Today 6 students came to share their songs on the theme "Songs I Like But My Parents (Would) Hate".
As is custom I started by asking if anyone had any musical adventures from the past week. One student had visited a record fair on my recommendation, but he said it was mostly vinly lps, not many cds... sorry about that!!
The only other musical adventure of the week was me plus two students from class -- we had gone to the SAM Remix party at the Seattle Art Museum. It was really fun, as always. The next SAM Remix is 6 June -- I highly recommend putting that date in your calendars -- let's get a group of people to go!!
The first song chosen for our theme was "Don't Look Back In Anger" (video, lyrics, song info) by Oasis (info). The student who chose it said her parents wouldn't like it because they don't like rock band music.
Another student is a HUGE Oasis fan and he said his favorite version of this song is an acoustic version, so we watch a minute of that version (video) to see how it is different.
The next song chosen was "Seven Days" (video, lyrics, song info) by Craig David (info). The student said he likes the guitar in this song, but his parents wouldn't like that he sings too quickly: they prefer slower tempo. And the parents are also pretty traditional and wouldn't like that the song is about sex.
The next song was pretty provocative: "I Kill Children" (video, lyrics, song info) by Dead Kennedys (info). It's pretty obvious why *most* parents wouldn't like this song! Interestingly he said his parents don't speak English very well so the problem isn't that they would understand the lyrics. But if they did understand the lyrics, it would definitely be a problem! The student came to like this song once he understood the politics behind it: for this album the Dead Kennedys took the role of the bad side of US society; it's meant as a social commentary, not a true statement of what the band themselves think.
Based on "I Kill Children" I asked the class if they know the song "I Don't Like Mondays" (video, lyrics, song info). One student has heard that song. It was a big hit in the 1980's and was based on a true story in the US of a woman who lived across the street from an elementary school and one Monday just started shooting at the children across the street. When asked why she did it she just answered "I don't like Monday's". Sometimes truth is more awful than fiction.
The next song chosen was "Cats In The Cradle" (video with lyrics, song info) by Harry Chapin (info). This song is sad for how the father doesn't have time for his son. But the son wants to be like his father. And perhaps he ends up doing the same thing with his own son...
The next song was "Careful With That Axe, Eugene" (video, lyrics, song info) by Pink Floyd (info). The part of the song the student who chose it likes the most is the screaming. He told about how he was playing it at home and his mother yelled at him that he should listen to more positive music :-)
One student hadn't received the email with the theme for the week so she just chose the first English song she ever learned: "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" (video, song info and lyrics).
The last song of the day was "Shoot To Thrill" (video, lyrics, song info) by AC/DC (info). I think it's obvious why her parents would not like this racket!
Something about that AC/DC song reminded of the movie Spinal Tap (info). I asked the class if they have ever seen that movie. No one had!! It's a classic movie which makes fun of rock bands. Every rock band in America and UK has watched this film numerous times and people make references to it all the time, like "Turn it up to 11!" (clip from the movie). I have watched this movie at least 20 times!
A bonus song! Last week one of the students chose "Let It Go" from the movie Frozen. It turns out that song was performed at the Oscars this past Sunday (video). Here is the Oscar's performance. But there is another video of that song that many people have been sharing on YouTube: Idina Menzel singing with Jimmy Fallon and his band playing children's instruments! (video).
I don't have a theme for next week. We'll see what songs people are thinking of!
By the way, there will only be two more classes this quarter: 5 & 12 March. We will take a break and continue again in April.
8 students came today! There was no specific musical theme for the day -- just any songs people had in mind!
As always, I asked if anyone had any musical adventures the previous week. But no one had.
However, one student was going straight from class to see the Paul Simon/Sting concert! The student really likes Paul Simon (info) and was very excited to see him perform. I know he isn't that into Sting (info).
I told the class that my first job at an internet company was as a researcher for a multimedia biography about Sting! While I loved the band The Police (info) -- mostly for the drummer, who is my favorite "rock" drummer -- I couldn't stand Sting's solo work. But after a year of learning about what motivates him I have to say I came to appreciate him as an artist. Now I listen to him often. I don't like *everything* he does, but I like a lot of it and I realize what a great artist he is, always trying something new.
