I thought you might want to hear Tracey Thorn sing. Here she is, from three different eras–1995, 2018, and 1985.

Arjit Singh,

Indian Singer and Music Composer

I hope everyone enjoyed listening to his song, I have also attached the song “Agar Tum Saath Ho” to this post and also have attached a soundtrack of the music and the lyrics. Thank you all for listening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz3znHG70dk

For fun, I’m adding Dusty Springfield’s and Scott Walker’s version of Jacques Brel’s “If You Go Away.” Listening to them back to back is a good way to compare the phrasing of two singers!

https://create.piktochart.com/output/53615857-the-life-of-amy-winehouse

Above is the link I’ve made public for my Infographic!

Amy Winehouse was born on September 14th, 1983, in London, England, to Jewish parents Mitchell, a taxi driver, and Janis, a pharmacist. Amy had a phenomenal voice from the time she was ten years old. Years later, she was enrolled in “Sylvia Young Theater School” but got kicked out of the school due to her lack of work in her studies and nose piercing. During her time at this school, she worked on solos that required a sexy jazz-style voice. Winehouse soon after began to study at the Brit Performing Arts School in South London.

Amy was singing professionally by the time she was only sixteen years old; this happened because her good friend James Tyler had sent her demo to a record company scout. However, it wasn’t until 2003 when her debut album “Frank” became noticed, as it brought a rebellious rock and roll feel to the music. Besides two songs on the album, all lyrics written by Amy and her brutal truth. The album won her two Brit Awards when released. However, Winehouse wasn’t making headlines just because of her voice; her image was unique to the public, making her that much more iconic. Her beehive hairstyle, Cleopatra-style eyeliner, and her tattoos made her stand out.

After the release of “Frank,” Winehouse didn’t produce or write anything for eighteen months. However, this changed after she met music producer Mark Ronson. She began to write “Back to Black,” which was the best-selling album of 2007. Released in 2006, “Back to Black” was her breakout album. It struck the world to see that every track on the album is unique in its way. The influence of jazz is evident in the songs throughout her album. The opening song “Rehab” is very up-tempo and filled with sass and flair. She expresses her rebellious characteristics in this track, especially when she says, “They tried to make me go to rehab. I said no, no, no.” Despite the alcohol and drug abuse, Amy believed she was fine and refused to admit herself into rehab on her record company’s behalf. The use of horns is significant in her music, especially in the song “You Know I’m No Good,” which helps carry the rhythm. In this song, she tells the story of cheating on her boyfriend with her ex. However, the music isn’t about forgiveness; in fact, she implies that he should have known how she is, and it’s his fault for sticking around.

The album titled song “Back to Black” is one of her most recognizable and popular songs. This track featured the use of violins and piano, creating a very Ballad style. However, she still kept her true style; this made the song so famous and pleasing. There is a balance between the piano riff and instrumentals, emphasizing only the right moments and creating a beautiful piece. “We only said goodbye with words / I died a hundred times / You go back to her /, And I go back to black” is the chorus line that seems to stand out to every listener. Her voice’s emotions behind every lyric and the relativeness make the listener feel that much more connected with this track. Every single song on this album is worthy of being released as a single. We often notice that there aren’t as outstanding as the others in other albums. However, this is not the case with Amy’s album. “Back to Black” is a unique piece where every track is worth mentioning. The album debut as No. 7 on the US Billboard 200 and sold 51,000 copies within the first week of its release. “Back to Black” was nominated as the Best Pop/Vocal album, Song of the year, and record of the year in the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. She also won Best New Artist and Best Female Pop/Vocal Artist of the year in 2008.

Along with success, Amy faced a public battle with her demons. From 2006 to 2007, Amy struggled with alcohol and drug abuse. She realized she was on the path to self-destruction and finally admitted herself into rehab. Winehouse had dreams of becoming a wife, mother, and have a family. However, her dream of normalcy and family never came to be; Amy was found dead in her home on July 23rd, 2011. Several things should be memorable about Amy Winehouse, such as her unique style, powerful voice, and lyrical poetry. Amy brought a retro kind of pop back to life. Even though her musical career was short, she did leave an impact on the world. This impact is still shown today with other female artists. She used the truth of her life to creating excellent work. Amy Winehouse had many tragedies throughout her life, but the biggest tragedy of all is that it took her. death for everyone to realize how iconic she is.

