Sorrowful Lament

The blues are part of the foundation of American culture that has been shared with the world.  Blues migrated from Africa to North America via the slave trade and this a genre of music began in the 19th century as spiritual music.  It incorporated many musical styles from the African-American communities and is characterized by its call-and-response technique and unique rhythm and chord progressions.  The blues often features a slow, “chuga-chuga choo-choo train” type of rhythm, that is usually in a 12/8-time signature (four beats where each beat is made up of three notes), as opposed to the conventional 4/4 time heard in most pop music.  The I-IV-V chord structure (C for the root note, followed by F perfect fourth, and G a perfect fifth) in blues is beyond iconic, and this sets the mood and becomes the foundation for this music.  This makes blues a simplistic genre at its core, but it’s easy to add layers of complexity on top, which is perhaps why so many talented guitarists were drawn to it.  Modern blues has its roots in the Mississippi Delta with many African American musicians who fled the exploitative plantations to head north, often landed in Chicago.

Last week we had Syncopative where the theme was to find music by rappers or hip-hop artists.  This week the theme is to find Blues music.  Take some time to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this music challenge, and even better, read as many of them as you can as you will probably find many enjoyable songs and it is quite possibly that you will learn a thing or two.  Share your music with others and post a video, try do some research and let everyone know something about the song that you post.  Tell everyone why you like the song, whether it was a hit, or what you think the song is about.  Show the lyrics, let’s all listen to our favorite songs and explore some new music.  Try to find a song that fits the theme, then write your post and create a pingback, or you can just place your link in the comments section.

Suggestions
• Try to use the prompt words or at least conform to a general theme, as you see it.  If the song you select does not meet the criteria, then please explain why you chose this song.
• It would be good if you could post the lyrics to the song of your choice, as this is helpful for the people that want to follow along with the music.
• Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due. It would also be a good idea to give credit to the singer and the band associated with your song.
• Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be, but please try not to include too many videos as that just makes it take longer to look at all of the other posts.
• Link to the YouTube video, or you can pull it into your post, so others can listen to the song.
• Ping back to this post or place your link in the comments section below.
• Read at least one other person’s blog, so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process.
• Feel free to suggest future prompts.
• Have fun and enjoy the music.

This week I will be writing about the Son House song ‘Walking Blues’, and next week, I will be writing about the song ‘Love Reign O’er Me’ by The Who.  The upcoming prompts will be:
June 11, 2023 – British Music suggested by Barbara from teleportingweena ghostmmnc
June 18, 2023 – Songs from the British Invasion suggested by Clive from Take It Easy
June 25, 2023 – New Music from 2020 or later
July 2, 2023 – Song that you would like to be played at your funeral suggested by Di of pensitivity101

Relax and Chill

‘Sunshine’ was recorded by the Minneapolis indie-ground hip-hop group Atmosphere which consisted of rapper Slug (Sean Daley) and DJ/producer Ant (Anthony Davis).  The song takes an easy pace, detailing the singer’s trip from painful hangover to appreciation for the day, the sunshine, and life in general.  ‘Sunshine’ was released in 2007, but not as an album or an EP, as it was part of their Sad Clown/Bad Dub series titled Sad Clown Bad Summer 9, which were all a collection of tracks and some were released as singles.  Despite not having a music video or any promotion, the song became popular among the band’s core fan base, eventually becoming a staple in live shows.  Later, in 2015, the group released a music video through Rhymesayers Entertainment that was produced entirely by solar power which is fitting for this song title to have a solar powered video.

As he is recovering from a hangover, his girl makes him coffee and he takes a couple of Advil with that, but he still hasn’t recovered because when he stepped out the back trying to get some fresh air, he falls down the stairs.  He didn’t feel any pain because he landed in a patch of grass.  He notices that the weather is amazing, and he sees some lustful birds doing it, so he decides to go on a bike ride, however his bike is not in great shape anymore.  He mentions Musab “Sab The Artist” who is also a hip hop artist named Beyond from Minneapolis, MN, but this is followed by sunshine which warms his skin and makes him feel good.  The rap is on as he makes note of barbecue in the backyard, kids getting treats as old folks get classic cars.  He feels that everyday can be a success and every woman will look better in a sundress.  He states that sunshine’s an excuse to shoot hoops and get juiced.  The kids to catch butterflies, and he wants to take it all in, even though the day started off all wrong with that hangover.  He feels is a breeze in the trees, so he thanks God that he is alive.  When he gets back home from his bike ride, he plans to open all the windows, because the sunshine of Sumer time has him feeling alright again.

