Post # 10 Music Of The 90's

   Music is often separated by decades, and there are many disagreements over which decade was the absolute best when it comes to the best music. Of course, that is all a matter of opinion. And in my opinion, the 90's was the best decade for music. Artists from many different genres such as hip hop, punk, pop, and rock really took off in the 90's and created some of the iconic songs that we still get down to and enjoy today, almost two decades later. Who doesn't still love to listen to "Barbie Girl" by Aqua, or "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice?

    There are many genres of music that I listen to and like, but one genre that really seems to resonate with me is 90's Alternative music. You may be wondering, "what counts as 90's Alternative music?" 90's Alternative is basically the rock and grunge music that was really popular in the 90's. Some bands in this category include the all famous Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, and my all time favorite, the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Those are just a few of course. Thankfully radio stations who understand that there are more than ten songs in the world still play and appreciate some 90's alternative tracks. Pandora, the internet radio app, is a great way to discover 90's Alternative songs that you may not have heard of before, as they have a category specifically titled: 90's Alternative. Pandora is a great app to discover any genre of music for that matter.

     When it comes to hip hop, the 90's were great. Again, that's just my opinion. 90's hip hop seemed to portray a different meaning than what hip hop today does, and it's a lot easier to dance to than today's hip hop. "Jump Around" by House of Pain as well as "Jump" and "Warm It Up" by Kris Kross, are two perfect examples of easy-to-dance-to 90's hip hop. You've most likely heard them as well. If you have ever seen 1993 movie, Mrs. Doubtfire, you have heard "Jump Around" by House of Pain. Although they formed in the 80's, the Beastie Boys are of the most popular hip hop groups of the 90's. They have a very unique sound, as they combine hip hop with rock. I highly recommend listening to some of their stuff.

     Just like the Beastie Boys, my favorite band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP) are also an 80's band who made it really big in the 90's. RHCP came out with three albums during the 90's. These albums include "Blood Sugar Sex Magik," "One Hot Minute," and "Californication." Both "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" and "Californication" are still of the most popular RHCP albums. Songs from these albums can be found on pretty much any 90's Alternative internet radio station. RHCP as well as the Smashing Pumpkins are two of my favorite 90's bands and I strongly encourage you to look them up and check out some of the greatest hits of 90's as well.

Post #9 "All That Jazz"

    One genre of music that doesn't seem to get enough credit these days is jazz music. I was never a huge fan of jazz music. In fact, I despise some of it, mostly what I consider to be "elevator jazz." The kind that plays in hotel elevators or in the produce section of a seemingly deserted super market. Or all of those long, annoying, and confusing saxophone solos. Damn saxophone players. Them and their long solos are the reason why many people find jazz to be so boring. The only saxophones that I really have any respect for are the Baritone Saxophone and the Soprano Saxophone. Although they are on opposite ends of the spectrum, they both give off and awesome and unique sound that really "jazz things up!" Not all jazz is bad though. A lot of cool stuff can be done with jazz music such as improvisation and different renditions of popular songs, such as pop songs and Christmas music. Oh Christmas jazz, how I hate you.
     I spent three and a half years in jazz band in high school as the lead trumpet player. This experience opened my eyes and ears to jazz music and I gained a new appreciation for it as well as a musical and cultural understanding of it. I played some pretty awesome songs, or charts, in my first few years of jazz band. One of my favorites that I've played would have to be a song called "Moanin'" by Charles Mingus. That's definitely a song worth listening to. It's upbeat and interesting and features an impressive baritone saxophone solo at the beginning. It also features an element of ragtime, which is basically where members of the band are playing different melodies at the same time to create a cool, and confusing, layering effect.

Here's a much shorter version of "Moanin'" by Charles Mingus, played by the Fribourg Jazz Orchestra.

