Listening Blog Eight...

 This weeks song is "Here You Come Again," by Dolly Parton

Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil were really on to something, composing a song so catchy and beautiful. The combination of instruments puts the listener in a trance, making them want to sway and get lost in the rhythm. Right from the start, the song gives off an upbeat tune that makes you feel so hopeful. If I was going to put this song's vibe into words, I think the lyrics do the best job. "Here you come again, Just when I'm about to make it work without you, You look into my eyes and lie those pretty lies, And pretty soon I'm wonderin' how I came to doubt you," when I heard these lyrics with the tune, it just makes sense. The hopeful and upbeat rhythm is just like how a relationship begins to feel, full of hope and optimism overlooking their faults and seeing the best they have to offer. This song does a great job of relating almost everyone's experience with past relationships that didn't work out. Just when you begin to collect yourself and move on, they show up tearing down all that progress you've made along with your defenses. It amazes me how songs like this one can express universal feelings in such a unique way. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bflkeWVTNk0

Listening Blog Seven...

The song this week is, "Walk on By," by Dionne Warwick 

While listening to this song, I thought about was how it's a sad song. The tune is more mellow and not as lively as other songs. It allows the listener to ponder and drown in the beat along with the lyrics. Something that you'd turn on when you are on a late-night drive or in your feelings. When it comes to the lyrics they do an excellent job of expressing the feeling when passing a past love. The love that you has since been replaced with anger and sadness. The difficult thing is no one wants to show they're weak in front of them. We want to show our past love that we are thriving and enjoying life to the fullest. When in reality we are in pain and miss them dearly. I enjoy about this song is how the lyrics state, "Walk on by (Don't stop)," it's so easy to make excuses to stop and talk to them. But for us to recover from the hurt that they caused, we can't stop. We just have to keep living our lives even though it is so difficult at times. That's how I interpret this song, which promotes us to allow ourselves to heal from the damage of a goodbye. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO073fekFfA

Listening Blog Six...

 This weeks song is "Be My Baby" by The Ronettes

    "Be My Baby" is a song that carries so many memories with it. This song wasn't an uncommon one to hear around my household. The upbeat rhythm helped me get the chores done with some enthusiasm. The mixing and dubbing of this song add to the vocals. The dubbing is fundamental to the hype of the rhythm. Without even noticing, the listener begins to tap their foot as if it was involuntary. Even though the lyrics don't change a lot throughout it, this doesn't take away the fact that it is easy to get lost in the beat. The vocals almost seem to melt away when the chorus kicks in, letting the instruments star in this verse. 

In the summer, this would be the song that would be playing at your local diner, enjoying a few ice creams, laughing, and chatting it up with friends. Whether at the beach or on a car ride with a bunch of friends, this gets everyone swaying. With summer love in the air, this seems like it would be fitting to play during the summer season. Often, this song takes me to another world where I'm in the honeymoon phase with that special someone. Where everything seems to be working out, and nothing could go wrong. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSPpbOGnFgk

Listening Blog Five...

 This weeks song is "Nature Boy," by Nat "King" Cole.

The song is so well put together. The instruments do a great job blending with the lyrics to create something so mysterious, yet calming. Reminds me of a scene from the movies that feels mystical. This song makes me think of walking on a street in the 50s, the lights giving off a soft glow under the falling rain. Something to listen to when you are in a calm mood or going through a breakup. I wouldn't say that it has a sad tune, but rather a reflective feeling to it. 

The flute and the piano pair extremely well in this song. Something I noticed, the instruments steal the show, this reminds me of the song "Love is Blue," by Matty Robbins. In "Love is Blue" the instruments are key in setting the mood for the rest of the song. I could listen to the instruments alone and walk away with the same feeling. Although, in "Nature Boy" last line in the song makes you ponder. "The greatest thing you'll ever learn. Is just to love and be loved in return," the simplest lines always seem to be common knowledge, but how often do we truly think about it? The deeper you think about it the less you seem to know. 

        

                        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpF1J9FnD4E

Listening Blog Four...

 This weeks song is "Taking A Chance on Love" by Benny Goodman 

This song has a lot of energy put behind it. The trumpets in the background give it that upbeat tune that life can carry. I found it very interesting how the instruments out way the singing, but I enjoyed it. It's the kind of music that you would find playing in a club. It's so easy to start swaying to it because of the upbeat tune to the instruments. Something that I also really enjoyed was the lyrics. Like all of us, we tell ourselves we won't love again then get caught up in love again. "I'm gonna give my all again, Taking a chance on love," this line stuck out to me because I find it to be true. When I get heartbroken over someone, then another guy comes into the picture, then I'm willing to "give my all again." Love is all about taking a chance putting yourself out there to get to know someone else. This song does an excellent job of portraying this concept. It's full of hope throughout, and this is true for the beginning of getting to know someone. They seem so dreamy, and this song feels like that fresh start to a relationship. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E65N6d_vBVw