There ain’t no way, to explain or say
How painful the hangover was today
In front of the toilet, hands and knees
Tryin’ to breathe in-between the dry-heaves

My baby made me some coffee
Afraid that if I drink some
It’s probably comin’ right back out me
Couple of Advil, relax and chill

At a standstill with how bad I feel
I think I need to smell fresh air
So I stepped out the back door and fell down the stairs
The sunlight hit me dead in the eye like

It’s mad that I gave half the day to last night
My bad sight made me trip on my ass right
Into that patch of grass like “That’s life”
All of a sudden, I realized somethin’
The weather is amazin’, even the birds are bumpin’

Stood up and took a look and a breath
And there’s that bike that I forgot that I possessed
Never really seen exercise as friendly
But I think something’s tellin’ me to ride that 10 speed

The brakes are broken, that’s alright
The tires got air and the chain seems tight, huh
Hopped on, and felt the summertime
It reminds me of one of them Musab lines
Like

Sunshine sunshine, it’s fine
I feel it in my skin, warmin’ up my mind
Sometimes you gotta give in, to win
I love the days when it shines
Whoa, let it shine

Sunshine sunshine, it’s fine
I feel it in my skin, warmin’ up my mind
Sometimes you gotta give in, to win
I love the days when it shines
Whoa, let it shine
Whoa, let it shine
Whoa, let it shine
Whoa, let it shine
Whoa let it

If I could I would keep this feelin’ in a plastic jar
Bust it out whenever someone’s actin’ hard
Settle down, barbecue in the backyard
The kids get treats and old folks get classic cars

Everyday that gets to pass is a success
And every woman looks better in a sundress
The sunshine’s an excuse to shoot hoops, get juice
Show improve them moves and let loose

I hear voices, I see smiles to match ‘em
Good times, and you can feel it in the fashion
Even though the heat cooks up the action
The street’s still got butterflies, enough kids to catch ‘em

Ridin’ my bike around these lakes, man
Feelin’ like I finally figured out my escape plan
Take it all in the day, started off all wrong
But somehow now that hangover is all gone

Ain’t nothin’ like the sound of the leaves
When the breeze penetrates these Southside trees
Leanin’ up against one, watchin’ the vibe
Forgettin’ all about the stress, thankin’ God I’m alive

It’s so simple, I had to keep the song simple
And when I get home, I’m gonna open all the windows
Feelin’ alright, stopped at a stop-sign
A car pulled up, bumpin’ Fresh Prince at Summertime

Summer summer, time
I feel it in my skin, warmin’ up my mind
Sometimes you gotta give in, to win
I love the days when it shines
Whoa, let it shine

Sunshine, sunshine it’s fine
I feel it in my skin, warmin’ up my mind
Sometimes you gotta give in, to win
I love the days when it shines
Whoa, let it shine
Whoa, let it shine
Whoa, let it shine
Whoa, let it shine
Whoa let it

Written for Song Lyric Sunday where the theme is Hip-Hop Rap music.

Syncopative

The term hip-hop music is sometimes used synonymously with the term rap music, though rapping is not a required component of hip hop music.  Rap music is the combination of rhyming and poetry to a beat.  It is part of the Hip-Hop genre, which involves lyrics over fast-paced music.  Some people have described Hip-Hop as a way of life and a subculture, while rap is a specific genre of music.  Rap refers to the musical style where lyrics are chanted rather than sung against a background track.  Rap as a genre began at block parties in the Bronx, New York City in the early 1970s.  Hip-hop is characterized by strong drum beats typically in the form of a sample or loop with bass lines, sometimes rap, beatboxing, turntables, or synthesizers.  DJ Kool Herc (Clive Campbell) is considered to be the first rapper and his back-to-school parties in the 1970s were the incubator of his burgeoning idea, where he used his two record turntables to create loops, playing the same beat over again, and extending the instrumental portion of a song.  In 1979, Rapper Kurtis Blow became the first hip hop artist to sign to a major label.  It can be hard to tell if a song is rap or hip-hop music.

Last week we had Discotheque where the theme was to find disco music.  This week the theme is to find music by rappers or hip-hop artists.  Take some time to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this music challenge, and even better, read as many of them as you can as you will probably find many enjoyable songs and it is quite possibly that you will learn a thing or two.  Share your music with others and post a video, try do some research and let everyone know something about the song that you post.  Tell everyone why you like the song, whether it was a hit, or what you think the song is about.  Show the lyrics, let’s all listen to our favorite songs and explore some new music.  Try to find a song that fits the theme, then write your post and create a pingback, or you can just place your link in the comments section.

