Ooooh, That's my jam! Iesha Bailey

Rocky Road by Devin Lima


The Thumping beat and the catchy rift on the electronic guitar are two of the things that first captivated me about this song. When I first heard it, I was sitting in a library surrounded by a group of unknown people. Despite that, I wanted to dance and sing along as the lyrics quickly became logged in the back of my brain. In honesty the words to this song, are completely ridiculous. He spends the whole song talking about candy and various sweet treats. That being said, Devin Lima uses his husky voice to draw you in.
Within the song he sings about “strawberry fields forever”, a lyric that was originated from a song by the Beetles. He also talks about how her “milkshake takes all the boys to the yard,” a line that was borrowed from Kelis’ song entitled Milkshake. I think this is one of the key components that allow me to relate to this song. Lima takes lyrics from other artist, and uses his own inspiration and voice to create an enjoyable tune. This song defines me because when I meet new people who interest me, I take the attributes that I find appealing in them and incorporate them into my own life. While I am observing and incorporating these attributes into my life, I am still able to be myself just as this song is still able to have its own flavor.

The General by Dispatch

Dispatch is a band that integrates numerous genres into its intricate style of music. Reggae, acoustic folk-rock, and funk are some of its main focuses. The band consists of Chad Urmston, Brad Corrigan, and Pete Heimbold. Dispatch is unique because it uses multiple instruments, making its sound distinct.
The song “The General” was recorded on their 1998 album entitled "Bang Bang". It tells the story of an old general who fought in many battles and earned countless honors and awards. The night before combat, the general had a dream in which he realized that the battle they were fighting was pointless. The next morning as his soldiers prepared for the impending conflict, the general stepped out of his tent and told his men to go home.
He said,
I have seen the others and I have discovered that this fight is not worth fighting
And I've have seen their mothers and I will no other to follow me where I'm going
…Take your shower, shine your shoes
Well, you got no time to lose
You are young men you must be living
Go now you are forgiven
When I first heard this song, I was dealing with a really bad situation. I was having a hard time admitting my own personal faults and mistakes. This issue from my past definitely influenced the message that I received from this song. To some, this song could speak of absolutely anything, but to me it speaks of forgiveness, a concept that most people struggle with. In the song, the old general easily dismisses the actions of his soldiers. I think this is because he has recognized his own mistakes and realized how easy it is to be misled. This song emphasizes how important it is acknowledge the mistakes we make because this can lead to forgiveness. It is important to see the truth in all things despite the fact the truth can change our lives.

They Don’t Care About Us by Michael Jackson

The song They Don’t Care about Us is about the pain of prejudice and hate. It also draws attention to social and political problems. Michael Jackson sings about the injustices people face and how the system wrongfully accuse them. In this song Michael Jackson takes on the voice of everybody who has been oppressed.
Beat me, hate me
You can never break me
Will me, thrill me
You can never kill me
Jew me, Sue me
Everybody do me
Kick me, Kike me
Don't you black or white me
Unlike most of Jackson’s songs that lie within the genres of pop and R&B, this song falls into the hip-hop and reggae categories with a touch of electronica. The intense drum beat and the harsh electric guitar solos between each of the verses help make the song sound more powerful.
They Don’t Care about Us is recognized by most as a protest song. Michael Jackson specifically uses racial slurs to get his point of injustice across. Unfortunately, his intentions were misinterpreted by many and because of this he was labeled anti-Semitic. I personally commend Jackson’s efforts. I think his song not only paints a picture of social ills, but it attempts to unite people against injustice. For me, this song helps to establish a sense of belonging. It reiterates how important it is to unite against oppression.

At the Bottom of Everything by Bright Eyes


Bright Eyes is a band whose music is focused in indie folk, rock, and alternative country. The name of the band comes from a 1934 Shirley Temple movies. The song At the Bottom of Everything is really interesting because it tells a story. The song begins with the lead singer, Conor Oberst talking. He tells the story of a woman who is on a plane sitting beside a man that refuses to talk to her. All of a sudden the engines on the plane began to fail and the pilot’s voice comes over the intercom, apologizing profusely. The woman starts to panic and the man beside her, who refused to talk at first, begins to try and calm her down. Throughout the progression of the story, the strumming of a guitar that was once unnoticed background music becomes more prominent. I think this technique helps to add to urgency of the plane crash. As the guitar becomes more noticeable, the man sitting beside the woman begins to tell her a story which eventually turns into a song.
The song itself presents a particularly powerful message. Personally I think Oberst is trying to poke fun of the way our society works. He attacks the careless mindset that Americans have and a society that works to make everyone “blend into the choir” and “sing static as a whole.” The song says that though we try to force conformity on individuals, in the end it won’t matter. Just as the man in the opening story started showing compassion for the girl when the plane was crashing and his world was ending, Oberst asserts his opinion that the end of society as we know it will bring love and joy, even if it is at the end. Additionally, though the song talks about death, it depicts it in a positive light because it is a time for change. When the singer finds enlightenment at the bottom of everything he realizes that he was really no one the whole time and that his death will bring him back to God if he waits and lets the transformation unfold as he says at the end of the song: “the whole world’s waking up.”

