Listening Journal Assignment

1900 - 1950

When The Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin Around
Dorris Day
1946
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ScH-X91qmo

This is a song about forgetting your sorrows and just being cheery, which fits perfectly with the end of world war 2 only 1 year prior. this is a song telling everyone to get up and be happy that the war is over. The lyrics of the song don't actually state what I said in the previous sentence, but instead used different ways to say it, which was becoming popular at this time. For example: "Wake up, wake up, you sleepy head Get up, get up, get out of bed. Cheer up, cheer up the sun is red Live, love, laugh and be happy" is like saying "hey everyone! The war is over! Come on and be happy, it's good times". Instead for coming out and saying that to everyone, they found different ways to say it through metaphors and analogies. Musically this song is very repetitive, repeating 3 verses at least 2 times each in just under two minutes. It's swing feel and repeating drum patterns get very tiring very fast, and the instrumentation could all be written on a single conductor's score, meaning that they just play the same thing over and over and over and over again. It definitely was different for the time it came out at. while most of what was emerging was more jazz or southern rock like, this still had a 30's swing feel to it, setting it apart from most other songs. I don't personally care for it, but it's upbeat lyrics are very toe tapable.


I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
Ray Charles
1947
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SFqFSE_bxo

A very sad blues song about his girl leaving him and him being sad about it. The lyrics are literally talking about his thoughts on who's kissing her, who's buying wine for her now, etc, etc. This song is more slowed done and meant to hit home by being sad and depressing, which by today's standards it's not, but think of the poor defenseless people in the forties that heard this. They bawled! This song was mainly popular because it was easily related to by men who've lost
the supposed "love" of their life. Musically this song is probably the slowest tempo I think I've ever heard. Although Ray Charles has a great voice for this type of thing, in my opinion it was too slow. but that combined with more intricate instrumentation made it listenable. This also sounds a lot like something that would be coming out of Frank Sinatra. This style of music was swiftly becoming more and more popular but it's one flaw.... all of it sounded the same! The appealed to audience was mostly parents and mindless people who enjoy the same thing over and over. but apart from that, a good song.


Crossroad Blues
Robert Johnson
1937
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD2jXjV9Z8A

Robert Johnson is one of the forefathers of rock and roll. His legend is that he went to the crossroads and sold his soul to the devil to become a better guitar player. In essence that's what this song is talking about. It's just really describing what he did and how he felt about it. But the weird part of this is that he wasn't a good guitar player, until he disappeared, and when he came back he was fantastic at it and told the story of what he did at the crossroads. This will always be a legend in rock because it can't really be explained. Musically this song is very intricate. The vocals are mostly belted ( coming mostly from the diaphragm) and the guitar has very intricate parts such as slides, minor string bends and loads of other cool stuff, and does not really follow a set pattern. It's a very different style of playing, but it is not less difficult because of it. It is definitely a song that is noticeably starting to turn the genre towards a more rock and roll type sound as opposed to the other swing type sound that most music had at the time. This song is arguably the turning point in music in which rock and roll started to evolve.


1950 - 1970!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Twist And Shout
The Beatles
1964
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnW7Q-wkcsw

Finally moving into the sixties is The Beatles with Twist And Shout. The Beatles are very arguably the band that really started the rock and roll revolution. They are the biggest band to have ever hit the planet and continue to be even though two of their members are dead. This song is about twisting and shouting, or as Mr.Edwards would put it, playing scrabble. The lyrics talk about "coming a little closer baby" and "looking so good" but put into context its really just a song about scrabble. Musically this has really early rock and roll guitar chords with harmonies in the vocal parts and melody on the guitar, the intricacy is all in the first minute of the song, and songs are generally getting longer. In my opinion this is a good song because it has brought a new element into music, which is.....screaming! Yes at 1:34, Lennon unleashes what is believed to be one of the first actual screams in history. This was in my opinion a defining point in rock and roll because so many different genres originated from 5 seconds of a Beatles song.