Suggestions
• Try to use the prompt words or at least conform to a general theme, as you see it.  If the song you select does not meet the criteria, then please explain why you chose this song.
• It would be good if you could post the lyrics to the song of your choice, as this is helpful for the people that want to follow along with the music.
• Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due. It would also be a good idea to give credit to the singer and the band associated with your song.
• Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be, but please try not to include too many videos as that just makes it take longer to look at all of the other posts.
• Link to the YouTube video, or you can pull it into your post, so others can listen to the song.
• Ping back to this post or place your link in the comments section below.
• Read at least one other person’s blog, so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process.
• Feel free to suggest future prompts.
• Have fun and enjoy the music.

This week I will be writing about the Atmosphere song ‘Sunshine’, and next week, I will be writing about the song ‘Walking Blues’ by Son House.  The upcoming prompts will be:
June 4, 2023 – Blues
June 11, 2023 – British Music suggested by Barbara from teleportingweena ghostmmnc
June 18, 2023 – Songs from the British Invasion suggested by Clive from Take It Easy
June 25, 2023 – New Music from 2020 or later

Everywhere I Look

‘Love Is in the Air’ was written by the Australian songwriting and producing duo composed of Harry Vanda and George Young and this 1977 disco song was sung by John Paul Young who is not related to George Young.  Vanda and Young were the driving force behind the 1960s Australian rock group the Easybeats and the brains from the late 1970s Flash & The Pan new wave musical group and they are also known for the production work that they did for AC/DC.  The song became a worldwide hit in 1978, peaking at #3 on the Australian charts and #5 in the UK Singles Chart.  In the United States, the song peaked at #7 on the pop chart and it spent two weeks at #1 on the adult contemporary chart, and this was John Paul Young’s only US top 40 hit.  It was released as the lead single from Young’s fourth studio album, Love Is in the Air.

This song was used in the 1992 Australian romantic off-beat comedy film Strictly Ballroom which is based on a family of ballroom dancers competing in Australia.  A male dancer refuses to follow the accepted rules of ballroom dancing and he creates his own style of choreography, which infuriates the ballroom dancing establishment.  John Inglis Young known professionally as John Paul Young was born in Scotland, and his family emigrated to Australia in 1966 when he was 11.  He got involved in music began in late 1967 when he formed a band, Elm Tree with schoolmates.  In 1972, Young auditioned for and won a part in Harry M. Miller’s Sydney production of Jesus Christ Superstar, and he performed in the role of the high priest Annas for two years.  Simon Napier-Bell caught an Elm Tree performance, and he persuaded Young to sign as a solo artist to Albert Productions, the same company that had produced Australia’s top 1960s group The Easybeats.  In 2022, he released his first new song in 15 years, ‘Felt Like Love’ and performed nationally on his anniversary tour 50 Years Young.  Young was forced to cancel much of the tour due to ongoing health issues.  In 2017, this song was selected as one of the NFSA National Film and Sound Archive Sounds of Australia (recordings which inform or reflect life in Australia).

Love Is In The Air
Everywhere I look around (I look around…)
Love Is In The Air
Every sight and every sound (and every sound…)

And I don’t know if I’m being foolish
Don’t know if I’m being wise
But it’s something that I must believe in
And it’s there when I look in your eyes (your eyes…)

Love Is In The Air
In the whisper of the trees (whisper of the trees…)
Love Is In The Air
In the thunder of the sea (thunder of the sea…)

And I don’t know if I’m just dreaming
Don’t know if I feel sane
But it’s something that I must believe in
And it’s there when you call out my name (call out my name…)

Love Is In The Air
Love Is In The Air
Oh oh oh

Love Is In The Air
In the rising of the sun (of the sun…)
Love Is In The Air
When the day is nearly done (is nearly done…)

And I don’t know if you’re an illusion
Don’t know if I see it true
But you’re something that I must believe in
And you’re there when I reach out for you (reach out for you…)

Love Is In The Air
Everywhere I look around (I look around…)
Love Is In The Air
Every sight and every sound (and every sound…)

And I don’t know if I’m being foolish
Don’t know if I’m being wise
But it’s something that I must believe in
And it’s there when I look in your eyes (in your eyes…)

Love Is In The Air
Love Is In The Air
Oh oh oh, oh oh oh, oh oh oh

Love Is In The Air
Love Is In The Air
Love Is In The Air
Love Is In The Air
Oh Love Is In The Air
Oh Love Is In The Air

Written for Song Lyric Sunday where the theme is disco music.

