Songprint

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.