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I loved this podcast from the moment he began this podcast all the way till he ended it. The way he breaks down the music in the 1980’s is so profound. What stands out it how he describes the artists in that era as people who, “think towards risk and rethink their relationship with failure.” This overlaps with the marginalization of Disco music. I find it interesting that a whole genre of music was marginalized because of their listeners. This idea of the commodification of disco, and how as a result it was being whitewashed the more mainstream it became is not surprising. I think of rap music when I hear this. 

Another thing I like is how he describes the development of hip hop. When he describes the “percussion, cut up into small, danceable portions for the people in the audience to sweat to” I automatically visualize the birth of hip hop. On top of the descriptive nature to this I love how he says “for the people in the audience to sweat to.” When I think of funk and disco I think of people dancing however when I think of hip hop it’s nice to picture people sweating. It makes me think that this style of music was for more than just dancers but for “sweaters”; as a result of it being for “sweaters” it was meant that hip hop automatically became for everybody. 

I really enjoy Hanif Abdurroqib’s way of writing; it’s educational, informative, poetic even, in some chapters. He captures description without over-analyzing, but still giving enough information and detail. The description I found that I liked best from his book lays on page 143, where he wrote, “If I told you that my homies and I got so close to the promised land we’d imagined that we could rest our palms on the clouds outside the gates, you might understand why we’d want to get there again, despite the fact that it might not be the healthiest endeavor for us.” Leading up this quote, Hanif had been writing about a documentary on A Tribe Called Quest, as well as the band reuniting years later. He explains how at the heart of any documentary lies some sort of conflict or tragedy, but how this is a type of documentary that the public wants to see, because who wants to really see a documentary about a band that once was, who made money, kept their friends and rode off into the sunset with no harm done by the music industry. I liked this quote because I think that so often, fans forget that the musicians they admire or love are human beings, too, and that sometimes, specifically for bands, a reunion isn’t always necessary. For me at least, this quote is a reminder that we should enjoy and appreciate the artists whom we love while they’re here right now, making the music we love.

In his podcast covering Ian Curtis, this same type of feeling came up. At one point early in this episode, Hanif talks about Curtis’ epilepsy and depression, how lyrically, his anguish and sadness over his diagnosis comes through, since much of Joy Division’s music centers around these similar types of feelings written in this similar tone. I found it interesting when Hanif said that for awhile, he loved Ian Curtis more as an “idea”, early on when he first listened to New Order and Joy Division, because Hanif himself suffers from epilepsy, and while he remarks that his is way less severe than the kind Curtis experienced, nonetheless, he still felt a connection in the way Curtis wrote, describing him as a “writer’s writer”. I also liked how Hanif explained that he himself began adjusting his approach to himself after listening to Curtis’ writings on sadness and anguish, being somebody who also experiences these similar feelings. He says that Ian’s “work is a window to that particular closet of emotions”, which sounds to me almost like a nostalgia for a person you never met or spoke to, but whose words you can relate to on a deep level, almost as if you wrote them yourself. I think this part of the episode is reminiscent of one of the ways music should make the listener feel, especially when you’re able to find an artist that becomes very special and close to you, you can feel as if they’re in your mind, feeling what you’re feeling and turning it into music. That is music.

Go Ahead In The Rain: Notes To A Tribe Called Quest

“The Bomb Squad was using methods not at all unlike the methods Q-Tip was using at the same time with A Tribe Called Quest. Both were using samples as their primary weapons; it’s just that Q-Tip was using the samples as a razor, and the Bomb Squad was using samples as a machine gun. What Q-Tip’s ethos was – trimming the useful edges of a sample and blending multiple elements in the same song to create a type of harmony – was almost antithetical to what the Bomb Squad aimed for. While Q-Tip looked for connective tissue to create a single sound, the Bomb Squad was invested in piling noise on top of noise to create discord instead of harmony. […] Loops of sound would rest on top of other loops of sound. Samples were at odds with one another, seemingly speeding off a cliff but then coming together at the right moment.” (Abdurraqib 66-67)

