be a teacher.
The Leader
Gandhi said, “A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.” In a school, its faculty is measured by how it treats its newest teachers. Monica has proved through the way that she has welcomed me into this school that this faculty is truly an amazing group of people.
Monica has a full plate teaching seventh grade English, raising her daughters and being the president of our faculty association. I would completely understand if she didn’t have time to help me out with my random questions and geek-out with me about Shakespeare, but she always has the time. For a teacher who is just now starting to not get lost around the school on a weekly basis, this is a big deal.
Monica is a leader in the school not through force by through service. She has gained authority through her experience, her honesty and her love for her students. My wife commented to me that even though she only met Monica once, she’s one Diana’s favorite people at my school, and if you met her you would immediately understand why.
The Professional
The longer you teach the more lessons you have stored up that you can pull up at a moments notice which is really helpful when you don’t have enough time to prepare for a class. So when you’ve been teaching longer that I’ve been alive, like Kelly, you could easily slide by. Kelly never does that. She doesn’t see teaching as a job but as a professional practice. Everyday, she’s in early and stays late researching materials and developing lesson plans to best suit her students.
Kelly is fascinated by her students and displays an eagerness to truly understand them. These aren't "students," they are people with thoughts, feelings and concerns. She understands these emotions may not be based on things that we as adults feel are relevant, however the emotions themselves are just as valid as anything we feel. In this way Kelly truly understands what it means to teach but what it means to be a teacher.
I make sure to talk to Kelly every single day. Because when I talk to her she makes me feel that I’m important. She listens with her eyes and her heart. When I recently met someone who had Kelly as a teacher twenty years ago and we talked about her I saw the same light in her eyes and smile on her face that I feel every time I talk to Kelly.
In the same way that only love, not hate can defeat hatred. I will not react to the critics of teachers, unions and public education with venom, spite or anger. Instead, I chose to celebrate two fellow teachers I have met this year who inspire me on a daily basis and make me proud to be a teacher.
The Leader
Gandhi said, “A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.” In a school, its faculty is measured by how it treats its newest teachers. Monica has proved through the way that she has welcomed me into this school that this faculty is truly an amazing group of people.
Monica has a full plate teaching seventh grade English, raising her daughters and being the president of our faculty association. I would completely understand if she didn’t have time to help me out with my random questions and geek-out with me about Shakespeare, but she always has the time. For a teacher who is just now starting to not get lost around the school on a weekly basis, this is a big deal.
Monica is a leader in the school not through force by through service. She has gained authority through her experience, her honesty and her love for her students. My wife commented to me that even though she only met Monica once, she’s one Diana’s favorite people at my school, and if you met her you would immediately understand why.
The Professional
The longer you teach the more lessons you have stored up that you can pull up at a moments notice which is really helpful when you don’t have enough time to prepare for a class. So when you’ve been teaching longer that I’ve been alive, like Kelly, you could easily slide by. Kelly never does that. She doesn’t see teaching as a job but as a professional practice. Everyday, she’s in early and stays late researching materials and developing lesson plans to best suit her students.
Kelly is fascinated by her students and displays an eagerness to truly understand them. These aren't "students," they are people with thoughts, feelings and concerns. She understands these emotions may not be based on things that we as adults feel are relevant, however the emotions themselves are just as valid as anything we feel. In this way Kelly truly understands what it means to teach but what it means to be a teacher.
I make sure to talk to Kelly every single day. Because when I talk to her she makes me feel that I’m important. She listens with her eyes and her heart. When I recently met someone who had Kelly as a teacher twenty years ago and we talked about her I saw the same light in her eyes and smile on her face that I feel every time I talk to Kelly.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Round 9: Jefferson Airplane Vs. Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Airplane defined the 1960s psychedelic rock genre. Formed in 1965, they performed in the most important cultural events of their generation including Woodstock. They are most known for their 1967 hit "Somebody To Love," an intense and passionate remake of the folk classic by Great Society.
Versus:
Many of the original members of Jefferson Airplane joined back together after breaking up as Jefferson Starship in 1974. This band later evolved to Starship (whoes only member who was originally in Jefferson Airplane was lead singer Grace Slick) and scored their biggest hit with "We Built This City." This song reached number 1 on the charts when it was released. Seriously I'm not joking.
