The change of genres from Taylor Swift's first album to her most recent album is drastic. There are some fans who really love her old stuff and hate the new stuff. Other fans love her new style and hate the old one. And there are those, like me, that have loved her music all the way and think she excels at every style she tries. In my opinion, she really is a talented artist that is capable of turning any song into a lovable, catchy tune regardless of genre.
Today I chose a song from her newest album Reputation. The song "Getaway Car" stood out the most to me when I was first giving Reputation a try. I found that it had the perfect balance of her previous album's style with her newer pop style. I also really enjoyed the lyrics of the song. I can't say I know what she was trying to symbolize with her words (I'm not good at interpretations as I've established in previous posts), but I can tell you it centers around a Bonnie-and-Clyde-type story. I thought it was interesting how she used classic crime phrases such as "every man for himself", "put the money in the bag", and of course the repeating chorus phrase "getaway car". I really enjoy themed songs so it was a pleasure listening to how creative she could get with her word choice. I hope you especially enjoy this song today if it is your first time listening. Have an wonderful day!
A friend once told me that if I liked John Mayer, I would probably also like Jack Johnson. I took their word for it and rented a couple CDs of Jack Johnson from the library. "Do You Remember" was the first song that really caught my attention. It is fairly different from the rest of the songs of In Between Dreams because there is no instrument playing the beat of the song. The guitar is the only thing keeping the tempo. This adds a pure sound to the song, having only voice and guitar. "Do You Remember" also has a country style to it unlike the other songs in the album. I absolutely love those first few notes when the melody begins—they sound so country.
I really appreciate the lyrics of "Do You Remember" because it tells the innocent and sweet story of when a couple fell in love. The whole song is reflecting on the years they spent together and the sometimes problematic, yet humorous experiences they went through. The line that repeats throughout the song is "over ten years have gone by". I think it adds an element of melancholy to the lyrics. Those words indicate that the special bond between them went beyond those simple memories and kept them together for ten years. I heard the song was about Jack Johnson and his wife, but I'm not sure if that's a fact or someone just assumed that based on the lyrics. Whether fictional or based on a true story, it still is a very pleasant, relaxing, and happy song.
I chose "Do You Remember" to be my autumn song choice for this week because of its country vibes and acoustic quality. It also mentions the month of September which is when fall first begins. I can picture listening to this song on a porch facing the falling leaves of autumn, or by a campfire under the cool autumn night skies. I will be adding this to my fall playlist as I did with the others. Enjoy and happy fall once again!
REMINDER: In honor of the autumn season, I am choosing one song a week that I associate with fall and adding them to the existing Spotify playlist Songs of Autumn (as well as the usual A Song a Day playlist). Below is the link to the fall playlist.
I first watched How to Train Your Dragon in theatres in 2010. I didn't know too much about the movie beforehand, but I was invited to see it so I was willing to give it a try. My first impression of the film was that it was entertaining, funny, and interesting; however, I didn't walk out of the theatres extremely eager to see it again. It was a nice movie, but it wasn't the best movie I had ever seen.
A few months later, I found the soundtrack in my local library and decided to rent it and see what it was like. I played it while doing some work around the house and was completely surprised by what I heard. The music was... beautiful. As each track played, I fell more and more in love with the album. The compositions had so much depth and meaning to them. It was not too soon after I heard the album that I got it for myself and was listening to it all the time. By doing so, I slowly got my family to like the soundtrack as well and they became hooked on John Powell's incredible movie score.
I have heard many movie score soundtracks in the past and have always enjoyed doing so. Yet I only ever end up keeping the main themes and a few extra tracks because everything else is simply background music that doesn't have much substance to it (because it's meant to be subtle in the movie I assume). When I got into the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack, what surprised me the most was that I liked every single track. No part of the music felt unnecessary or boring. Even in the quietest, simplest tracks, the main theme was somehow implemented in a creative way and it still sounded interesting! John Powell managed to do something not too many other movie composers can do, and he deserves much credit for that.