Pinball Wizard
The Who
1969
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOUqRZkR8dE&feature=fvst

This is a song about pinball. A tad random but regardless it fits the criteria so I'm doing it. The lyrics of this song don't have much of a metaphor behind them, its just about a guy, who is good at pinball. Pretty Basic. But it gets slightly more complex. The story's narrator is also good at pinball. What a twist. and in the end admits that the other guy is the best pinball player. what a great story. Musically this song is very technical though. We are starting to see more power chords, back up vocals, drum fills and all the other outrageous stuff we have today. Now we are getting into the early classic rock and out of Sinatra's era. This song also has something relatively new, an opening that lasted way too long! the pinnacle of Rock and Roll!!!


The Wind Cries Marie
Jimi Hendrix
1967
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf-Mtd2A1DI

This is a song about... wait, what the heck is this song about? The lyrics don't even make any sense. It could be conceived as a song about chasing happiness but then like 3 verses don't really make sense. But that's ok, we all know what kind of people listen to this kind of music. Musically this song is the most intricate yet. Jimi Hendrix is one of the main rock legends of the sixties. The guitar work is amazing to say the least. Jimi Hendrix is the most ridiculous guitar player of the sixties. Which then moved into all the 70's rock which followed by example. Jimi Hendrix started rock a rock revolution of guitar solos and lots of drugs that was gonna hit the 70's like a brick.


1970 - 2000

The Immigrant Song
Led Zeppelin
1972
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svR3iXKTJvc

Finally a song that has everything a rocker could ever want: a guitar solo, wailing vocals, crazy drum patterns, lots of power cords and whatnot, it's crazy insane.The lyrics of this song appear to be about vikings of some sort, with the opening of this song being the famous " aaaaaahhhhhhhh" that everyone rips off in movies and stuff. This song is just 3 years after pinball wizard and is noticeably heavier and has an obvious edge to it. Musically this song is garbage. it's mostly just power cords in a pattern played over and over again. very repetitive, but also harder to play on drums. The vocals for this song are a weird contrast between hich and low vocals. in my opinion this song is a classic because it is one of the first songs that sets itself apart from the rest based on how heavy and edgey it is.

Anyway You Want it
Journey
1980
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgvnZIxOX08

And now for an actual classic. This song was the anthem of the 80's, being featured in many movies leading up to early to mid 2000's. It's made it's mark on society in many ways:movies, videogames, virtually anything you can think of. This is another lovey dovey song about finding your true love. the words "anyway you want it, that's the way yo need it" reffer to love being however you feel it, and it not being influenced by anything other than you, and it is something that nothing can change but you. Musically this song is very impressive. the vocal clarity and sound is astounding and very difficult to replicate. Also a face melting solo shreds in the background for just about half the song. the guitar to this song is very difficult and there are tons of people on you tube trying to replicate it. this song was featured on rock band 2 and was listed as one of the most difficult songs. how's that for musical intricacy? this song has persevered through the ages and is truly a rock classic.


In The End
Linkin Park
2000 (cheating the system)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVTXPUF4Oz4

And now we'll talk about Linkin Park. This song is about watching life pass you by. The chorus states " I tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn't even matter" this part is referring to a failed relationship that the lead vocalist had. This song is a lot about life passing you by, and the depression that follows constant failure. For a long time it was the anthem of angst ridden teens everywhere. Musically it has a very different style than most other songs, aside from those by Linkin Park. It has a hip hop feel to it with rapped lyrics as well as turntables and effects like wah wah and such. Linkin Park was for a long time my favorite band, and have since progressed alot. They appeal to a largely young audience and do an excellent job of connecting with their fans.

2000's

Take This Life
In Flames
2006
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1FkbvGl-IU

Finally A crazy song! This song was featured on Guitar Hero 3 and was known as one of the 5 deadly songs on the game and threatened carpal tunnel to all who challenged it. Lyrically the song is about having nothing and looking for something to believe in. It`s about being pushed to the edge and finding something to hold onto, even when just the thought of everything is enough to melt your skin off. It is a very emotional song and just kind of screams at the world for a couple minutes. Technically this song is genius. One of the hardest drum parts in the world Is the one for this song. The guitar has melodic riffs that take serious talent to pull off and the bassist is huge and just destroys his bass strings. This is in every meaning of the word a `fight song` and was the single for the album `Come Clarity`.