The Winner:
Wow, this one isn't even close. It is mind-boggling that the same person sang lead on both of theses songs. I mean "Somebody To Love" is one the greatest rock songs EVER and "We Built This City" is a joke of a song that often appears on lists of the worst rocks song. The only reason I haven't devoted an entire week of posts on how "We Built This City" is one of the worst songs ever is because I promised myself that this would be a positive blog. . . but sometimes it's really tempting. . .
Versus:
Many of the original members of Jefferson Airplane joined back together after breaking up as Jefferson Starship in 1974. This band later evolved to Starship (whoes only member who was originally in Jefferson Airplane was lead singer Grace Slick) and scored their biggest hit with "We Built This City." This song reached number 1 on the charts when it was released. Seriously I'm not joking.
The Winner:
Wow, this one isn't even close. It is mind-boggling that the same person sang lead on both of theses songs. I mean "Somebody To Love" is one the greatest rock songs EVER and "We Built This City" is a joke of a song that often appears on lists of the worst rocks song. The only reason I haven't devoted an entire week of posts on how "We Built This City" is one of the worst songs ever is because I promised myself that this would be a positive blog. . . but sometimes it's really tempting. . .
Monday, March 7, 2011
Buffy Doesn't Sleep In Our Bed . . . kind of . . .
A couple weeks before we got Buffy one of our best friends Morgan, asked Diana and I if Buffy was going to sleep in our bed. Without hesitation, I told her “of course not.” The idea of a dog sleeping in our bed just seemed weird. I figured that dogs are kind of dirty and hairy and I felt it necessary that Diana and I maintain our bed as our space. Morgan, laughed at my response and made a bet. She said that within six months of having Buffy, she would end up sleeping in our bed and if she didn’t, she would buy Diana and I dinner.
We totally won the bet . . . kind of.
We crate trained Buffy. It worked really well to help house-train her. Buffy took to her crate quickly as you can see in this early video.
It didn’t even occur to me that Buffy would sleep somewhere else until we started taking naps together.
Puppies sleep a lot and within the first couple week of having Buffy she started taking naps with us. Between the hourly visits outside to house-train her, we would play with her and especially during the day take naps with her.
When we first started thinking about getting a puppy I wanted a dog I could play with and Diana wanted a puppy she could cuddle with. I honestly didn’t really understand the appeal of cuddling with a dog until Buffy started to relax with me and fall asleep in my arms.
We are at our most venerable when we are sleeping. It takes a enormous amount of trust to feel safe being asleep with someone else. For Buffy to feel that safe with Diana and I was an important step. This connection of trust and love with another being warms your heart in a way that nothing else really does.
Once Diana and I felt that Buffy was pretty well potty trained we bought Buffy a bed and started having her sleep in our bedroom.
At first it seemed that Buffy was more into sleeping underneath our covers on the floor at the foot of the bed.
Eventually she took to her bed and every morning I find her lying there sometimes upside down and sometimes half-off the bed in some seemingly awkward contortion.
I go to sleep earlier than Diana and sometimes I feel a little lonely going to sleep by myself so one evening I picked up Buffy and put her on top of the covers with me. Even though Diana was just in the other room it just made me feel more at ease feeling Buffy’s presence on the bed. Later when Diana came to bed she picked up Buffy and put her down in her bed where she slept for the rest of the night. Gradually this became a pattern.
One morning while getting ready for work I though that Buffy might help Diana wake up in the morning, so I picked her up and put her in the bed with Diana. Buffy walked around the bed, sniffed Diana’s face and then curled up in a ball right next to her and went back to sleep. Though my plan to help Diana get up in the morning failed, I regularly do this in the morning so Diana and Buffy can have some quality time in the morning.
No, Buffy doesn’t really sleep on our bed, at least through the night, but I guess she might as well.
When Buffy is near me and she is sleeping it feels right. It's impossibly cute and strengthens a bond between us that I can't really describe. When I see Diana and Buffy sleeping together it's a different but equally amazing feeling. There is a peace that you can experiences with others. Diana and Buffy bring this contentment to each other when they are sleeping together.
It's truly one of most beautiful things I have ever seen.
We totally won the bet . . . kind of.
