Listening Journals.

1900-1950

"Crossroads Blues"- Robert Johnson

Robert Johnson was first said to be a bad guitar player, until his wife and child died. He went of the "map" for a while and came back an amazing guitarist. His legend is that he went to the crossroads and sold his soul to the devil in exchange to be able to play his guitar well. His death at the age of 27 have made more people speculate that the devil came to collect.

Johnson's music is very rough and unedited, which is expected because of when it was released. Personally i like hearing the tiny flaws in the music because it makes it actually sound like music that a real person is playing; and not computer generated sound.



"Easy Rider"- Huddie Ledbetter

Recorded June 17, 1940

Huddie Ledbetter was one of the artist that travelled with John and Alan Lomax across the country recording songs. I enjoy this song alittle better than the Robert Johnson one because it is a bit more refined. I also enjoy the way his voice sounds, it compliments the music that he is playing perfectly. Ledbetter was once in prison and was released and pardoned from jail twice because he sang pleas to the Texas and Louisianna governors.



"Strange Fruit"- Billie Holiday

Poem Written by Abel Meeropol-1936

The poem was written so Abel could express how he felt about the photogragh he saw of two men being lynched. It was first performed by Meeropol, his wife, and singer Laura Duncan at Madison Square Garden. The song was introduced to Billie Holiday by the founder of the the cafe society and she performed it at the club in 1939. Strange Fruit is more "jazzy" and sadder than the other two songs. Her voice and the piano acompaniment help gather tension, that builds until the end. Holiday's accompianist said the Holiday wuld break down after everytime she sang it, because it reminded her of her father.



1950-1970

"Be My Baby"(1963)- The Ronettes

Be My Baby is a very uplifting song about love, and being together. The song was one example of the "wall of sound" Phil Spector used. The song has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame aswell.
The most predominant instruments in the song are the drums, tambourine, and the guitar. Estelle, and Veronica(Ronnie) are sisters, and mainly listened to rock and pop when they were growing up. Their grandmother encouraged the two sisters and their cousin Nedra hormonize together. The girls soon became very good at singing songs like "goodnight sweatheart". In 1963 Phil Spector noticed the girls potential and signed them. Since then they have sung several very popular songs including "be my baby" and "baby I love you".

"My Generation"(1965)-The Who
My Generation is a good rock song that you can't help but tap your foot to. The song is on the album My Generation. The band has said this album doesn't reflect what they can actually do as a band, but critics think the album "My Generation" is one of The Who's best albums. The Who was one of the bands that was apart of the British invasion. Even now their music is listened to by teens. The song "My Generation" is still relevant today when you look at teenagers.

"Paint it, Black"(1966)- The Rolling Stones
"Paint it, Black" by the Rolling Stones is a much more traditional "Rock" song. The song was written by Mick Jagger, and Keith Richards, Brian Jones contributed to the main guitar riff. When I think about the song "Paint it, Black" in my head I hear that Guitar riff, and I think it is the most recognizeable thing about the song. The song has been recently associated with the Vietnam war because it has been used in many vietnam war movies. Many T.V. shows have used the song aswell. I enjoy this song because it is a classic, that is very recognizeable to anyone wether or not they listen to this type of music.

1970-2000

"Heart of Glass"(1979)-Blondie
The song "Heart of Glass" had been around for several years before Producer Mike Chapman came along and gave the song more of a disco twist than it had before. The band Blondie was ridiculed by fellow musicians after the songs release because of it's disco sound. Punk/ New wave bands had been rebelling against the mainstream disco music, where Blondie embraced. The band has no ill will towards the song for being disco, because it helped propel them into the spotlight. The bands instruments include guitar, bass, drums, and a keyboard.

"Bohemian Phapsody"(1975)-Queen
The song "Bohemian Phapsody" was written by Freddie Mercury in his home in west london. It is made up of three different parts, almost like three different songs. The song was a commercial success in the UK and stayed at the top of the charts for nine weeks; and then graced the top of the charts again in 1991 when Freddie Mercury died. The song was criticised by many people for being too confusing. Many younger people know the song because it was used in the movie "Wayne's World". I love this song just because of the way it sounds, I even think the fact that it is confusing and all over the place is one of the most charming thing about it.

"You an Me"(1994)- The Wannadies
The wannadies are a band from swedan that was formed in 1988. Most of their success has come from their song being used in leonardo Dicaprio version of Romeo + Juliet. Unfortunately the band split up in 2009. What I enjoy about the song is that it is cheerful. I was first introduced to the song thorugh Romeo + Juliet, but once I heard it the first time i instantly fell in love with the way the lead singers voice sounded, and the way the instruments are played together.

2000's

"Smile"(2006)-Lily Allen
Lily Allen's "Smile" is about how her boyfriend cheated on her, and how she got back at him. The song encorporates ska elements to it's music. Some critics say that it has turned Lily Allen into a pop princess. The song is off of Lily Allens First album "Alright, still", the song is the main track off the album. I enjoy the song because of the way it is put together, I like the way her voice "meshes" with the music. I also like the song because it is something that you can easily sing to.

"1 2 3 4"(2007)-Feist
Feist is a canadian born singer who has worked with many groups and people including broken social scene. She started her first band at the age of 15 and has continued to make music since then. She moved to Paris after she recorded "Let it Die" which is her label debut. I enjoy listening to songs by Feist because she isn't only a singer, she is an artist who works hard at what she does. 1 2 3 4 was a huge commercial success getting her 5 juno's.