Discotheque

In 1957, Regine Zylberberg (known simply as Regine) opened up the Chez Regine club in Paris, which was widely regarded as the world’s first discotheque.  She could not afford live music, so her patrons danced to a jukebox, and this became an empire of glittering playgrounds for the Beautiful People in Paris, New York and beyond.  The basement nightclub was located on a backstreet in Paris, and she decided to replace the jukebox with two turntables so there was no gap in the music making her the first-ever club disc jockey.  What are now usually called “disco balls” were patented in 1917 and widely used in nightclubs in the 1920s, being originally called a mirror ball.  Disco mirror balls are reflective spheres that rotate to produce disco effects and having one makes it an instant party.  It does not spin to the music, as it rotates of its own accord in both directions, and it can even come to a full stop.  Disco balls played a critical role in this culture, but Disco was not actually a music genre, it was more about the infectious up-tempo dancing that saw its heyday in the 1970s.

Disco originated in underground clubs in the late 1960s and became the hottest music in the world for the following decade.  In April 1977, the disco scene reached its peak as Studio 54 opened up in midtown Manhattan.  NYC had several Disco nightclubs and many of them catered to gays like the Paradise Garage also known as the “Gay rage”, or the Cock Ring, GG’s Barnum Room, Crisco Disco, The Anvil, and the Mudd Club.  The club scene prior to disco was primarily for heterosexual couples and dancing, but disco was more than the dance hall, it was also a drug den, a bar that was used for hookups and a pickup joint.  Disco music was introduced to the nightlife scene as a way to escape the rising social and economic issues of the era, such as war, political scandal, gang violence, unemployment, and soaring crime rates.  The increasing race riots and homophobia of the 1960s led to unsafe spaces for people of color and members of the gay community.  Disco music became popular in 1977 because of the success of the film Saturday Night Fever which starred John Travolta.  Popular disco acts included Donna Summer, The Village People, Gloria Gaynor, Kool & the Gang, KC and the Sunshine Band, the Bee Gees, Rick James, and Sister Sledge.  Systemic racism and homophobia led to the decline of and eventual downfall of disco, as people began to rebel against the disco culture and what it represented, turning on something that they once enjoyed by declaring that disco sucks.

Last week we had Decades of Female Music where the theme was to find music by girl groups.  This week the theme is to find disco music.  Take some time to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this music challenge, and even better, read as many of them as you can as you will probably find many enjoyable songs and it is quite possibly that you will learn a thing or two.  Share your music with others and post a video, try do some research and let everyone know something about the song that you post.  Tell everyone why you like the song, whether it was a hit, or what you think the song is about.  Show the lyrics, let’s all listen to our favorite songs and explore some new music.  Try to find a song that fits the theme, then write your post and create a pingback, or you can just place your link in the comments section.

Suggestions
• Try to use the prompt words or at least conform to a general theme, as you see it.  If the song you select does not meet the criteria, then please explain why you chose this song.
• It would be good if you could post the lyrics to the song of your choice, as this is helpful for the people that want to follow along with the music.
• Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due. It would also be a good idea to give credit to the singer and the band associated with your song.
• Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be, but please try not to include too many videos as that just makes it take longer to look at all of the other posts.
• Link to the YouTube video, or you can pull it into your post, so others can listen to the song.
• Ping back to this post or place your link in the comments section below.
• Read at least one other person’s blog, so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process.
• Feel free to suggest future prompts.
• Have fun and enjoy the music.

This week I will be writing about the John Paul Young song ‘Love is in the Air’, and next week, I will be writing about the song ‘Sunshine’ by Atmosphere.  The upcoming prompts will be:
May 28, 2023 – Hip-Hop Rap
June 4, 2023 – Blues
June 11, 2023 – British Music suggested by Barbara from teleportingweena ghostmmnc
June 18, 2023 – Songs from the British Invasion suggested by Clive from Take It Easy

You Better Hurry Back

‘Jimmy Mack’ was originally recorded in 1964 by Martha and the Vandellas, but it was shelved from release because it sounded too much like a song by The Supremes.  ‘Jimmy Mack’ was pulled from the vault two years later and included on their 1966 fourth studio album, Watchout!, and in early 1967 it was released as a single.  It was written and produced by Motown’s main creative team, Holland–Dozier–Holland, and ‘Jimmy Mack’ became the final Top 10 pop hit for the Vandellas in the United States, peaking at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, going to #1 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart and it reached #21 in the UK.  Billboard named the song #82 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.  This song has The Andantes singing backing vocals, while The Funk Brothers provided instrumentation and it remains as one Motown’s defining releases, helping to create the sound of Sixties America.

