History of Rock and Roll Final
ADDITIONAL: Talking Heads "Psycho Killer" (1977)
(ADDITIONAL) nervous sound, agitated; alternative performance of middle class white masculinity; instruments enter and exit and different points, James Brown style guitar
ADDITIONAL: The Beach Boys "Good Vibrations" (1966)
(ADDITIONAL) not on "Pet Sounds" released the same year (experimental album); wall of sound features; still sort of surf rock, still some doo-wop, reverb - more experimentation, unusual music break, interesting percussion, weird sections in the song
ADDITIONAL: The Beatles "Norwegian Wood" (1965)
(ADDITIONAL) precursor to psychedelic rock; written by McCartney/Lennon; George Harrison is on sitar (influenced by Ravi Shankar); "world music"
hard rock/heavy metal
(Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest); virtuosity: guitar, high volume, amplification, distortion, has links to punk, with these bands, metal still has blues influences, in the 80s, metal starts topping charts and magazines; anti-establishment feel
The British Invasion
(the Who, the Kinks, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds) a reversal in the distribution of popular music; sending something back to the US stores; overtakes girl groups, older rock and roll stars
Ray Charles, "What'd I Say" (1959)
1950s R&B artist; mixes sacred and secular styles (precursor to soul), banned on radio stations, goes from crooner style to R&B, has a Latin flavor at the beginning of the song and a long instrumental, subtle stop time, there are 2 parts to the song, call and response
psychedelic rock
1966-1969; 1967 - Summer of Love (San Francisco), 1967 - Monterey Pop Festival, 1967 - Woodstock Rock Festival; folk and blues inspiration, distorted electric guitar, classic Indian music (sitar), electronic studio effects, lyrics reference drugs (like LSD), longer, open forms, art was altered consciousness inspired
early hip-hop
1970s post-industrial NYC; youth and formation of identity, DJ Kook Herc - audiences liked breaks; young people are trying to do something - local identity; shaped by disco
Massive Scar Era "Pray" (2012)
Arabic heavy metal; more emotion than Arabic pop - brutal vocals; gloomy, close feel to music video; focuses more on instruments; not a hyper-sexualized image of feminity; the song is in English because Arabic does not work well for metal
The Shirelles "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" (1960)
Carole King arrangement; grappling with sex, desire and consequences; song: voice, handclaps (drum), doo wop background, violins, instruments are layered
symbolist composers
Claude DeBussy - dreamy, poetic, mystical, Erik Satie - "Vexations" (8 bars played 864 times); John Cage performs it in 1963 (John Cale participates)
punk attitude
DIY ethics, self reliance, oppositional stance to major labels, emphasis on collectivity, autonomy, and aim to be heard, disruption with mainstream values, humor: sarcasm, parody, irony, satire; demystifies mainstream myths of specialization
classical music + rock
Deep Purple: "Concerto for Group and Orchestra" (1969); Ozzy Osbourne "Mr. Crowley" (1980); Van Halen "Eruption" (1978)
indie music and the 2011 Egyptian Revoluiton
Egyptian popular music is influenced by internationally circulating music; artists wanted music to spread to large population to get the message out there; arts were centralized (little freedom of what an artist could release; stage patronage/multinational companies); Revolution Records - indie company; Egypt is a military state
Atlantic Records
Jerry Wexler - producer; Ruth Brown, Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin all signed; Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller signed in 1955
The Who "My Generation" (1965)
London Mod culture; blues - call and response; lyrics: rebellion, anger (stuttering); performance art: theatrical violence; live performance: 1967 Monterey Pop Festival
The Marvelettes, "Please Mr. Postman" (1961)
Motown's first number one hit; vocal coaching and finishing school was used; song: teenage topic, backup vocal as friends, "ladylike" but young atttiude
punk scenes
NYC (centered around CBGB, desire to resist commercial realm, seize control of production [DIY], examples: the Dictators, Ramones, Television, Suicide, Dead Boys, Richard Hell & the Voidoids) English scene (unemployment, high inflation, strikes, class divisions; shock value, working class concerns, frustration with government, Malcolm McLaren takes whats in NY and moves it to England; bands weren't against signing with major labels; examples: Sex Pistols, X Ray Spex, Stranglers) CA hardcore scene (DIY ethic, political concerns, youth culture, frustration, macho turn: masculinity and violence; examples: Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Dead Kennedys)
