Misogyny in Art

What the heck is misogyny, you might ask. Misogyny is the hatred of women. How is the hatred of women related to art? Well the best example is The Rolling Stones. They are your average rock band. Terrible lyrics, okay voices, and somewhat decent music. My opinion of The Rolling Stones is in fact lower than that. I think they just suck all together. There is no talent in that bad. Most of their songs suck, except for one or two, when they got lucky. On top of their lack of talent, they decide to hate on women. This hatred of women wasn't a one time thing either. Misogyny is present in MANY of the band's songs. The best example of this is Brown Sugar. Now before I show you the lyrics, I would like to say how degrading this song is. To think that they would ever consider saying something misogynistic, let alone writing multiple songs on the topic is appalling. And the fact that they weren't given any grief for their poor judgement is sickening.

Ah brown sugar how come you taste so good
(a-ha) brown sugar, just like a young girl should

WHAT THE HECK? The song starts off with talking about how the slaves (who are women) are working on the ship that is headed to some cotton fields. The men on the ship rape the women ever night for pleasure, while these women suffer. WHY would you write a song on this topic? I guess I could understand if the point of the song was to educate people about this terrible issue, but the song wasn't written for that reason. It was written to show that men have the upper hand and they always will. Women are not animals (not that animals should be treated poorly either.) They should not be thrown around and played with like a toy. If I was around during this time, I would be infuriated with The Rolling Stones and I would petition the song.

Ah brown sugar how come you taste so good
(a-ha) brown sugar, just like a black girl should

Oh great. Not only are they being misogynistic now, they are discriminating towards black women. Even as I write this, the bravery of these men to do such a thing is so ghastly, I am speechless. What is worse is the record company still published it!

If "Brown Sugar" wasn't enough, try their song "Stupid Girl."

She's the worst thing in this world
Well, look at that stupid girl

Because this is what every girl wants to here? It literally is mind-blowing that these freaks would even do such a thing. They throw around these words like they are meaningless, when in reality, they could be enough to drive someone suicidal. The temptation to write The Rolling Stones a letter is so great. My rage to their selflessness and immaturity to about to make me scream.

Shut-up, shut-up, shut-up, shut-up, shut-up
Shut-up, shut-up, shut-up, shut-up, shut-up
Shut-up, shut-up, shut-up

Could these men be any more creative? They are the stupid ones for writing this song. They think they are these hot shots and great musician, when truly they are far from that. They are horrible human beings and yes I write this in the present tense because even though these songs were written in the late 1960's, they have had an everlasting, negative impression. I vow never to download or support The Rolling Stones.
        
"Oh, we have changed. We were young boys then."

Haha, good one. You don't change. If you had the nerve to say that then, I sure you have the nerve to say it now.


A Timeless Song

When we listened to Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles in class this past week, it was mesmorizing. The choice to use only strings was a great decesion. The song is so sad and depressing and I feel that the beat and rhythm really do it justice. I like how the sound changes from a minor tune to a major tune. Now I am no music person, so if I mis-used those words, I am terribly sorry. I think Paul McCartney was the perfect choice for the song because while the others (George and John) have great voices, Paul's is really sincere and innocent. I love how in the last few seconds, John sings different words in the background of Paul. I feel like the timing and the words they used really complement each other. Paul McCartney's voice kind of sounds desperate at times and it works. Especially talking about all the lonely people and how sad Eleanor's life is. He did a nice job balancing out the amount of force he needed with each word. The emphasis on these words made them really meaningful:

Ah, look at all the lonely people

Ah, look at all the lonely people

I love how the lyrics tell a story rather than just complaining about losing a girl or drug dealers in the case of "Doctor Robert." I am sure Eleanor Rigby was a hit when it came out, it is a hit now, and it will be a hit in the future. It appeals to all different kinds of people. It's sincerity makes it relatable. Plus the beat and sound of the song is so original, I could listen to it for days. It is a true masterpiece. One of the best songs I have ever heard.

