I have said that I don't love country, but that I have my favorite country singers... And while some say that I am a big city girl, the truth is, I'm pretty country for Lexington, KY.
I was a big Dixie Chicks fan and I still love their songs, including "Travelin' Soldier", "Long Time Gone", "Landslide", and "Godspeed".
Recently, I've been very into Miranda Lambert, who is so awesome! As I've said before, her song "The House That Built Me" is so amazing.
I also like Carrie Underwood. She's a good singer with the country voice, but not whiny or twangy. Her songs "Wheel of the World", "Just a Dream", and "Ain't In Checotah" are pretty great.
And then, of course, there's Taylor Swift... I think I've made it pretty clear how much I love her. She's creative and unique and her songs make me wanna get up and dance and sing along. "Mean" is such an amazing song that shows you that bullying and harassment are not okay and that sooner or later those mean people are only going to be losers who are mean and liars and pathetic! "Story of Us", "Mine", and "Love Story" were also all crazy cool.
Country girls are pretty great if you can find the right ones!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
MUSICAL-ly Inclined
As I said, I LOVE MUSICALS!
I love how the story is enhanced by the music while the music tells its own story.
"Written In the Stars" from Aida is one of the most powerful songs performed live. "A Step Too Far" is sung in a triangle, representative of the love triangle in Aida's story. However, my favorite song from Aida is the "Strongest Suit Reprise". It's beautiful in it's simplicity and the duet towards the end has one of the most profound timbres/colors/tones I've ever been able to hear. Here are the lyrics, which only make it better:
Princess Amneris: "I may leave a great impression,
as I race through a succession,
of the latest crazes,
chase the newest fad.
I feel better when beguiling,
find that fashion keeps me smiling,
but in my heart, I know,
it's rather sad."
Princess Aida: "That a life of great potential,
is dismissed, inconsequential."
Amneris: "And only ever seen as being... cute..."
"...So I'll flutter to deceive..."
Aida: "No, no. No, you must believe,
that one day you're bound to find..."
Both: "A stronger suit."
I don't want to spoil the story of Aida for those that have never seen it, but I do want to explain this song. The "Strongest Suit" is sung by Princess Amneris, who is very fashionable/stylish, whatever. She sings the song about how she is what she wears. When she is alone with her slave, Aida (the Nubian princess that no one knows is actually her... well it's complicated...), Amneris realizes that her boyfriend doesn't love her anymore. She sings the "Strongest Suit Reprise" to Aida about how she is peppy and acts like a floozy all the time so that no one sees that she is nothing else but the facade she created.
It is a powerful moment in the story and a huge turning point in the musical. Although it lasts little more than a minute, it is beautiful and raw and exposed and everything I want in a song in a musical.
If you ever get the chance, and you can't decide which musical to go see, choose Aida. It's by far my favorite and you'll fall in love with the story just like I did.
I love how the story is enhanced by the music while the music tells its own story.
"Written In the Stars" from Aida is one of the most powerful songs performed live. "A Step Too Far" is sung in a triangle, representative of the love triangle in Aida's story. However, my favorite song from Aida is the "Strongest Suit Reprise". It's beautiful in it's simplicity and the duet towards the end has one of the most profound timbres/colors/tones I've ever been able to hear. Here are the lyrics, which only make it better:
Princess Amneris: "I may leave a great impression,
as I race through a succession,
of the latest crazes,
chase the newest fad.
I feel better when beguiling,
find that fashion keeps me smiling,
but in my heart, I know,
it's rather sad."
Princess Aida: "That a life of great potential,
is dismissed, inconsequential."
Amneris: "And only ever seen as being... cute..."
"...So I'll flutter to deceive..."
Aida: "No, no. No, you must believe,
that one day you're bound to find..."
Both: "A stronger suit."
I don't want to spoil the story of Aida for those that have never seen it, but I do want to explain this song. The "Strongest Suit" is sung by Princess Amneris, who is very fashionable/stylish, whatever. She sings the song about how she is what she wears. When she is alone with her slave, Aida (the Nubian princess that no one knows is actually her... well it's complicated...), Amneris realizes that her boyfriend doesn't love her anymore. She sings the "Strongest Suit Reprise" to Aida about how she is peppy and acts like a floozy all the time so that no one sees that she is nothing else but the facade she created.
It is a powerful moment in the story and a huge turning point in the musical. Although it lasts little more than a minute, it is beautiful and raw and exposed and everything I want in a song in a musical.
