Symphonic Saturday - What Makes A Song Great?

All art forms are subjective, which makes them hard to analyze with any certainty. A song that may give someone goosebumps, may hurt the ears of another. Some songs are timeless and resonate deeply with people and others can get stuck in our heads when we don't even like them.

A song can be technically perfect and convey no meaning. Another can be flawed yet stir something primal within us.

And how it is heard can change the response as well. I enjoy classical music on vinyl or through my computer speakers, but those pale in comparison to a live performance. Yet some bands are awful live and so I'd rather hear them through my car stereo.

For some people, the lyrics are what touch them the most. For musicians, they often hear the instrument they play the most and determine whether a song is good simply from a small part of it.

It's fascinating when you think about it.

And there doesn't seem to be a way to ensure a song will be well received.

Because music speaks to you differently at different times in your life.

When I was going through my divorce several years ago, Katy Perry's Roar had just come out. I wasn't a Katy Perry fan, but man did I love belting that song out in my car. I also loved Linkin Park's Numb. Flyleaf's Fully Alive was another song that really spoke to me as I went through the process.

These days I often find myself gravitating to songs that have guitar in them and paying less attention to the lyrics, but I'm sure as I continue to work on my own songs, I'll be getting more into reading poetry and even listening to rap and hip hop in search of making really good songs.

Anyway, this is what has been on my mind today.

Salut,
R~

Comments

The Gauntlet That Was October

I had a lot of things happen in October. I watched Frankenstein in the cemetery with friends. I had tea with a friend. I started a new sport: curling. This is really fun and I'm enjoying the level of activity it provides and all the strategic elements. I'll do a separate post on it soon. Unfortunately, soon after my first game, I came down with Covid and so did the friend who I had tea with, so I think we both caught it at the place we went to. That wasn't fun. I already posted about that. I was fortunate to be free of it in time to attend Can-Con where I took in lots of panels, saw some of the wonderful writer community, bought many new books, and volunteered to help out in the rooms. The following weekend, I went to the livestream for Danielle Allard's new album release, followed by the in person release. As part of this, she has a 6 video series that releases every Sunday on her YouTube at 1:15 PM EDT. Video number 2, Falling Into Place, is one that I feel fortunate

Under Siege

My city is under attack. I wish I was being facetious. The so-called "freedom" convoy is here and so far this is what has transpired: 1. They parked on the war memorial. These people who call themselves patriots. This is where the Unknown Soldier rests. This is where Corporal Nathan Cirullo lost his life in October of 2014. The cars were towed, but who knows what actual repercussions they will face. 2. Later, when asked to move away from memorial, one stood and jumped on the tomb itself while others cheered. 3. Despite having port-a-potties provided for by the mayor, they've been defecating on Parliament Hill, in snowbanks, and on streets nearby. 4. Flags being flown include the Confederate flag of the United States, Trump flags, the Quebec equivalent to the Confederate flag, upside down Canada flags, regular Canada flags, Fuck Trudeau flags, libertarian flags, and ones adorned with swastikas. Yeah, this is totally about freedom rather than racism, white su

2023 - Week 39

Starting curling season out right with this lovely gift from a friend and Bengal Spice tea. Normally, I work in-office on Mondays, but after such a busy week, I couldn't deal with an environment filled with distraction and socializing. Most of my team wouldn't be in anyway, so there wasn't a lot of point to making the transit trip. I spent the day working, catching up around Tiny Condo, taking in another Scrivener webinar, playing Minecraft, and attending my friend Danielle Allard's studio stream. The webinar was focused on using Scrivener as a tool for academic writing, but he demonstrated some features that are making it easier for me to continue reorganizing my novel into scenes. Later, I set up my Google calendar with the dates for round 1 of Rainbow Rockers (RR) curling. On Tuesday, I pulled the Death card for a second day in a row. I try to do a daily tarot though sometimes I forget. I know it's random and woo, but it's interesting that lately I've pul

Rae Roy

Search This Blog