"Haven't Met You Yet"(2009)-Michael Buble
Michael Buble is usually an artist that covers older jazz songs, but every time he releases a new album there is at least one original song on it. "Haven't Met You Yet" has been very successful. I enjoy Michael Buble's music usually because his voice matches the sound of the songs perfectly. His music usually cheers me up no matter what mood I'm. "Haven't Met You Yet" is a song about love like most of his songs, this one refers to the fact that he hasn't found his true love yet but he won't stop trying. I like Michael Buble's music because it's bringing back a genre that most people have forgotten about.

Blog Assignment #3- The Blockbuster Film

I slightly agree with both opinions about blockbuster films. They don't make you think hard about whats going on, and they don't make you slowly solve a puzzle in your head before the movie is over, but they are entertaining, and that is why they have lasted so long.


I enjoy going to watch some blockbuster films in the theatre like, X-men origins:wolverine which is about the x-men character wolverine and his life before he lost his memory; the movie deals with many new "mutants" instead of the ones they regularly use in the x-men films, because they have a back story that you can follow, but doesn't make the experience too confusing for the audience. Other blockbusters like G.I Joe which is a movie created about the G.I. Joe action figures, don't do very well and are critisized because they rely only on the special effects used in the movie to make it good.

I believe that the blockbuster movies are a good genra in the film industry because they show how technical movies can be, but i also think they sometimes they take it too far by making it so focused on special effects that you lose any kind of story you had in the beginning.

On one hand blockbuster movies don't depict how a certain siuation would play out, like getting knocked down by an explosion only a few 100 feet away from you and getting up without a scratch on you, like in alot of action movies. We know that couldn't actually happen, if you got knocked down by an explosion it means you are probably close enough to get seriously injured. They are also HUGE money makers and that is usually why they continue to be made. Blockbuster films are also more likely to come out with sequels if they are popular enough the first time around, like transformers, which is a movie about a boy who buys a car and finds out it is an alien from outer space and quickly becomes involved in an alien war between the transformers and the decepticons, which was a huge hit and a year or two later they came out with the second one. Many people argue that sequels aren't as good as the original movie like in the case of transformers, the original was much better than the sequel.

Despite all these things they are still entertaining for audiences, and people are willingly buying tickets to these kinds of movies because they would rather see something entertaining instead of artstic and critically acclaimed. You go to blocbuster action movies to have a good time and come out laughing with friends instead of walking out of the theatre after a sad, artisitc movie very somber.

I am a person that enjoy's most genre's of film and goes to see a wide variety of films every year, and I do have to say I usually always enjoy going to see blockbuster movies because they create them for that exact reason, to be enjoyable to the audience.

Teens In the Media

I don't like the way teens are portrayed in the media. I believe teens are portrayed in T.V. as very dramatic, and always having some kind of conflict. Teens do tend to be more dramatic than adults but the way it is portrayed in T.V. is much more exaggerated. In shows like 90210, and Gossip girl the teens are always in some sort of trouble. They always drama in the show to try and keep it interesting, which i think gives parents a bad example of what teens are actually like.

Newspapers and the news on T.V. usually show an accurate teen life, if it's newsworthy. the news will report stabbing or guns brought to school, but they never report on regular teen life, that I know of. I have also seen reports when teens do incredibly selfless or courageous things, but then again not all teens run in marathons for illnesses, or donate blood to save lives; it's almost as if the same theory for gossip girl applies, the more the drama in a situation the more are going to watch that particular program.

I believe that the documentary we watched about teens in the media opened my eyes to what great lengths these researchers go through to try and get our opinion on the latest fashions and music. I had no idea they hired teens to brag about a certain product, or artist. I know there is no way to escape the media and it's advertisements, but now that I have watched the documentary I am more aware of the media around me. In the documentary it showed young girls dancing for the camera, although was a horrible thing for a 13 year old to do, I believe that not every 13 year old is like that. I think because she was told she looks much older than 13 she felt the need to act older than she actually was to try and please the people and the media around her.

I believe that teens are negatively portrayed in the media, but there isn't really anything we can do about it. Media is everywhere and the only thing we can do is be aware, and be smart about it.

Assignment #1

1. I believe that media is definitely an important part of my life. Without media i wouldn't be the same person i am today. the media defines us as the people we are, through music, television, and movies.





2. The types of media that i am most passionate about are books, music, and movies. Books are an important thing to me because i spend most of my time reading. reading books is a prominent form of entertainment for me. Music is an important thing in the media. Different types of music allow you to create you own personal style, and help you decide what you like. Movies are important; they are there to entertain and tell a story. I enjoy feeling like yo are in another world for two hours, living along side other peoples lives until the movie is finished. The tree types of media that are most important to me are books, music, and movies.





3. The media has become a huge part of our pop culture. I think that we have become obsessed with the media recently because new sites like facebook and twitter allow us to live our lives on the Internet. the technology used for communicating is amazing. The technology allows us to talk or interact with people half way around the world, which is amazing. I dislike parts of the media that isn't necessary, like twitter. I use the media for information, communication, and entertainment.



4. One part of the media that i am most passionate about is book. My favourite books are anything by Gregory McGuire, Anne Rice, and Charlaine Harrison. I spend alot of time reading and i often get attached to the characters. I think books are a very important form of the media. Books tell us interesting stories about love, loss, anger, and death. books also let us use our own imagination; we decide what the characters look, and dress like, we imagine the house they live in or the landscape they walk on. Even though books aren't a "new" invention, or a new kind of technology, I believe they are the most important for of the media.