If you ever get the chance, and you can't decide which musical to go see, choose Aida. It's by far my favorite and you'll fall in love with the story just like I did.
Open Mind, Open Ears
In the spirit of Valentine's Day (or what's left of it... the next 5 minutes, or so), here's what I love:
Some people say, "Music is music," putting all songs into the same box/category/group.
NO!
I hate it when people group all music together. That's like saying that the Mona Lisa is the same as the sculpture of the David. They just aren't the same.
Art is not art unless it is different. If art is the same, it's not art; it's mimicry. The definition of art is uniqueness, difference, specificity.
Having said that, I must also say that I have an open mind about music. I may not like all the music out there, but I am willing to hear anything before I judge. (I am currently listening to a chant from the Middle Ages, though, not by choice.)
I can tell you that certain genres aren't my favorite, but I'm still willing to listen... maybe I'll learn something by doing so.
If you've read my other posts, then you know that I'm a big fan of the singer/songwriter types (ie, John Mayer, Jack's Mannequin, Taylor Swift, Gavin DeGraw, etc). I love those artists because of their voices and lyrics.
Still, I also have a place in my heart for most any rock (but not a huge fan of heavy metal). Punk rock, Christian rock, Soft Rock, any rock, I'll probably enjoy.
I like some country. I love Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith, Shania Twain, and (since "The Voice") Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert. (Lambert's "The House That Built Me" gets me every time: "And I bet you didn't know, under that live oak, my favorite dog is buried in the yard..." *tear tear*)
I think that opera is just one of those things that was created to make you go nuts. It's just not my thing, but I know many people who love it. I'm a music major, so I have friends that dream of being opera singers, but that doesn't mean I enjoy listening to it all the time.
I love musicals, and like Emma Stone said in her movie Easy A, "Whatever happened to chivalry? Does it only exist in 80′s movies? I want John Cusack holding a boombox outside my window. I wanna ride off on a lawnmower with Patrick Dempsey. I want Jake from Sixteen Candles waiting outside the church for me. I want Judd Nelson thrusting his fist into the air because he knows he got me. Just once I want my life to be like an 80′s movie, preferably one with a really awesome musical number for no apparent reason. But no, no, John Hughes did not direct my life."
My favorite musicals include, but are not limited to Aida, West Side Story, Burlesque, Beauty and the Beast(which, by the way, was beast in 3D), Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Rent, and more. I love how theater and music come together and create even more magical, suspenseful, grand moments. I cannot get enough of those stories put to songs.
I love the "sappy love songs". Some of my favorite bands sing nothing but those and rock ballads. Secondhand Serenad, Dashboard Confessional, Teddy Geiger, Gavin DeGraw, they all have made careers off of singing those songs and I will probably listen to them 'til the day I die.
No matter who you are, you need to be open-minded when it comes to music. Don't put yourself in a box where you only listen to classical music or only listen to heavy metal. Don't restrain your ears from hearing new things, new genres, new artists. So many ears are wasted when they aren't used to discover new things.
Listen to new music and discover a whole new world (and not just the song from Aladdin).
Some people say, "Music is music," putting all songs into the same box/category/group.
NO!
I hate it when people group all music together. That's like saying that the Mona Lisa is the same as the sculpture of the David. They just aren't the same.
Art is not art unless it is different. If art is the same, it's not art; it's mimicry. The definition of art is uniqueness, difference, specificity.
Having said that, I must also say that I have an open mind about music. I may not like all the music out there, but I am willing to hear anything before I judge. (I am currently listening to a chant from the Middle Ages, though, not by choice.)
I can tell you that certain genres aren't my favorite, but I'm still willing to listen... maybe I'll learn something by doing so.
If you've read my other posts, then you know that I'm a big fan of the singer/songwriter types (ie, John Mayer, Jack's Mannequin, Taylor Swift, Gavin DeGraw, etc). I love those artists because of their voices and lyrics.
Still, I also have a place in my heart for most any rock (but not a huge fan of heavy metal). Punk rock, Christian rock, Soft Rock, any rock, I'll probably enjoy.
I like some country. I love Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith, Shania Twain, and (since "The Voice") Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert. (Lambert's "The House That Built Me" gets me every time: "And I bet you didn't know, under that live oak, my favorite dog is buried in the yard..." *tear tear*)
I think that opera is just one of those things that was created to make you go nuts. It's just not my thing, but I know many people who love it. I'm a music major, so I have friends that dream of being opera singers, but that doesn't mean I enjoy listening to it all the time.
