This song is called “Bablo Boat” by Royce da 5’9″ featuring J. Cole. I chose this song after finding about Royce through Eminem and their song “Caterpillar”. Youtube recommended Bablo Boat to me right after hearing it. I was curious to hear J. Cole with Royce and was not disappointed. At first what caught me was the instrumental as it’s soft as if it’s a beat meant to relax the listeners. There’s many background noises that add onto the effect making it smoother and psychedelic. The pacing starts slow but speeds up as the song progresses. To me, this stirs away from most rap and hip hop beats. As I listened to the instrumental I focused on the lyrics repeatedly and noticed both Royce and Cole reminisce on this track about their lives. Royce speaks about his personal experience at the actual Bablo Boat amusement park with his family. To his uncle’s crack addiction, to his father and brother’s alcohol addictions. Royce also mentions how at the Bablo Boat he lost his virginity. J. Cole continues the theme by talking about his past with his mom, wishing he could rewind time to when his only focus was girls. J. Cole uses word play in his line “we had no bablo boat but I could note those times like a Bible quote. B.C. before cell phones.” saying life was easier when the world wouldn’t focus on social media and giving their lives to a device. I believe we can all relate to this and reminisce as well to those times.

Definitions:

Smooth: Easy on the ears, not harsh. Flat frequency response, especially in the midrange. Lack of peaks and dips in the response.

Pace: Often assoc. with rhythm, a strong sense of timing and beat.

Focus: A strong, precise sense of image projection.

The song I have decided to choose for my record club is “Can’t Die” by Juice Wrld. I believe every song he has the lyrics are very powerful and catches anyone’s attention very fast. Juice Wrld was struggling with addiction, anxiety, and depression. The fear of getting judged by the world has created an inner devil for Juice Wrld. The song Can’t Die is a very deep song that speaks directly to the audience about how he “can’t die” because he “never was alive”. That statement for the most part also touches on the depression that he feels due to the death of his loved ones, in addition to sympathizing with others who are going through the same. In the first chorus,

“Sometimes it feels like I can’t die, ’cause I never was alive”

Then in verse two, he sings

“Cross my heart, hope to survive”.

When Juice Wrld is singing you can really hear the acoustic guitar and you can pick up how the beat of the tone is more sincere and genuine like you hear the passion he has for music. As an audience, we can really notice when he raps he is very heartfelt but also when he sings it’s more calming and his vocals create a sense of sadness/pain. Expressing his emotions through his music really allows his audience to connect more with him, soecally about mental health. Many individuals use his music as an escape from reality and transport to somewhere they feel safe.

This song is considered a hip hop/rap genre. The chorus, verses, and the bridge in the song really create a sense of honesty and gives the audience a visual of his life and his mental health through the art of music. The song has a combination of a beat, tempo, chorus, and tone that really makes the music more smooth and creates a balance.

Musical Terms: 

Chorus: It is a repeated section in the music, and it is a common song structure, and usually it is repeated at least twice in a song.

Beat: it is a regular pulse in music that allows the dancers/audience to go with the beat and music to run smoothly.

Tempo: the speed at which the music is or should be played. 

Tone: is an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience. The tone in the music can be anywhere from informal to formal, cheerful, or sad.

The song I have decided to choose for the record club is “Feel” by Robin William. The lyrics to this song are so powerful and catch my attention immediately. It is such a deep song that it lifts the spirit and feeds the soul. Also, of course, it makes me reflect a lot, when I have a bad day I listen to it with my eyes closed and the song transports me to a more cheerful place. Life is short and unfortunately we don’t know how to live it. I speak personally about myself, I value my life very much and the young adult that I am becoming. Although sometimes I would have liked to make different decisions thinking more about myself and not filling other people’s expectations. There is a specific part of the song I love and is very stuck in my head :

“Not sure I understand

This role I’ve been given

I sit and talk to God

And he just laughs at my plans

My head speaks a language

I don’t understand”

This song  is considered a pop genre and a very strong chorus presence. it may be interpreted as being lost and not knowing which path to take and wanting to feel real love. Life is not perfect and most of the time it is not as we wish it was. This song I relate to,  will keep on listening and sharing it with my friends. The beat, ambient and presence just combine so well makes the song such a creative masterpiece. Overall what a great song that has a powerful meaning, at least to me it does. 