Even when it is played on top of itself at different times, it is still incredible and it still sounds more organized than Captain Beefhearted or whatever his name is. He is a disgrace. But we have The Beatles to balance out his terrible-ness.

The Standards of Talent Have Fallen

        As we were watching Aretha Franklins cover of "Respect," I noticed the three background singers to her left. As I listened closer, I realized those three ladies had incredible voices. Then I thought, if they are so good, then why aren't they artists themselves? Why are they hiding in someone elses fame? And then it dawned on me. Back then, in the 1950's-1960's, only the really talented artists were recognized and received fame. Those artists had to be the best of the best. Even if you were really good, I am sure the chances of finding fame were very slim just because they only took the best.
        But if we compare that to the artists today, I am sure we can all say there are some singers that definently do NOT need to be famous. I can also say that some of the super famous artists still aren't amazing or jaw-dropping. Yes, they are better than the average person, but if we think about it, the standards for talent have really gone down. In these days, if you have an okay voice, but stunning looks, man, you will be the next Michael Jackson. People don't care if you have the best voice, as long as the artist is good looking and live a life that everyone wishes they could have, people will love them. And the reason I think people like these kinds of artists is because they have forgotten what true talent really is. I admit it, I was one of those people. I thought Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, your average pop idol, had really good voices and were talented. And that is true, they do have some talent to an extent. But when I heard The Beatles and The Beach Boys, they don't even compare. Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, The Who...the list goes on of incredible singers from the 1960's. And NONE of them can even be put into the same category as today's pop artists. The Beatles and The Beach Boys can harmonize like no other, but I can't list one band that can even remotely harmonize as well as they can.
        My only reasoning for this is that the standard of music has fallen as well. If you think about it, now we consider a computer making weird sounds music. There are bands like skrillex, which are basically just a bunch of computer-generated sounds blended together to create a good "beat." In some situations, a good "beat" is fun, but I don't know if I would really consider it true music.
        Even though the standards have fallen, it doesn't mean that there aren't any talented people out there. There are. We just need to find them and give them credit, rather than giving these phonies money they don't deserve.
         

Props to Otis Redding

When we were listening to Otis Redding, I couldn't help but think that this guy is amazing. His voice and his energy really make him a great artist. What really did it in for me was his cover of "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones. The whole song, he was singing his heart out, dancing and giving a great performance. He really gave the song some good press. I mean, it was good when The Rolling Stones did it, but I really think Otis Redding gave the better performance.

Otis Redding-Satisfaction

The Rolling Stones- Satisfaction



Otis Redding gives off a great, happy, care-free vibe, while I feel that The Rolling Stones are uptight, arrogant freaks that need to learn how to become a good band. Now that is just my opinion. I will give them props because it is one of their better songs, but Otis still out-performed them.

Here, he is covering "My Girl." His voice gives the song a really sincere tone and he really does a good job of portraying the emotions of the song. The scratchy-ness of his voice makes him seem like he is at least 50, when truly he is only 27.

I know I said this before, but what I think makes him such a great performer is the fact that he puts his all into his performances and it shows. The way he holds and varies the notes is really quite something.

It is a real shame that he died at such a young age because he was so talented. If he was that famous before he was even 30, then imagine how famous and how many more great songs he could have put out when he was older. When Otis Redding died, we lost a huge ifluencial music figure.

ACL

Even though I have lived in Austin, Texas my whole life, I have never once attended ACL. It is kind of embaressing that I have never been. There are many times I have wanted to go, I just haven't been, I guess "motivated" enough to find or buy tickets. People always tell me how amazing it is, but honestly I don't know what would be fun about being hot and sweaty, next to people smoking loads of marijuana, and being far away from performances. Even though I have these doubts/complaints, I still would love to at least experience it once. If I were to have gone this year, some artists I would really love to see are:

1. Florence + the Machine- I love her songs so much, but then someone told me she sucks live, so I don't know how I feel about here anymore.