We crate trained Buffy. It worked really well to help house-train her. Buffy took to her crate quickly as you can see in this early video.
It didn’t even occur to me that Buffy would sleep somewhere else until we started taking naps together.
Puppies sleep a lot and within the first couple week of having Buffy she started taking naps with us. Between the hourly visits outside to house-train her, we would play with her and especially during the day take naps with her. When we first started thinking about getting a puppy I wanted a dog I could play with and Diana wanted a puppy she could cuddle with. I honestly didn’t really understand the appeal of cuddling with a dog until Buffy started to relax with me and fall asleep in my arms.
We are at our most venerable when we are sleeping. It takes a enormous amount of trust to feel safe being asleep with someone else. For Buffy to feel that safe with Diana and I was an important step. This connection of trust and love with another being warms your heart in a way that nothing else really does.
Once Diana and I felt that Buffy was pretty well potty trained we bought Buffy a bed and started having her sleep in our bedroom.
At first it seemed that Buffy was more into sleeping underneath our covers on the floor at the foot of the bed.
Eventually she took to her bed and every morning I find her lying there sometimes upside down and sometimes half-off the bed in some seemingly awkward contortion.
I go to sleep earlier than Diana and sometimes I feel a little lonely going to sleep by myself so one evening I picked up Buffy and put her on top of the covers with me. Even though Diana was just in the other room it just made me feel more at ease feeling Buffy’s presence on the bed. Later when Diana came to bed she picked up Buffy and put her down in her bed where she slept for the rest of the night. Gradually this became a pattern. 
One morning while getting ready for work I though that Buffy might help Diana wake up in the morning, so I picked her up and put her in the bed with Diana. Buffy walked around the bed, sniffed Diana’s face and then curled up in a ball right next to her and went back to sleep. Though my plan to help Diana get up in the morning failed, I regularly do this in the morning so Diana and Buffy can have some quality time in the morning.No, Buffy doesn’t really sleep on our bed, at least through the night, but I guess she might as well.
When Buffy is near me and she is sleeping it feels right. It's impossibly cute and strengthens a bond between us that I can't really describe. When I see Diana and Buffy sleeping together it's a different but equally amazing feeling. There is a peace that you can experiences with others. Diana and Buffy bring this contentment to each other when they are sleeping together.
It's truly one of most beautiful things I have ever seen.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Week 21: How We Talk About Teachers
Yesterday on my drive home from work, I almost emotionally broke down.
It was a hard day at school. Nothing bad happened; it was just a day at school in which I worked really hard every moment I was teaching and between classes. Some things didn’t go how I wish they could have, despite my best effort.
It’s not unusual for me to have days like this, but what made the drive home difficult yesterday was that fact that echoing in my head were the voices of people criticizing the way that teachers are compensated in American and the quality of teachers.
With all of the controversy over teacher unions and budgets in states like Wisconsin, commentators in some parts of the media have expressed critical views over teachers and their unions. While I am open to reasonable and fact-based debates, unreasonable people making unfounded and over-generalized statements about teachers is infuriating and offensive, and it hurts.
Even with John Stewart’s defense these words still stung.
While I appreciate Stewart’s defense of teachers, I disagree with his action of comparing teachers with bankers and people who work on Wall Street. My brother-in-law works for Goldman & Sachs and he has had plenty of experience with people unfairly venting their frustrations with the economy and him and his company. I feel the same way about people who over-generalize about teachers.
Now I try really hard every single day to ignore and insulate myself from unreasonable people who spread unnecessary negativity. I know there’s people out there who speak words of hate and ignorance all of the time, and I try as hard I can to not let it get to me. Hey, if you are racist, whatever, go ahead, it’s your God-given right to stereotype, but something about these current discussions about teachers have broken through my wall of optimism and positivity.
I didn’t chose to be a teacher to be a hero or to prove that I’m a better person than anyone else. I believe teaching is an important job but so is being a janitor. Both deserve respect, because if they didn’t do their jobs for one night or one day, entire cities would shut down.
So what do teachers deserve?
Summer break? Well, I think everyone deserves that. We would a lot happier as a society with a little bit more free time.