Martha Reeves was 25-year-old at the time this song was recorded and her Vandellas consisted of Rosalind Ashford and Betty Kelly, however Annette Beard sang backup vocals along with Rosalind on this song.  Annette joined her Detroit friends Rosalind Ashford and Gloria Williams to form the original version of The Del-Phis in 1957.  In the summer of 1960, Martha Reeves joined Annette, Rosalind and Gloria to become a member of The Del-Phis and before this she was in the Fascinations and the Sabre-Ettes.  The group changed their name to The Vels, and in 1962, Williams left the group when their only recording failed to chart, she became frustrated, and the group became a trio.  Beard left the group in June of 1964 to be a mother and she was replaced by Betty Kelly of The Velvelettes.

Reeves reverted to a solo artist under the name Martha LaVaille in the hope of getting a contract with Motown.  While singing at a Detroit nightclub, Reeves was spotted by Motown A&R director Mickey Stevenson, who recognized her talent, and invited her to audition.  She showed up the next morning on a Tuesday unaware that she was supposed to call first to schedule an audition which they only held on Thursdays.  Reeves thought that she must have looked like she was going to cry, because he handed her the phone, telling her to answer it and he would be right back, which was four hours later, so she became a secretary at Motown.  One day, when Mary Wells could not attend a session, Reeves stepped up to the microphone and called in the Del-Phis.  Reeves signed a contract, along with two of the Del-Phis (Beard and Ashford), and Barry Gordy insisted that they change their name to Martha and the Vandellas.  ‘Jimmy Mack’ was originally recorded when Annette Beard was part of the group and they brought her back in on this for her last session.  Motown boss Berry Gordy, Jr. favored the Supremes over this talented act, which sent them to the shadows in the girl group market.

Lamont Dozier came up with the original idea for this song when he was at a music industry awards dinner in 1964, Dozier saw Louise Mack the mother of the 23-year-old songwriter Ronnie Mack accepting an award for her son, for his composition ‘He’s So Fine’, which became a #1 song for the Chiffons.  Lamont was inspired by the moving speech that was delivered by Ronnie Mack’s mother who had recently died from Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  Under pressure to come up with a hit for Reeves and the Vandellas, Dozier and the team wrote ‘Jimmy Mack’, which in part was a tribute to Ronnie Mack.  The Vietnam war may have helped propel the nostalgic longings of ‘Jimmy Mack’ wondering when he might be coming back into the charts.  This song is a tale of a woman whose boyfriend Jimmy Mack has been gone for a long time, and she is currently being pursued by another man who is just as charming as Jimmy.  She desperately hopes that Jimmy will return to her before she ends up falling for the other man.

… Jimmy Mack Jimmy
Oh, Jimmy Mack when are you comin’ back
Jimmy Mack Jimmy,
Oh, Jimmy Mack when are you comin’ back
My arms are missing you,
My lips feel the same way too
I tried so hard to be true, like I promised to do
But this guy keeps comin’ around
He’s tryin’ to wear my resistance down
Hey, Jimmy, Jimmy
Oh, Jimmy Mack, when are you comin’ back
Jimmy, Jimmy, oh, Jimmy Mack, you better hurry back
Now he calls me on the phone about three times a day
Now my heart doesn’t listen to, what he has to say
But this loneliness I have within
Reaching out to be his friend
Hey, Jimmy, Jimmy
Oh, Jimmy Mack, when are you comin’ back
Jimmy, Jimmy, oh, Jimmy Mack, you better hurry back
I just need your loving, need your loving, yeah, yeah

… I wanna say I’m not getting any stronger
I can’t hold out very much longer
Trying hard, to be true
But Jimmy, he talks just as sweet as you
Hey, Jimmy, Jimmy
Oh, Jimmy Mack, when are you comin’ back
Jimmy, can’t you hear me, Jimmy
Oh, Jimmy Mack, you better hurry back
I just need your loving, need your loving
Hey, oh, Jimmy Mack, when are you coming back
Hey, Jimmy Mack, you better hurry back
Oh, I’m not getting any stronger, I can’t hold out very much longer

Written for Song Lyric Sunday where the theme is Girl Groups.