2.AVICII- He has a really neat, upbeat sound and I love anything that can make me get up and dance.

3. Metric- I don't know many of their songs, but I love "Help I'm Alive." It has a great eerieness that is just... I don't even know.

4. Two Door Cinema Club- Great band, with a great sound. I would really love to see them live sometime. They have put out some great songs. i.e. "Something Good Can Work " and "What You Know" are awesome.

5. M83- I love a couple of their songs, but because they are so electronic-y sounding, I don't know how they would be live.

6. Tegan and Sara- They seem like a neat duo. I have heard one of their songs and I really enjoyed it.

7. Dev- I think she would put on a really great and wild concert; the kind that even if the music isn't that good, the concert makes up for it because it is so fun.

8. The Lumineers- I used to like "Ho Hey" but I got kind of sick of it, so I don't know if I would want to see them.

In previous years, I would have loved to see:

2011: Coldplay, Awolnation (mainly because of Sail), Arcade Fire-- I didn't know many of the bands this year.

2010: Muse, Vamipre Weekend, The xx, Broken Bells, Miike Snow-- I find it interesting that some of the bands that played in previous years as lower artists come back as better known artists and they are higher up in the rankings.

2009: Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, Phoenix, Passion Pit

2008: Foo Fighters, MGMT

2007: Bjork, The Killers, Muse, Arcade Fire, Blue October, Regina Spektor, Peter Bjorn and John

Walk Off the Earth

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned a band called Walk Off the Earth. They were the ones to put out that really neat "Someone that I Used to Know" cover.

They are a really neat and talented group consisting of four guys and one girl. Each member can sing, as well as play like five other instruments. Just to give you an idea of what I am talking about. Here is one of the guys covering Yesterday. It is a very different take than Paul McCartney's version, but that is what is neat about it. Plus he is playing multiple different instruments to get the sound he wants.

Different, I know, but he is doing so many things with his voice, hands, whatever body part he has, obviously not at the same time, and he is creating music. This next video is ridiculous. Whenever I here this song, I picture the fat guy in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, standing in the road and pumping the sewage out of his RV. That movie is priceless if you have not seen it. But this video is mindblowing. So many instruments. It is kind of rewarding to have a band that is this diverse because most members of well known bands only have one talent.

Even if you aren't Christian, it doesn't matter. Just to be able to enjoy their talents is great.

This next cover of 'Someone Like You' by Adele is really great, mainly because I love the girls voice. It is also great how they change instruments and are still able to keep the beat.

This cover is really upbeat and there are so many different sounds and instruments.

Here is one of their own originals. They just recently put out their own album that I have yet to hear.

But honestly, these guys are so talented and creative. They have strived to be different and it is working because they are now well known and put out good songs. We know that a lot of artists try to be different and they end up failing, but I feel like these guys have really done it and made something awesome of themselves.

And I hate to say it, but they are Canadian. I want you to think about all of the famous Canadian artists... There are a lot. I don't know, but they are doing something right up in Canada.

The Beatles make a Comeback

I wouldn't say that Beatles for Sale was a bad album. It wasn't. It was just bad for The Beatles. It would have been good for any other artist, but we expect so much more from The Beatles because we know what they are capable of. Even though the tone of the album was kind of down, it still was memorable.

For instance, No Reply. I love that song. Mainly because of the harmonizing.

I saw the light,

I saw the light!

...

I nearly died,

I nearly died!

They were so together, it just gives me chills. Why couldn't they be born in the 2000's?

Besides that song, the rest of the album didn't really cut it for me. But man! When Help came out eight months later, I nearly died and went to heaven. The Beatles were back!

Their opening song, Help was just fabulous. Really great vibe, a great way to kick off another great album.

I also really enjoy "The Night Before" and "You've got to Hide your Love Away". Different sounds, but great overall.