A workday that ends at 3? Lots of people have weird hours and keep in mind most of these teachers who get off at 3 start at 7am so it’s pretty much a 9 to 5. Also, most teachers, including me, do lesson planning and correct papers in the evenings and on weekends. So the school day does not end at 3.
$50,000 salary? I don’t know. Does an athlete deserve a million dollar salary? Yes, no, maybe? I’m sure there’s some economic businesspeople out there who can make sense of why certain jobs get paid what they do and why it’s logical. But I don't really get it.
What teachers do deserve is to be talked about and discussed with the same amount of respect that you would afford any other profession. It is unacceptable to over-generalize about politicians, business people, and public servants. To criticize without specific examples or statistics is an expression of ignorance.
The thing that we often forget when we discuss issues in our society is that we are talking about human beings. When you say that all Republicans are against same-sex marriage or that all Democrats are tree-huggers you are making stereotypes about people that are just as bad as racial ones.
Here’s the thing. Chances are someone you care about or someone you love belongs to one of these groups. And when you misspeak about them in this way you are hurting them.
I know this because statements about teachers that have been said by people in my life have hurt me. Hearing these people on television echo these sentiments reminds me of that pain. Maybe I should speak up more and argue, but most of the time I just feel sad.
After I got home, I talked to my wife, Diana and she helped me build that wall back up. She reminded me of all the people in this world who support teachers. Even though I tell myself that it doesn't matter what others think, it does and it's okay. She said that most Americans believe in teachers and what they do for their kids and their constitutional right to be part of a union -- and she's right.
You can't let the vocal minority overshadow the reasonable majority, and you can't let yourself talk about issues in our society without the utmost respect for the people involved.
Never forget everyone is someone's father, mother, son or daughter.
It was a hard day at school. Nothing bad happened; it was just a day at school in which I worked really hard every moment I was teaching and between classes. Some things didn’t go how I wish they could have, despite my best effort.
It’s not unusual for me to have days like this, but what made the drive home difficult yesterday was that fact that echoing in my head were the voices of people criticizing the way that teachers are compensated in American and the quality of teachers.
With all of the controversy over teacher unions and budgets in states like Wisconsin, commentators in some parts of the media have expressed critical views over teachers and their unions. While I am open to reasonable and fact-based debates, unreasonable people making unfounded and over-generalized statements about teachers is infuriating and offensive, and it hurts.
Even with John Stewart’s defense these words still stung.
While I appreciate Stewart’s defense of teachers, I disagree with his action of comparing teachers with bankers and people who work on Wall Street. My brother-in-law works for Goldman & Sachs and he has had plenty of experience with people unfairly venting their frustrations with the economy and him and his company. I feel the same way about people who over-generalize about teachers.
Now I try really hard every single day to ignore and insulate myself from unreasonable people who spread unnecessary negativity. I know there’s people out there who speak words of hate and ignorance all of the time, and I try as hard I can to not let it get to me. Hey, if you are racist, whatever, go ahead, it’s your God-given right to stereotype, but something about these current discussions about teachers have broken through my wall of optimism and positivity.
I didn’t chose to be a teacher to be a hero or to prove that I’m a better person than anyone else. I believe teaching is an important job but so is being a janitor. Both deserve respect, because if they didn’t do their jobs for one night or one day, entire cities would shut down.
So what do teachers deserve?
Summer break? Well, I think everyone deserves that. We would a lot happier as a society with a little bit more free time.
A workday that ends at 3? Lots of people have weird hours and keep in mind most of these teachers who get off at 3 start at 7am so it’s pretty much a 9 to 5. Also, most teachers, including me, do lesson planning and correct papers in the evenings and on weekends. So the school day does not end at 3.
$50,000 salary? I don’t know. Does an athlete deserve a million dollar salary? Yes, no, maybe? I’m sure there’s some economic businesspeople out there who can make sense of why certain jobs get paid what they do and why it’s logical. But I don't really get it.
What teachers do deserve is to be talked about and discussed with the same amount of respect that you would afford any other profession. It is unacceptable to over-generalize about politicians, business people, and public servants. To criticize without specific examples or statistics is an expression of ignorance.
The thing that we often forget when we discuss issues in our society is that we are talking about human beings. When you say that all Republicans are against same-sex marriage or that all Democrats are tree-huggers you are making stereotypes about people that are just as bad as racial ones.