     Jazz music is purely an American sound. It originated in New Orleans, Louisiana in the early 1900's and spread up through the United States to New York. It sparked a lot of popularity in the 1920's and grew tremendously. Jazz music is the basis for all of the modern music we have today. If it were not for jazz, we would not have the musicality that we do today. Most Rock music stems from the Blues which is a form of jazz music, using the same, or very similar, chord progressions and rhythms. 

     There are more than just Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie when it comes to talented jazz artists. Buddy Rich is as very famous jazz drummer that you may have heard of. Some of his more famous songs include "Caravan" and "Channel One Suite." My personal favorite jazz artist is Glenn Miller. His most popular piece is called "In The Mood." If you have ever seen the Lindsey Lohan version of The Parent Trap, you have heard this song. I think that is one of the most popular and well-known songs out there.

"In The Mood" by Glenn Miller

I don't have a whole lot of nice things to say about modern jazz music. Especially when it comes to Kenny G. One artist that I do have a good amount of respect for is Gordon Goodwin. He seems to keep things pretty interesting in a lot of his pieces. Here is my favorite of his entitled "Hunting Wabbits."

"Hunting Wabbits" by Gordon Goodwin

Post #8 The Human Library

     I was very glad that our class time was spent at The Human Library last Thursday. During the time that I was there, I spoke to three different people and learned a little about their lives and the experiences that they have had. The first person I talked to was a survivor of a deadly car crash. Her name is Savannah Fielder. I actually went to high school with her and I remember when the car accident occurred. She told of how she was heading to work one day in December of 2013 and her car spun out on the icy road and crashed. Savannah said that she lost a whole month of her life and does not remember anything from the crash other than the ambulance ride where her father gave her his headphones so that she could listen to Taylor Swift the whole way to the hospital. She was in a coma for about a month. The accident happened during her senior year of high school and she spent the last six months of her senior year going through physical therapy and rehabilitation. She did however graduate with her class and is now attending her fifth semester here at Delta. 

     "Forced" isn't quite the word that I would use, but the lady who seemed to be in charge of The Human Library strongly directed me to another person who I probably would not have chosen to sit down and listen to. His name is Ray and he is an English professor here at Delta. He is also a Muslim. The reason why I most likely would not have chosen to talk with him is because I know very little about Muslims and what they do and believe The first thing I learned from him was that Islam is the faith and a Muslim is someone who practices that faith. He explained how he was raised as a Catholic and how he became a Muslim when he was in grad school. I felt a little uncomfortable asking him questions because I was, and still am, quite ignorant about the Islamic faith. I learned from him that there are three mosques in the area and the Muslim community is growing. Overall, I am glad that I talked to him because I learned a bit about something I really knew nothing about. Ray was very open to any questions that we had about him or about Muslims and answered them clearly. He also welcomed us to come see him in his office if we ever had any more questions about being Muslim.

     The last person I talked to was a recovered addict. I did not catch her name but I personally found her story of her experiences to be the most interesting. She was a drug addict for many years and had actually gone to prison. She had battled with her addiction to drugs such as cocaine for several years. She told us that prison is where she got clean. From the way she described prison life, it sounded a lot like the show, Orange Is The New Black, but I didn't have the guts to ask her if she had seen the show or if the show was an accurate representation of what she experienced. We learned that she has an eighteen year-old son as well as twins. She is currently employed and plans on coming back to delta to finish getting her degree.

     I think that The Human Library is a very interesting activity. I really did enjoy taking part in it. It was enjoyable to listen to people tell about their lives and unique experiences that not everyone has. I would most definitely take part in this activity again. I do wish that I had the chance to talk to more people and hear about their experiences, but perhaps I will be able to talk to these people the next time this activity comes around.