Terms:

– Chorus: The part of a song with the same melody and words each time it’s heard – I’ll sing the verses, and you sing the choruses.

– Tempo:  The speed at which a passage of music is or should be played.

-Beat: The regular pulse in music that dancers move to and audiences clap to.

-Ambience: A style of gentle, largely electronic instrumental music with no persistent beat, used to create or enhance a mood or atmosphere.

-Presence: The quality in sound of the instrument (or sound source) being right there next to you.

-Genre-Pop: pop’, an abbreviation of ‘popular’, was originally used to refer to music which appealed to a wide audience. since the 1950’s, it has been closely associated with rock ‘n’ roll.

My song choice for Record Club is “Down” by duo Chloe x Halle. It is from their debut album, The Kids Are Alright. At the ages of seventeen and nineteen, the title has a more literal meaning as the album is geared towards a younger audience. It has themes of the album speaks on the experience of transition through the teenage years and progressing into young adulthood. I think this is why I resonate with the album with “Down” being my personal favorite. I would often hear others talking about having a go-to song which calms them down, some even take it a step further and make an entire playlist based solely on moods. As someone who listens to any and everything, I never had one.That was until I found this song, as soon as I heard it, I then began to understand exactly what a comfort song is. It is like a wave of calmness washes over me as soon as I hear this song, and based on the lyrics I can see that was exactly what they were going for. 

“Down” is mainly a R&B song but other elements are also present. The opening vocals in the intro are similar to the vocals that would be heard during an opera show. These opera-like sounds are heard throughout the track. This also goes for the harmonies that the two create with their voices, which can be heard in the background. It is one of those songs where something is always going on, especially in the background. There is a mix of lead vocals that are loud and clear while the background vocals take on a more light and airy tone. During the chorus we see a change in the tempo as the bass comes in heavy. But it is not too harsh to change up the mood of the song, instead it fits smoothly as it adds to the calming feel. 

The aspect of the song that sticks out the most are the vocals. The airy tone sounds beautiful and angel-like. The main message of the song is that sometimes when life is too much it is okay to sit back and relax. This would explain why the choice of sound was more light and airy instead of with more of an edge. It is especially evident in the chorus as we can hear how the pronunciation becomes different. Instead of saying slow as is, instead they drag out the word and then pronounce it as “slooowww” before they then proceed to sing down. They are acting out the word at the same time as it is being sung. It is little things like this that adds onto the serene feel of the song. As they sing about taking a moment to relax, every aspect of the song is made to replicate that exact action. Lyric wise,  “Down” is a mellow anthem about taking a moment to calm your nerves. But Chloe x Halle take it a step further to ensure that this song, from the smooth instrumentals to the soft lead and background vocal arrangements, would be the perfect one to play during that time. 

Terms:

R&B:Rhythm and blues. A musical style that grew out of Black American blues, boogie-woogie, Gospel, roadhouse piano/guitar duos and other influences mostly from the Southern United States.-Wikipedia Glossary of Jazz and Popular Music

Opera:A drama set to music, usually sung throughout, originating in 17th century Italy. Opera is a combination of music, drama, scenery, costumes, dance, etc., to create a complete art form.-Music Notes Glossary of Musical Terms

Harmony:A harmony is when multiple tones from multiple sources come together simultaneously, in a pleasing way. When you play all the notes of a chord, you’re creating a type of harmony. The strumming of notes on a guitar can create a harmony; an orchestra of instruments playing together creates a harmony; and two or more voices singing together can create a harmony.-Spotify Glossary of Music Terms