Decades of Female Music

I guess it is fitting that girl groups became our theme for Mother’s Day, and I want to wish all the mothers a happy day.  A girl group is a music act containing all, generally young, female singers who sing in complex harmonies with one another.  Much like with boybands, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when girl groups originated as people have been singing together since the beginning of time.  One of the first major all-female groups were the Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce, who were known on NBC radio in the early 1920s as “radio’s foremost harmony trio”, and later they changed their stage name to the Three X Sisters.  The Boswell Sisters started singing in the mid 1920’s as part of the jazz and swing era and they were noted for intricate harmonies and rhythmic experimentation.  The Andrews Sisters were famous for their close harmony singing in the swing and boogie-woogie era.  All of these groups were very similar, they came to fruition at similar times, and even looked pretty similar physically.  There was clearly a style that depicted a successful girl group, and these trios initiated and embraced it.

The rise of Motown in the 1960s saw the upsurge of girl groups that produced a clearly identifiable hybrid sound that included gospel, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, and quirky pop that benefited from the songwriting talents of the Holland-Dozier-Holland team and Smokey Robinson.  The Chantels were an early all-girl doo-wop group, and they became one of the first female R&B vocal groups to have nationwide success.  The Shirelles were the first girl group to realize any notable degree of commercial and artistic success and they defined the so-called girl group sound with their soft, sweet harmonies and yearning innocence.  The material for many of the genre’s biggest acts came mainly from three successful husband-and-wife songwriting teams with Brill Building connections: Gerry Goffin and Carole King, Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, and Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.  Music producer Phil Spector dominated the genre and invented the layered, harmonic “wall of sound” that characterized hits by the Crystals and the Ronettes.

Girl groups proved to be one of the more successful formulas that ended up being mined again and again by music labels, however they were strongly manipulated by powerful men who were well-connected within the record industry.  Girl groups were often treated the worst and they were expected to submit to outside control with a minimal display of rebellious attitude.  The younger the performers were more likely to accept the strict order of this system.  This at least in part explains why few groups were able to sustain a successful recording career beyond a hit recording or two.  In the 1970s, when Disco became popular a new genre of black girl groups became popular including The Emotions, and Sister Sledge.  The British girl group Bananarama and The Pointer Sisters both became popular in the 1980s.  The 1990s brought us the Spice Girls, TLC and Destiny’s Child.  Disney brought us the Cheetah Girls and Girls Aloud and The Sugababes were also successful.  Fifth Harmony and Little Mix came about in the 2010s and with the rise of KPOP, we got BLACKPINK.

Last week we had Not Called Man Bands where the theme was to find music by boy bands.  This week the theme is to find music by girl groups.  Take some time to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this music challenge, and even better, read as many of them as you can as you will probably find many enjoyable songs and it is quite possibly that you will learn a thing or two.  Share your music with others and post a video, try do some research and let everyone know something about the song that you post.  Tell everyone why you like the song, whether it was a hit, or what you think the song is about.  Show the lyrics, let’s all listen to our favorite songs and explore some new music.  Try to find a song that fits the theme, then write your post and create a pingback, or you can just place your link in the comments section.

Suggestions
• Try to use the prompt words or at least conform to a general theme, as you see it.  If the song you select does not meet the criteria, then please explain why you chose this song.
• It would be good if you could post the lyrics to the song of your choice, as this is helpful for the people that want to follow along with the music.
• Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due. It would also be a good idea to give credit to the singer and the band associated with your song.
• Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be, but please try not to include too many videos as that just makes it take longer to look at all of the other posts.
• Link to the YouTube video, or you can pull it into your post, so others can listen to the song.
• Ping back to this post or place your link in the comments section below.
• Read at least one other person’s blog, so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process.
• Feel free to suggest future prompts.
• Have fun and enjoy the music.

This week I will be writing about the Martha Reeves and the Vandellas song ‘Jimmy Mack’, and next week, I will be writing about the song ‘Love is in the Air’ by John Paul Young.  The upcoming prompts will be:
May 21, 2023 – Disco
May 28, 2023 – Hip-Hop Rap
June 4, 2023 – Blues
June 11, 2023 – British Music suggested by Barbara from teleportingweena ghostmmnc

The Way That You Flip Your Hair

The Irish pop boy band One Direction released ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ just nine months after coming third in the ITV show The X Factor and it became one of the band’s most successful songs, reaching #1 in the UK, Scotland, Ireland, Mexico and in the USA, it topped the Dance Club Songs, and peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It was the first song the band ever released from their 2011 debut studio album Up All Night and they had been active for 1 year.  ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ was written by Oscar, Golden Globe and multi-Grammy nominated American songwriter and record producer Savan Kotecha along with Swedish record producer songwriter and musician Carl Falk, and Swedish record producer songwriter Rami Yacoub.  To date, the music video has had over a whopping 1.4 billion views on YouTube.  One Direction formed in 2010 in London, England composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik.  Malik left the group in March 2015.  The group signed with Simon Cowell’s record label Syco Records after competing on The X Factor in 2010.

