HOM 165 Understanding Music I

“Rock 'N Roll Music” by Chuck Berry
“Bring It On Home to Me” by Sam Cooke
“I Want to Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles
"I Got You (I Feel Good)" by James Brown
“Changes” by David Bowie
“Ladies First” by Queen Latifah

Share your reactions to these recordings. Did you love any of them? Did you hate any of them? Did you find any of them moving? Did you find any of them completely bewildering? What were the moments and elements that exemplified why you had these reactions?

Jimmie Rodgers and Robert Johnson both combined country and blues influences in their music, yet Rodgers is considered a country artist and Johnson a blues artist. Discuss the similarities and differences in their music and whether they belong in the categories in which they are placed.

As the most influential blues singer in history, Bessie Smith is by association one of the most important singers in rock history even though she herself wasn’t a rock singer. What, if any, elements of style and energy do you hear in her singing that resemble what you associate with rock and other pop music of the last 50 years or so?

Part 1: My reaction to the songs:

“Rock 'N Roll Music” by Chuck Berry

This song is the early prototype of rock n roll music, and talks about the love of rock n roll, playing music fast and having backbeats. One of my all time favorite songs of all time made by the legendary artist Chuck Berry and has influenced rock n roll musicians for decades to come.

“Bring It On Home to Me” by Sam Cooke

This is a soulful song by Sam Cooke, full of love and emotion. The song was one of the most iconic one, still moving people to tears. I loved this song, however I wished the song was a little longer as the voice of is completely mesmerizing.

“I Want to Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles

I was never a big fan of Beatles, and felt that the entire Beatlemania was phony. Ergo, this song was never special or even significant for me and I completely hated it. I felt that the song was just a happy-go-lucky representation of life and was too naïve.

"I Got You (I Feel Good)" by James Brown

I found this song to be completely bewildering, enchanting and mesmerizing. The combination of the enchanting vocals of James Brown, the funky music style results in an electric composition the surges through the body every time I listen to this. This song really does make me feel good.

“Changes” by David Bowie

David Bowie has been one of my favorite artists of all time, and this song is especially close to me, as I can relate to this on a personal level. The song itself represents change of musical styles that Bowie mastered with sudden drop and pickups of the tempo.

“Ladies First” by Queen Latifah

This song sends a powerful message about the strength of a woman. It has a gritty and raw feeling to it that makes the audience both cringe and applaud. I found the song to be completely bewildering but in a good way. The scenes of the violence and riots were a strong visual.

Part 2:

Jimmie Rodgers style was mostly related to country because of the lyrical content of his songs that was based on the love for the country side and nature and rhythmic yodeling that was a signature country music style. However the fact that he was white skinned also made him associated with country music (Porterfield, 2007).

Robert Johnson was a guitar virtuoso and songwriter, his legendary compositions, almost undocumented life and untimely death spawned several legends about him. His style was bluesier, and was about emotions which were a common theme in blues. Also, the fact that he was an African American also solidified his image as a blues musician (Wald, 2004).

Part 3:

Bessie Smith was a Blues and Jazz legend and iconic singer. She has been named as the ‘Empress of the Blues’ for her powerful and soulful voice, which was both heavy as well as melodic. Her singing style represented the cultural roots of rock n roll in Jazz, blues and gospel music. Her music stressed heavily on independence, sexual freedom, fearlessness that represented a working class persona. She spoke about social problems such as poverty, racism, and sexuality. Such elements heavily influenced the later rock n roll music that celebrated the artistic freedom of the artists and as a tool of a social discourse (Warfield, 2017; Reynolds & Press, 1996).

References:

Porterfield, N. (2007). Jimmie Rodgers: the life and times of America's blue yodeler. Univ. Press of Mississippi.

Reynolds, S., & Press, J. (1996). The sex revolts: gender, rebellion, and rock'n'roll. Harvard University Press.

Wald, E. (2004). Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the invention of the blues (p. xxvi342). New York: Amistad.

Warfield, P. M. (2017). Postmodern Blackness and the Legacy of Bessie Smith.