1985: controversy
Parent Music Resource Center (PMRC; bipartisan) Congress hearings; response to sexuality and violence in metal and other genres; believed music was making people violent; created "explicit content" sticker
Television "See No Evil" (1977)
Richard Floyd on lead guitar; American imagery mixes with symbolist style; Tom Verlaine (after the poet Verlaine in the symbolist movement) was the lead singer
regionalization
West Coast v. East Coast in rap scene (Biggie Smalls v. Tupac)
The Temptations, "My Girl" (1967)
arrangement: 2 instrument hooks (melodic bass riff and lead guitar melody); cumulative layering (brass, strings); performance: vocal choreography, cascading call and response, increasing intensity with layers that are added; choreography in video by Atkins (Motown)
Velvet Underground "White Light/White Heat" (1969)
avant garde; song has deregulation of the senses (a la Rimbaud), rock backbeat, long solo, messy, dense texture - loud on purpose, symbols more than explicitly talking about drugs
disco demolition night
backlash against disco music; public event; coded homophobia/racism; mainstream loses interest in disco and moves onto hip hop/rap
singer-songwriters
basis in folk-acoustic tradition, art and authorship - integrity, compose and perform own material, examples include Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Joan Baez, fans are receiving something true
progressive rock
basis: psychedelic rock, jazz, folk, western, classical art music, characteristics: poetic lyrics (literary basis), innovative sound technology, focus on listening, album oriented rock, not dance music
ALBUM: Michael Jackson "Thriller" (1982)
best selling album of all time; big music videos, wide range of music (rock, funk, pop, etc.), producer: Quincy Jones; Paul McCartney brought on to work on a song; Eddie Van Halen does a solo as a favor (pulled in metal fans); elaborate production
The Kinks "You Really Got Me" (1964)
blues influenced song (from London); power chords (proto heavy metal and punk); heavy distortion; the production of the power chords is gritty (leaves middle chord out); riff was originally going to be a saxophone; sliced speaker to create unique sound
Janis Joplin "Ball and Chain" (1967)
blues vocalist with psychedelic rock band (Big Brother and the Holding Company); originally performed by Big Mama Thornton; 1967 Monterey Pop Festival Performance (she signs with Columbia there); the form opens from blues form; distorted guitar (hazy quality); performance is out of control, but in control; Mama Cass (Mamas and the Papas) has a reaction in the video
James Brown "Funky Drummer" (1970)
break to the backbeat; digital technology - sampling; the drum solo in this song becomes the most sampled piece in rap; during the break all instruments pull out except drums; artist of the song acts like an MC during this portion
early DJ techniques
breaks (breakbeat) - breakdancing; turntables (turned into instruments), scratching, microphones (MC) - verbal lyrics
Charles Baudelaire
came from privileged background, gambled it away; wrote art criticism; symbolists liked his poems (the Flowers of Evil - elegant about bad topics)
Lesley Gore "You Don't Own Me" (1963)
celebration of independence; verses are in the minor key and choruses are in the major key; has the wall of sound; the reverb is heavy, has orchestral elements like Motown, features a xylophone, key changes, overdubbing herself, no teenage backup singers, instead a transcendent choir; last in the "trilogy"
symbolism
centered in France, international art movement, first manifestation of modernism
America in the 1960s
civil rights movement; Civil Rights Act of 1964; assassination of JFK (1963); assassination of MLK (1968); Vietnam War; the counterculture (antiwar, critical of middle class values, fashion and fads, drug culture [be-ins])
The Doors "Light My Fire" (1967)
collaborative arrangement; long organ/guitar solo (jazz-influenced); not one of their more symbolist inspired songs; some radios refused to play the whole song; performed on Ed Sullivan and didn't change lyrics; Jim Morrison is hot
Michael Jackson "Black or White" (1991)
combines pop/dance, rap, rock; morphing technology is seen in music video; represents color blindness of 1990s; makes sexualized and violent dance at the end (makes the person question the earlier imagery of togetherness)
ALBUM: The Beatles "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967)
counterculture album; drug references: "Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds" (LSD); Indian music; studio effects; community - acknowledges listener; no singles; song experimentalism: musique concrete; has "Revolution No. 9" which was a sound collage and had tape loops
Dolly Parton "Jolene" (1974)
