Stories in Melody

         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

  For this week's blog I listened to "Hey, Good Lookin'" by Hank Williams. From the very beginning of the song, it has that very distinct "twangy" country feeling. I immediately get the image in my head of a old west small town seen in cowboy movies. Hank Williams' singing has a very bright sound that is in complete contrast to the crooning style that has been popular. The instruments also have that bright country sound. The words in the song reflect the country dialect like when he says "how's about". This song has a very steady beat that remains the same the entire time and also follows the commonly seen AABA pattern. There is a fun instrumental break with a steel guitar and violin that adds to the overall feel of the song.      Hank Williams is often considered one of the most influential country singer-songwriters in history. His song "Hey Good Lookin'" reached #29 in the pop charts and was #1 on the country charts for eig

           This week I listened to "Taking A Chance on Love" by Benny Goodman featuring Helen Forrest. The songs starts out with a loud, jazzy brass band. Then, the music falls into a slower, more relaxed groove where there is a sort of call and response between the clarinet and trumpet. When Helen Forrest comes in on the vocals, she has a crooning, swung style of singing that adds to the smooth jazz feeling of the song. I quite enjoy listening to her sing accompanied by the band. I think they go together nicely and make the song fun to listen to. There isn't much singing, but the few lyrics in the song are very positive, which was common for the songs during this time period. In the song, it says things like "I'm taking the game up and the ace of hearts is high" and "We'll have our happy ending now taking a chance on love". The song gives a bright outlook on the prospect of love rather than focusing on the possibility of heartbreak. After the