I love musicals, and like Emma Stone said in her movie Easy A, "Whatever happened to chivalry? Does it only exist in 80′s movies? I want John Cusack holding a boombox outside my window. I wanna ride off on a lawnmower with Patrick Dempsey. I want Jake from Sixteen Candles waiting outside the church for me. I want Judd Nelson thrusting his fist into the air because he knows he got me. Just once I want my life to be like an 80′s movie, preferably one with a really awesome musical number for no apparent reason. But no, no, John Hughes did not direct my life."
My favorite musicals include, but are not limited to Aida, West Side Story, Burlesque, Beauty and the Beast(which, by the way, was beast in 3D), Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Rent, and more. I love how theater and music come together and create even more magical, suspenseful, grand moments. I cannot get enough of those stories put to songs.
I love the "sappy love songs". Some of my favorite bands sing nothing but those and rock ballads. Secondhand Serenad, Dashboard Confessional, Teddy Geiger, Gavin DeGraw, they all have made careers off of singing those songs and I will probably listen to them 'til the day I die.
No matter who you are, you need to be open-minded when it comes to music. Don't put yourself in a box where you only listen to classical music or only listen to heavy metal. Don't restrain your ears from hearing new things, new genres, new artists. So many ears are wasted when they aren't used to discover new things.
Listen to new music and discover a whole new world (and not just the song from Aladdin).
Moving On...
**SPOILER: THIS IS NOT MY TYPICAL POST**
It's been the idea that you have to move to a big city like New York City, Nashville, or LA to hit it big.
It's true that in doing so, you have a much better chance of making it, but that's not your only option.
Unfortunately, I just found out that one of my favorite people in the world is moving. He is an amazing singer/guitarist and, like me, is passionate about music. He wants to make music for the rest of his life, and, to him, that means moving to Nashville.
I wish that Lexington was one of those places you move to when you want to make a name for yourself, because that would mean we'd keep him around.
Still, I know that he deserves better than anything Kentucky can do for him.
So, I bid him farewell and hope he gets what he wants in life.
It's been the idea that you have to move to a big city like New York City, Nashville, or LA to hit it big.
It's true that in doing so, you have a much better chance of making it, but that's not your only option.
Unfortunately, I just found out that one of my favorite people in the world is moving. He is an amazing singer/guitarist and, like me, is passionate about music. He wants to make music for the rest of his life, and, to him, that means moving to Nashville.
I wish that Lexington was one of those places you move to when you want to make a name for yourself, because that would mean we'd keep him around.
Still, I know that he deserves better than anything Kentucky can do for him.
So, I bid him farewell and hope he gets what he wants in life.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
A Universal Language
Music is a universal language just as English is. Unfortunately, not everyone is fluent in it. That's when lyricists come in and put words to the songs... but even then some people still don't understand the poetry of the words with the music... that's where I come in.
I plan on making a living using those 2 languages. I dream of writing about music; I want to critique performances, review albums, and interview artists.
Music and lyrics are what I'm passionate about. I know what artists want to portray, but if I don't, I wish to ask them personally.
I don't like symbolism... at least not the kind that involves counting up the number of words and letters and sentences and that type of thing. My favorite lyrics are the ones that are plainly honest and emotional and meaningful.
The best lyricists are the ones that have their hearts on their sleeves and don't care to tell the world what they're feeling.
"You'd think that people would've had enough of silly love songs... But I look around me and I see it isn't so... Some people wanna fill the world with silly love songs... Well what's wrong with that? I'd like to know, 'cuz here I go again..."
As cliche as love songs are, what else, really, do lyricists have to write about?
Just like journalists, lyricists have to write about things that are generic enough that people will sing along because it applies to them.
Love is something that literally applies to everyone. Love is universal, just as music is, so put the 2 together and you have a worldwide theme.
I am fluent in 2 languages: English and music.
I plan on making a living using those 2 languages. I dream of writing about music; I want to critique performances, review albums, and interview artists.
Music and lyrics are what I'm passionate about. I know what artists want to portray, but if I don't, I wish to ask them personally.
I don't like symbolism... at least not the kind that involves counting up the number of words and letters and sentences and that type of thing. My favorite lyrics are the ones that are plainly honest and emotional and meaningful.
The best lyricists are the ones that have their hearts on their sleeves and don't care to tell the world what they're feeling.
Let's face it... most songs are about love or something related to it.
"You'd think that people would've had enough of silly love songs... But I look around me and I see it isn't so... Some people wanna fill the world with silly love songs... Well what's wrong with that? I'd like to know, 'cuz here I go again..."
