Anna's Popular Music in America Blog

 This week I decided to write about "Takin' a Chance on Love" arranged by Fletcher Henderson and performed by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra.  The first time I listened to this song on its own I observed what I liked about the song without studying it too into depth. First off, I love the introduction of just having the band play for a while. Once the guest singer began I simply danced and got a feel for the music.  The second time I listened to this song I paid more attention to the lyrics and even read the lyrics along with it to more fully appreciate the words written for the song. The song doesn't have singing the entire time but there are a few lyrics. Perhaps my favorite line of the song is when it says, "We'll have our happy ending now taking a chance on love".  The third time I listened to this song today I thought about Goodman's band. I like that the band stayed at a piano enough dynamic that the singer wasn't overpowered when she was ...

 For this week's blog I decided to write about "Sh-Boom" by The Chords. I chose this song because when we were discussing it in class I was pretty sure I had never heard it before, however as soon as it started I realized I did know it. This song perhaps is most well-known for being featured in the Disney/Pixar animated film, Cars .  The first time I listened to this song independently from class I thought about the emotions that the song evokes in the listener. This song is very upbeat and makes the listener want to dance. This song also brings back memories of watching Cars  as a kid and the emotions I used to feel watching it. This movie was never my favorite but I did enjoy it. The second time I listened to the song on my own I focused on the lyrics. Initially, the lyrics in this song can be hard to understand and honestly I think up to this point I could only make out a few lines in the song-not realizing how much of the song was comprised of made-up words. One of th...

  This week I decided to write about Ella Fitzgerald's, "A-Tisket-A-Tasket". When I first heard this song in class I wasn't sure how to feel about it. I wasn't a big fan of her bright tone at first. However, the first time I listened to it today I was a bit more used to it. I think knowing what to expect this time around helped me appreciate it more.  The second time I listened to it I thought about the lyrics. The lyrics aren't very deep or complex al all-but I don't think they were meant to be. It is obvious that this song was meant to be a light-hearted and perhaps even a silly song. The lyrics tell the story of a woman who has lost her yellow basket and is asking around to know if anyone has seen it. While the lyrics don't provide the most ideal ending (we're guessing that the little girl in the song took it and never returned it) it is a fun little tune regardless.  Photo Source: https://jazztimes.com/features/profiles/jazz-singers-ella-fitzge...