A little Birdie's Music

 Numb has some very important themes in it as well. Every time I hear this song, it reminds me of the relationship between kids and parents. Parents want the most for their kids, but sometimes the way they go about it can actually damage their kid's motivation. My parents pushed me so hard to get good grades in school starting from first grade that now I am a burnt-out college kid. I don't know why I am in college at this point because I have no passion or motivation because my parents pushed me so hard to get into college, and not to figure out what I want to do with my life. I work full time, I babysit my brother's kids because he is a single parent and I go also to school. However this semester, I kind of let myself neglect this class, and that is something I can only blame myself for. So the idea that parents push so hard, to where it affects their kid's life until they are much older, is very true. My grandmother always said that you spend your entire adulthood try...

"Jump" is one of the most upbeat songs to listen to. It is a song that is meant to get you up and moving. The whole song is basically a pep talk on how you have to be tough and keep going. If you get knocked down, get up again because it's only going to make you stronger. The meaning of jumping is to do what you're scared to do. Start building confidence because if you are confident, no one can bother you and nothing can stop you. You know your worth and your ability. I think Van Halen was right to make this song. It is a topic that we talk about, but self-confidence is something that affects everyone. All of us struggle with it, and it can be because of the media. Especially with women, the media creates a false image of how we are supposed to look and that can really affect a developing girl. "how do I not look like that? There must be something wrong with me". I think that men also have a lot to deal with as well. We talk a lot about women but not a lot a...

Bob Marley and Willie Nelson are my favorite artists. One of the reasons is because their recordings versus their live recordings sound very similar. Meaning that they rely less on computerized help and just sing. It is very hard nowadays to find people who sound similar because of the auto-tune and effects that producers and artists put on their voices. It isn't necessarily that they lack talent. It's more than the musical taste has changed so much and it is hard to make certain sounds with just the human voice. To stay relevant, people have to adapt to the changes. However, people like Bob Marley and Willie Nelson, stay relevant without changing their sound. Unfortunately, Marley couldn't change his sound if he wanted to. I shot the sheriff isn't mean an actual sheriff, I think it is talking more about corruption and evil. I think Marley said in an interview that he meant to explain that some people get so pent up and then burst with a reaction that is out of proporti...

I think every band kid from Washington state would know this song very well. When I was in high school, we had a very big production and everyone from multiple schools came together to play this song. I played the tenor saxophone part, however, I played it on the bass clarinet since I didn't have my own part. This song is a well-melded machine of sounds. The electric guitar, brass, and saxophones kill it at keeping the song sounding melded and not overcrowded and busy. The drums are the one part that I would say, needed to be perfect otherwise that's how it starts to sound like a disaster. The Tenor sax played the main singer part and the alto's played the saxophone accents. We came together to play the scale that goes up. I can't remember but I think it's a specific scale. The baritone sax started us out in the beginning with the first notes that repeat, and they were very powerful in it. My high school is known for being one of the best bands in the state, and I w...

 The song starts out with the lead guitar playing a riff. Then the piano comes in to send it in to the first verse. This song has a very meaningful impact on a lot of people I believe. James Taylor wrote it to touch on the subject that we all have bad days and good days and they might seem like they won't end, but they do. He first talks about the death of someone, who committed suicide. So his intro was basically saying that, there is help and that you just have to keep going till the next day. This is a very sensitive subject for many people, because if you know someone who has committed suicide, sometimes it's hard to not blame yourself for the fact that maybe you didn't see it, or didn't know how bad it was. Maybe you felt ashamed because that person didn't feel comfortable enough to talk to you. Everyone has inner struggles and that is why it is always important to be kind. Kindness can go a long way and might switch someone's perspective to keep going. It...

The song starts off with the brass playing a few notes and the electric guitar answering back. Ms. Franklin comes in right after in the very beginning. It isn't a very long introduction. I wanted to talk more about the meaning and reason for the song, since it is a very important song made during an important time. I think it was the late 60's. Aretha Franklin is singing about gender equality and how during this time, women were meant to be " seen and not heard". However, Franklin was trying to say that women are people too, and deserve respect. She says, "when you come home", and she is referring to the relationship between a marriage between a man and woman.  That also meanings that the wife is waiting for the husband to come home, which shows the idea that was broadcast in the 60's and that was that women were meant to have no job, but to stay home and cook/clean. It is the private vs. public sphere and women could not participate in the public sphere...

 The song starts out very quietly with the tambourine playing in the background. Slowly they add more drums, and there is a very sudden note from the brass and they start singing. The recording I have has a slight echo like they are singing in a large room made out of a material that sound bounces off of. Most materials could be concrete, tile, or linoleum. I think wood tends to absorb sound. Anyways, We can hear a subtle piano and electric guitar. Unlike some newer songs, these instruments are not the main, but the secondary and is only used to add sound to back up the singers. Aside from the main singer, there are more backup singers echoing and adding one-worded accents. It reminds me of the old-timey productions where they stick the all the back-up singers in the back with one microphone to share, and the main is in the very front with their own mic, and they sing like that. Usually the back-ups put a little swing or dance into it to make it more entertaining or appealing....