Liz's Thoughts on Music

 This week I chose to discuss "I Shot the Sheriff" performed by Eric Clapton and written by Bob Marley.  "I Shot the Sheriff" became popular after Eric Clapton recorded a cover of the original song that was sung by Bob Marley. I think that this is interesting, and to me it gives a sneak peak at the prejudice in the music industry. We've discussed several times in class where black artists record a song and then white artists record a cover of that same song and it becomes a hit. But, because of the popularity of Eric Clapton's cover of "I Shot the Sheriff", Bob Marley was able to become more popular in the US and the Reggae genre of music was introduced to the America.  One thing that I didn't know about the lyrics of Reggae songs is that they are about "everyday stuff". It blows my mind that the life talked about in "I Shot the Sheriff" -- "They say they want to bring me in guilty... I shot the sheriff, but I swear it ...

This week I chose to analyze the song "Night Fever" by the Bee Gees. I love the Bee Gees and their music!! "Night Fever" is one of my favorite Bee Gees songs. In my mind, this is your typical disco, dance song. The drum is at the heart of the music, defining the beat of the song. This is what makes "Night Fever" a disco song. This song is very catchy and easy to dance to. I can imagine people dancing the night away at a discotheque, on a colorful dance floor and with lights everywhere whenever I listen to this song.  This song has very simple lyrics, as disco songs typically do. "Night Fever" is about someone dancing at the disco and they catch the 'night fever'. In other words, the person dancing meets someone there who changed their whole world and now the person singing sees how great discos are. This song is really cool because it talks about joining the disco craze that was sweeping the nation during the 70's. 

 This week I chose to analyze "Summertime" written by George Gershwin and covered by Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company. The song starts with a simple, gentle melody which is contrasted by Janis Joplin's style of singing. I love her voice! She has such a distinct voice that is raw and gritty sounding. She is definitely one of a kind. It is evident by the way she sings in "Summertime" that older blues and R&B artists have influenced her, especially Big Mama Thornton, who didn't try to sing with a perfectly 'polished' voice either.  There aren't very many lyrics in this song; a good chunk of it is guitar solos. To me this suggests that the band most likely wanted the 'main idea' of the song to be their music. The guitars seem to parallel Joplin's singing in style because they too are unpolished sounding. I really like this song because it does sound unpolished and it shows that you don't have to sound absolutel...

This week I chose to analyze "Good Vibration" by The Beach Boys.  I love the Beach Boys' music! But I have to admit I haven't ever learned much about the group themselves until this class. For instance, one thing I did not know is how long the group worked in the studio to produce this song and how much work Brian Wilson put into each of their songs to made them sound just right. The time and attention to musical detail are apparent in "Good Vibrations".  Another thing I did not know until we discussed this song in class was how many instruments are used in this song. There are so many that it is nicknamed Brian Wilson's "pocket orchestra". In this song, there are organs, flutes, a cello, and theremin to name a few. Out of all of these instruments the most noticeable and distinct is the theremin that is used to create the 'out-of-this-world' sound. The music in this song helps the listener feel almost as if they are in a dream or anothe...

 I chose to analyze Bill Haley and His Comet's "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock" this week. I did not know before learning about this song in class that it was one of the first rock-n-roll hits. But it's interesting to think that this is where rock-n-roll started. "Rock Around the Clock" is an up-beat and happy song. It creates a care-free feeling. It's almost as if it's suggesting that you could leave your cares aside for a while and just dance to this song. That's one thing that I like about this song.  Another thing I like about this song is the lyrics. In each verse it talks about different phases of a dance that is going on 'around the clock', as the name suggests. The first verse talks about the hours "two, three, and four". The second talks about "five, six, and seven". The third talks about "eight, nine, ten, eleven". And then the fourth verse talks about the clock striking twelve and starting...

  I chose to analyze "Sh-Boom" by The Chords. Whenever I hear this song, like many of you, I think of the movie Cars . And because this song is in Cars , when I hear this song I tend to think about what life would have looked like back in the 50's. I might think this way especially because I live in a town that Route 66 goes through and work is being done to restore 'historic downtown'. This song is up-beat and has a happy sound to it. It makes me smile when I listen to it and I think it is definitely a song that you can cruise to. :) There are a few elements of "Sh-Boom" that remind me of jazz music. The scat singing throughout the song reminds me of jazz singer Louis Armstrong who often used scat singing in his songs. The saxophone solo in the middle of the song reminds me of the riffs and improvisation that are common in jazz songs. So in other words, I think that jazz had an influence on the musicians and singers in The Chords, which is why there are...