5 June 2013 (Wednesday)

Today was the last class of Spring Quarter! Since I won't be hosting the class during the summer, this also means the last last until October when we start again for Fall Quarter.

6 students showed up for this last class -- 2 of them new students!

My notes say that the first song we listened to was "mighty Inagaki with Capricorn" but as I write this I can't find any video that looks like the one we watched in class! Sorry!

The next song chosen was "Thrift Shop" (video, lyrics, song info) by Macklemore (info). The student who chose it didn't know Macklemore is from Seattle -- he had just heard the song in a club and liked the phrase "This is fucking awesome!".

The latest single from Macklemore is "Can't Hold Us" (video, lyrics, song info), but most people in the class prefer "Thrift Shop".

I think it's very cool that Macklemore has achieved so much success as an independent artist, but I am a little worried that "Thrift Shop" will be a novelty song, one that is very popular now, but in the future will be seen as a one-hit-wonder. Seattle has already had that experience with a rapper: Sir Mix-A-Lot (info) did a funny song called "Baby Got Back" (video, lyrics, song info) but what people mostly remember now is how funny the song was.

The next song chosen was a cover song: Tiffany Alvord (info) covering "Both Of Us" (video, lyrics, song info). Here's the original song.

The next song was another song by the Scorpions (info). The student who said she likes that band last week remembered this week which is her favorite song by them: "Moment Of Glory" (video, lyrics, song info).  She likes male voices which sing high.

Speaking of singers who sing high, we talked about the band Queen (info). I asked each student which Queen song is their favorite. "I Was Born To Love You" (video, lyrics, song info) was chosen. "Don't Stop Me Now" (video, lyrics, song info) was also chosen.

One student said he doesn't know the band Queen. We told him "Of course you do!" and played "We Are The Champions" (video, lyrics, song info). He recognized that song.

One student asked me which Queen song is *my* favorite one. I like a lot of Queen songs, but the one I listen to most is "Dragon Attack" (video, lyrics, song info) because I like the guitar solos (starting around 2 minutes). I also played a little bit of "Love Of My Life" (video, lyrics, song info) because it's such a sweet song.

Time was running out for our last class together so one student chose as the last song "You've Got A Friend" (video, lyrics, song info) by Carol King (info). It was a nice way to end the quarter.


This quarter there were about 7 students who came every week to class and it was really fun getting to know them more and sharing our favorite music and cultural experiences. I already miss seeing you guys every week. I look forward to continuing the class in October. I hope to see some of you then, though I know some of you will have already returned to your home countries. I wish you safe travels over the summer!