Anyway, I asked which song the student was looking forward most to hearing. He said "The Boxer" (video, lyrics, song info) by Simon & Garfunkel (info).
[Here's a review of the concert from the Seattle Times.]
The first request we heard was a Chinese song, "Gala" (video). The student who chose it says it gives him inspiration and strength to keep going forward despite the hardships of life. He also said it gives him hope that China can produce great quality music/art.
The next song was "Tomorrow Never Knows" (video, lyrics, song info) by Mr. Children (info). The Japanese students in class assured me that Mr. Children is a band that *everyone* loves in Japan.
The next song was "Say Something" (video, lyrics, song info) by Christina Aguilera (info) with A Great Big World (info). The student who chose this song said she has heard it a lot on the radio while here in the US.
The conversation led to talking about the frustrations of not being able to express one's self in a foreign language and culture; how language can be a hurdle to eloquently express one's self. And then how a person can feel smaller in the foreign country than at home simply due to difficulty with language.
The next song chosen was "Will & Elizabeth" (video, song info) from Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (info). The student who chose this song love the Pirates Of The Caribbean series and loves movie soundtrack music.
We had heard a little bit of the new U2 song "Invisible" a couple of weeks ago, but now we heard the full version (video, lyrics, song info) where the band played live on top of a building in New York City. Man, the drummer looks cold! The student who chose this song says it is classic U2 for him -- he really likes it!
After that I had to show a video of Seattle grunge band Mudhoney (info) playing "Touch Me I'm Sick" (video, lyrics, song info) on top of the Space Needle this past summer.
The last song of the day was "Let It Go" (video, lyrics, song info) from the animation movie Frozen (info).
Theme for the next class is "songs you love but your parents (would) hate".
See you on Wednesday afternoon!
5 students came today (2 of whom were new!). With Valentine's Day at the end of the week naturally today's topic was "love songs"!
But first I posed my weekly question about whether anyone had had any musical adventures in the past week. I was the only one who had had any: Sunday I had gone to a Chinese New Year festival as well as a heavy metal concert in the evening -- quite a contrast of music on one day!!
The Irish band The Strypes (info) are coming to Seattle in March. I am going to the concert and had asked if any of the students (who are over 21 years old) wanted to join me. But it doesn't look like anyone can :-( One of the students mentioned that he things The Strypes's version of "Can't Judge A Book By The Cover" (video, lyrics, song info) is better than the original (original video).
The first song along our theme was "Because The Night" (video with lyrics, song info) by Patty Smith (info). The student who chose it chose it because it's not an obvious choice of songs (he said he could have made a much more obvious choice). He likes her because she's a poet and there's depth to her lyrics.
The next song chosen was "Heart's Content" (video with lyrics, song info) by Brandi Carlile (info). What a sweet song!!! The student who chose it heard it in a romantic scene in a movie and was charmed by the song + scene.
I mentioned that Brandi is from Seattle. She has a lot of songs that I like, but for me her most impressive performance is her live version of "Hallelujah" (video, lyrics, song info), a song originally by Leonard Cohen (info) which has been covered many times.
The next song was "Be Without You" (video, lyrics, song info) by Mary J Blige (info). The student who chose it says the song describes his situation with his girlfriend back in his home country. Long distance relationships are hard!
The next song chosen was a live version of "Happy" (video, lyrics, song info) by The Rolling Stones (info). The guitarist, Keith Richards (info) sings this song. The student who chose this song likes Keith Richards even though he technically isn't a very good guitarist.
I knew that one of the students in the class loves the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series. She also likes the Rolling Stones (favorite song: "Gimme Shelter" (video with lyrics, song info) but did not realize that Keith Richards made an appearance in a Pirates of the Caribbean movie (film clip) (Here's an interview with Keef + Johnny Depp).
Next was "Count On Me" (video with lyrics, song info) by Bruno Mars (info). The student who chose it had heard it on a compilation album and just liked the song -- she didn't know Bruno Mars is popular or that he had sung at halftime of the Superbowl!