Rusty Halo by The Script


The Script is an Irish group that got its start in Dublin. The band was once known as Mytown but changed its name to The Script in 2001. This band brings a whole new sound to the table. It combines a new brand of Celtic Soul and hip hop lyrical flow with pop melodiousness and rock dynamics. The gritty contemporary narratives of lead singer Danny O'Donoghue also make this band distinct. The Script is known widely for using their songs to tell stories and leave its listeners with a piece of life changing information.
This particular song tells a story of redemption. O’ Donoghue essentially likens himself to a fallen angel who has lost the luster of his halo. The Fallen Ones did not get a reprieve or enjoy the same forgiveness’s that humans do and so he is trying to find a loophole in the bible in order to get into the pleasures of heaven versus the pain of hell. He knows that his punishment can be justified by his actions and rebellious attitude and because of this; he is trying to make up for it as an afterthought. At the end of the song O’Donoghue continually repeats the lyric, “everyone's running from something but we don't know when it's coming, so we keep running and running.” To me this means that we have all committed deeds that we are not proud and so, we continue to search for ways to atone for our misdeeds.
I first heard this song during my senior year of high school when I was working as a Certified Nursing Assistant in a local nursing home. I was often reminded of this song when I interacted with a few of the patients. Because most of them were so close to death, they felt the need to confess their ill actions as if they were seeking some sort of repentance. This and the song Rusty Halo helped me realize that we all know that these actions will eventually catch up with us resulting in emotional or physical pain



The Beast by Tech N9NE.

Aaron Dontez Yates, whose stage name is Tech N9NE, is a rapper originating from Missouri. Like most rappers, Yates uses catchy beats, a lot of bass and rhythmic lyrics to create his songs. A light tinkering piano melody signifies the beginning of The Beast. The piano part gradually becomes more prominent in the song as it progress. I find it interesting that Yates incorporates the piano into his sound because it is not something that is usually heard within the rap genre.
I first heard this song in my friend’s car as she was taking me back to Carolina after fall break. We listened to the song nonstop, with her system thumping and all the windows in the car rolled down despite the fact that it was a brisk night. I really enjoy listening to this song because it reminds me of that night, my friend, and all the fun we had together. . In the song, Aaron Yates talks about being a beast and making the most out of his situations no matter what. This is another reason why I like this song. It helps me get pumped. If I have an exam to take, a speech to give or anything that would make me nervous, I listen to this song. I feel like it gives me courage I need to succeed. It makes me feel confident and unstoppable. This song encourages me to maintain the will to do anything despite the fact that I know I can’t.

We Used to Vacation by Cold War Kids


Formed in 2004, Cold War Kids are a group that is originally from Long Beach, California. The band’s musical talents are focused mainly within the indie rock genre. In the song entitled We used to Vacation, Cold War kids use a piano melody, intricate beats, and the maracas to create an obscure sound. The band also changes the tempo of the song frequently, making it interesting and attention grabbing. I really enjoy this song because, like the most of the other songs on my playlist, it tells a story. However in the case of this song, it actually tells a non fictional story.
We Used to Vacation tells the story of an alcoholic although most people are unsure of whether the song relates to the author’s father or the author himself. This song, like all the songs written by Cold War Kids, is ambiguous as to who is the subject of the song. I think the writer could be reflecting on his past as well as his present-- as many children of alcoholics develop their own alcohol problems. Also, alcohol tends to impair memory, and this song could be a meshing together of past memories and current problems, or just represent total confusion and chaos in someone’s life. Additionally; if this song is indeed about the author’s childhood, then it is not a normal tale of a child who has an alcoholic father. This song has lots of anger, but also includes sympathy for the father doing the drinking, as he appears to be a character that, no matter how hard he tries, always ends up screwing things up. The father is not just a drunk who abandons his family. Despite his addiction, he still tries to be a good father.
Regardless of if it is the father or the son (or both) writing the song, it is true that the writer has his own alcohol problem, and has a fair amount of regret and guilt in his life. This song is heartfelt and touching because although there is a lot of anger apparent in the sound of the singers voice, it is a very apologetic song. In the songs he continues to claim “things could be much worse, natural disasters on the evening news, still things could be much worse, we still got our health, my paycheck in the mail.” This song finds it center in forgiveness and perseverance. In the song the father constantly tries to change his bad habits because he is aware of the pain that he causing his family. But, no matter how hard he tries he always lapse back into the same routine. Despite his addition and constant relapses, the family members still love him and continue to allow him to be a part of their lives.

B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad) by OutKast


I love Outkast. That’s it. There isn’t anything else to it. There songs are almost always upbeat and catchy. They have great hooks, awesome beats and crazy vocals. The rhythms, beats, and melodies are changing constantly in a nearly seamless manner. Their songs are absolutely ludicrous.
Although I am not a fan of the actual lyrics in the second verse of the song, mostly because I personally feel that they have nothing to do with the overall meaning of the song, I do love the first verse and chorus, which constantly repeats, “Don't pull the thing out unless you plan to bang, bombs over Baghdad. Don't even bang unless you plan to hit something, bomb over Baghdad. ” The opening lyrics of the song describe the life of soldiers on tour. It talks about the things that they go through and how war makes them feel when they come back home. To me these lyrics scream anti-war and it’s a wide known fact that Outkast was against the war in Iraq. This song is entertaining. I fill like I don’t relate to this song but I want to. This song is catchy and popular and is still able to address an important issue. I was I could incorporate that into my own identity.