country pop; crossover from country into pop charts; image develops from demure to sexual; has ostinato riff (simulates anxiety); Appalachian diction; oppose 1960s high fashion
Jimi Hendrix "All Along the Watchtower" (1968)
cover of Bob Dylan song; artist was a guitar virtuoso, utilized unique techniques; lyrics are Biblical in nature; imagery of preparing for war, watchtower; gives the impression of being stuck; there's no drum beginning riff to establish the beat; sense of landscape with sounds; in guitar solo you can hear intricacies; themes of alienation; an imagined sound world not realized in live performance
The Byrds "Mr. Tambourine Man" (1965)
cover of Bob Dylan song; more popular than the original; features guitars (12 string guitar); shorter than original to make more marketable; inspired Dylan to go "electronic"
Bee Gees "Stayin' Alive" (1977)
disco; in film "Saturday Night Fever;" assertion of "whiteness" and masculinity; different image of disco - masculine
Sylvester "You Make Me Feel Mighty Real" (1978)
disco; social and artistic background: drag queen troupes; backup singers: Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes; voices as gender-bending device; realness for drag queens
disco
discoteque (not live bands), focus on DJs, disco and gay identity, types: R&B disco, Euro disco, pop disco (the Bee Gees, the Village People); blending records together in clubs in urban areas; glamorous; makes its way into mainstream from gay clubs, long tracks because it is not intended for radio
music industry in the 1970s
diversity of commercial genres: rock (glam, prog, hard, soft), singer-songwriters, adult contemporary, country pop, disco, funk, album oriented rock (AOR), consolidation of record labels
System of a Down "B.Y.O.B" (2005)
double entendre with title; irony: pop party section; dramatic meter and texture changes; against 2003 war in Iraq (questions military recruitment); contrast between pop/metal sections - building elements
Chic "Good Times" (1979)
elements of the disco track (beat, tempo, no open, meandering forms, etc); repeating choruses to create community on dance floor; has a funk edge to it
Eric Clapton "Tears in Heaven" (1992)
example of MTV unplugged series; song/series shows swing back to folk/Dylan sound; music as healing (his son had just died); connected with folkiness
Bob Dylan "Like a Rolling Stone" (1965)
folk rock; sound: keyboards (organ and piano), cutting vocals (not melodious); form: strophic, with verse/chorus; theme: fall from privilege to desperation; showed this artists was in line with his predecessors by going electric (Hank Williams, BB King); though a long song, it was still a hit
Bob Dylan "Mr. Tambourine Man" (1965)
folk; performed at the Newport Folk festival; poetic, socially conscious lyrics; covered by the Byrds, which was more popular than the original
Motown Records
founded by Berry Gordy, Jr.; entirely black owned record label; control of production and creation; didn't want to segregate and sell only to African Americans; focused on quality of quantity; avoided direct R&B sounds (new sound); had a "finishing school" run by Maxine Powell
Parliament "Give Up the Funk" (1976)
funk; George Clinton was the founder (Dr. Funkenstein); Afrofuturism; P-Funk: bass line, interlocking rhythms, call and response (horn and keyboard, like a jazz group); verbal motto/anthems
Sly and the Family Stone "Thank You (Falettin Me Be Mice Elf Again)" (1969)
funk; interracial group; influences: jazz, rock, soul, psychedelic rock, folk rock lyrics; members come from diverse musical backgrounds; bass guitar puts emphasis on one beat; funk hits the pop charts as well
Arthur Rimbaud
genius kid; started writing poems at 14 (lied he was 16); sent them to established poet Verlaine; stopped writing in his 20s; progenitor of the symbolist movement; used synesthesia in some poems (invoking multiple senses at the same time)
glam metal/hair bands
guitar + vocals + hair = power; hearkens back to David Bowie; sonic representation of masculinity and androgynous feel
James Brown, "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" (1965)
had a gospel influence; the song's basis is in blues form, has repeating instrumental riffs, stop time, quick guitar similar to the drums in Elvis's "Hound Dog;" has an interlocking rhythm, electric guitar on the 2nd and 4th beats (the guitar is playing as percussion), most melodic in bass, focus on riff rather than voice
Led Zeppelin "Stairway to Heaven" (1971)
hard rock, folk rock, prog rock; form: layering, growth; quiet introduction - acoustic guitar, recorders (imitate early music); slow electronic middle section; long guitar solo (virtuosity); hard rock section; epilogue - vocals (mournful quality); unlike the rest of their more hard rock/heavy metal songs
Sam Cooke, "Chain Gang" (1960)
