Death Cab for Cutie #6

The Song that Best Describes Death Cab for Cutie

By Anne Marie Adams

After months of listening to Death Cab for Cutie's music I can definitely say that there are a handful of songs that represent the group extremely well.  Yet, since I have to pick just one, I am going to go with Soul Meets Body.  Soul Meets Body was originally released on August 29th, 2005 on their album titles Plans.  It was one of their top songs, and was no doubt extremely overplayed.  It appeared on an episode of the O.C.  I think it describes Death Cab for Cutie better than any of their other hit songs because it is more pop and mainstream than most of their music.  While many of their songs are depressing, slow, and don't repeat much, Soul Meets Body had more of that mainstream pop style to it- with more repetition and a faster beat.  The faster beat and more cheerful lyrics totally lighten the mood, unlike most Death Cab for Cutie songs.  Yet, at the same time, they remain deep and insightful, which is very impressive.

Here is a link to Soul Meets Body: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uizQVriWp8M

Works cited:

"Album Review: Death Cab For Cutie - 'Codes'" NME.COM. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.

"Death Cab for Cutie - Soul Meets Body (video)." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.

Train #6

The Song that Describes Train

By: Allie Perez

With so many songs over a twenty-two year span, it is difficult to pick just one song that represents Train as an artist. If I had to pick one, it would be “Hey, Soul Sister”, because it best represents Train as they are today. This song came out in 2009 after Train took a three-year break from music, and it became an instant hit. It allowed them to burst into the music scene and establish themselves as a mainstream band. Its rhyming, easy to follow, repetitive and positive lyrics make it the perfect mainstream hit pop song. The bright and fun tone of the song, as well as the use of the ukulele makes it hard to dislike. The band has also said the song was written in response to wanting to return to its folk-rock roots, which is another reason it exemplifies Train as an artist. Many of Train’s songs feature some sort of story and “Hey, Soul Sister” does just that. Even more than this, the song has one the band many awards including a Grammy Award in 2011 for Best Pop Duo or Group with Vocal. It was even the most downloaded song on iTunes in 2010.  Train’s songs appeal to a wide variety of people, just as “Hey, Soul Sister” does.

Hey, Soul Sister-Train

"Hey Soul Sister by Train Songfacts." Hey Soul Sister by Train Songfacts. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.

"Hey, Soul Sister." Sheet Music By Train (SKU: HL.354028). N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.

"Hey, Soul Sister." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.

"Train - Hey, Soul Sister." YouTube. YouTube, 14 Nov. 2009. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.

The Song that Describes Carrie Underwood

The song that I personally think describes Carrie Underwood the most is Blown Away. After listening to so many of her phenomenal songs, I think that this song encompasses the best of all of them. It shows her passion for telling a story through a song that has meaning to her and hopefully to her audience. It also, however, is a very lively song showing her spirit and enthusiasm for her work. Finally, this song emphasizes her beautiful voice in a way that most songs don't. it shows how truly gifted she is as an artist, and how much raw talent and emotion can come from a song.
The song was written by Josh Kear and Chris Tompkins who also wrote Before He Cheats for Carrie in 2007. The song was Carrie Underwood's 13th number 1 single on the country music charts. At the Grammy's in 2013, Blown Away won both Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance. In the same year at the CMT awards, the song won video of the year. This also, as many of Carrie Underwood's songs are, happens to be a favorite song of mine, and I am pretty sure I know every word, and would never get tired of hearing it over and over again.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJgoHgpsb9I

 

 

 

"Carrie+underwood+blown+away - Google Search." Carrie+underwood+blown+away - Google Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. https://www.google.com/search?q=carrie%2Bunderwood%2Bblown%2Baway&biw=1368&bih=753&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=3udCVfexLI_EogSst4DoAQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg#imgrc=M2-n5CVYJ9WXBM%253A%3BdcYEdCHXdj4nWM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fupload.wikimedia.org%252Fwikipedia%252Fen%252Fc%252Fce%252FBlown_Away_album_cover.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fen.wikipedia.org%252Fwiki%252FBlown_Away_(album)%3B300%3B300.

