Drew's Daily

It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels Quite the title. If God did not make Honky Tonk Angels, then who did? I guess that is implied. This week I chose this song by Kitty Wells. You definitely get the country vibe from the instruments and her voice. I believe she was the first 'country' female superstar, and after listening to her sing I do not doubt that. However, the focus of this song was more about the lyrics. She sings this song as a response or answer of sorts to another song of the time - "The Wild Side of Life" by Hank Thompson. She actually straight up says the title while she is singing, which I think is pretty bold. It is kind of a rebuttal to what another singer/songwriter is saying at the time. She puts the blame on men and fights the stereotype that the women are to blame for failed relationships.  I also found it interesting that she uses the pronoun 'you' many times throughout the song. To me, it is as if she is singing directly to H...

This week I listened to "Pretty Polly" by the Coon Creek Girls. This was definitely an interesting song. I honestly was a little confused about the lyrics, though I know it was telling a story of sorts and includes a couple of characters. Pretty sure Polly dies at the end. Not the happiest of endings to the song. Instead of focusing on the lyrics, what caught my attention most about this song was the type of music. I am guessing it is a banjo (?) that is playing in the background nearly the whole song. Not many other instruments seem to contribute. Maybe a guitar as well. The instruments make a sound that is up-tempo and keeps the song moving along fairly quickly. But the main focus, instead of the instrumental music, is on the singer, who has a definite country twang to their voice. The singing is very rapid as well, to keep up with the music in the background. Overall, the song sounds very 'country'. I think this was done purposefully, and I wonder if the artist ac...

This week I selected "Cross Road Blues" by Robert Johnson. It definitely lived up to its name, as the 'cross road' is referred to multiple times throughout the song and the music gives off a strong 'blues' style. The guitar and singing immediately caught my attention, as it sounds kind of thrown together in a way. I guess that is the style of music. It works, to be sure, as the song evokes a sense of sadness as the lyrics tell a story of sorts of going to the cross road searching for something - a lover, a ride, who knows what else. But everyone passes him by and seems not to know him. To me, it is interesting how something so random can be turned into a song, but it was also interesting to listen to and picture the events happening. I wonder if perhaps other songs in this genre also tell stories of sorts? If so, are they also about everyday events or do they discuss deeper topics? Maybe listening to songs about normal happenings makes the music more relatabl...

CASTLE HOUSE RAG I am not sure how on earth he came up with the title, but I listened to James Reese Europe's " Castle House Rag " this week for this blog. The song itself is not too lengthy, but it has an upbeat tune to it. I like how it moves so quickly, the instruments kind of weave in and around each other and make a cool sound. I would definitely understand if this was a song that many people used to dance to, with the tempo and the tone of the song. Listening to it, you kind of almost automatically start tapping your foot along with the beat. Another aspect I enjoyed was that the sound increases and decreases throughout the song. Sometimes it is softer, then it builds up to a louder volume. With those types of changes, and the various instruments, I found it very easy to listen to this song. While this is something that I normally would not listen to, I am sure it was enjoyed by many back when it was popular. I can imagine this being played at large events or dan...