The next song was something completely different: "Down With The Sickness" (video, lyrics, song info) by Disturbed (info). The student chose it just to show that she also likes hard music, not just soft music.
The last song of the day was chosen by a student who wasn't in class -- she had written me an email saying she couldn't attend but requested that I play "Sharin no Uta" (車輪の唄) (video, song info) by Bump Of Chicken (info). This song depicts the parting moment of lovers but at the same time there is hope in the line "Let's meet again someday".
With that our time for the week was over. I don't have a theme for next week... let's just talk about any songs on your minds!
Only a few students showed up today... maybe it's mid-terms time? Nonetheless, we had a fun conversation.
I had not assigned a theme for the day so it was an open forum. The first song chosen was actually sent by text by a student who was not in class to one of the students in class. It was "When My Boy Walks Down The Street" (video, lyrics, song info) by Magnetic Fields (info). Since the student who chose this song was not in class I don't have an explanation for why he chose it.
The next song was "Light Of The Morning" (video, lyrics, song info) by Band Of Skulls (info). I didn't make notes for why she chose this song -- sorry!
As we were going to watch the next video a commercial came on YouTube that has an interesting story. The commercial is for Duracell batteries and tells the story of Derrick Colman, a Seattle Seahawks football player who is deaf. It's a very inspirational video!
Now we continued on to the next song: "7" (video, lyrics, song info) by Sunny Day Real Estate (info), a band from Seattle.
Speaking of the Superbowl, one of the students mentioned that Bob Dylan (info) was in a commercial during the Superbowl. I didn't remember seeing that commercial and was surprised that Dylan would "sell out" like that, but it's true, he was in this commercial.
I mentioned that I can't stand Bob Dylan's singing voice. One student had never heard him before so we played "Blowin' In The Wind" (video, lyrics, song info), one of his most popular songs, as an example of him singing.
Still on the subject of the Superbowl I asked the class if they would allow me to play my favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers (info) video, "Give It Away" (video, lyrics, song info). I like how crazy and out-of-control they are in this video.
Ok, to be fair I should post a link to Bruno Mars's Superbowl halftime performance.
The next song chosen was "Love Somebody" (video, lyrics, song info) by Maroon 5 (info). The student who chose it had heard it a lot when she first arrived in Seattle. She also likes the video where the singer is waiting to have a real, tangible girlfriend.
This led us to a long discussion about what women expect from men and what men expect from women in relationships in the students' home countries.
The last video we watched was also a video from the Superbowl: the new U2 (info) song "Invisible" (video, song info).
With that time ran out for the day.
For next class, since Valentine's Day is Friday (Feb 14) this coming week the theme for next class is love songs. Think of your favorite love songs or a song you will play for your boyfriend/girlfriend this Friday.
Today 7 students came to talk music. The theme for the day was "Which song have you heard the most times in the past week?"
No one had had any musical adventures to tell about the previous week :-(
The first song chosen was "Anywhere Is" (video, lyrics, song info) by Enya (info). The student who chose it said she has been revisiting old music she used to like and came across this song. Previously she didn't listen to the lyrics, but now she does and like them.
The next song was "Same Direction" (video, lyrics, song info) by Hoobastank (info). Similarly to the previous choice, the student who chose this song had gone back to an album where he has always liked another song better and re-discovered "Same Direction".
My notes say we also watched "My Turn" (video, lyrics, song info) by Hoobastank but I can't remember why... was it that another student knew this song by the band?
Next I asked one of the new students to chose a song so we could learn a little about her taste in music. She likes classical music and chose "Canon In D" (video, song info).
The next song was "Landslide" (video, lyrics, song info) by Dixie Chicks (info). The student who chose it had heard it on Glee (info) the first time. She prefers this version of the song over the original by Fleetwood Mac (video).
After this a student chose "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" (video, lyrics, song info) from the musical Rock Of Ages (info). The student said she likes this song because roses are beautiful but have thorns that can hurt you. She has been listening to this song lately because last week she thought of the Rock Of Ages musical and she likes this song from it.