"Blown Away by Carrie Underwood Songfacts." Blown Away by Carrie Underwood Songfacts. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. <http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=25995>.                         

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Carrie Underwood - Blown Away." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJgoHgpsb9I.

 



The Black Keys Post #6

The Song That Describes The Black Keys

Madeline Rose

After listening to a variety of the Black Keys music through the course of this project, I think that the one song that best describes them is Howlin' For You. The song is from their sixth album, Brothers, which was released in 2010. The song is on the soundtrack of several EA Sports video games and has also been played in many different TV shows. It charted #3 on Billboard's U.S. alternative songs and #5 on Billboard's U.S. hot rock songs. Many people describe the Black Keys music as blues rock, and I think this song really represents that label. The song puts a modern twist on blues rock as well as a mix of a few different styles, which is a characteristic of the Black Keys. I think they do a great job of appealing to people's taste in music nowadays while at the same time staying true to their style. They are aware that people aren't inclined to listen to blues music, so by adding the synthesizer and electric guitar they are able to broaden their "label" and appeal to fans of rock music and alternative music as well. Through this song they are able to introduce their audience to a style of music they probably would've never listened to on their own.

Howlin' For You- The Black Keys

Works Cited

"The Black Keys- Howlin' For You (With Lyrics)." YouTube. YouTube, 16 Mar. 2011. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF6-J5BCxWM>.
The Black Keys Standing. Digital image. Under the Radar. N.p., 3 Mar. 2010. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. <http://www.undertheradarmag.com/news/the_black_keys_announce_new_album>.
"Howlin' for You." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Apr. 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howlin%27_for_You>.

Miranda Lambert Post #6

The Song That Describes Miranda Lambert

Madison Clement

I’ve grown to love Miranda Lambert. I have really enjoyed these blogs because I have learned a lot of things about Miranda Lambert that I never knew before. One song that I feel really represents Miranda is ‘Little Red Wagon’. This song portrays her country life style and how it is so much apart of who she is. Even with all the fame and fortune, Miranda will never forget who she is and always remains humble. This up-tempo and sassy song shows Miranda’s never-ending confidence. This song screams risk taker in the country music world and shows that Miranda doesn’t care what other people think of her.

The first time I heard 'Little Red Wagon', I immediately fell in love with the song. The lyrics are catchy and easy to remember. It makes you want to dance and always puts you in a good mood. I'll never forget when she performed it at the Grammy’s. The look in her husband’s eyes as she performed was priceless. At the end he gave her a standing ovation. I not only fell in love with the song, but Miranda and Blake as a couple! They are following their dreams together and succeeding in every step!

Little Red Wagon

"Miranda Lambert Earns Milestone Award." Taste of Country. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.

"Miranda Lambert - Little Red Wagon (57th GRAMMYs)." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.

Joan Jett Post #6

The Song That Describes Joan Jett

By: Christina Serra

Being a Joan Jett fan for a while now and listening to every song she has ever written I find the song that repreents her the best is Bad Reputation. After she separated from the The Runaways Bad Reputation was one of the first songs she released as a solo artist. Due to Joan;s rebellious ways no record company wanted to sign with her because she was too "wild". Joan wasn't gonna change her ways for anyone so she wrote this song to show how much she didn't car what people thought of her rebellious and not "ladylike" ways.  This song made a very bold statement, establishing Jett as an independent-minded rocker with no concern for traditional gender roles in rock. When she was singing those lyrics, it was radical because there were no girls during that time doing anything other than what they were supposed to do. They were supposed to be dainty and wear dresses. They weren't supposed to dress risqué, play instruments, and most definitely not have a rebellious sound. I love how Joan doesn't know care what others viewed her as even if that meant putting her career at risk. That is an important lesson that still is relevant to women today.