Bass-Name used for the largest (normally) instrument in a family of instruments. For example Bass Guitar.-Songstuff Glossary

Tempo-The pace of a piece of music is known as its tempo. Tempo can be measured by beats per minute, or bpm; classical music tempos are described by a set of terms ranging from larghissimo (very slow) to andante (a moderate speed) to prestissimo (very fast).-Spotify Glossary of Music Terms

 Chorus-The chorus is intended to be the most memorable part of the song. It is repeated several times so that it sticks in your mind. Several other tricks are used to help it stick.Commonly a chorus:Contrasts with the verse, rhythmically, melodically, lyrically, harmonically and / or dynamically.A chorus is repeated at least once, both musically and lyrically. Usually several times.It is more intense, has more energy. A chorus usually has a greater musical and emotional intensity than the verse.Lyrically:The main message and /or concept is expressed in the chorus.-Songstuff Glossary

Mellow-Reduced high frequencies, not Edgy. –Describing Sounds: A Glossary

I want to be honest and begin by saying that I struggled to find the “right” song for Record Club. I know music is subjective and what is right for me may not necessarily be right for someone else. I know that some music is not for everyone. I also struggled with the idea of posting a song that sends a positive message or that bring light to issues we still face today. It was tough to come up with a song. The song “I’m Not Like Everybody Else” by The Kinks was not my first choice. The song itself was definitely on my list of songs to use for Record Club but it was actually my third or fourth choice. As cliché as it will sound, in the end I decided to go with this song because I didn’t want to be like everyone else. Deciding which version of the song to use was much easier.

The song was originally released as a B-Side to the single “Sunny Afternoon” in 1966. The original version of “I’m Not Like Everybody Else” runs at roughly three minutes and twenty-nine seconds. This version of the song has a much faster tempo and has a more upbeat tone  that embodies the Pop sound of 1960’s Rock. The version I used for Record Club is a live version recorded during The Kinks US and UK tours in 1993 and 1994 and released on the album To The Bone. The live version is slightly reworked with an extended intro and some changes or modifications to some lyrics. The intro to the song contains an instrumental that begins seventeen seconds into the track and runs at just about one minute and sixteen seconds and also extends the outro with a roughly one minute long instrumental. The whole track contains a slower tempo and the instrumental intro provides a more gritty sound as the lead guitar plays the main riff with a rougher sound that is more typical of the music scene of the 1990’s. The vocals are incredibly different as well. Ray Davies’ live vocals sort of compliment the lyrics of the song. Ray Davies voice sound more mature and at times sounds almost raspy or hoarse especially when he sings the chorus versus the more relaxed tone of the individual verses. Fans have speculated that the reason Ray Davies sound was different was because of tension within the band that may have been attributed to a decline in their commercial success.

I chose “I’m Not Like Everybody Else” because of how much the lyrics resonate with me. I live in a toxic environment where I have often been compared to others who, in my opinion, are not exactly as desirable as some may believe. Far too often I was surrounded by people who demanded I do things as they say; get the job they demanded or listen to the music they demanded or dress how they demanded and in truth, for most of my life I felt like I did not and sometimes still don’t have my own identity. I first heard this song way back in 2004 when it played during the end credits of the Sopranos season five episode “Cold Cuts.” The scene shows Tony instigate an argument with his sister Janice. She chases him around her dinner table with a fork as her husband stops her. Tony smiles, and walks out of Janice’s home when the song begins. There was something about the song itself and the lyrics that set such a juxtaposing tone to the scene. Here we see Tony walking down the block while a woman rakes her front lawn, a man walks his dog, two teenage boys walk past Tony while a couple power walks in the background. We the viewers know that Tony is definitely not like everybody else. I thought the scene was brilliant and immediately downloaded the song. It wasn’t until a few years later when I actually read the lyrics that I realized the song was very much anti-conformity and defiant and it felt like my personal problems at home were written in this track.