Here’s the thing. Chances are someone you care about or someone you love belongs to one of these groups. And when you misspeak about them in this way you are hurting them.
I know this because statements about teachers that have been said by people in my life have hurt me. Hearing these people on television echo these sentiments reminds me of that pain. Maybe I should speak up more and argue, but most of the time I just feel sad.
After I got home, I talked to my wife, Diana and she helped me build that wall back up. She reminded me of all the people in this world who support teachers. Even though I tell myself that it doesn't matter what others think, it does and it's okay. She said that most Americans believe in teachers and what they do for their kids and their constitutional right to be part of a union -- and she's right.
You can't let the vocal minority overshadow the reasonable majority, and you can't let yourself talk about issues in our society without the utmost respect for the people involved.
Never forget everyone is someone's father, mother, son or daughter.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Round 8: Buffy Vs. Angel
Five years after the his disappointing experience with the film version of his beloved creation, Joss Whedon premiered Buffy The Vampire Slayer as a television show in 1997. This show went on to become one of the most important and influential television shows of all time.
To lead his show off, Whedon chose a theme by the Nerf Herders.
This punk and surf rock influenced guitar anthem perfectly introduced the show and the main character of Buffy Summers. Youthful and full of attitude, this theme barrels forward building to an intense explosion of drum hits and screaming guitars exciting new viewers of the show and reminding old viewers of the sheer awesomeness that is Buffy.
Versus:
Before he was Booth an FBI agent on Bones, David Boreanaz was Angel. After appearing in numerous episodes of Buffy, Whedon spun Angel off into his own series in 1999, placing Angel in Los Angeles. This series developed a solid fan base and expanded the “Buffy-verse” with new characters and adventures.
Darling Violetta who provided music for earlier Buffy episodes created the opening theme for Angel.
This slower more brooding theme uniquely combines a solo cello playing the melody with a rock band background. It sets the tone for inner conflict in the main character, Angel. Instead of with a bang, the theme ends with a question mark leading the viewer into the mystery and suspense of the show.
The Winner:
Buffy all the way.
Compared to the Buffy theme, the Angel theme in lacks energy, purpose and direction. Angel is not as dark and brooding as the theme suggest (though there were a lot "Angel brooding" moments especially in the first season). What is powerful about Angel as a show is how the characters triumphs over their own inner demons and the theme fails to remind us of this.
Buffy's theme is a celebration and it brings forth the sense of optimism and strength that permeates the show. It represents the meaning of the characters in a more genuine way than the Angel theme and Nerf Herder is simply a cooler band name.
Nerf Herders:
Darling Violetta
To lead his show off, Whedon chose a theme by the Nerf Herders.
This punk and surf rock influenced guitar anthem perfectly introduced the show and the main character of Buffy Summers. Youthful and full of attitude, this theme barrels forward building to an intense explosion of drum hits and screaming guitars exciting new viewers of the show and reminding old viewers of the sheer awesomeness that is Buffy.
Versus:
Before he was Booth an FBI agent on Bones, David Boreanaz was Angel. After appearing in numerous episodes of Buffy, Whedon spun Angel off into his own series in 1999, placing Angel in Los Angeles. This series developed a solid fan base and expanded the “Buffy-verse” with new characters and adventures.
Darling Violetta who provided music for earlier Buffy episodes created the opening theme for Angel.
This slower more brooding theme uniquely combines a solo cello playing the melody with a rock band background. It sets the tone for inner conflict in the main character, Angel. Instead of with a bang, the theme ends with a question mark leading the viewer into the mystery and suspense of the show.
The Winner:
Buffy all the way.
Compared to the Buffy theme, the Angel theme in lacks energy, purpose and direction. Angel is not as dark and brooding as the theme suggest (though there were a lot "Angel brooding" moments especially in the first season). What is powerful about Angel as a show is how the characters triumphs over their own inner demons and the theme fails to remind us of this.
Buffy's theme is a celebration and it brings forth the sense of optimism and strength that permeates the show. It represents the meaning of the characters in a more genuine way than the Angel theme and Nerf Herder is simply a cooler band name.
Nerf Herders:
Darling Violetta
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