Savan Kotecha said that he had the melody of the chorus worked out for about a year and then one day he was in a hotel room in London with his wife and she was having a bad morning.  She was feeling ugly, which is not uncommon as many women are taught by society that only certain people are pretty and if you aren’t exactly that, then by default you’re ugly.  He tried to reassure her saying, “No, you look beautiful.  You don’t know how beautiful you look.”  He thought this was a good premise for a song and he wrote down their conversation.  Kotecha wrote this song for his wife, and when he sent it to Harry Styles, he liked it thinking it would be a hit.

Carl Falk said this was the first tune that this songwriting team did for 1D and they were not sure if it would work for them, so they started to experiment with sounds and riff and everything.  This song features what became to be known as the Millennial Whoop, which was repeated in countless other songs.  In this song, the singer is telling his girl that they are beautiful, even though they do not see it themselves.  He mentions that she is coming off as being insecure, which he doesn’t understand because he sees her as being attractive and he feels that she should be confident.  The fact that she is beautiful without even trying, makes her even more beautiful to him.  He bestows endless compliments on the girl feeling that if she was only able to see herself through his eyes, she would understand why he wants her.

You’re insecure, don’t know what for
You’re turning heads when you walk through the door
Don’t need makeup to cover up
Being the way that you are is enough

Everyone else in the room can see it
Everyone else, but you, ooh

Baby, you light up my world like nobody else
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed
But when you smile at the ground, it ain’t hard to tell
You don’t know, oh-oh
You don’t know you’re beautiful

If only you saw what I can see
You’ll understand why I want you so desperately
Right now I’m lookin’ at you, and I can’t believe

You don’t know, oh-oh
You don’t know you’re beautiful, oh, oh-oh
That’s what makes you beautiful

So c-come on, you got it wrong
To prove I’m right, I put it in a song
I don’t know why you’re being shy
And turn away when I look into your eyes

Everyone else in the room can see it
Everyone else, but you, ooh

Baby, you light up my world like nobody else
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed
But when you smile at the ground, it ain’t hard to tell
You don’t know, oh-oh
You don’t know you’re beautiful

If only you saw what I can see
You’ll understand why I want you so desperately
Right now I’m lookin’ at you, and I can’t believe

You don’t know, oh-oh
You don’t know you’re beautiful, oh, oh-oh
That’s what makes you beautiful

Na-na-na, na-na-na, na, na, na
Na-na-na, na-na-na
Na-na-na, na-na-na, na, na, na
Na-na-na, na-na-na

Baby, you light up my world like nobody else
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed
But when you smile at the ground, it ain’t hard to tell
(You don’t know, oh-oh)
You don’t know you’re beautiful

Baby, you light up my world like nobody else
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed
But when you smile at the ground, it ain’t hard to tell
You don’t know, oh-oh
You don’t know you’re beautiful

If only you saw what I can see
You’ll understand why I want you so desperately
Right now I’m lookin’ at you, and I can’t believe

You don’t know, oh-oh
You don’t know you’re beautiful, oh, oh-oh
You don’t know you’re beautiful, oh, oh-oh
That’s what makes you beautiful

Written for Song Lyric Sunday where the theme is music by boy bands.

Not Called Man Bands

Boy bands are a small ensemble of males in their teens or twenties that express youthful exuberance, and play pop songs geared especially to a young female audience ages 10-14.  This is usually just a vocal group not playing any of the instruments in the songs they are singing and performing mostly love songs with signature choreography.  Some members of boy bands can play instruments, but this is not really part of their act.  Boy bands are more about having slick factory produced dance moves and being made up of reasonably attractive pre-packaged good-looking boys that rarely write their own songs, and hardly ever play their own instruments.  A boy band often has interchangeable members, so this type of a group can weather a lot of turnovers.  The term “boy band” didn’t appear until the 1980s, but The Jackson 5 became the blueprint for the genre throughout the ’60s and ’70s.  The Beatles were in their twenties and they played pop music and were swooned over by young girls, but they wrote most of their songs, played their own instruments and they did not dance in front of live audiences during their concerts, so they do not qualify as a boy band.  American record producer Lou Pearlman was the man behind the Backstreet Boys and ‘NSync and others.  New Kids on the Block was the first group to be called a “boy band” in the way we think of it today.

