SCARLET BEGONIAS

week nine blog post

The Grateful Dead is one of the best bands to ever exist. This band would be so fun to see live and so it makes me pretty sad that they performed their last show together. The Grateful Dead have such great music to dance to and Scarlet Begonias is no exception. The music behind the lyrics is super fun and I love that it continues on for a while even after the lyrics end. It is the kind of song that could go on forever but I wouldn't really notice, I would just keep on dancing along. When they would perform this song live, they often would just continue playing music for a while. The recording is just over four minutes, but often, they would continue the song for 10-15 minutes. I love how this whole song is written about a girl but in the end it says that he had to "let her pass by." The album art is also fun, I like to imagine the band playing right in front of the Mars Hotel. This song is all things summer and green grass; reminds me a lot of Mission Dolores Park in San Fransisco. After a day hanging out in San Fransisco I can imagine my friends and I dancing at this park listening to the Grateful Dead perform. Too bad there's no park like this in Cedar City. And again, too bad the Grateful Dead aren't playing together anymore. Anyways hope to see you dancing at Dolores Park soon.
 

LIKE A ROLLING STONE

week eight blog post

I love "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan because it reminds me of some really important people to me. I haven't seen them in a while because one is living in California, another in Austria, and the last just up in Orem. I have had experiences with each of them involving this song. In fact, the whole reason that the girl up in Orem and I clicked so fast was because we both loved Bob Dylan.  The intro is super cool to me because it doesn't slowly build up, it is abrupt and complex. All of the instruments together are exciting and set a good stage for a six minute song. The best part about this song to me, is the fact that it is six minutes. I love that it just keeps on going but it is so complicated and entertaining that it doesn't seem like it is dragging on with no purpose. Each verse and chorus has a purpose, and the instrumental aspect is already enough to keep you engaged. I really enjoy watching videos of Bob Dylan perform because for some reason, it is so fun for me to watch and hear him sing and then to watch and hear him play the harmonica while there are no lyrics. The chorus I think was very well thought out because it is obviously something he related to but it is also vague enough that others could relate to. Dylan saying, "How does it feel? How does it feel to be on your own with no direction home, like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone?" is so impactful and I think about it a lot. I wish there were more six minute songs like this.

A HARD DAY'S NIGHT

week seven blog post

In "A Hard Day's Night," I love the rhythm that The Beatles keep in each of the verses. The way they draw out the words "hard day's night" then pick up tempo a little on the next line is super catchy. I also like the harmonious voices that come in after that for the choruses because it added a layer of emphasis. Overall, the song has a good sense of uniformity which was really good to listen to. It is all a distinct process until the very ending. The very beginning note of the song sounds like it is on the same sequence as the ending of the song. I like both of these because they are very different than the rest of the song and come as a surprise to the listener. As you listen to the outro, you keep thinking that something big will come or the that the song is not over yet, but then it just ends. It may bother some people with a little bit of an unfinished feel, but I really enjoy it. The color of this song is a purpley indigo. Who knows why, it could be different for you. Interestingly enough, this song title was also the title to The Beatles first film made about them. This song is a staple for The Beatles and I think part of the reason is because this song really shows how smart they are in the field of creating music. Their minds all work very well together to create memorable and catchy songs.

MYSTERY TRAIN

week six blog post

Mystery Train by Elvis Presley is the perfect song to go in the background of a movie. Even though the vocals are a little slower and dragged out, the instrumental portion of the song is lively enough that it paints a movie scene in my head taking place in the 1960s. There are little boys who just got in trouble and they are running away from mom or teacher or whoever they got in trouble with into a wooded area. There is a train track there too, probably because of the title, Mystery Train so the word "train" is repeated. I really enjoy how he repeats "train" throughout the song. The instruments make me feel like there is something I need to be keeping up with, like chasing the little boys. Every time Elvis Presley says the line "train train comin' 'round, 'round the bend" he accents the first part of the word "'round" which I think is a common thing in his musical style. I have noticed in many of his songs he does this specific style of singing of making the first part of a word loud and the ending softer. The "ooh woah" that comes in at the end is a good finale because it is different from the rest of the song and is a good surprise. The lyrics talk about the train taking his baby but also bringing his baby so I am curious the story behind the lyrics and what the symbolism means. I guess since this is just a cover by Elvis Presley that is a question for someone else.