The next song choice was inspired by the classical piano piece from a couple of selections ago: "Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness" (video, song info) by Smashing Pumpkins (info).
The next choice was "Hitohira No Hanabira" (video, lyrics, song info) by Stereopony (info). I can't remember the explanation for why this song was chosen, sorry!
The next song was "Generate Generate" (video, lyrics, song info) by Johnny Marr (info) because, well, the student who chose it listens to Johnny Marr *all the time* these days!
The last song of the day was "Emotion" (video, lyrics, song info) by Destiny's Child (info). One of the students in the class correctly recognized this song as originally by the Bee Gees (video).
With that our time was over. I don't have a theme chosen for the next class -- let's see what songs the students choose to share!
(Today's post written while watching the Grammy Awards. Proud of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (info) winning Best New Artist and doing a great performance.)
6 students came today to talk music. The theme for the day was "unrequited love" or songs about longing for someone. Or, as always, whichever songs the students have been listening to a lot lately.
The first song we listened to was "Louie Louie" (video, lyrics, song info) because one of the guys in the class is named Lui. I mentioned that in the 1980's some people tried to make "Louie Louie" the official song of Washington State, but it didn't make it. Instead, our officials song is "Washington, My Home" (video, lyrics + song info) :-( I have never sung this song, but I've sung Louie Louie a million times!
The next song was "Disco 2000" (video, lyrics, song info) by Pulp (info). The lyrics fit the theme of the day very cleverly!
Next we listened to a song from a new student: "El Amaken" (video) by Mohammed Abdu (info). The student said he is the most favorite singer among all Arabs.
The next song was back to our theme: "You Give Love A Bad Name" (video, lyrics, song info) by Bon Jovi (info).
The next song was "Ta Tienne" (video, lyrics, song info) by Carla Bruni (info). The student who chose this song said it is her favorite song while travelling.
The concept of travelling made me think of a video I have shown many times in class: "I Will Possess Your Heart" (video, lyrics, song info) by Death Cab For Cutie (info). I relate to the concept of this video of someone travelling alone throughout the world and I love the way the video and the music work together.
The next song chosen was "Moi Lolita" (video, lyrics, song info) by Alizee (info).
This reminded me of another song, "I'll Kill Her" (video with lyrics) by Soko (info). It's a funny song. The French accent that makes the singer sound like a weak little girl makes the song even more cute as she talks about killing her rival.
On the theme of wanting to curse or kill a rival to a lover, a student played a song by Miyuki Nakajima (info). I don't know the song's title, but here's the video: video, song info. Wow, she's *really* angry at someone!!
Next we listened to "Photograph" (video, lyrics, song info) by Def Leppard (info). This song was back to our theme of the day -- how someone wants to know Marilyn Monroe (info) but all he has is a photograph of her. Coincidentally the album "Photograph" was on, "Pyromania" (info) was released on this day 31 years ago!
Speaking of songs about Marilyn Monroe, I asked the class if they knew the song "Candle In The Wind", which most young people know at the song that Elton John (info) sang at Princess Diana's (info) funeral (video, lyrics, song info). But Elton John's original version of this song, from 1973, was written for Marilyn Monroe (video, lyrics, song info).
The next song chosen was "Heartbeat" (video, lyrics) by Tahiti 80 (info), which was the only song by a French band the student knows.
The next song chosen was "Love Email" (video, lyrics) by Nico (info). I can't read my notes very well, but I think the student heard this song through friends.
The last song we listened to was "How Soon Is Now" (video, lyrics, song info) by The Smiths (info). A few of the people in our class love Johnny Marr (info), the guitar player for The Smiths and this is a song which highlights his guitar playing. I personally also like the lyric when he sings "When you say it's gonna happen "now"well, when exactly do you mean?".
I wonder if the class has ever heard the version of this song by the Russian duo t.A.T.u (info) that had 15 minutes of fame in about 2003. Their version of "How Soon Is Now" (video). (I feel kind of bad posting this link since it's such a terrible version of the song...)
With that, class was over for the week. I hope to see everyone next week.The next theme will be "Which song have you heard the most times in the past week?"
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