Last week we had Praising God where the theme was to find Gospel music.  This week the theme is to find music by boy bands.  Take some time to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this music challenge, and even better, read as many of them as you can as you will probably find many enjoyable songs and it is quite possibly that you will learn a thing or two.  Share your music with others and post a video, try do some research and let everyone know something about the song that you post.  Tell everyone why you like the song, whether it was a hit, or what you think the song is about.  Show the lyrics, let’s all listen to our favorite songs and explore some new music.  Try to find a song that fits the theme, then write your post and create a pingback, or you can just place your link in the comments section.

Suggestions
• Try to use the prompt words or at least conform to a general theme, as you see it.  If the song you select does not meet the criteria, then please explain why you chose this song.
• It would be good if you could post the lyrics to the song of your choice, as this is helpful for the people that want to follow along with the music.
• Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due. It would also be a good idea to give credit to the singer and the band associated with your song.
• Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be, but please try not to include too many videos as that just makes it take longer to look at all of the other posts.
• Link to the YouTube video, or you can pull it into your post, so others can listen to the song.
• Ping back to this post or place your link in the comments section below.
• Read at least one other person’s blog, so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process.
• Feel free to suggest future prompts.
• Have fun and enjoy the music.

This week I will be writing about the One Direction song ‘What Makes You Beautiful’, and next week, I will be writing about the song ‘Jimmy Mack’ by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas.  The upcoming prompts will be:
May 14, 2023 – Girl Groups
May 21, 2023 – Disco
May 28, 2023 – Hip-Hop Rap
June 4, 2023 – Blues

World of Woe

‘The Wayfaring Stranger’ (also known as ‘Poor Wayfaring Stranger’ or ‘I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger), is a well-known American folk and gospel song likely originating in the early 19th century about a plaintive soul on the journey through life.  The song may be a reworked Black spiritual, or a lifted native hymn and it is about contemplating better times with your family in the afterlife.  Although the exact origins of ‘Wayfaring Stranger’ are unknown, there is a published version of it in Bever’s The Christian Songster which is a collection of hymns and spirituals which was published in 1858.  It is song #23 and it was titled ‘Going over Jordan’.  David Warren Steel and Richard H. Hulan think that the song was derived from an 1816 German-language hymn, ‘Ich bin ja nur ein Gast auf Erden’ by Isaac Niswander which translates in English to ‘I’m just a guest on earth’.  In 1941, John and Alan Lomax published this song which they recorded by John Caldwell 4 years earlier.  The Library of Congress owns the original Alan Lomax recordings, but holds no copyright or intellectual property rights to these recordings.  As is the case with most folk songs, many variations of the lyrics exist and many versions of this song have been published over time by popular singers, and this song is often lengthened by replacing father with mother, brother and sister.

Hundreds of artists have recorded this song, including Eddy Arnold, Trace Adkins, Joan Baez, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Andy Griffith, David Grisman, Emmylou Harris, Ronnie Hawkins, Burl Ives, Frankie Laine, Natalie Merchant, Bill Monroe, Odetta, Dolly Parton, Pete Seeger, Ed Sheeran, Dusty Springfield, Jo Stafford, Norma Waterson, Doc & Merle Watson, Jack White, Peter Yarrow and many more.  In the 1940s, Burl Ives made this of his signature songs.  Emmylou Harris recorded this on her 1980 seventh album Roses in the Snow and her version reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.  Jack White recorded this for the 2003 Cold Mountain soundtrack and he also had a role in the film that also featured Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Renée Zellweger.

I am a poor wayfaring stranger
While traveling thru this world of woe
Yet there’s no sickness, toil nor danger
In that bright world to which I go

I’m going there to see my father
I’m going there no more to roam
I’m only going over Jordan
I’m only going over home

I know dark clouds will gather around me
I know my way is rough and steep
Yet beauteous fields lie just before me
Where God’s redeemed their vigils keep

I’m going there to see my mother
She said she’d meet me when I come
I’m only going over Jordan
I’m only going over home

Written for Song Lyric Sunday where the theme is Gospel music.