Post #7 Hand In Hand

    If you have noticed from my previous blog posts, I reference movies quite a bit when talking about certain songs. That is because music and movies go hand in hand. When is the last time you watched a movie that did not have music? I highly doubt you can think of one off the top of your head. I certainly can't. Even silent movies and shows such as the 2011 film The Artist and the cartoon TV show Tom and Jerry  have music, that is how you know what's going on in the show. The purpose of music in movies is to portray a certain mood, point, or feeling. The music is supposed to make you feel a certain way. Maybe you have heard this before, but if you were to watch a sad movie without any music, chances are you wouldn't cry at all or feel the same emotional level that you would have,  had you been watching that movie with music.
     Some music is placed into a certain scene of a movie or TV show just because it perfectly sums up the character or action that the character is doing in that scene. It also can add an element of foreshadowing. For example, if you have ever seen the movie Deadpool, at the beginning of the final fight scene the song "X Gon' Give It to Ya" starts playing. This song lets you know that something is about to go down. It's kind of like pregame music for what's about to happen. As I said before, music is supposed to make you feel a certain way.
     We usually associate some songs with movies. Sometimes we do not know what the song is called or who it is by, but we can name the movie it was in with no problem or hesitation. Most of you out there have seen Shrek, right? When you hear the song "All Star" by Smashmouth, you most likely immediately think of the movie Shrek. Maybe you don't even know the song "All Star." But if you hear it on the radio you think "Oh, it's that one song from Shrek." The same can be said about the John Cale version of  the song "Hallelujah."
     If movies did not include music, I'm not sure I would even watch them... Well, I suppose I wouldn't go that far. But I most definitely wouldn't get the same enjoyment out of them as I do now. Movies can really play with your emotions, and with the help of the right song for the right scene, they can have you laughing, scared, crying, or confused. Just another example of one of the many amazing things about music.

Post #6 Music From The 80's

     Personally, I was never really a fan of music from the 80's. It's bands and artists such as Wham!, Madonna, Tears for Fears, and Phil Collins, just to name a few, that turned me off to 80's music. And as a result, I just kind of wrote off 80's music all together... Or so I thought.
     It wasn't until recently that I realized that some of the most well-known songs out there came from the 80's. Songs that I have always enjoyed and praised to be the true definition of Rock. "I love Rock n' Roll" and "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett, as well as "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor, and "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield are just a few really good examples of what I mean by "true Rock." These are songs that you have heard many times in movies and also, usually a few times, at high school dances. But it's not just Rock that the 80's did well for, there are certain songs that hold a special place in my heart that happen to come from the 80's.
     Michael Jackson had a lot of hits in the 80's with songs like "Billie Jean," "Bad," "Beat It," and the all famous "Thriller." These of course are all well-known songs from "The Prince of Pop" that I personally like.  Pop music really started to take off in the 80's by the way. Hence Michael Jackson's title... 80's pop is probably what I dislike the most about 80's music. Although I do enjoy a majority of Michael Jackson songs, I simply cannot stand "The Way You Make Me Feel." A lot of 80's pop is just annoying and cheesy. "Wake Me up Before You Go-Go" by Wham! and "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins, and perhaps the cheesiest of all "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley are just a few songs that make me want to clout my ears. However, I have a good amount of love for Cyndi Lauper. You know, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." If you have ever seen the 2004 film, Napoleon Dynamite, you have heard one of my favorites of her's, "Time After Time" She is one of the few pop artists of the 80's that I can actually stand.
     Moving on from 80's pop, let's talk about 80's rock. The rock music of the 80's is far more enjoyable to listen to in my opinion. One of the greatest rock groups of the 80's would have to be Queen. Granted, they did form in the 70's but they had so many great songs in the 80's. "Another One Bites The Dust" is one that we should all recognize. "I Want It All" as well as "Under Pressure" (Which was a duo with David Bowie) were also quite memorable songs from Queen in the 80's. To me, Guns N' Roses always seemed a bit overrated and is one 80's rock band that never really appealed to me. Bon Jovi though, no matter how cheesy some of their stuff is, is an 80's rock band that I really enjoy. How can you not sing along to "Livin' On A Prayer" or "You Give Love A Bad Name?"
     Aside from the good and bad 80's music, the most important thing to ever come from the 80's, music-wise, was the formation of The Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP) in 1983. Don't be confused, although they did form in the 80's, they are truly a 90's band at heart because that is really when a lot of their stuff took off. But RHCP, and 90's music in general, is talk for another time.