A New Beginning
Threat Signal
2006
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEDI5S-W2RU

This is another song that strikes hope into the hearts of metal heads everywhere. This is a song about being taken to the very end and looking back and saying``If I could breathe again, I`d choose a new beginning``. Essentially the songs lyrics are interpreted as a man on his deathbed and his last thought is``If I could breathe again, I`d choose a new beginning``. Technically this song is very advanced. The patterns are difficult to master with very melodic elements to it, making it sound very pretty. the way that keyboard is included brings out the melody even more, and drops when intensity is needed. the sheer talent of this young band is astounding, and have some of the best undiscovered talent in North America. In just 6 short months they went from being undiscovered to being stars. six months ago, the number of hits on the link provided was around 24000. now it almost peaks at one million.


Just Stop
Disturbed
2005
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBCrQv4w0uM

This is a song about wanting redemption from the past. It is a song about a failing relationship based on negativity and blame, and wanting to be better than that and bringing yourself back up from that. the lyrics "All that we want is to feel inside some kind of comfort and all that we've done we can hide" meaning that you want the comfort of something that is stable and whatever may have happened in the past does not dictate the rest of your life and is not the end. David Draiman (Vocals) Is probably the most unique sounding voices out there. he can hit every note you can name in virtually any octave. and just his vocal quality alone is amazing, there is no other voice like his. This band Has talent in so many different ways that they are a power house of hard rock.

Protest song

Song: Seeing Red

Artist: Threat Signal
Album: Under Reprisal
Year: 2006

Blind the eyes of humanity,twisting the minds of this race

Living disgrace,abomination driving everyone towards the hate

I am justified to unite with my own kind,not to follow, not to prejudge

I decide who's real from what's revealed,this shattered past can't conceal

For all the tears I've shed,

this one for you is red

It's so unreal

What will it take,

to repent your mistakes?

This war will be won,

we've only just begun

The blood has been shed and the rows

upon rows of the dead are unknown,

the victims who lie deep beneath us

at peace are not forgotten

For all the tears,

the tears I've shed

I'm bleeding and so should you

This song is about Conflict with middle eastern countries and north America. This song specifically focuses on the media's effect and spreading racism and hate based on stereotypes and such. It also talks about how many innocent lives have been taken because of this.

A more in depth look at this song brings to mind the idea that this song is about middle eastern people who are being hated because of stereotypes that the media spreads about terrorists. The line " Blind the eyes of humanity, twisting the minds of this race." means that the media is hiding the real abomination from the public with racism and hate. the real abomination is the injustices and hate towards innocent people based on racist and prejudice media spread by people who hide behind it to seem innocent. The second verse is more of an attempt to show who the real victim is in this situation. Talking about how many lives have been taken because of lies and stereotypes, based on a few events that happened, that would have been terrible regardless of skin colour, but just because of mixed nationalities, has become a bombshell of racism.

This is a serious issue in our society, because if people are brought up around hate, they try to take rights away from the group that they hate, which will cause conflict in society. On some levels this issue is getting better but in some ways it's also getting worse, because this is an issue that is not one big thing, it depends on every single individual person's way of thinking, thus theres always going to be people who stand in the way of change for the better or for worse.

I picked this song because it is by my favorite band and because it's a social issue that needs to get better if we're going to be able to start fixing other problems. people need to realize that this is essential to the evolution of mankind, something that is not being realized at the moment.

I think it's a great thing that artist comment on social issues because they have large audiences of people who are willing to listen and want to listen. If your idol tells you about something, you are going to listen, so it's the best way to get information out there and start to make a change.

All That Remains ....... Is A good CD!!!!!!

Whoever said that grinding metal and yelling into a microphone wasn't considered music? The Fall Of Ideals by All That Remains was the catalyst of the fame of the band from Illinois. With Tracks like This Calling and Not Alone, this was the powerhouse behind the success of their newest album, Overcome. Overcome is an album that has had an obvious amount of time spent on it and is so technically sound that there are very few flaws in nearly all of the tracks.