I love Abdurraqib’s description of Q-Tip’s tedious, thoughtful process when it comes to using samples. “Connective tissue” is a beautiful description which reminds me of the body so to me it felt like Abdurraqib was trying to emphasize the careful, almost clinical precision that Q-Tip put into creating music. He contrasts it with the Bomb Squad’s less cautious approach but still gives them credit for creating a sound just as important and precise in its own way. Abdurraqib is showing us the way music began to evolve because they shared certain similarities that allowed them to grow in different directions.

Lost Notes: 1980

“Lyrics being kicked over an old instrumental in a car’s backseat. Impromptu free style battles at lunch with closed fists and open palms beating a rhythm out on a table’s surface. There is language forming a chain with other language until it makes a speaker feel limitless.”

Abdurraqib’s above description of the beginnings of rap music and the Sugarhill Gang’s is visceral. He uses a similar description in his book of palms beating on tables when he is talking about the inability to silence slaves by taking their drums and any other music resource.

I like the language he uses here because it feels primal and young. He is talking about young people and high school kids who just have what they have and make the most of it. The bonding of chains of languages also gets at transition of hip hop into rap like he talked about earlier. You’re taking this language that already exists (hip hop) and creating a new language (rap) over it.

Lost Notes: 1980

“For all of the ways Grace Jones was unforgettable in 1980, it must be said that “Warm Leatherette” was not exactly a commercial success, despite its critical acclaim. “The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game” stumbled briefly onto US R&B charts, and the song “Warm Leatherette” did make it onto the dance charts in the states. “Private Life” had a decent chart run in the UK, but not enough to make too big of a splash. All in all, seven singles were released from the album, none of them charting well enough for it to have a sustained flourish. But, weirdly, the album still made a star out of Jones.”

As an artist, despite status, not every project will do well. This can apply to overall or in comparison to other projects. Abdurraqib describes that here with some of the music made by Grace Jones. Overall, she is a well-known and accomplished artist, that does not mean that some of her music was not as well received by the general public. Abdurraqib uses words such as “stumbled” onto the charts and “not exactly a commercial success” to show how the album did not do as well. Also despite all of this, it does not take away from the celebrity status of Jones at all. I picked this moment as I wondered if I should only include the accomplishments done by the artist. Since my infographic is an informative piece should I also include when certain projects did not do so well especially in relation to one another. This podcast is also meant to be informative, and we can see that Abdurraqib chooses to include every aspect of the artist because good or bad, it is still a part of their journey. 

Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to a Tribe Called Quest

“So many artists fail because they try to get it all back in one swing, or they remain stubborn, in the hope that the trends will switch back. Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad had conquered the idea of jazz bleeding into hip-hop, but by 1993 the sound was changing, and they had the tools to change with it without the entire upheaval of their sound. Midnight Marauders was subtle in how it chose to catch up with the times. If hip-hop was to have a second wave, it needed A Tribe Called Quest with their ears to the West, unafraid and unthreatened”.

This quote is a description of the album Midnight Marauders. Based on the quote, it tells me that the album has a mixture of jazz and hip-hop as the focus. It also shows that the group is at a point in their career where they want to experiment more without starting too far from their signature sound. It was made in a way to be on trend, without making that the main focus. As someone who is not familiar with this album, this serves as a good description. It is the perfect amount of detail, it does enough to to know at least the basics and peak interest without giving away too much. It is accessible for those who are not well acquainted with the group and can also connect to major fans as well. I picked this moment specifically because while writing my infographics I also wanted to give a short description about multiple albums. I mainly stuck with the genres and accomplishments. This quote gave me a good idea on what to be to enhance my own work, as this works well to inform without giving everything away.