Post #5 The Beatles

     I used to think that the Beatles were really overrated. Don't get me wrong, there were definitely a good number of songs of theirs that I liked, and still do like, but I just didn't understand why many people seemed to praise them as the greatest band to ever walk the earth. Perhaps it was that I had never really took the time to listen to more of their songs. Only the really popular ones such as "Hey Jude," "Let it Be," "Here Comes the Sun," and "Come Together." I understood that they were really the first band to generate such a sound for the time and that makes them special, but really that special?
     It wasn't until a few nights ago that I gained a new appreciation for the Beatles and their music. I was convinced to watch a movie called Across The Universe. This movie is basically a musical that consists of Beatles songs and references. Even characters' names in the movie are references to names included in Beatles songs. I know, you're thinking, "wait a minute, your blogs are supposed to be about music, not movies." Well the two really seem to go hand in hand most of the time, don't they? This movie really opened my eyes, as well as my ears, to many Beatles songs that I had never heard before or had never paid much attention to. Of course they are not the original recordings of the Beatles, but actors and singers who, in my opinion, do a beautiful rendition of their songs. I'm honestly not sure if these songs would have the same effect on me if I had heard them in their original Beatles form.
     The song "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" is one of the songs that this movie had brought to my attention that I previously had no idea existed. And I am now obsessed with it. Listening to it every day since I have watched the movie. The songs in Across The Universe are perfectly tied into the story line of the movie which offers an understanding to the songs' meaning by the way it is used in the movie. Most of the songs are a base for the story line of the movie actually. And some of the other songs just fit in quite perfectly. "Across The Universe" is in fact a Beatles song by the way, if you were not aware. I strongly encourage you to watch this movie and listen to the soundtrack. The movie is currently on Netflix and the album can be found on iTunes as well as Spotify, and of course on YouTube. I still think that the Beatles are slightly overrated. But only slightly now, and I have gained a large appreciation for their music.

"Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" 

Post #4 Music of the 70's

      When you think about the 70's, you probably think about leisure suits, platform shoes, bell bottoms, and disco. The 70's were definitely iconic for disco music with songs such as "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees, "Get Down Tonight" by KC and the Sunshine Band, and "Play that Funky Music" by Wild Cherry. But the 70’s consisted of more than just disco when it comes to music. The 70’s was the birth place of so many great songs and groups. Groups such as Led Zeppelin, Steve Miller Band, Journey, Van Halen, Cheap Trick, and AC/DC are some of the most popular rock groups of the 70’s, bringing us many brilliant and memorable songs that still remain popular today.

     Aside from rock and disco, soul music was also very popular during this time. We’ve all heard the songs “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Diana Ross, “Love Train” by The O'Jays, and “I will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor. If those songs do not scream 70’s Soul Music, then I don’t know what does. If you have not heard of these songs, I urge you to check them out. Soul music just seems to make the soul feel good. Listen and see. Let us now move onto pop. Pop music really wasn’t that popular in the 70’s though. Perhaps you’ve heard of Abba? Abba was considered to be a pop band but really had more of a disco feel to their music. If you have ever seen the 2008 movie, Get Smart, you have heard “Take a Chance on Me” by Abba. (Great movie by the way). Some other popular songs from this group include “Mamma Mia” and “Dancing Queen.” Although they are technically more of an 80’s group, Lipps Inc. does serve as an example of a pop group formed in the 70’s. Their 1979 song, “Funkytown,” is one of their most popular. If you have ever watched the 2004 movie, Shrek 2, you have most definitely heard this song. (Another wonderful movie, I might add).