The first thing you notice listening to this album, if you've heard earlier ATR, is the vocal intricacy, and how Phil Labonte has obviously put forth a ton of effort into his vocal quality and tone. from the low screams to the clean cut vocals that have such a unique tone, Phil Labonte is deffinately going to new places to affect the band's style, and make it more appealing to the masses. The Pruduction of his voice is improved too. It seems more glassy and smooth than previous albums. Also, the sheer lyrical genius that Phil puts forth in the tracks on this CD is almost unimaginable. They are generalised so they can apply to virtually anyone, but specific enough to create a personal connection to the song. These two factors combined establish a connection with the listener that makes some songs on the album a huge success.

The next noticable thing about this album is the skill and incricacy of the instruments. the melodies of both guitars are impressive by themselves, but when put together they just fit so well and seem to magically create a new more rediculous melody, and is truely amazing to listen to. The guitar solos in this album are not quite up to par with those of The Fall Of Ideals, but they are still insanely rediculous. And the most distinguished member of the band, Jeanne Sagan (bass) is also intricately woven into the guitar chords in a masterful blend of treble and bass. Also the drummer, Jason Costa, is one of the best out there. his impressive beats and patterns with perfectly played fills at breakneck speeds are impressive to even those who do not know much about drums. Together, they make a great blend of both skilled playing, well fitting and placed fills and solos, that make this album enjoyable from virtually any perspective.


though this album did have it's flaws, like believe in nothing, which was an absolute train wreck of a track, this album can be listened to repeatedly and has changed to fit an audience that craves the old All That Remains, and still change the sound enough to attract a new audience, and with this album, they have added to their library of great CDs.

a very frustrating 3rd blog

Over the last 20 years, blockbuster films have become more of a genre than something to achieve. When Jaws was released it was considered a blockbuster because of how much money it made and how successful it was, which in part is still true today, but today its not necessarily good that drives the sales, or is the basis of any kind of success. movies like Indiana Jones And The Crystal skull were very successful, but were reviewed to be terrible and were indeed, terrible movies.

Indiana Jones And The Crystal Skull was the fourth installment in the Indiana Jones movies. It was a huge movie, people just watched as the money came in from this movie. But does that make it a good movie? In my opinion, this was an absolutely dreadful movie. it completely went against the principle of Indiana Jones, relying on luck and almost magical occurrances, And many audiences agreed with my point of view. Then Why was it so successful? In this day and age, everything is being pushed as far as it can possibly go, even if it takes away from the value of the movies. People see the sequels to any movie that was a classic, or good, and that gives that movie money regardless of whether it is a good movie or not. This is how This new Indyiana Jones movie made so much money, of the value and power of the first three. in this day and age the preserveation of a good film is not even considered, it's all a money grab.

But this is not always true, some sequels like Transformers 2: Revenge Of The Fallen are good quality movies, that still somewhat owe their success to the first movies, but are still good movies. Granted that it was not reviewed to be as good as the first one, but some movies destroy the possibility for a good sequel by being rediculously good, so that the second could never be as good. but if comparing these movies as themselves, not as a sequel, they are still very good movies, and their success is still partly due to the first, but some is based on actual quality, not just mindless violence and explosions.

But these points are not only true for sequels. G.I.Joe The Rise Of Cobra was nor a sequel, nor good. the basic rundown of the movie is 15 minutes of backstory, and the rest is mindless explosions and sword fights, with clips from the guy's memory, which don't contain quite as much violence as the rest of the movie. This was the perfect example of blockbusters today. People went to see this movie because it was a childhood character, and it looked action packed. There was action packed to the point of overflow. Seriously, my friend saw this movie with me and was in virtually a violence induced coma for the next three days. but this movie hd no value whatsoever. theres nothing to base this movie on except the special effects, well, I am forgetting the 15 minutes of backstory, but regardless, we would like SOME story to our violence. This illustrates how blockbusters are now a genre, its alot of explosions, with no backstory or value to it.

When all is said and done, there is no denying that blockbusters CAN be good movies, but they CAN also be bad. Either way the common day blockbuster is a genre. Action packed with loads of destruction and violence, blockbusters do not necessarily have to be good to attract audiences. Unless that audience is a critic.

queston 3 from the modern times sheet

I believe that the silent film modern times is still such a big comedy movie today, not because of historical interest, but because of the quality of the film. I believe that because it is such a high quality film for entertainment, it is still popular. The film brings in quality, original ideas that are what makes it so good. Some people may watch it for historical interest, but that doesn’t deny the fact that the comedy used in that movie is still used today. Additionally, it is family friend, so all ages could like it, and watch it. I do believe however that this film is so popular because it is silent. I think that since it doesn’t have to worry about witty dialogue, it allows the director and writers to focus on the physical comedy, which is what it is known for.

