MUSC 1020 popular music in America

  I decided to listen to Graceland by Paul Sim on. I’ve never heard of this song before, and my first impression is that it’s a pretty chill easy going song. I feel like it could have been a min ute shorter . It was pretty repetitive for a four and a half minute long song. It takes about 40 seconds in the song to get to the lyrics which I feel like is unnecessary. I would usually say that long intros are cool and add to the song, but I don’t feel like it added anything to this song. The lyrics also end about 20 seconds before the song officially ends which is a little weird and I don’t see that often.   I think the lyrics are the best part of the song. They flow well with the music, it’s just that the music is a little boring. I’m assuming the lyrics are about an ex-wife or something, and I like songs that tell a story which gives the song more points on my scale. My favorite lyric was  when he sings, “And I see losing love is like a window in your heart”. Thi...

  I chose “Psycho Killer” by the Talking Heads. I feel like I’ve heard of the band, but I don’t really know who they are. The music is really cool in this song, and I feel like it goes well with the lyrics. The song was overall a lot of energy and sometimes crazy. I thought it was interesting how they changed languages throughout the song. I don’t know what the language was though. The beginning is cool, and I like how it doesn’t just start right off with singing. My favorite part is when sing, “Fa, fa, fa,… .” and “Run, run, run,… " . I think the re petition a dds depth and makes the song more interesting. My least favorite part is probably when they change languages because I don’t know that they are saying. The language change adds to the fact that it’s a psycho person and that they are weird. If I’m being completely honest, I don’t really know what the song is about entirely , but I think that’s the point of the song. This song probably wouldn’t be on my top lists of...

  I chose “Here You Come Again” by Dolly Parton. I like some of her other popular songs like “Jolene”, “9 to 5”, and “I will always love you” which is why I gravitated to listening to this song of hers. My first impressions of the song was that it was overall really good and that it has the same sound as her other ones. I think the lyrics and music go well together. Her voice is distinct, and I can tell its her pretty quick. My favorite lyric that is also kinda funny is where she sings, “Here you come again looking better than a body has a right to”. I think that the lyric is funny because she’s pretty much just saying that they are really hot.   My least favorite lyric is when she sings, “And pretty soon I’m wondering how I came to doubt you”. To me, this line seems like a toxic relationship. The whole song in a way seems like it is talking about a toxic relationship, but that line specifically put the idea in my brain. I think she is trying to target girls and young woman wi...

    I chose “Be My Baby” by The Ronettes. I’m glad that we finally have a song sung by females on  the list off the exam 3 playlist. When I listened to it for the first time it was pretty catchy and got stuff in my head. The song is upbeat and easy to sing along to. I would describe the emotion of this song as cheery and optimistic. I think the music and lyri cs go well together, which probably explains how it gets stuck in my head. I love how this song is a fun love song compa red to sad love songs. My favorite lyric is, “ For every kiss you give me, I’ll give you three” I like how it puts love into simple words like that lyric. I also like the lyric , “Oh, since the day I saw you I have be en waiting for you ” I love how this song has the element of love at first sight. The only thing I would cretic for this song is how it can be a little bit repetitive , but other than that small detail I think it is a really good song. I can’t place my finger on it, ...

  I chose to listen to Sh-Boom by The Chords. When listening to this version and the cover done by The Crew Cuts this version was by far the better one. This song is very up beat and fun to listen and dance to. The harmonizing the group does is really catchy and gets stuck in my head in a good way. I think the accompaniment goes well with the lyrics, and the accompaniment’s solo fits well in the song. My favorite part is all of the random noises that aren’t words like “Do-roo-do-do, sh-boom” or “sha-lang-a-lang-a-lang”. My least favorite part is when the low voice has a solo. It’s not bad it’s just a little boring. I love how this song is in the movie Cars because it brings nostalgia. I think Disney made a good choice when picking The Chords version over The Crew Cuts version. I also love how the song is a love ballad, some jazz, and some blues mixed in it. The lyrics are super cute, and I love all the cute messages it says for example, “If you would let me spend my whole life lovi...

  I chose “Great Speckled Bird” by Roy Acuff . This was Roy Acuff’s first hit record and was the national anthem of country music. My first impression was that this was a nice easy-going song. Acuff’s voice is interesting to listen to because it’s smooth, but it has an old country sound to it. I think the lyrics and the guitar go well together. The lyrics are weird. The first time I listened to the song,  the lyrics didn’t stick out, but I listened to it another time to specifically listen to the lyrics and they are definitely not what I thought they were about. The song is a ballad which means that it tells a story, and the story is confusing to me. It seems like he’s singing about th is speckled bird that is actually a girl and how she is different from the group which is the church.   I don’t know what instrument makes it but there's like a Hawaiian feel to the song and I really like how it makes the song sound. It has a country and Hawaiian feel whi...