Stories in Melody

           This week I chose to listen to "Jump" by Van Halen because I really like it. It is such a classic 80s song and I grew up hearing it. The song was released December of 1983 as the lead single from their album 1984.  This is Van Halen's most successful single that reached number 1 on the US Billboard  Hot 100. "Jump" has such a recognizable sound that makes me able to identify the song within the very first second. The synth keyboard chord progression is such a big part of this song and really sets the overall tone of the piece.       "Jump" has such a fun energy that makes me want to dance, or rather jump ;), with all my friends at a big party. I love the carefree attitude of the song. This is reflected in the lyrics such as, " I get up and nothin' gets me down" and " You got to roll with the punches". The style of singing is almost talk-singing at some moments with a bit of a raspy edge to it. I think the vocals fit v

          This week, I listened to “Give Up The Funk” by Parliament. It was originally released under the name “Tear the Roof off. The Sucker” in 1975. The song reached number five on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart and number fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart. The song starts out with just a simple drum beat and a low voice repeating the phrase “   Tear the roof off  We're gonna tear the roof off the mother sucker  Tear the roof off the sucker“. It took me a few times of listening to the song to even figure out what he is saying at the beginning. This low, repeated phrase seems to act more as an instrument rather than main vocals. Then, the song begins to build with a funky baseline, brass, and synth. The singers come in at a much higher register than the beginning.     “Give Up The Funk” has a very steady beat that is consistent throughout the song. I also noticed rather quickly that this is a very repetitive song. There is not much variation in the lyrics

       This week's listening blog post is on "Superstition" by singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder. I chose this song because I recognized the name, and the melody of the phrase in the song, "very superstitious", comes to mind, but I hadn't actually heard the song all the way through before listening to it for this post. This song was released on October 24, 1972 and went on to reach number one the U.S Billboard Hot 100 and the soul singles chart.      The song starts out slow with just a small percussion beat that sets the rhythm for the song. Then the guitar comes in with fun melody that repeats throughout the piece. Stevie Wonder then comes in with the vocals that fit right in with the feel of the song. He has a really good voice that I enjoyed listening to. The brass instruments in the background are a great addition to the song and create a fuller sound. "Superstitious" has such a good groove and I couldn't help but bob my head along as I list

          This week I listened to "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke. The song was initially released on his album Ain't That Good News in February 1964. A slightly edited version was later released as a single in December of 1964. This song was inspired by events in Cooke's life, one of them specifically being when he was turned away from a whites-only motel in Louisiana. This song talks about his struggles and pertains to the civil rights movement when saying that "it's been a long time coming, but I know a change is gonna come".      The song starts out with a soft symphony that reminds me of a romantic scene in an old black and white movie. When Cooke comes in with the vocal, he has a bit of rasp in his voice that contrasts to the style of the instruments. I really like the way Sam Cooke stylizes each phrase of the song.  He also sings with a lot of feeling, especially when he says " brother help me please but  he winds up knockin' me b

         For this weeks blog post, I listened to "The Twist" by Chubby Checker. This song was originally released in 1958 by Hank Ballard and was a moderate hit. However, when Chubby Checker covered the song in 1960, it reached number one twice. He performed his song on the the popular television dance show, American Bandstand where it was a big hit. Checker's version of "The Twist" sparked an entire dance craze in the sixties and other songs correlating to dances popped up such as "Let's Twist Again" and "Mashed Potato Time".      The song "The Twist" has a fun feeling that makes you want to dance. It has the early rick n' roll sound that I sort of associate with Elvis. There are background singers throughout the song forming a sort of barbershop quartet backing. In the middle of the song, there is a fun saxophone solo that really fits well with the rest of the song. The lyrics of the song also encourage dancing. The singe

         This week I listened to "Sh-Boom" by The Chords. The Chords formed in the South of Bronx In 1951. They were discovered performing in a subway station and later signed with Atlantic Records. In 1953, they wrote the song "Sh-Boom" in the back of a Buick and it would go on to become a huge success. This song was the first black R&B song to explode on white radio and break into the top ten on the pop charts. It is no surprise to me that  "Sh-Boom" became so popular because of its fun upbeat feel, great musicality, and catchiness. This song will be stuck in my head hours after listening to it.     The entire song has the barber shop quartet sounding voices in the background that really make the song what it is. They are always singing great chords and each of their voices blend together nicely. "Sh-Boom" also has a nice driving beat that is constant throughout the piece. The lyrics help to reinforce the upbeat, happy feel of the music as