he signed with RCA, had a dance tune, smooth vocal, sad lyrics, based on chained men he saw (seen in chanting interjections); the subject has its root in slavery; social commentary on black prisoners first to work like slaves
surf rock
iconography of the coast; many are instrumental; part of youth culture; guitar-driven, riffs, tremolo (rapid picking); classic rock sound, backbeat strong (some distortion)
The Ramones "Blitzkrieg Bop" (1976)
inspired by Bay City Rollers; satirical critique of Nazism; song: somewhat complicated (AA-BB-AA?); driving power chords (all downstrokes); song gets progressively faster each time they play it; band has "wall of noise" aesthetic
Love Unlimited Orchestra "Love's Theme" (1973)
instrumental disco; sounds expensive, lush, rich; producer was Barry White; sweep of strings leads you into the track; soul/dance beat; strings and wah guitar; 40 piece orchestra; theme of wealth; bass line funk derived; layering of elements; syncopation with bass
modernism
key themes: progress, innovation, anxiety, alienation, negation; tended to be elite
David Bowie "Space Oddity" (1969)
later influenced the glam rock genre; had an alter-ego named Ziggy Stardust who subverted traditional rock "authenticity;" had a theatricality - he was acting out being a rock star (shows his alienation); song itself has a space concept (1969 Apollo 11); inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968; classical and counterculture collide); has space sounds at the end of the song; tells story of Major Tom
Michael Jackson "Billie Jean" (1982)
long instrumental intro; tight drumbeat that hooks you (no reverb); funky bass line layers in; synthesizers with reverb; intro has layering to create groove; voice is multi-tracked (vocal texture); artist uses voice sometimes in a percussive fashion, which gives a nervous quality; music video has noir film spin
Radiohead "Fitter Happier" (1997)
middle of the album (separates first and second halves); to do with self help books; remove masks of telemarketers; we're all suffering from alienation and anxiety; meloncholy - minor key; electronic voice; starts of innocent then gets darker; shows Adorno's ideas of oppression
Brian Wilson
model songwriter; arrangements, writes all songs; pretty much was the Beach Boys; had songs in "visions" (drugs) - couldn't write music traditionally; inspired by Phil Spector
punk
musically stripped down; short, loud, fast, driving songs; guitar: overdriven, distorted, and rhythm heavy; lack of solos; vocals can sound nasal, harsh, brash; aimed to sound authentic; didn't want to hear producer; DIY
Blondie "Heart of Glass" (1978)
new wave; disco tones, heavy backbeat, syncopation, walking bass, keyboard features, drums feature (uptempo, danceable)
Max's Kansas City
opened by Mickey Ruskin in 1965; scene tapered off by 1974; symbolist movement
Dixie Chicks "Not Ready to Make Nice" (2006)
producer: Rick Rubin; band received death threats from lead singer's proclamation about the war in Iraq/Bush; reaction having to do with gender but also them being country artists; song addressing the policing of their songs
Simon and Garfunkel "The Sound of Silence" (1964/65)
producer: Tom Wilson; hollow, detached sound, originally did not have a rock beat, Tom Wilson overdubbed rock sounds and slightly changed title without them knowing it; new version was a hit; was in "the Graduate" (1967)
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five "The Message" (1982)
rap; social realism; first verse: images of humor and desperation; second verse: narrative; end: police encounter; verbal hooks that get to the point; crossover hit with message
Sam Cooke, "You Send Me" (1957)
released on indie Keen Records; crossover elements, smooth vocal timbre, orchestration, white background singers, wholesome lyrics; later did a different rendition where he repurposed it as an intro to another hit
N.W.A "Straight Outta Compton" (1988)
shows regionalization; fear of being policed; social, economically cut off; music video shows them on foot with no car (no mobility); angrier and more driven than earlier rap songs
Carole King "I Feel the Earth Move" (1971)
singer-songwriter; Brill Building songwriter (girl groups), piano showcase, percussive lyrics, adult sexuality (vs teen); generates an excitement
The Eagles "Hotel California" (1976)
soft rock/country rock; has desert, western aesthetic; sort of prog rock; could be played on pop radio; about darkness of the American Dream; some lyrics have ominous tone; portrays trapped feeling with chord progression (circle of fifths); breaks out of progression in chorus
funk
soul/Motown; characteristics: dance oriented rhythm, call and response, melodic bass, patterns of interlocking rhythm (like "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag"); downbeat on the one (instead of 2 and 4); political engagement; horn section, rhythm section, melodic bass guitar