Terms Used:

Tempo: The speed of the rhythm of a composition. https://www.freemusicdictionary.com/definition/tempo/

Tone: An interval consisting of two semitones, that is a whole step.The particular sound of an instrument or voice, as well as the performer’s particular coloring of that sound. https://www.freemusicdictionary.com/definition/tone/

Intro: opening section. https://www.freemusicdictionary.com/definition/intro/

Outro: a short, distinct closing section at the end of something (such as a piece of music, a performance, or a news report) https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outro

Lead Guitar: The part played by a guitar soloist in a rock band. https://www.freemusicdictionary.com/definition/lead-guitar/

Riff: In pop and jazz compositions, a short ostinato, two to four bars long. A riff is a prominent feature of jazz music.a short musical phrase in jazz or blues. it may be repeated often during a piece, with changes to the key, rhythm or melody<br><br>A short melody repeatedly played in a tune often with variation between vocal lines. https://www.freemusicdictionary.com/definition/riff/

Verse: Solo passage from the Gradual which precedes the response. See respond.In poetry or song, a verse is a group of lines which constitutes a unit. Often there are several verses in a single text, and usually the rhyme scheme, rhythm, and number of poetic lines and feet are the same from verse to verse in a single text.a line or stanza. https://www.freemusicdictionary.com/definition/verse/

Genre:

Pop: Pop is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms popular music and pop music are often used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular and includes many disparate styles. During the 1950s and 1960s, pop encompassed rock and roll and the youth-oriented styles it influenced. Rock and pop remained roughly synonymous until the late 1960s, after which pop became associated with music that was more commercial, ephemeral, and accessible. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_music

Rock: Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as “rock and roll” in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, a style that drew heavily from the genres of blues, rhythm and blues, and from country music. Rock music also drew strongly from a number of other genres such as electric blues and folk, and incorporated influences from jazz, classical, and other musical styles. Like pop music, lyrics often stress romantic love but also address a wide variety of other themes that are frequently social or political. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_music

For record club I chose the song Cherry by Jungle. Jungle is a fascinating band to me because they started as a minimal band of just two men. They worked mostly with electronic recordings but chose to expand to a seven-piece band when performing live. They did this for live performances because they said it was important for them to “be a collective energy” and bring that to the audience when performing. Because of this they are known to be an incredible live band, I can vouch for that. There are at least 4 members that sing on every track which creates these incredible, full harmonies. The lead two guys primarily sing in their falsetto voices which contrasts in a very apparent way to the deep bass and warm music. It’s a feature that defines almost all of the music by Jungle.

Here’s a live performance of this song:

Jungle begins this song by easing you into the tempo of the song; They start with a faster bass line that settles into a slower tempo which sustains the rest of the song. I found that a really interesting and attention grabbing way to begin a song. To me this song has seismic qualities; the low bass makes you feel just as much, if not more, than you actually hear. The duo has said that they wish to “create a world” with their music to make it an experience. When I listen to this song with headphones I personally feel like I am immersed in the world of Jungle. 

When I was looking for the exact genre of the band it was difficult to settle on just one or two. There are so many different genres that they fall into that one reporter went as far as to say they were “undefinable”. I feel that the genres funk, neo-soul, and electronic are best able to describe their unique musical style. I love the use of electronic non-instrumental sounds that they incorporate into their music. They combine those, a deep bass, and repetitive lyrics to create a hypnotic feeling. One of my favorite parts is the synthesized effect on the lead singer’s voice during the bridge. I felt that the sparing use of voice synthesizing in this song made that moment in the bridge that much more alluring. 