As cliche as love songs are, what else, really, do lyricists have to write about?
Just like journalists, lyricists have to write about things that are generic enough that people will sing along because it applies to them.
Love is something that literally applies to everyone. Love is universal, just as music is, so put the 2 together and you have a worldwide theme.
LOVE + MUSIC = WORLD PEACE
... just a thought... haha
These Words... These Walls
I'm a '90's kid, so I'm a sucker for the boy-band types.
I was, in high school, a pretty big fan of Teddy Geiger. For those who don't know, he's one of those pretty-boy types... All the girls loved him and he milked it for all it was worth, not that that's a bad thing.
It's been probably at least 3 years since I'd even thought about Geiger...
And then the other day, I was listening to Pandora, which I recommend wholeheartedly, and I was listening to my 2 stations: Maroon 5 and Gavin DeGraw.
(Sidenote: Pandora knows me so well. All the music it plays is what I want to hear.)
While I was listening, I realized I loved the song that was on and I had been singing along without even realizing it. When I looked up, I saw that my favorite Teddy Geiger song was playing: These Walls.
And everybody feels a broken heart sometimes
And even when I'm scared I have to try to fly
Sometimes I fall
But I've seen it done before
I gotta step outside these walls
These walls can't be my haven
These walls can't keep me safe here
And now I guess I gotta let them down
Cause everybody tries to put some love on the line
And everybody feels a broken heart sometimes, yeah
Even when I'm scared I have to try to fly
Sometimes I fall
But I've seen it done before
I got to break out...
I got to break out...
I got to step outside these walls
Love outside these walls
I feel my heart breaking
But its a brand new day
I'm going down
I'm stepping out
I'm stepping outside
These walls
(I've seen it done before.. I'm walking on, I'll walk it off, oh I'm moving on)
I was, in high school, a pretty big fan of Teddy Geiger. For those who don't know, he's one of those pretty-boy types... All the girls loved him and he milked it for all it was worth, not that that's a bad thing.
It's been probably at least 3 years since I'd even thought about Geiger...
And then the other day, I was listening to Pandora, which I recommend wholeheartedly, and I was listening to my 2 stations: Maroon 5 and Gavin DeGraw.
(Sidenote: Pandora knows me so well. All the music it plays is what I want to hear.)
While I was listening, I realized I loved the song that was on and I had been singing along without even realizing it. When I looked up, I saw that my favorite Teddy Geiger song was playing: These Walls.
I LOVE THIS!
Because I can only say so much, I'll stop here and just include the lyrics that Pandora played and I knew by heart. <3
I can't believe what is in front of me
The water's rising up to my knees
And I can't figure out
How the hell I wound up here
Everything seemed okay when I started out the other day
Then the rain came pouring down
And now I'm drowning in my fears
And as I watch the setting sun
I wonder if I'm the only one
Cause everybody tries to put some love on the line
And everybody feels a broken heart sometimes
And even when I'm scared I have to try to fly
Sometimes I fall
But I've seen it done before
I gotta step outside these walls
I've got no master plan to help me out
Or make me stand up for
All the things that I really want
You had me too afraid to ask
And as I look ahead of me
I cry and pray for sanity
Cause everybody tries to put some love on the lineThe water's rising up to my knees
And I can't figure out
How the hell I wound up here
Everything seemed okay when I started out the other day
Then the rain came pouring down
And now I'm drowning in my fears
And as I watch the setting sun
I wonder if I'm the only one
Cause everybody tries to put some love on the line
And everybody feels a broken heart sometimes
And even when I'm scared I have to try to fly
Sometimes I fall
But I've seen it done before
I gotta step outside these walls
I've got no master plan to help me out
Or make me stand up for
All the things that I really want
You had me too afraid to ask
And as I look ahead of me
I cry and pray for sanity
And everybody feels a broken heart sometimes
And even when I'm scared I have to try to fly
Sometimes I fall
But I've seen it done before
I gotta step outside these walls
These walls can't be my haven
These walls can't keep me safe here
And now I guess I gotta let them down
Cause everybody tries to put some love on the line
And everybody feels a broken heart sometimes, yeah
Even when I'm scared I have to try to fly
Sometimes I fall
But I've seen it done before
I got to break out...
I got to break out...
I got to step outside these walls
Love outside these walls
I feel my heart breaking
But its a brand new day
I'm going down
I'm stepping out
I'm stepping outside
These walls
(I've seen it done before.. I'm walking on, I'll walk it off, oh I'm moving on)
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