I feel like I am just listing all of the songs because they are all so good.

"Your Going to Lose that Girl" has an awesome ring to it! I love the emphasis on the word lose!

And plus, I love the different meanings of "Ticket to Ride/Ryde."  It makes the song really unique and interesting. It shows how great they were at songwriting; that they were able add multiple meanings into one song.

And "Yesterday." I think what makes this song so great is it's lyrics.



Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away

Now it looks as though they're here to stay

Oh, I believe in yesterday

Suddenly I'm not half the man I used to be

  There's a shadow hanging over me

Oh, yesterday came suddenly

They could be interpreted in any way. An unfortunate event, a girl, daily troubles. Many people can relate to it. And that is why people like it. It is relatable.

It kind of reminds me of "Over the Rainbow". It has a similar tune, and depending on how you interpret it, it could be saying that because yesterday was so great, "yesterday" is bound to return. Meaning it can't stay bad forever. The times right now are down and they are hurting right now, but in time, they believe that everything will settle itself out and the times of "yesterday" will return.

What Makes a Song a Hit

So I have analyzed the song "Call Me Maybe" to help you understand what are some of the aspects that make a song a hit. Have you ever heard of "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen? Is that even a question? Of course you have. It has been played everywhere for the past eight months. The reason why? Because it is a hit. I define a hit as a song that is very successful by gaining the love of many listeners. It also happens to make the artist a very very weathly person. But what does make a song a hit? Even if the audience loves it, there are a combination of things that were put together that worked really well together. This is what I think is needed to make a great hit.

1. You have to be known - i.e. a celebrity:
Im sure there are plenty of songs that have been written by really talented artists that are just incredible, but because they are not known, they are never given a chance to succeed. If you don't have any connection with a celebrity or if you yourself isn't one, then your hopes of producing a hit dramatically increase. People don't want to listen to something that isn't "in." Plenty of music lovers will listen to these unknown artists, but they make up like 10% of the public. The rest of people aren't going to put in the time to find really talented artists. They will listen to what is in front of them.

For example: Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen

She was signed by Justin Bieber, who happens to be a very well known person. He had her open for him on his tour, performing the song. That already gives her a really good advantage.

2. It has to be annoying and repetitive:
Songs that are simple in word content and don't contain deeper meanings are always easier to sing along to. If it is repetitive, then you just say the same words over and over again, making it even easier to sing along. People like to sing along and enjoy themselves. It also helps when the song is upbeat and makes people want to move. Nobody wants to sing and dance to Beethtoven. One there are no words and two, it is slow as heck!

For Example: Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen

Could you possibly think of a more repetitive song than this one?

Hey I just met you

And this is crazy

But here's my number

So call me maybe

I didn't even have to look those lyrics up. They are practically engraved into my brain because that is all the songs says for the 3:13 minutes it lasts. And it does rank high in the annoying factor. But that is what makes it work. It gets stuck in people's heads and there you go. They can't stop singing it.

3. It has to be sung by the right artist:

Depending on who is singing can make a huge difference on whether the song will be a success or not. The artist of the song has to fit the songs attitude. If the song is about anger, then the artist needs to feel that emotion so that they can sing the song well. If you take a screamo song and have Hannah Montana sing it, I guarentee you, that song will fail.

For Example: Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen (I know that is annoying, but it helps to keep my thoughts organized.)

Jepsen has a really spunky, "I don't care about what people think" attitude which really fits the song. She is having a great time while singing it, which the song come across even better.

Here is Carly Rae Jepsen:

Here it is covered by Ben Howard:

I personally like the Ben Howard one more, but it isn't as fun and upbeat. It also isn't as memorable. Carly Rae Jepsens is crazy and out there. His is more toned-down.

4. Lastly, the artist has to have a good name:

The artist's name is the first impression to the listener. If they have a really creative name, the listener will think, hey they sound good. But if they have a name like the Butthole Surfers, people will not want to be listening to their music.