The lyrics, although repetitive, are powerful. As was mentioned in class it could be repetitive because the band has one clear message they want to express. “You’re never gonna change me, I was already changing” is a powerful sentiment about growing on your own and finding yourself. “Flowers in the garden that won’t grow. Flowers on the train, it’s not the same. Life won’t grow if we never change.” My personal interpretation of these lines is that as we grow as people our ideals and desires can change and we have to be aware of this and accept it. There is this cliche idea that we should all grow up and have a nice house with a garden, picket fence, etc. but that’s not true for everyone. Some people can’t grow a garden, they settle for buying a house plant for their apartment and although it’s not the same it doesn’t mean it’s wrong. If we don’t adjust our opinions and expectations then we start to tread water, but opening yourself to something new even if it’s not what you expected will allow you to grow and push you closer to a happy life.

The music video is beautiful, I highly suggest checking it out:

Terms:

Electronic: Music primarily created using electronic musical instruments or electronic music technology. 

Falsetto: Male voice above usual bass or tenor range, an effect accomplished by using only half of the vocal cords.

Funk: Genre focused on strong rhythmic grooves of bass lines. Typically consists of a complex groove with rhythm instruments playing interlocking grooves.

Harmony: When two or more individual notes are played simultaneously to form a cohesive whole.

Hypnotic: Anything mesmerizing or spellbinding. Readily holding the attention.

Neo-Soul: Style of music that emerged from soul & contemporary R&B. Distinguished by a less conventional sound than contemporary R&B with incorporated elements from funk, jazz fusion, hip hop, etc.

Seismic: Very low bass that you feel rather than hear.

Sound Synthesis: Shaping and modulating sounds using components like filters, envelopes, effects, etc.

Tempo: Time, the overall speed of a piece of music.

Warm: Good bass, adequate low frequencies.

I wanted to share Tracy Chapman’s “Bang Bang Bang” because of its gravity through minimalistic approaches. The song is a lot like a 5-ingredient recipe in its instrumental harmonies and lyric composition.

Sometimes what makes a dish so powerful is the complexities of many flavors coming together with countless spices, herbs, and vegetables in a medley. The same goes with layering instruments to add textures in a song—it can be so exciting. Yet then you have those other recipes—the simple ones with just olive oil, salt, lemon, arugula, and chickpeas for a salad. Its power lies in allowing a person to experience the boldness of each flavor choice. “Bang Bang Bang”’s minimal amount of instruments used and the repeated pattern without deviation really allows a listener to hear the vital impact each instrument holds. Tracy’s vocals take the fore front and are exposed—creating the effect of vulnerability an acoustic performance has. We really get to focus on the message of her words. We get eased into the song with the lead guitar—an acoustic guitar—alongside the light tapping of a cymbal in the intro. We are grounded. Then we get to the chorus:

(The two lines that precede “Bang bang bang” vary throughout the song’s choruses)

“But one fine day

All our problems will be solved

Bang bang bang

We’ll shoot him down” 

Skitterphoto. Person Holding Black Revolver in Bokeh Photography. Pexels

Is there a dramatic twist when adding other instruments into the mix after the long intro? Well, the chorus isn’t really dramatic but definitely holds impact.

The tempo increases. Conga drums aren’t being banged but softly hit at a quickening pace. The bass guitar creates a background vibration. The bass drum set isn’t hit count after count but hit hard once every several counts—that one hit really strikes. The electric guitar takes the stage in the chorus, yet not how it would in a rock or metal song. It sways in a dragged out manner, having a distinctly southern, folkish tune. A few strums are done on the electric guitar but its last strum is held the longest— having a lasting effect as the reverb vibrates and extends to the far corners of the room. All of these elements create a sense of urgency, especially when quickened violin strokes make an appearance. Yet the entire song holds a calm tone as if one were swinging on a hammock in the country side. When we get into the chorus which slightly picks up pace, it’s like a lullaby, we are soothed.

Well how about the vocals then? Perhaps the drama lies there?