     Out of the many songs of the 70’s, there is one that really seems to stick out to me, and it holds a very special place in my heart. Why exactly, I am unsure. It is just catchy and makes me want to sing along. Ladies and gentlemen, I leave you with this 1976 work of art, that you may recognize, by Hall & Oates entitled “Rich Girl.”

"Rich Girl" by Hall & Oates

Post #3 Music of the Early 2000's

     Do we all remember when Kidz Bop came out? The very first Kidz Bop CD came out in October of 2001. That was almost fifteen years ago. Fifteen years ago, the majority of us would have been around four to seven years old. Now, I won’t go on to explain my opinion of how Kidz Bop has gone on for far too long in this blog post, but let’s take a moment to think about some of the songs that were horribly mutilated by the addition of children’s voices on this CD. This CD included songs such as “All Star” by Smash mouth, “Oops… I Did It Again” by Brittany Spears, and “All The Small Things” by Blink 182, just to name a few. Are any of these songs sounding familiar? The songs on this CD are from the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

     Being that I had two older sisters who listened to “the hottest jams” of the 2000’s, I too listened, and therefore a lot of my early childhood memories consist of such songs, as well as many more. It’s sad that the only time that songs from the early 2000’s are played is on weekdays during some radio station’s “throwback lunch hours.” I would like to commit this blog post to sharing what I consider to be the “best” songs of the early 2000’s. My hope is that you will either recognize some of these songs or look them up and listen and possibly discover some great music.

     Let’s kick off the list with the music group Destiny’s Child. Some of their most popular songs include “Survivor,” “Independent Women, Part 1,” and “Say My Name.” This group was formed in the 90’s but found most of its success in the early 2000’s. A few of their songs play a very important part in creating my “Ultimate 2000’s” playlist. Moving on from there, let's go to the artist, Pink, who is still quite popular in today's music. Two songs of her's that really stand out to me from the 2000's are "Don't Let Me Get Me" and "Get the Party Started." And how could we ever forget to mention Avril Lavigne? She was a very popular artist at the time with songs like "Sk8er Boi," "I'm With You," and "Complicated." But would the early 2000's even be what they were if it were not for Shakira? If you have never heard of her, I don't know what went wrong in your life... Some of her most notable songs were "Hips Don't Lie," "Objection," and "Whenever, Wherever."

     Of course the list could go on and on with artists such as Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Eminem, Nelly, Kelly Clarkson, Sean Paul, and Even a little bit of Outkast. And that is only naming very few. If you were to look up "2000's Radio" on Pandora or Spotify, you would surely find most of these songs on that station.  If you ever have the time, I encourage you to look up and listen to some of the songs and artists/groups that I have listed below.

Sean Paul - "Get Busy"

Mary J. Blige - "Family Affair"

Alicia Keys - "Fallin'"

Outkast - "Hey Ya!"

Jennifer Lopez Ft. Ja Rule - "I'm Real"

Daniel Powter - "Bad Day"

James Blunt - "You're Beautiful"

Kylie Minogue - "Can't Get You Out of My Head"

Outkast - "The Whole World"

Vanessa Carlton - "A Thousand Miles"
Michelle Branch - "Are You Happy Now?"

Sum 41 - "In Too Deep"

Good Charlotte - "The Anthem"

Simple Plan - "I'm Just a Kid"

Interpool - "Obstacle 1"

Weezer - "Beverly Hills"

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Maps"

3 Doors Down - "Kryptonite"

Post #2 Why Sit in Silence?

