Final Project
Music & Society
Music is such an important part of life. From its first introduction to the world, to now. I see music as a place where you can release or boost your emotions, relive memories or make connections with other people. I grew up with some 80's, a lot of 90's and 00's music. As I got older the style of music has changed dramatically, we see and hear more intense and inappropriate verbiage and a lot more "inspiration" to drugs and alcohol. Although, I do enjoy all genres of music from hip-hop, R&B, country, gospel, and fiddle, I sometimes wish I grew up in the older era, in which I feel like I can mostly relate to the music style. According to John Hopkins, Keep Your Brian Young With Music, it states that "Research has shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory." I can agree with this statement because I do see how music can affect ones mood or change the way they think and express themselves. Also stated in Keep Your Brian Young With Music, "what helps one person concentrate might be distracting to someone else." A majority of people use music as a venue in their mind to escape reality and focus on a task, reflect on their life or get motivated.
There are a lot of musical genres, ones that make a person place or thing who they are. There are cultural personalities that help people connect with each other and exchange and diversify music. In How Music Affects Society, Lia Paralta states, "Music has the power to connect with and influence people in a way that feels fundamentally different from other forms of communication. Humans often feel that “no one understands them” or knows how they “truly feel.” Many resort to music to find connections with others to express themselves or find a sense of understanding among peers." Making connections with others through music has got to be the easiest ways of communication. The way the right song comes on to express how you feel about someone that lyrics define, or how the words of your feelings come out in ways you could never express. These are all very important concepts in using music as a communication tool with society. Also mentioned in How Music Affects Society, "Music’s effect on the self is far-reaching, tapping into our memories, subconscious thoughts, emotions, and interests." This statement goes to say that often times, we as humans have a difficult time expressing our thoughts and emotions with ourselves and with others. A lot of songs carry a persons emotion and feelings, a unique depth that no one else can fully understand.
Country Rock
One genre of music is, Country Rock. Wikipedia says that "Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country." Country rock was introduced by rock singers, who were influenced by country themes in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Robert James Ritchie, professionally known as "Kid Rock," was one of my inspirations to Country Rock. Wikipedia states that, "Country rock was a particularly popular style in the California music scene of the late 1960s, and was adopted by bands including Hearts and Flowers..." and goes to mention that, "Kid Rock, who broke through into mainstream success with a rap rock sound, gradually developed a country rock sound." Kid Rock has a raspy voice, but the songs he writes are so emotionally intact in hitting every feeling of emotions, especially the behind the scene realities of life, where you are at the lowest of lows and trying to face issues and come to conclusions with yourself. Among the many popular songs of Country Rock, is Kid Rock & Sheryl Crows, Picture.
Country Rock - Picture Musical Analysis
"Picture"
Songwriters - R. J. Ritchie, Sheryl Crow
Producers - Kid Rock
Recorded - March 2001
Released - November 12, 2002
Label - Atlantic
Guitar Chords
This song is performed in G Major with a tempo of 98 beats per minute.
Vocal
The vocals span from G2 to D5.
Timbre
The song starts off with a slow strum on the guitar, then Kid Rock begins to sing in his low pitched voice, with a sense of sad emotion. After 47 seconds you hear two higher pitched guitar chords and you can tell the rhythm is about to change, soon after that there is a "snap of your finger" sound that brings the song to life. At about 1 minute and 28 seconds into the song there is a vocal "ooooh ooohh," and Sheryl Crow comes on and sings her part. This is one part that I could blast out loud and sing along to. When she is singing her part, the rhythm stays the same but the "snap of the finger" sound becomes quieter, but stays there to keep the rhythm of the song. In between versus you there is a higher pitch of the guitar sounds. At about 3 minutes and 17 seconds into the song they sing one part together and Kid Rock goes on again. They take turns throughout the rest of the song and in the end they come back together to finish it off.
At a point in my life I felt like I could emotionally connect with the lyrics to this song because of my love for my boys' dad. As time moved forward I was shown love like I have never felt before. The song lyrics no longer relate, but my love for the vocals and melody of this song has stayed tied to me. I said that this song would be my first karaoke song to sing if I ever got brave, because of my love to sing. I actually made it happen two years ago, and understanding the way this project is music and society, I can tie my experience with this song and making connections to the community and people around me through karaoke.
Another song that has sparked my attention is John Fogerty's, Joy of My Life. Wikipedia states that, "The Everly Brothers, whose Roots album (1968) is usually considered some of their finest work; John Fogerty." I don't know much about any of his other songs, but this song has impacted my life to its own depth.
Country Rock - Joy of My Life Musical Analysis
"Joy of My Life"
Songwriters - John Fogerty
Producers - John Fogerty
Recorded - 1997
Released - May 20, 1997
Label - Warner Bros BMG
Chords
This song is played with the guitar and the chords consist of G, C and D.
Timbre
This beat of the song is upbeat and has a slow and steady rhythm where John expresses his love for his wife Julie.
Lyrics
I tiptoed in the roomI know you got to have your restShe says, "Come lay beside me""I've been waitin' since you left"
She's sweet to meMust be the luckiest man aliveDid I tell you babyYou are the joy of my life
First time that I saw youOoh, you took my breath away, yeahI might not get to heavenBut I walked with the angels that day
She takes me by the handI am the luckiest man alive, yeahAnd did I tell you babyYou are the joy of my life
Some may have their richesSome may have their worldly fame, yeahLong as I have youI'll treasure each and every day
Just take me by the handI am the luckiest man aliveAnd did I tell you babyYou are the joy of my life
Did I tell you babyYou are the joy of my life
This is another Country Rock song that I have attracted to. This is a the type of love we all long for. I have chosen this song thinking about my connection to love after being hurt before. I intend to get married and have a fiddle dance, which is the norm. for rural weddings by one of our local one man band fiddle song singer. He is considered legally blind but he knows how to play all the instruments you can think of, and the unique thing about him is that he can play multiple instruments at once! I have personally requested that he learn the chords of this song to eventually sing for me at my wedding. I think that this song expresses the true definition of love.
Personal Journey
This class was a good one! I enjoyed learning all the elements of music and hearing others' views on music they liked. I actually ended up adding a whole bunch of songs that my classmates blogged about onto my playlist that I enjoyed as well. A recent one that I often hear myself playing often is I Remember Everything by Zach Bryan. I was a bit overwhelmed wondering how can I ever do a musical analysis for a song... that even I can listen to sing to everyday?? But through the provided lectures and other's examples I finally got the hang of what was expected, and I learned in depth the meanings for songs. I listen to music everyday all day and need it to get work done, even as a background while I'm working on busy tasks and reports at work, to blasting the music in my home to clean. My relationship with music has definitely increased through this course and I don't see a day in my life where I could ever not turn to music to adjust or reflect on my life. Thank you for this opportunity!
Works Cited:
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/keep-your-brain-young-with-music#:~:text=Research%20has%20shown%20that%20listening,%2C%20mental%20alertness%2C%20and%20memory.
https://www.savethemusic.org/blog/how-does-music-affect-society/
Country rock (2024) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_rock (Accessed: 28 April 2024).
Picture (song) (2024) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picture_(song) (Accessed: 28 April 2024).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKFx0MMqb48
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