Well, intensity does lie in the pain in Tracy’s voice, but again, not in the most obvious way through constant change and variation in pitch. The emotional tone of mourning lies in Tracy’s similar pitch throughout the song—not dropping or picking up. There aren’t mightily high or in-depth low vocals. She stays in a consistent pitch and slightly picks it up when starting the first line of a new verse to keep things interesting. But the pitch quickly goes back to that steady pitch. This differs greatly from her other songs. She picks up her pitch to add intensity of emotion in “Fast Car” when she cries, “I-I…had at feeling that I belonged”… She varies her pitch in “Talkin’ Bout a Revolution” when she lowers to a whisper: “I’m talkin’ about a revolution / it sounds like a whisper.” She then heightens her pitch to shout, “And finally the tables are startin’ to turn! / I’m talkin’ about a revolution,” as she encourages the listeners of the social reform sprouting in the air. Yet here, the pitch stays level throughout. What kind of effect does that bring alongside instrumental harmonies that are urgent yet calming? What’s up with these contrasting tones musically in relation to the content of the song—gun violence dividing a nation?

Perhaps the cyclical affect through repetitive music harmony and steady vocal pitch match the grievances of lives lost due to the repeated cycle of gun violence and police brutality. Yet even deeper, she tells that these lives are lost due to class division which produces the scarcity that pushes some to crime to begin with.

The subjects of Tracy’s songs are kept vague rather than specific. This is no song about one act of gun violence because there have been so many, one can lose count. She doesn’t write about “so and so” but “a boy” given a gun from the larger social system who “we,” the listeners, make up and participate in. Tracy places herself and all individual’s into the story of her song—expressing that we all participate in the cycle of gun violence through complacency. Guns are made easily available for even a kid to get their hands on. She tells the tale of a young boy being given pacifiers to distract from the deeper issue of scarcity: “give him drugs and give him candy” and anything to make him happy, Tracy sings. The chorus comes around again—ominous and scary— with an us versus them mentality in which the fearful society will “shoot him down” if he ever turns around to shoot them. But if the boy grows up to shoot those in his own community including brothers, sisters, and friends—“We’ll consider it a favor / We’ll consider justice done.” Here Tracy taps into class divide in which the public is unconcerned with acts of violence when done in other lower-income neighborhoods, somewhere far-far away. But once your own community is threatened? Call the police and shoot the “gun-man” or “criminal” down. Yet the subject of the song as well as the feature of children playfully wrestling in the music video remind us of who these “criminals” are: kids.

At the start of the song, at the start of this larger cycle within our social system—we have children.

We have a sharply divided class system in which some have access to necessities for survival and to thrive and others don’t. We have acts of crime. And we have what we call “justice”—terminating the lives of “criminals” and shoving them in jail cells if kept alive. This is what law and order looks like in a civilized society rather than dismantling the toxic systems of racism, and the many other “ism’s” that dominate our institutions and deny a human being of their civil liberties. We as listeners grieve with Tracy even thirty years after this song was produced because this same cycle persists. Professor Tougaw commented in class that “bang bang bang” almost sounds childish and playful. I thought the same thing. A kid in a western costume yelling those words while shooting a toy gun popped into my head. Maybe that’s the point being driven home—the way we handle guns is as carelessly as a child would during play. Children don’t perceive the consequences of death yet, but the adults that do handle real guns still shoot away like it’s a game of cops and robbers.

Terms:

Harmony: “The concordant (or consonant) combination of notes sounded simultaneously to produce chords. Countermelodic notes to accompany a tune.The vertical dimension of music, referring to the notes sounding together. Often abstracted to mean sets of pitches thought to sound well together. (1) the study of progression, structure and relationships of chords (2) when pitches are in agreement, or consonance<br><br>The way in which chords are arranged in a musical composition.<br><br>The study of simultaneously sounding tones.”－Free Music Dictionary

Acoustic: “used to distinguish a non-electric instrument from the electric version-e.g., an acoustic guitar.” －Free Music Dictionary

Tempo: “The pace of a piece of music is known as its tempo. Tempo can be measured by beats per minute, or bpm; classical music tempos are described by a set of terms ranging from larghissimo (very slow) to andante (a moderate speed) to prestissimo (very fast).” －Spotify for Artists