The book was definitely an interesting read and I drew some inspiration from it to better my own descriptions (this is something I was struggling with). Hanif says, “Rap in my household oscillated between taboo and acceptable, depending on the year or the mood my parents were in, or if they’d decided to give up altogether and leave their four children to their own musical devices.” My favorite thing about this sentence is his verb usage. When I think oscillate– I imagine a fan moving back and forth, but Hanif uses this creatively to create a sort of imagery of the music that he was allowed to listen to. Throughout the book, Hanif also made sure to insert himself and his experiences in the relation to the  impact of the music. This allowed the reader to see who he is as a music aficionado. This is something I will be trying to do in my album review.

On the Ian Curtis episode of Lost Notes: 1980, Hanif does the same thing and shares his experiences as an epileptic to Ian Curtis’ performances. This stuck out to me, as I am also an epileptic and his description of Curtis’ performance reminded me a lot of what seizures are physically like. For example Hanif states that, “His movements on stage were chaotic and unpredictable: a moment of stillness followed by a windmill of rapid arm movements, or his body, twisting and turning into a brief and uncontrolled tornado before settling into abrupt calm again. There are videos online – compilations of these moments that people can watch and marvel at. Through the grainy black and white footage, the small fists of Curtis cut through the darknesses, like he’s fighting some invisible demon, circling the stage.” As an epileptic, Hanif undoubtedly understands what it is like having a seizure, so his description of Curtis’ performance is based off of personal experience. The words Hanif uses helps his listeners visualize Curtis’ performance. Words like, uncontrolled, tornado, demon, and windmill do a good job of re-creating the performance Hanif is analyzing.

Based on these examples, Hanif’s word usage and descriptions are what makes him such a recognized critic. Going forward, I have to do my best to not overthink my wiring and become more creative with the words I use to describe music.

Examples of Hanif Abdurraqib’s Descriptive Language:

Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to a Tribe Called Quest:

Hanif Abdurraqib writes a letter to QTIP and Phife in Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to a Tribe Called Quest. In one section of Abdurraqib’s letter to QTIP, he addresses the LA case of police brutality–the Rodney King’s experience which rocked the nation in the early 1990’s. Abdurraqib commends QTIP for simply making music that the black community can dance to even during a dire time like that. I appreciate Abdurraqib’s straight forward tone when he tells QTIP that his music wasn’t doing the kind of work that Public Enemy did because it was honest. He writes, “You were never the sonic force that Public Enemy was, with the big-voiced siren shouting down the kingdom of your oppressors until their empire trembled to dust” (58). In this moment, Abdurraqib uses metaphor to compare the power of Public Enemy’s lyrics to a “big-voiced siren” that influences listeners. He addresses the power of the “oppressors” that Public Enemy calls out as crumbling–their “empire trembled to dust.” In this moment I visualize a large building falling to the ground dramatically by the exposing lyrics of Public Enemy. It would be one thing to say that Public Enemy exposed the injustices of certain public institutions including the government and police force. But it’s a lot more impactful to visualize this sentiment through a scenic, dramatic metaphor.

Lost Notes 1980:

In Abdurraqib’s Lost Notes 1980 podcast episode on Ian Curtis, he uses beautiful language on memory and death. Here is a quote for context and the quote on his use of descriptive language:

Context:

“For all of New Order’s success throughout the 80s – the band’s soundtrack-ready songs and rapturous live performances, I love the way the first single came to life the most. I think a lot about the voices of the dead – the voices of our dearly beloved and how they can fade into memory after too long.”

Descriptive Language:

“Only when I open an old diary or read an old letter does the sound of someone’s voice come flooding back to me. The way that some people write and fall into the language of their old writing is like a lighthouse. Another way to stretch out and expand the memory of a person. To step into their old words. To remember their voice for a moment and ask other people to bask in that memory.”

Abdurraqib appreciates the preservation of a lost ones memory in song “Ceremony.” Ceremony is a song by Joy Division that wasn’t released while Ian Curtis was alive. It was releases as New Order’s debut single. Abdurraqib states that the language in “Ceremony” offers clarity and remembrance like a lighthouse. Amidst the darkening, fading memory that comes for the living who think back to lost loved ones, Abdurraqib expresses that we only remember and hold onto glimmers but language like an old diary can bring back details like the sound of someones voice. This was a haunting yet powerful moment Abdurraqib draws upon on death and memory and the lighthouse image was simple yet impactful.