Once I had memorized every track in the soundtrack by both title and sound, it was time for me to watch the movie again. I watched it the second time with a more open mind, paying close attention to the songs I knew so well. As a music lover, I am aware that music is extremely powerful and can change the way you see something. Despite knowing that, I was still baffled at how different I perceived the movie now that I had learned how wonderful the movie score was. The tempo of each track matched the emotion of the scenes perfectly with anything from suspense to serenity. The instrument choice accurately reflected the Scottish culture of the movie setting. And of course, the main movie theme created that epic feel that movies of grand scale always have. Powell's writing for this movie truly made it a masterpiece. That's not to say that the movie itself (without the music) isn't good. Instead, I'm saying that the score compliments it in a way that takes the movie from a great movie to one of the best animated films of all time! I would love to say thank you to the talented animators of DreamWorks for choosing to work with the wonderful composer John Powell. They understood the power of music and used it to its full potential.
That being said, I am sure you can guess that How to Train Your Dragon has become my favorite animated movie since then. I can't count how many times I've watched it or heard the soundtrack. The movie and music are both equally amazing and they have inspired me to follow the series all the way, from the television episodes to the film sequel. And now I am very excited to see the third installment of the series. I have high hopes that with John Powell and DreamWorks teaming up for the third time, this is going to be a great conclusion to the series! I look forward to seeing it in theatres in February of 2019.
"Test Drive" is the track I chose to share with you because it contains the main theme of the movie. It has the epic quality of a hero's theme and is quite memorable. The opening notes played by brass and followed by strings immediately gives a powerful feeling to the melody. As I listen to it, I can imagine the feeling of being in the sky, moving at high speeds over the beautiful Nordic landscape that is Berk. I hope your experience listening to this song (and hopefully the whole soundtrack) is just as magical and that it convinces you to become a fan of the series if you aren't already.
This is the first time I'm posting about a One Republic song, and I guarantee it won't be the last. I love so many of their songs for their upbeat rhythms and emphasis on string instruments and piano. It hurts me to say their newest album, Oh My My, was very disappointing. They seemed to have dropped that unique style and instead turned to more irritating and repetitive pop songs. I'm not sure how well the album sold, but if it did not do very well, I hope it shows the band that the fans still love their original style and are happy to keep hearing it. I know I'll be ready to buy the next album if they go back to their old sound.
While there are many other great songs I could have chosen from One Republic, I specifically picked "All This Time" because it is something I quote very often. There are many moments in my life where I finally figure something out after many years, or I realize I've been doing something wrong for a long time. In situations like that, I find myself saying aloud in frustration "wow, after all this time...". So when I discovered the One Republic song whose chorus begins with "All This Time", I started to realize how often I used that expression. Now whenever I go to use it again, I just end up singing "Alllll thiiissss tiiiiime..." to myself, or just take out my iPod and play the actual song. Those first few chords on the piano set such a solemn tone for the melody, it sometimes makes me laugh at how much more dramatic it makes the moment seem. In a way, I guess it's better to laugh at the dramatic sound; it lessens the severity of my frustration in those circumstances. So thanks One Republic!
I'm the type of person who quotes movies, shows, and music all the time, so it's not unusual for me to quote One Republic like this. But since I pick that song to quote more often than others, I thought that made it post-worthy. And of course, besides being quotable, it's also a really nice song with beautiful instrumentation. So I hope enjoy listening to this song today!
The more time has passed for my blog, the more you will begin to notice how much I love different cultures. While I mainly post American music, I have so many different languages in my iTunes library that you will be seeing plenty of foreign songs posted throughout the year. I just post more American songs because, in comparison, the number of American songs I have far surpasses that of other-culture music. What I appreciate about American music is that it has so many different genres, it creates subcultures within American music. For example, indie music and rap music are completely different in style, rhythm, instrumentation, and even lyrics. They may originate from the same country, but each seems to have invented its own culture. It truly is amazing. I believe the variety makes it much easier for people to find an American music genre that fits them. There's plenty to chose from!
Despite having so many genres within America, I still feel it is necessary to venture out into other countries' music and hear what they have to offer. Besides the overall style which often reflects traditional sounds of that country, hearing a song in another language is an amazing experience. When you don't speak or understand the language, it is almost as if you are hearing instrumental music. You appreciate the melody, the rhythm, the instruments, but the meaning behind the song is up to your imagination (until you look up the translation of course). While you are hearing it, you should also pay attention to the pronunciations and the words themselves. Sometimes you may find words from your own language that are the same. Another benefit of listening to foreign music is if you ever plan on learning that language, listening to the music can help you; as you sing along, you are practicing with a native speaker and improving your skill. There are plenty of languages out there and plenty of songs that include them. Try picking a country one day and see if you end up liking a language or style you have never heard before!