Rush "Tom Sawyer" (1981)
style: instrumental virtuosity, song complexity: form, rhythm, odd meter; lyrics - literary, sci-fi, fantasy; use of synthesis; creates a sonic landscape on stage
Dick Dale "Misirlou" (1962)
surf music, all instrumental; tremolo guitar playing, trumpet + piano + hand clapping (simulating a beach party); background vocals (no words); Middle Eastern sounding melody; sound - exotic; lots of reverb on guitar, which opens up space (wet); didn't cross over
Theodor W. Adorno
talked about musicology (the relationship between music/history); thought society was radically evil, art is created to entertain and amuse and is not created in the sense of higher ideals, the culture industry: art as distraction; the only way out is negation; had similar concerns with Radiohead
musique concrete
talking, noises, etc. not beholden to traditional forms of music
London art school bands
the Kinks, the Rolling Stones, the Who
Metallica "Master of Puppets" (1986)
thrash metal; style: fast tempos, aggressive musical sound; rhythm guitar - distortion; opening chromatic riff (slippery sound, uncontrolled); rebellion against pop metal - harsher, grittier sound; guitars in lower register; a song about being on drugs, but also has political implications; doesn't use synthesizers as much as other metal bands; power chords (buzzy and disorienting); vocals - screaming (as if in warning)
1990s alternative
underground, independent, anti-commercialism, anti-mainstream, anti-corporate, rebellious nature of rock; some stick with indie companies, others don't; Lollapalooza (touring event); DIY attitude; scenes were in college towns ; nonconformity, contradictions, not virtuostic; defiance, taboo, social activism
Queen Latifah "Ladies First" (1989)
women in rap; duet with Moni Love; level-headed delivery; title is term of chivalry; positioning title in era where women were still struggling; attacking apartheid in South Africa as well as sexism; music video starts with images of famous black women but with no names under the pictures
Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (1992)
"Seattle sound;" Sub Pop Records; overdriven sound, aesthetic of "non-effect;" apathy, alienation; successfully moved to major with authenticity still in tact; grunge hits the mainstream; song form: A - depressed, quiet, B: growth, single lyric, C: Loud, power chords, yelling, interlude; stop time effect
ADDITIONAL: Bob Dylan "Blowin' in the Wind" (1963)
(ADDITIONAL) covered by Peter, Paul, and Mary (pop friendly cover; Dylan version is more angular, PP&M is more dreamy; not specific to an actual agenda
Radiohead "Everything In Its Right Place" (2000)
10/4 meter - odd meter; not hedonistic, for you to think; voice is disconnected from the meter; sampled voice: nonsensical babbling; harmonic instability; dissonant pedal note (staple of modernism); fractured narrative and subject position
Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg "Nuthin' But a G Thang" (1992)
G-funk style: taking 70s funk and updating it, bass guitar groove, much more mellow than other versions of rock; vocals: pitch is lower, laid back rapping
John Dolphin
Dolphins of Hollywood - famous record store, record label, publishing company; creative marketing; Same Cooke was promoted by him (also wrote Earth Angel by the Penguins)
Donna Summers "Love to Love You Baby" (1975)
Euro disco; producer: Giorglo Moroder; Moog synthesizer; layering texture: managing time; start from something spare and move on and then stripped back; has moaning vocals
Santana "Oye Como Va" (1970)
Latin rock; San Francisco band: jazz, salsa, rock; instrumentation: guitar bass, keyboard, drums, Latin percussion; from: interlocking rhythmic patterns; jazz: instrumental soloing; influenced by Richie Valens; instruments layer in, complex rhythmic texture (salsa groove); only a few measures with vocals
The Beatles "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (1963/64)
Liverpool rockabilly sound; all of the members of this band collaborated on songs; producer was George Martin; there is a sense of personality from all of them; look is striking (hair and suits); friendly look; inspired by Buddy Holly
The Rolling Stones "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (1965)
London blues scene; song: buzzing guitar riff, bare texture, vocal performance: arousal, frustration; opening words against four beat pulse, vocal melody strains against these drum beats (rhythmic tension); band had bad boy image and rougher blues sound; when sung, the title goes up in scale and then down (defeat)
Public Enemy "Fight the Power" (1989)
Motown records; basis in Isley Brothers' funk song by the same name; samples James Brown's "Funky Drummer;" later verses call out Elvis as the "King of Rock;" clips together parts of a jazz musician's work; mirrors what happened in the 1950s: white people listen to the music
