Dear 102ers --
In preparation for the first feeder assignment, please post a link to a song along with an annotation before class this Friday. From Mondays in-class responses, I can tell that you are all quite capable of linking these songs to your personal experiences. While that is certainly a crucial part of this assignment, try to focus on developing the descriptive part of the annotation.
Some things to consider (don't worry about answering everything; this is just to get you started):
-Who performs the song?
-Who wrote it?
-Is it a cover or an original? Has anyone covered it since?
-When it was issued?
-What region does the song come from?
-What genre(s) does the song fall into?
-How has this song been influenced by other musical, artistic, social or political movements? Conversely, how has it influenced these movements?
-What was the target audience of the song? What is the actual audience of the song? How can you tell? Do most people know it?
-In what cultural contexts has this song appeared?
-Is the song controversial or upsetting in anyway? Who wouldn't like this song? Why?
-How many copies of the song/album have been sold?
-What sort of instrumentation/production is used in this song?
-What are the lyrics? How do they convey meaning?
-How is the song structured? Does it have a beginning, a middle and an end?
-Can you comment on the chord structure or progression of the song? How about the percussion, or bassline? Can you identify any patterns in the song that contribute to your understanding of its meaning?
This list is by no means exhaustive. Feel free to pose and answer your own questions.
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“Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN86d0CdgHQ
“Take Me Home, Country Roads” is considered a country song that is performed by John Denver, Bill Danoff, and Taffy Nivert. It was included in their album “Poems, Prayers, and Promises” that was released in 1971. The Album soon became #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. This song is slightly upbeat and the singer has a soothing voice that is almost nostalgic. The song is about a man who sings about how he’s been far from his home in West Virginia, and how he needs for the Country roads to take him “to the place where [he] belong[s].” This song has received great attention from West Virginians, and has been played at every home football pre-game show at West Virginia University since 1972.
This song is important to me because, although I am not originally from West Virginia, I connect it to my home in North Carolina. I consider myself to be living in “the South” and this song helps me to remember my origins and where I grew up. I love North Carolina, its mountains, its plains, and its beaches and its history, so I am able to identify with the song as it describes, “Almost heaven, West Virgina/Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River/ Life is old there, older than the trees/ Younger than the mountains, flowing like the breeze." I also appreciate the “country” genre aspects of this song. I really enjoy many different types of music, but I personally identify with country music because of where I grew up.