Although never they signed to Berry Gordy Jr.'s Motown Records, Earth, Wind and Fire's timeless classic "September" is the epitome of Motown-era rhythm and blues and disco. This song communicates the feeling of joy to me because it's just a feel good song that makes you want to get up and dance, which could be an index. No one can frown while this song is playing. The infectious "Ba de ya" during the chorus can penetrate any bad mood and forces a smile on your face. Along with being a joyous tune, this song is about sharing past experiences or rekindling a relationship that has faded which leads to better communication and bonds. I always listen to this song whenever I am trying to recover from a negative blow in my life.
In spite of the fact that I never went through an "emo phase" in middle school, I did find myself listening to a more of a "harder" rock scene. This power ballad, "The End" by Silverstein is one of those songs. Anyway, whenever I am sad and want to believe that I am not the only miserable person in the world, I put on this song. What starts out as a man who seems to be talking to himself about what happened in a previous relationship slowly develops into a conversation between past lovers.
The actual words, or symbol, in this song are exceptionally powerful. The man compares the couples relationship to a house that he procedes to burn down. This may imply that he wanted to end the relationship or just wanted to hurt his significant other. Either way, during the song the duo claims that when they were together, their feelings were genuine, however, sometimes things happen and you have to move on.
"Hurricane" by Bob Dylan is a anger-driven rant of about the true events that took place June 17, 1966. Around 2:30 a.m. in Paterson, New Jersey (about twenty minutes from where I live) there was a triple murder at a bar. There were two black males seen running from the bar. Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a contender for the middleweight crown, was arrested, charged and convicted because he was African-American. Even though the prosecution could not produce the murder weapon or any motive for Carter to commit these acts, and was imprisoned for almost twenty years.
This song is an index for the speeches that Martin Luther King Jr. made during the Civil Rights Movement in the sixties.
When I hear the song "All Together Now" by The Beatles it instantly takes me back to being a kid and waiting for the bus with my Dad in his car, which would be an index. He would always have on the classic rock station, Q104.3. We would sit and listen to "Breakfast with The Beatles" every morning. Also, other than Barry Manilow, The Beatles are the only music from the past century that my Mom actually enjoys. She still has a lot of the old vinyls from when she was a kid. Even though my favorite song by The Beatles is "Eleanor Rigby," "All Together Now" takes me back to New Jersey and my family.
When I was younger, I would tear up whenever I heard this song. This song is very depressing to me, not because I have a father like this but rather because I have known kids with dads like this, and it breaks my heart. Actually, I have a great Dad who I want to grow up and be like. The father in this song is everything a man shouldn't be. He puts everything ahead of his son and doesn't spend any time with him. His son is at a very impressionable stage where he sees his father doing work or other things ahead of him. When the child finally grows up he does flips the coin and does not have the time to hang around with his father. With this song, like most people, I have an indexical relationship and think back to the times with my Dad.
Hey and welcome to my blog! I'm Rick Courage. Much like the "1812 Overture" by Tchaikovsky, I start out by taking things slowly and by observing my surroundings until feel comfortable, which usually doesn't take long. But when I finally do break through, I am a very vibrant, passionate and upbeat. With me, what you see is what you get. I have no secrets to hide and am an exceedingly open person who is always ready to voice his opinion.
After spending the first eighteen years of my life twenty minutes from New York City, in Mahwah, New Jersey, I have been exposed to a myriad of different cultures that have greatly affected my musical tastes. However, I feel as though only one person can really personify what New Jersey is through music.
The soul of New Jersey can be felt via Springsteen's warm guitar licks and deep, gravely voice. His songs' describe a hardworking people that deal with human issues like love, tradition and family values.
People in New Jersey really do sit down every Sunday for dinner with their close family and friends for what is known as "Sunday Dinnah." Since New Jersey is more or less a melting pot, families from varying ethnicities do Sunday Dinner differently. In my extremely Irish family, we usually have some sort of stew with a side of mashed potatoes. Italians do the same except they incorporate their own traditions and recipes.
A lot of the stereotypes about New Jersey that you have heard or seen on TV are probably true. We all go down the shore during the summer, we are all obnoxious sports fans and are stubborn when it comes to experiencing new things because we have had our family traditions and values instilled in us from a young age.
In the northeast, people take things so seriously and are superficial. I, on the other hand, tend to go with the flow sometimes to the point of seeming apathetic. I was told by one of my teachers last year that the only constant in life is change, so I fervently believe that since you can't fight what is going to happen, you might as well accept it and try to make the best of life. We are only here for what feels like a second and then it is over, so why spend time being annoyed when you could be out having the time of your life?
"Knee Deep" is about not worrying about things you can't control. Worry about things that actually are important in your life, like friends and family. Life is about how you react to the negative forces around you. Smiles are infectious.
One of the most important things that I value is being "real" or genuine. People are so fake these days it can be hard to tell who is really there for you or not. Loyalty and trustworthiness are a major part of being real. Will you desert me when I need you the most or can I count on you to be there when I need a helping hand? As Wu-Tang Clan would say, "word is bond" or, in layman's terms are you bonded to what you are telling me? Can I trust that what you are telling me is true?
"Mass Appeal" by Gang Starr is about not selling out and continuing to be who you are. Do not change who you are because you have acquired some type of advantage whether it be monetary or something else. Remember where you came from and that you did not reach where you are today by yourself. Others helped you. These people include family, friends, teachers or anyone that has taught you a life lesson or assisted you in some way.
Another is keeping life simple and realizing what is important. Society overcomplicates life and makes it egregiously stressful. "Traffic in the Sky" by Jack Johnson is a social commentary on how no one really notices or addresses the real problems in life such as raising todays' children correctly or the plight of Africans. People care when only it is important to them or when an idea is popular, like Kony 2012. Do we still hear people talking about that today? No, yet it still continues along with other tragedies worldwide.
We as a society have moved past helping the helpless yet again. "Well, how could we have known/I'll tell them, it's not hard to tell," says that one day we are going to turn around and there will be something that we cannot fix and we will all pretend like we did not know that it was happening, when we knew all along.
Third, I value purity. I like looking at an object and knowing through and through what it is. "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen is exactly that. You listen to the melody and Buckley's angelic voice and it invokes this feeling of total understanding of what the person in this song is feeling.