Patti Smith "Horses" (1975)
Robert Mapplethorpe photographed the cover of the album; produced by John Cale of Velvet Underground; artist was a punk poetress and published poet, song has a spoken word type beginning; inspired by symbolist movement
Rage Against the Machine "Killing in the Name" (1992)
about the trial of Rodney King who was beaten by police during LA riots; on the Clear Channel memorandum list; songs used as torture in Guantanamo Bay; song is against police brutality; hip hop and rock/metal mix; there is a sense of build; same lyrics are repeated throughout whole song; some call and response
Radiohead "The National Anthem" (2000)
articulates terror felt among crowd of citizens; sense of isolation/alienation; relentless, aggressive bass riff; use of ondes martenot; vocal babbling; layering of instruments, leading to cacophony; comment on state of society
Madonna "Like a Prayer" (1989)
artist co-writes and co-produces the song; fuses pop and dance with gospel; two forms of Christianity - gospel singer and lyrics based in Catholic Church; religious and physical ecstasy; call and response of gospel section, which switches to moody minor section that builds in intensity and fervor; music video shows images of race and religion
Queen "Killer Queen" (1974)
band bounced between hard rock, glam rock, stadium rock; they were a collaborative band; character in the song is ambiguous - either a woman or a drag queen; piano inspired by British vaudeville music; glam rock is apparent in the lyrics
Black Flag "Rise Above" (1981)
descending tetrachord; shouting lyrics, combines speed of the Ramones and the attitude of the Sex Pistols; desire for community and self-empowerment; riff rises with lyrics; the idea of letting go manifests musically by softening the hands on guitar to create squeak effect
Stephane Mallarme
famous "mardis" at his home where an entire generation of symbolists were nurtured
Aretha Franklin, "Respect" (1967)
first at Columbia Records (jazz, TPA), has a gospel background, song written by Otis Redding; backup singers provide confirmation for what she is demanding, theme of women's empowerment, song builds in intensity and fades out
Sugarhill Gang "Rapper's Delight" (1979)
one of the first rap songs; samples Chic's "Good Times;" dance party themed; was on the R&B and pop charts; multiple MCs; crossover hit
urban folk
origins: 1950s rural folk style, urban intellectuals; acoustic guitar-based; 1930s/40s Woodie Guthrie protest songs; 1940s/50s the Weavers (Pete Seeger - HUAC trials)
Bon Jovi "Livin' on a Prayer" (1986)
pop metal; song: verses - e minor (moodiness), pre-chorus: building resolve, chorus: major key (woah... [performed through talk box]), key change; chronicles young couple in tough time (i.e. blue collar/rust belt story); still hopeful and optimistic sounding; music video is centered on the band rather than the characters in the song
Lesley Gore "It's My Party" (1963)
portrayal of teenage girl problems; typical girl group songwriting (call and response between singer and sympathetic girls); seen as the first part of the "trilogy;" a girl steals the singer's boyfriend; singer was a solo artist, but her songs sounded like a girl group
Lesley Gore "Judy's Turn to Cry" (1963)
portrayal of teenage girl problems; typical girl group songwriting (call and response between singer and sympathetic girls; seen as the second part of the "trilogy;" singer gets boy back from girl that stole him; singer was a solo artist, but her songs sounded like a girl group
Pink Floyd "Money" (1973)
prog rock; album has themes of insanity; features musique concrete; odd meter; dry/wet alteration of production in solos; song is about lunacy; coins and cash registers become rhythmic basis of the song; they pull back halfway through the song (dry, less reverb); journey being made throughout song
The Stooges "I Wanna Be Your Dog" (1969)
proto punk; inspired by Muddy Waters; song: heavy guitar distortion (with lots of feedback), driving rhythm (descending melodic riff); non-virtuosic guitar solo crawl; piano (John Cale, static harmony; blues influences - 12 bar blues becomes de-emphasized
Jefferson Airplane, "White Rabbit" (1967)
psychedelic rock; album: Surrealistic Pillow; has Phrygian scale; based off Lewis Carroll's books; drug allusions; drums are playing bolero (long crescendo)
The Sex Pistols "God Save the Queen" (1977)
rejecting virtuosity (basic guitar solo); descending melodic line; power chords (and palm muting); outro falls apart representing loss; highly sarcastic and ironic (rolls "r" to mimic a posh accent;" not trained musicians
Cairokee "The Voice of Freedom" (2011)
