Week 8: A Change Is Gonna Come

   

    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 back down on my knees". I was also impressed with his higher range and it seems like he is a well trained singer. The instruments used play such a big part in creating the overall sound of this song and it's interesting to me to think how different it would be if they had chosen something different like a big brass band. This song has a very nice, smooth sound that was relaxing to me and I really enjoyed listening to it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 2: Deed I Do

Image
            This week, I listened to "Deed I Do" composed by Fred Rose and performed by Ruth Etting. The song starts out with a nice instrumental with a trumpet playing over the top. Ruth Etting comes in with soft, flowing vocals that, to me, embody the popular sound of singers in the 1920s. It is a very relaxed style of singing that greatly contrasts to that of Ethel Merman who sings with a lot more volume and power. One thing that surprised me when I looked up this song, it that it has been recorded by over 100 various artists since it's initial release in 1927 and has been remade as recently as 2016.   The song has a pleasant sound and feeling that I enjoy. It is the sort of song that I would want to be playing on the record player in my living room during the 1920s. "Deed Do I" repeats the same melody over a few times with varying words. Each of these verses are all very positive as the words talk about the woman's love interest who make...
Read more

Week 7: The Twist

Image
         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...
Read more

Week 4: Taking a Chance on Love

Image
           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...
Read more