Country Music: The Devil Went Down To Georgia

When I first listened to this song, I felt that it was a song of majestic significance. The sound of “Aint no mountain high enough” made me feel happy as a listener, its uptempo beat and pleasing rhythm allowed me to feel a sense of hope. After researching this song in depth, and diving into its historical context, I have not changed my reaction to the song. Seen as one of the most powerful and beautiful musical compositions of our generation, the Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell duet encompasses numerous western originating genres, such as soul, pop and rhythm and blues (R&B). This songs instrumentation includes bells, the tambourine, the snare and the bass guitar.

Randy Blythe, who is a vocalist of the music band, was charged with manslaughter in the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic claimed that Randy has responsibility for a man who died in his concert in 2010. Randy has been in custody for 5 weeks while investigating. He was sentenced not guilty, but he was impacted by the trail. And he wrote the song call 512.

The state of Missouri has plenty of musical artists to be proud of with jazz innovator Charlie Parker from Kansas City and legendary rocker Chuck Berry from St. Louis. The Rainmakers are an original rock band from Kansas City. They came out with a string of hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s in the U.S. and Europe. This bar band still performs.

“The Blood Stained Banders” is an African American spiritual sung by Blind Jimmie Strothers. Strothers was a banjo and guitar player who was blinded by an explosion at the mines that he worked at. After being convicted of murdering his wife with an axe, he was sent to the state penitentiary. There, he was found by Alan Lomax and Harold Spivacke who were working on finding field recordings for the Library of Congress. They recorded multiple songs sung by Strothers, among which is “The Blood Stained Banders”, an original composition.

“Born by the River” illustrates my version of the “American Dream” because Cooke expresses this faith that things will change, despite social segregation. For example, Cooke mentions, "how it has been difficult over the years facing “segregation and inequality,” but he has hope a change will come for the future (Stanza 1). Cooke sings in a doubtful manner because of the unjust times he 's living in and explains all the harsh realities he is faced. Although he lives under these circumstances, his hope is restored because colored Americans began to stand up for what 's right in civil rights movements. Similarly, today we are faced with opposing laws that make it harder for “equal opportunism” for immigrants in America, but these dreamers still stand tall in protests for their fight against unequal opportunities.

In the musical Hamilton by Lin Manuel Miranda, the writer uses a variety of appeals to connect the audience of today to their past. Throughout the forty six songs used, Miranda uses many different techniques to create a deeper understanding and connection for the beginnings of America in a way a contemporary audience of today can relate to. One example of the unique way Miranda is able to give life to the past is with the song “You’ll Be Back”. It’s constructed in a way that sounds like a person bitter over a breakup and that they’re writing a letter to their ex. Not only does this bring a humorous aspect to the song, in that its sung by King George to America, but it also provides a sense of relatability to its message by simplifying the complexity of politics down to something more human which many more people can understand.

Comedy has been a form of entertainment since ancient Greece. Comedy often reflects society, so as technology became more advanced it also became more accessible to the public. Leaving the house to see a play transitioned to leaving the house to see a film, which transitioned to staying at home and watching television, and then transitioned to watching videos on an iPhone. Technological accessibility broadened comedy as genre and created notable characters, distinctive styles, and has influenced modern comedians.   Bo Burnham began to gain popularity through YouTube.

Rodney Atkins’ hit song What I Love about the South says, “If you need a Dixie Fix just come on down,” How could you not want to just hop on a plane and go down south? That is exactly the response Rodney Atkins tries to get across in his song. This song is an amazing example of a rhetorical equilibrium; Rodney does a great job of persuading others to agree with him on his outlook about how great the south is. Rodney uses rhetorical appeal such as ethos logos and pathos, in his song What I Love about the South, to achieve a depiction of his opinion of what the south is like. “Whhhheeeewwww whhhhhheeewww!!!

Jesus Hits like the Atom Bomb is an album recorded by John Alexander’s Sterling Jubilee singers in 1998. The Sterling Jubilee Singers were founded in 1929 after African-Americans were leaving the steel mills and ore mines of Jefferson County, Alabama. This group is one of the most successful a cappella groups that came out of Jefferson County that best represent the traditional style founded there. They are considered one of the great a cappella groups that helped make what gospel music is today.

The song “Under the Bridge” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is an emotional piece. I know that this was not originally written as a song, but rather as a personal poem that Anthony Kiedis, the lead singer, wrote for himself about his hardships as a heroine addict years ago. In this song, Kiedis sings about how the only thing that loves him is Los Angeles, the “city of angels.” The lyrics, “I drive on her streets ‘cause she is my companion, I walk through her hills ‘cause she knows who I am,” are interesting because he refers to LA as a “she.” I think that Kiedis was having a hard time connecting to people, therefore, he considered LA to be the only thing he was actually comfortable being himself with.