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The song I decided to listen to for the week 11 song choice was "Born in the USA" by Bruce Springsteen. Immediately, I thought the song sounded big and powerful, as if it were trying to embody the power of the United States. The guitar riff that resembles the chorus of the song is very interesting to listen to, because it leads into the chorus, where the notes are repeated with singing. The drums are big and loud, and almost sound like a construction site or something. Originally, I thought that the song would be about how great America is, and have a very patriotic set of lyrics supporting America and giving it praise. However, upon further analysis of the lyrics of the song, you come to realize that the lyrics are actually not supportive of America, it's actually quite the opposite. The lyrics intend to support opposition to the Vietnam war, and helps embody the struggle of the Vietnam veteran returning back to the United States to face unemployment and scorn. Overall, ...

For my week ten song choice, I decided to listen to another song that I've been hearing since I was a little kid, due to my parents taste in music. The song I decided to listen to is "I Wanna Be Sedated" by The Ramones. My parents are generation X kids who grew up when punk rock was big, so that is one factor as to why my music taste is the way it is. I love this song, because it is punk rock and hardcore in its nature, but it isn't overwhelmingly loud or abrasive. The song starts with an interesting and cool guitar riff, that almost adds rhythm to the rhythm section of bass and drums. It isn't a very hard guitar riff to play, since punk rock generally involves more passion and energy than technical musicianship, but it's catchy and fun to listen to. The lyrics are also very interesting. "Nothing to do, no where to go, I wanna be sedated". It sounds as if Joey Ramone was writing about how he would rather be high on drugs than deal with the world as i...

For the week 9 song choice, I decided to listen to Money by Pink Floyd. I had known this song from my childhood and other sources, and I love Pink Floyd and how experimental they were during the time period they were famous. The song starts out with the sound of change and cash registers, and an unforgettable bass riff in a cool rhythmic 7/8 time. The musicality of the guitars and rhythm section in this song is really fun to listen to, because it's such a weird rhythm. The lyrics are also really interesting. One line that stands out to me is "Money, it's a crime". The song really rejects the idea of commercialism in music and life in general, which was weird to sing about during the 70s, when disco dancing and disco music took in tons of money. The song also seems really artsy and obscure for the time period when hard rock and popular rock like Queen were dominating. Overall, I really like this song. It has a cool beat to it, cool guitar riffs to listen to, and really...

The song that I decided to listen to for week 7 was "A Hard Day's Night" by The Beatles. I grew up listening to The Beatles a lot because my grandparents grew up in the 60s when the Beatles were around, so they played them a lot for me and my brother, so immediately when I hear it, I feel nostalgic. The first thing I noticed in the song was the interesting chord at the very start. It sounded like nothing I've ever heard before, and certainly nothing anyone has heard before in the 60s. Then as the song goes on, it sounds very melodic and riff driven, with sort of a "wall of sound" influence from Phil Spector records. The lyrics aren't very deep, but they are repetitive and catchy, which makes the song enjoyable and easy to listen to. I also enjoyed how John Lennon sings the verses while Paul McCartney sings the chorus. It switches it up in the song in a way that makes it ore interesting to listen to. I also enjoyed the instrumentation in the song. Like I ...

The song I decided to listen to for week 6 is Maybellene by Chuck Berry. First off, I'm so glad we're finally to rock and roll! This is the music I know and love. Right off the bat, the first thing I noticed about Maybellene was that Chuck Berry sings in a very fast paced, fun rhyming style; I'd almost consider it a precursor to rap music. I enjoyed how he was able to sing very fast and stay in tune with his amazing guitar playing. Which brings me to my next point: Chuck Berry is an amazing electric guitarist. I really enjoyed how he can play so fast and rhythmically, while also singing rock and roll and dancing like a mad man. It's such a fun energy to witness while watching him perform it live. I also enjoyed how lyrically complex the words to the song are. Chuck Berry was able to write a song with deep yet fun lyrics, while everyone else at the time was singing about loving their significant other and crooning. It's a really cool song, and a cool precursor to wha...

I decided to listen to "In the Mood" by Glen Miller. Right off the bat, I loved how subtle and perfectly rhythmic the drumming was, and how it complimented that amazing intro riff that gets you hooked on the song. I also noticed how I had heard this song before in movies and TV, and remembered that it's one of those songs that's solidified in American culture. As the song goes on, I enjoyed the mainly rhythmic playing, with the occasional break for an instrumental solo. I can see how this song would have been fun to dance to back in the 1940s. One thing I noticed about this song and the others that we've listened to is that the music played is coming from very talented musicians; not a single note is missed, not a single beat is skipped, and not a single mistake is made. This music is very polished and sharp. It's cool to listen to, because I enjoy listening to talented musicians. It was also cool to look into Glen Miller a little more, and it's crazy that...