Sources:

"Joan Jett - Bad Reputation Lyrics." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.

Picture: "Joan Jett Rebellious." Verbicidemagazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 

Maroon 5 Post #5

My First Maroon 5 Experience

Thinking back, I honestly can’t remember the first Maroon 5 song I heard. I do remember knowing a bunch of their songs by heart but not knowing who wrote them. Finally, I found out the name and artist of one of my favorites. I remember sitting in my bed on my computer listening to the “Youtube Mix” that came up when I searched Maroon 5. The one song I realized I already knew was Sunday Morning. It was an instant favorite when I heard it on the radio and then listening to it again later I really fell in love. To this day it is still my favorite Maroon 5 song. Since then they have been a band that takes me away from my problems to a place where I can just enjoy the music. After doing the research for my blog posts, I ended up loving their music even more. The emotional calmness and realness I felt in and from their music was authentic. The research helped me see the love of music and just the realness that the band had. I know have a new respect for all of their music and the band members in general. I thought it was really cool to get to find out about them and to enhance my love and knowledge of the great band. I said earlier that Sunday Morning was my favorite song by Maroon 5, and so naturally I would add it to this blog. However, I have already posted it on a previous blog so I’ll show you something new!

Animals by Maroon 5

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

Works Cited

"Animals-Maroon 5 (Lyrics)." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.

Tim McGraw Post #6

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Tim McGraw Post #6

 

 

Something Like That

By: Sophie Groves

 

Personally, I think there is no one song that completely exemplifies Tim McGraw’s insanely successful music career. While critics might believe that his hit song “Live Like You Were Dying”, or modern country fans might think that “Meanwhile Back at Mama’s”, clearly represents Tim McGraw’s music evolution, I believe that Tim McGraw’s 1999 hit, “Something Like That”, explains him well.

The lyrics of this great song detail the account of a teenage boy who sees a girl for the first time at a fair. The song is quite clever and funny, and is incredibly relatable for anyone who has spotted their first love for the first time. This is why I think this song represents Tim McGraw best, it is timeless, witty, and still appeals to people if all ages today.

 

"I had a barbeque stain on my white tee-shirt,

You were killing me in that mini skirt,

Skipping rocks on the river by the railroad tracks,

You had a suntan line and red lipstick,

I worked so hard for that first kiss,

And a heart don't forget, something like that"

“Something Like That” mixes pop-infused rhythm with the necessary country twist, which is how Tim McGraw has been creating music today. The memorable lyrics to the song and its overall message make it one of Tim’s best-loved songs. It is still played on country radio today.

 

Even though it is one of his older songs, I believe “Something Like That” truly epitomizes Tim McGraw’s music career.

 

Tim McGraw- Something Like That

 

Works Cited

"Tim McGraw - Something Like That." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

"Tim McGraw". Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. Apr.- May. 2015.

 



Train Post #5

Meet Virginia 

By: Allie Perez

The first song I ever heard by Train was “Meet Virginia”.  Several years ago I was listening to my sister’s music and stumbled across this song. The first time I heard it I liked it, but did not find it very compelling. Once I heard the song a few more times, and really listened to the lyrics, I began to love it. I loved the interesting storyline behind the song and the found the melody easy to sing along to. I soon decided I wanted to hear more from Train. Since my sister was the one who indirectly showed me the song I went to her for more music by Train, and she introduced me to songs like “Drops of Jupiter”. From there I began to find more and more songs I loved by Train.

I think this song somewhat represents Train well. Train’s songs often tell a story, which “Meet Virginia” does as well. This song is different from others by Train, however, because it has a much slower tempo. Also, it sounds different than some of Train’s newer pieces. In recent times, Train has developed a much more mainstream sound, sometimes even sounding country. Overall, however, I still think it represents Train fairly well.

Train- Meet Virginia

"Train - Meet Virginia." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.

"Train Are Back on Track and Moving Forward After the Band Almost Broke Up | PopEater.com." Popeater. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.