rock band that was largely unknown prior to revolution; highly political lyrics; combined clips from protests for music video; poem is inserted into song (poetry is very important to Arabic); jubilation in video (maybe beginning of democracy); people of all backgrounds joined protest
Ruth Brown, "Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean" (1953)
singer had a church background (Methodist and Baptist); the song is a blues and TPA blend, has a solo tambourine; signed with Atlantic at 16, song has a youthful performance; has pitch inflections upward, she never got much royalties off her songs
Joni Mitchell "A Case of You" (1971)
singer-songwriter; autobiographical effect; cycle of songs exploring relationships; style: unusual guitar tunings, dulcimer, voice - ornamentation and range; production is sparse (simplicity); doesn't make her voice sound poppy; themes of sacred love
Youssra el-Hawary "The Wall" (2011)
singer/songwriter with accordion; biting political commentary couched in sweetness; gender boundaries; "cutie pie of the revolution;" pushing gender boundaries; song talks about a wall (metaphorical and physical)
Van Halen "Eruption" (1978)
solo guitar piece performed by guitarist of this band; this artist inherited the Jimi Hendrix virtuosity; the song is a guitar version of the Kreutzer violin etude from the 18th century; finger tapping technique (both hands on fret); critics begin to accept rock geniuses among classical music ones because of this piece
Prince "Let's Go Crazy" (1984)
song starts with organ solo and eulogy by the artist; an enactment of transcendence; elements of funk; artist solos on guitar - uses the guitar as preacher; guitar has an extended cadenza (end of sermon); from the movie/album "Purple Rain"
REM "Losing My Religion" (1991)
successful indie/alternative band; texture: mandolin, limited vocal line; lyric: contradictions, doubt; music video directed by Tarsem Singh (Caravaggio [painter]); addresses taboos like Madonna's "Like a Prayer;" lyrics show a person fearful of giving something away; different imageries in music video; obsessive internal quality to the melody
Beach Boys "Surfin' USA" (1963)
surf music; organ features, doo wop vocals, background vocals have text; a lot of chart success through decades); VERY similar to Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen;" both songs are youth-orientated
Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This" (1983)
synth-pop - offshoot of new wave; repetition of lyrics, uses synthesizers, drums present (drum machine); the voice becomes more prominent throughout song; disco + pop + new wave; the band started in the punk scene
The Motown Sound
the Funk Brothers - in house band; electric bass guitar (melodic); tambourines in backbeat; orchestral strings/horns; call and response singing style; overdubbing; run by songwriters/producers; bass guitar as tune; also would have choreographers work on performances
1960s girl groups
themes: teenage girl problems, professional songwriters (Brill Building), musicians, producers; wall of sound; young voices, call and response; orchestral instruments
Eminem "Mosh" (2004)
title=march; slow tempo; march beat - drum and bass pedal tone (relentless); critiques Bush in the video; switch to political theme for this artist; starts with children saying pledge of allegiance (ironic contrast, youthful innocence); not a dense texture to the song
wall of sound
type of recording created by Phil Spector; every second is filled with sound (larger ensembles) or overdubbed (use of reverb); able to hear the hand of the producer
soul
urban black popular music derived from 1950s R&B; featured melismas, alternate timbres, varied tones (straight, vibrato), shift registers, bend notes, gospel harmonic progressions; lyrics expanded from love to politics
Ramy Essam ft. Malikah "Prison of Colors" (2016)
venerating disobedience; calls prominent prisoners from revolution in prison roses; lyrics of a poem written by Gelal el-Behairy are in song (also doubles as women's right revolution); traditional acoustic with distortion; written and performed when the singer was in exile in Sweden
Salt n Pepa "Tramp" (1986)
women in rap; had to be careful when talking about sexism in rap; reclaiming the name of the song in clever way; draws from Otis Redding song; compare to Kitty Wells
U2 "One" (1991)
written after band was having internal conflicts about which direction they should move in genre-wise; Brian Eno (their producer) distanced himself at this time to let them resolve the conflicts themselves; song has gentle quality; is essentially a break up song
Sam Cooke, "A Change Is Gonna Come" (1964)
written after being denied room in hotel; one of this artist's first songs with truly personal lyric; referenced by President Obama in his inauguration speech, has instrumental introduction
