Music as Poetry

I always say lyrics make the song for me. I was an English major who specialized in poetry. Shock of the day...

The most poetic form of music is rap.

I decided to figure out the difference between rap and hip hop, but instead discovered the beauty of rap. Rap is somewhere between poetry, spoken word, and singing.

Reading the wikipedia article, it talked about rhyme schemes, diction, double entendres, and prosody. Light bulbs going off! Rap is quite an art form, one which I can appreciate. So, I decided to try my first rap song.

Today's song is . . .
Tupac's Keep Ya Head Up

Let the Beat Rock

I kept hearing this distinctive song on the radio, but couldn't figure out the lyrics. So, I decided to combine this radio thing with this internet thing. Result is: I found out the "boom boom boom" song is actually Black Eyed Peas' new release Boom Boom Pow and the current number one according to Billboard.

Also, this song is from a cd that hasn't been released yet. What's up with that? Is this a common thing? I guess it's a good marketing device.

Back to the song... So apparently sounds count as words, as in "hear the spaceship *zoom*". Also, there are allusions / slang I didn't get, such as 808 (disturbing the peace), and the clean version cuts out a lot of ****, making it hard to understand. Now I read the lyrics, I'm happy enough.

Black Eyed Peas' Boom Boom Pow



So, anyone have any idea why this is top right now?

Maples? Oaks? Politics?

Wandering through the office, I spied a random cd lying on the desk. Akio being on hand, he immediately told me that they have the single best drummer ever. That says something coming from a drummer.

So, I stuck it in the computer, pulled up lyrics, and discovered Rush. I liked the songs I read (yes, read, it's all about the lyrics!). This made me realize how most people discover music . . . rather randomly.

Today's song is . . .
Rush's The Trees



Liked it. A lot. 'Nough said.

Pioneers of Hard Rock

Genre names aren't always what they seem. Alternative Rock? Pretty mainstream. And hard rock? Can be kinda mellow.

After hearing a recent reference to Led Zeppelin, I decided to learn about them next. Well, I should rephrase that, I decided to learn about him. Cuz, you see, I've always thought Led Zeppelin was a man. Thought it was some cool stage name or distortion of a foreign name.

Anyway, I discovered it's a band. Hard rock, from the 70's. I respect their breakup at the death of the drummer (less drama than I would have expected) and their release of their nameless fourth album (a stick-it-to-the-man attitude).

Today's song is . . .
Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven



Long and reflective. It surprised me that this is their number one song.

A Sign of the Times

While trying to figure out this radio thing, I stumbled on the country station. Now, I kinda like country. There's usually a story and it's easy to follow, much better for new music.

One song got me thinking: Shuttin Detroit Down.

Lyrics:

And while their living up on Wall Street
In that New York City town
Here in the real world they're
Shutting Detroit down

What struck me was that it was relevant to today. This song only makes sense in view of the economic crisis, the bailouts, the Big Three, and the feelings people have towards it all. The lyrics capture the atmosphere of the times.

It may be a decent musically or not, but it'll be catchy when people think, "Yeah, that's it! They think they're so great up there in NYC, but that ain't the real world. No, in real life you gotta deal with your mistakes. Take it like a man." Popular songs are about putting into words what people really want to say.

John Rich's Shuttin' Detroit Down
(Song starts about :55)

Now I get the phrase, "the music of a generation". It's not the music that a generation produced, it's the music that embodies a generation.

No Favorites

I hate it when people ask me to pick a favorite. I mean, seriously, one single favorite out of the hundreds that I know? Favorite color? Well, what are we talking about here? Color for a shirt? Then it might be teal to match my eyes. But never for a car! It's all about context.

We don't ask people to pick their favorite among their children: your precocious 6-year old daughter, or the athletic and popular 10-year old son? What about that sulky teen you rarely see? Pick one! Go on, tell me your favorite! The more you know something / someone, the harder it is to choose.

BUT . . . I can usually decide what I don't like. That was a major discovery during our music discussion last Sunday. All the music that I remember from when I was young, the music that I hated . . . Grunge!

I didn't like grunge. But decided to pick one for today's song:

Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"



This was their first big hit in 1991. They only lasted a few years until Kurt Cobain killed himself . . . depressing.

Opinion: I vaguely remember this, especially the annoying repetition of "Hello". On the other hand, reading the lyrics, it's not that bad. Maybe that's just cuz I control the volume.

Music 101: Intro

Today I addressed the hardest subject: music. A friend is very knowledgeable and I wanted the simplest beginning point. I do mean, the simplest, most rudimentary introduction. Say, the top five bands I should familiarize myself with.

The results were astonishing! We headed to a computer and he used YouTube to show me videos, the kind of videos most of my generation grew up watching on MTV. But the best part? Several dear friends, all of whom know my wretched illiteracy, joined in.

We ended up polling people on their favorite bands and discussing the 90's pop I should have listened to in high school (most of which was actually vaguely familiar due to crazy high school skits). Then I got some current pop and a variety of rock categories that will soon get confused. Seriously, why can every category just end with "rock"? Indie rock, alternative rock, classic rock . . .

The verdict: I need to start with 3 of the most popular bands:

1. U2
2. Coldplay
3. Beatles

Today's song is . . .
U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"



Opinion: I like it. I'm sure I've heard it before, but now I've listened five times and read the lyrics. I might actually recognize it in the future.