Teenagers In The Media

I believe that in the media teenagers are portrayed in a number of different ways. I believe that every subculture of teenagers has its own way of being portrayed in the media. Not every portrayal of the subcultures is just or fair, but then again not many are about the culture in general. I think that with so many subcultures of teenagers, it is impossible to choose one accurate portrayal of the teenager.

Firstly I believe that since the teenager is such a widely portrayed stereotype that it isn't fair to those who do not fall into that category. The stereotypical portrayal of a teenager is summed up as a delinquent. They steal, the fight, they vandalise, that is how we are portrayed because thats all anyone ever pays attention to is the bad. This is not a fair portrayal because teenagers do a ton of good stuff, but it just never gets recognized. when i walk into a store sometimes the clerk will follow me around to make sure I'm not stealing anything. This is a rediculous stereotype that is unjust because they just assume I'm a bad kid, based on what the media tells them. This is a sign that people need to stop letting the media take over their life. The media is teaching humans as a species not to trust anyone.

Secondly I think that the subcultures of teenagers are being exposed for the worst possible side to be shown. For example, metalheads. People who are catagorized by the type of music they listen to. this is a problem because good kids who just like the music are getting negative stereotypes surrounding them. people as a community and a society judge people way too much, looks, the type of music people listen to, everything is under constant scrutany. This makes it virtually impossible for anyone to express themself or be individual, and that is where i believe most of the stereotypes start. But it's not always the case, people judge people by how they look, and thats not right. I like metal music and people aren't calling me a freak because of it, just because I don't look like some of the other people who like that same music.

Thirdly I believe that it's the human nature to pay attention to the negatives more than the positives that gives teenagers a bad reputation. Imagine there is a group of five teenagers walking down the street. one of them is smoking. now because one of them is smoking, the other four are now categorized into the same group as him, not matter what the kids are doing. people are automatically attracted to the bad side of everything, nothing gets as much publicity as the bad. people dont walk down the street going "Oh this boy looks nice, I think I'll say hello.", people automatically, based on the bad they hear about teenagers are thinking, "Oh no a teenager, I hope he doesn't try to steal from me, or pull a knife out on me." It's just rediculous how these stereotypes have been escalated to the point where people who have never met me before think I'm going to kill them.

For the most part in the media teenagers are portrayed poorly through stereotypes and negativity. It's not all bad though. There are some accurate portrayals of certain groups of teenagers, but there are so many subcultures of teenagers that it makes it impossible to categorize any one teenager into any one specific portrayal.

1st blog

1.I believe that media is very important in my life. I believe this because media not only informs you of current events, but can educate you about the past and history. I also believe that media can be bad though because people use the media to exploit others.



2. Music is the form of media that is most important to me because it can educate, or stand out against something that is unjust or cruel.



3.I think that pop culturecan be used well, but everybody gets spammed with the mindset of buy, buy, buy. It can be used for entertainment, such as t.v. and video games, but, at the same time there are commercials and advertisements within the entertainment. i dislike all the commercialism involved in popular culture because there is simply too much of it.



4. In my opinion music is the most powerful form of media. Every year benefit concerts all over the world make millions of dollars for world issues such as world hunger. This is a good form of media because it is contributing to society, not wasting everyones time with celebraties. Musicians also write lyrics about social issues to raise awareness for world issues, and to try and inform the listener of what's really going on in the world, however blunt they may have to be with it.



One of my favorite bands of all time is called Threat Signal. they are a metal band that released their debut album in 2006, and have just released a sophomore album this year. Threat Signal makes a difference in the world by writing about everything from political issues, to teen issues, bringing something to the table for everyone. This is an example of good media, media used to educate and show people what it's like to be in a war, or to be depressed, and brings emotion and feeling with it. if every musician donated money to charities, the world would have alot more funding for charities, because everyone would support the music, and even if they didnt support the cause, indirectly, would be contributing to it by liking the musician