Reverb: “A shortening of the term Reverberation (the persistence of a sound after the source stops emitting it.” －Free Music Dictionary

Pitch: “Pitch is the frequency of a sound—how high or low it is in relation to other sounds. A high frequency, produced by rapid vibration, creates a high pitch; a low frequency, produced by slow vibration, creates a low pitch. The chromatic scale contains 12 musical pitches.”－Spotify for Artists

I chose this song because it represents my two different identities (Ecuadorian and American). While a part of me does feel like certain mash ups (like Despacito) are in a sense cultural appropriation, I appreciate this as Usher and Romeo Santos stay in their respective specialties (R&B and Bachata), and it is a combination of who they are, yet there is an embracing of one another’s differences. Something I hope all multicultural people can one day do with their multiple identities. 

As a person that grew up dancing to Latin music, I appreciate the emphasis that it placed on bachata that keeps it a song that is meant to be danced to. I enjoy how the melody and beat has a mixture of bachata  and R+B elements to it. I feel that it makes it more accessible to a wider audience (R+B and Bachata lovers). I also appreciate that when Usher sings, there are subtle changes in his vocalizations that keep complements who he is his as a R&B artist (like the whispering, change in vocalization, and the Usher, baby). 

Terms used:

Bachata: is a genre of Latin American music that originated in the Dominican Republic in the first half of the 20th century with primarily Spanish influences and also remnants of indigenous and African musical elements, representative of the cultural diversity of the Dominican Republic population. Wikipedia

R&B: Also known as rhythm and blues is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when “urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a heavy, insistent beat” was becoming more popular. In the commercial rhythm and blues music typical of the 1950s through the 1970s, the bands usually consisted of piano, one or two guitars, bass, drums, one or more saxophones, and sometimes background vocalists. R&B lyrical themes often encapsulate the African-American experience of pain and the quest for freedom and joy, as well as triumphs and failures in terms of relationships, economics, and aspirations. Wikipedia

Vocalization: This term specifically refers to the singing of vocalises. It can also take on a more general meaning of singing to vowel sounds or humming ( singing with closed lips). As with the vocalise, vocalization is most often done as an exercise for the voice, however, there are solo and choral compositions that employ vocalization. Occasionally, the melismas of Gregorian chant or the coloratura of 18th-century opera are referred to as vocalization, but this is not accurate. Melisma and coloratura are very different in both purpose and sound. A similar technique is also used in jazz music and is known as Vocalese.See also Vocalise; Vocalese. Free Music Dictionary 

Melody:A tune; a succession of tones comprised of mode, rhythm, and pitches so arranged as to achieve musical shape, being perceived as a unity by the mind. In a piece of music where there is more than one voice, or where harmony is present, the melody is the dominant tune of the composition. An arrangement of single tones in a meaningful sequence An organized succession of pitches. the horizontal dimension of music, referring to the organization of pitches (and in later centuries, particular rhythms) into a line. a succession of notes of varying pitch, which form a recognizable musical shape<br><br>A parade of notes, one following the other meaningfully.<br><br>An organized succession of pitches. Free Music Dictionary 

Beat: The regular pulse of music which may be dictated by the rise or fall of the hand or baton of the conductor, by a metronome, or by the accents in music. See conducting patterns.A throbbing that is heard when two tones are slightly out of tune. The English term for mordent, an embellishment consisting of the principal note and the note below it, resembling a short trill.The steady pulse of music. Beats form the basis of sense of musical time.(1) the pronounced rhythm of music; (2) one single stroke of a rhythmic accent.The beat or pulse in a piece of music is the regular rhythmic pattern of the music. Each bar should start with a strong beat and each bar should end with a weak beat. These may be known as the down-beat (strong, at the beginning of a bar) and the up-beat (weak, at the end of a bar). Up and down describe the gestures of a conductor, whose preparatory up-beat is of even greater importance to players than his down-beat.<br><br>The steady pulse of music. Beats form the basis of sense of musical time<br><br> 1) The steady even pulse in music. 2) The action of two sounds or audio signals mixing together and causing regular rises &.falls in volume. Free Music Dictionary 

I chose this song because it moves and stirs me–in the way a gospel song might. I think it’s the exuberant mixing of genres and cultures that makes that happen for me.