Today's song is a French song called "Le Festin". It is a very upbeat, happy song sung by French singer Camille. It has a modern feel but is also mixed with classic French instrumentation. I always found French to be a very nice, yet difficult language. But because I like to give all languages a chance, I challenged myself to learn the lyrics of this song a while back; I succeeded, for the most part, and to this day it's the most French that I can speak. Part of my ancestry can be traced back to France, so it is nice to know when I am singing "Le Festin", I am speaking the language of part of my heritage. I challenge you to find a song that relates to your heritage and learn to sing in that language (if it is different than your own). And if your ancestors have always spoken your language, then maybe just find an old folk song that means a lot to your culture and learn that. It is a wonderful experience to connect to your past through the magic of music!
To start off, I'd like to apologize for not posting yesterday. I decided I'm going to take Sundays off for my blogging in order to take a break and to prepare for the next week's blog posts. But I will still be posting 6/7 days a week and may still tweet something on Sundays if you feel you need some content on Sundays. And now to discuss today's song choice...
Nate Ruess is not a very well-known name; however, if you mention fun., people will know who you're talking about. Fun. is most famous for their songs "Some Nights" and "We Are Young" which played often on the radio. Nate Ruess is the lead singer of the band fun. and he began making his own music under his own name more recently. One of those songs under the name Nate Ruess is "Nothing Without Love", which is the song I chose today. It's not that I don't like fun. songs, because I think they can be great. I just really like this particular Nate Ruess song so I chose it to represent Nate Ruess as a solo singer and as well as the band fun..
Since I first began hearing Nate Ruess singing on the radio a while back, I have absolutely fallen in love with his voice. I find it to be so unique that I can't help but just listen to him sing forever. I don't have many artists that I can say that about, so that is why I found it necessary to post about him and his music. Anytime fun. comes on the radio or plays at a store, I immediately drop everything and announce to anyone I'm with that fun. is singing. I can't not pay attention to a fun. song if I hear it.
That being said, it is heartbreaking to say that I do not like all fun. songs. Unfortunately, I do not always agree with the content in their lyrics and I find it necessary to research the songs before getting them. I think compositions and talent should not necessarily be ignored just because of some bad tracks, so that is why I take the time to filter out which songs I'm okay with and just listen to all of those. I really wish Ruess created more family-friendly content so he would not limit his audience so much. I am hoping eventually he can come out with an album that is entirely clean, but until then I'll be there reading the words.
If you are like me and are picky about the songs you or your kids listen to and the lyrics that go into the mind on a daily basis, I've got you covered. All the songs I choose for this blog from all artist are carefully selected to be family-friendly. If you think you might want to give other fun./Nate Ruess songs a try without having to worry about content, I will provide a list of all the songs that are either clean or have clean versions of them so you can be worry-free. (Disclaimer: some of the songs I listed may have lyrics that imply adult subjects, but they're mostly limited to subtle references of drugs and alcohol).
Fun.
All Alone
Some Nights [Clean Version Only]
Be Calm
Just Give Me a Reason
Light a Roman Candle With Me
Out on the Town [Clean Version Only]
Walking the Dog
We Are Young
Carry On
Why Am I the One
Stars
Nate Ruess
Grand Romantic (Intro)
Nothing Without Love
Take It Back
Moment
It Only Gets Much Worse
Grand Romantic
I hope you enjoy listening to Nate Ruess' distinct voice as much as I do. One more comment I have to add about fun.'s music: for every fun. song on my iTunes, I wrote the genre as fun. instead of a real genre because I find them to be so unique they need their own genre. When creating this blog, I finally found out that the real genre for fun. songs is Indie Pop or Indie Rock. It makes sense now that I think their sound is so different because I don't think I have many other Indie Pop songs.
If you know any good Indie Pop or Indie Rock songs, let me know in the comments below and another day I might make it the song of the day (and of course I'll give you a shoutout in return)!
Note: Last week, all posts were fall-themed. In order to have a variety of music, I will no longer make every post about autumn. Instead, I will pick one song a week to be fall-related and add them to the existing Spotify playlist Songs of Autumn (as well as the usual A Song a Day playlist). Below is the link to the fall playlist.
