Summertime

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 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 absolutely perfect to be successful in music.

The lyrics themselves seem to contrast the sound of the music too. The lyrics could almost be the lyrics in a lullaby, saying, "Honey, nothing's going to harm you now... don't you cry". This is strikingly contrasted by Joplin's growly style of singing and how the band plays their guitars.

Comments

  1. KenzieMarch 15, 2021 at 12:23 PM

    Hello Liz! Thanks for your comments on this song! I hadn't paid much attention to this song, but your ideas made me see it in a whole new light. Specifically, I really liked how you mentioned that Janis Joplin's singing style is very different compared to the gentle melody. I agree that this makes her voice really stand out. I also liked how you mentioned that there is not a lot of lyrics which allows the music to be highlighted more. I think this was an interesting component of the song that makes it stand out against others of its time.

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  2. Alena AverettMarch 17, 2021 at 1:58 PM

    I loved that you brought up the point that music doesn't necessarily have to be polished and perfect to be successful. That's something that a lot of people seem to forget and look over when they are listening to music. I agree with how distinct her voice is, there really isn't anyone, who I know, who has a voice like hers and it makes her songs so interesting to listen to.

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