The song blends country bluegrass with elements of funk and a little gospel. The bango and guitar and fiddle and hoots are bluegrass. The syncopation (the more complicated rhythms layered over the simple beat) and horns are funk. The harmonies feel like gospel, as does the way the melody rises and falls. It’s also interesting that toward the end, they mix in (mash up?) part of a  Chicks’s song, “Long Time Gone.” It becomes a bridge–a section that’s neither verse nor chorus but becomes a link (or bridge!) between the two.

The song is about a father teaching a daughter to shoot, in case “trouble comes to town.” It’s taking classic country elements and making them feminist. The blending of bluegrass, funk, and gospel, with Beyoncé and The Chicks at the helm, makes me feel this visceral sense of their empowerment. They are crossing cultures and genres to claim power. I feel that especially in the harmonies. I think it’s relevant that bluegrass and funk are both about fun–about gathering, dancing, hooting, letting loose. And that kind of fun is power too, with a collective spirit.

I was torn between playing the actual live performance and the recorded one, where the production is cleaned up. You can feel the spirit in the live performance, but you can really hear the musical elements with the cleaned up production on the single they released.

Terms

Bluegrass: A form of country & western (C&W) music thought to have originated before WW II but actually developed during the mid 1940s. Fans, DJs, and record companies began using the term ” Bluegrass ” to describe a sound associated with the music of Bill Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys. Monroe is ofted referred to as “The Father of Bluegrass.” The term refers to Kentucky (the Bluegrass state), Bill Monroe’s home state. Typically performed by a ” string ” band consisting of violin, mandolin, guitar, 5-string banjo, and string bass. —Free Music Dictionary

Funk: A music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of soul, jazz, and rhythm and blues (R&B). Funk de-emphasizes melody and chord progressions and focuses on a strong rhythmic groove of a bassline played by an electric bassist and a drum part played by a drummer, often at slower tempos than other popular music. Like much of African-inspired music, funk typically consists of a complex groove with rhythm instruments playing interlocking grooves that create a “hypnotic” and “danceable” feel. —Wikipedia

Gospel: A genre of Christian music. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. . . . Black gospel, by far the most well-known variant, emerged out of the African-American music tradition and has evolved in various ways over the years, continuing to form the basis of Black church worship even today. It has also come to be used in churches of various other cultural traditions (especially within Pentecostalism) and, via the gospel choir phenomenon spearheaded by Thomas Dorsey, has become a form of musical devotion worldwide. –Wikipedia

Syncopation: In music , syncopation is the deliberate upsetting of the meter or pulse of a composition by means of a temporary shifting of the accent to a weak beat or an off-beat. In other words, it is when a musician plays on rhythmic and metrical expectations such as giving a silence where a stressed note is expected or stressing a normally weak beat. Used extensively in the fourteenth century, syncopation is a rhythm in which normally unaccented beats are stressed either through agogic or dynamic rhythm. Syncopation has been used in the music of all periods, and is one of the foremost features of jazz. —Free Music Dictionary

Harmony: The concordant (or consonant) combination of notes sounded simultaneously to produce chords. Countermelodic notes to accompany a tune.The vertical dimension of music, referring to the notes sounding together. Often abstracted to mean sets of pitches thought to sound well together. (1) the study of progression, structure and relationships of chords (2) when pitches are in agreement, or consonance<br><br>The way in which chords are arranged in a musical composition.<br><br>The study of simultaneously sounding tones. —Free Music Dictionary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odnFjjt0AzY