     Because I live in Caro, work in Frankenmuth, and attend school in between Bay City and Saginaw, I spend a lot of my time driving. I don't mind driving at all, in fact I like it. I view my commutes from home to work and to school as my "me time." This "me time" is very important to me because for about two hours a day, I am by myself and able to listen to whatever music I'd like. A lot of the time, the music that I listen to on my way to school or work sets the tone not only for the beginning of my day, but also for the rest of my day. I usually get an ear worm from the music I listen to earlier in the day and carry it around with me for quite a while. SIDE NOTE: If you were unaware of what an ear worm is, it is a song that is stuck in your head. We've all had those before. If the song that is stuck in my head has a good groove to it and is somewhat of a "feel-good" song, I will generally be more positive throughout the day. Therefore, if that song is one that is more on the depressing side, there is a good chance that my day may seem a bit more overcast than usual.

     Music does not only impact my day, but on a larger scale, it impacts my life by way of my memories and feelings. Like everyone else in the world, I can listen to a certain song and instantly be thrown into a flashback of a time where that song was playing, or when that song was popular or when it had just come out. For example, let's go back about seven years to middle school. More specifically, the first middle school dance that I had ever attended. It was a Friday in October and I was in sixth grade. Many kids surrounded the DJ's loud speakers and flashing lights, jumping, because let's face it, we didn't really know how to dance. The DJ had announced that it was "time to slow things down a bit" and that this would be the last slow song of the dance. I had watched the boy that I liked at the time slow dance with several girls throughout the evening and wanted very much to slow dance with him. The song "21 Guns" by Green Day came on as I got up to approach him to ask if he would dance with me. I was only a few steps away when this girl, you know the one who had a new boyfriend every two weeks or so, put her arms around his neck. At that moment I wanted to put my arms around her neck too, and not in the same way. I sat there on the bleachers for the remainder of the dance. Now, every time I hear that song, I instantly think of that dance and the depression I felt at the time. (Just for the record, I really dodged a bullet there with that kid and can now laugh about the whole experience)

     As you may have learned from my last blog post, and as you will continue to realize in my future blog posts, music has a great impact on my life and is very important to me. If I am not listening to music for even a minute while I'm driving, I feel like I am wasting my time by sitting in silence and not having a single creative or complex thought in my head. Because that is one of many things that music does to a person, it can be a base for your thoughts, ideas, and emotions. There are so many memories and connections to be made while listening to music, so why waste a single minute in silence?

Post #1 Why I Chose to Write About Music

     Regardless of what emotion you are feeling, whether it is happy, lonely, angry, or depressed, there is a song out there that fits the way you feel at that time. You could be angry one moment and then "Tay Swift" comes on the radio and tells you about how "the haters gonna hate" and how you just have to "shake it off, shake it off." That may not be the best example in the world, but I'm sure we have all experienced a time in our lives where music has truly helped us and has molded or changed the way we feel. I have chosen music as my topic to write about, not only because it is a great love and interest of mine, but also because I am fascinated by where it has gone, how it has changed, and what it can do. I believe that music is essential in living a happy and wholesome life. 

     I have always loved listening to music and always had the desire to learn how to read and play it, however, the requirement of learning the recorder in elementary school wasn't very helpful in learning any musical skills and just didn't cut it for me. When I began middle school, in sixth grade, I joined band and learned how to play the trumpet. When I first began, I used to just open my trumpet case and stare at my trumpet, thinking it to be the most beautiful and shiny thing that I had ever seen. It made me happy just looking at it. FUN FACT: I named it Ed, short for Edward, because Twilight was a popular thing at the time. And a primary instrument should always have a name. Joining band had opened me up to different genres of music that I had, and most likely wouldn't have, considered listening to. I now have a wide selection of genres that I enjoy listening to, 90s alternative, rock, funk, and indie genres being at the top of the list though.

     There are so many wonderful and amazing things about music that I will highlight in my future blog posts. In the 2004 movie, Mean Girls, when the main character, Cady Heron, is asked why she likes math, she replies by saying "because it's the same in every country." Music is the same in that aspect in that it is also the same in every country. It is a universal language, hence the title of my blog, "Universally Speaking," which is named after the song by my favorite band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The fact music is universally read and understood is just one of the many interesting things about music.