Drew's Daily

"Fire and Rain" by James Taylor. This week I chose this well-known song by James Taylor. It really is a beautiful song, I love the soft guitar and background music and how it interacts with Taylor's incredible voice. His voice stays somewhat reserved throughout the song, but it is full of emotion and gives off a story-telling vibe. The most captivating thing about this song - for me - are the lyrics. It is actually quite tragic what he is singing about. James Taylor dealt with substance abuse and was also in a mental institution for awhile for recovery purposes. Upon leaving said institution, he learns of the death of one of his really good friends. There is one line in particular to start the song, 'just yesterday morning, they let me know you were gone'. I cannot imagine how he would have felt to deal with so much adversity, on top of already having struggled with drug use and staying in a mental institution. It seems he wrote this song in response to such...

"Blowin' in the Wind" This week I selected I chose this song by Bob Dylan. I know I have heard the name many times, and I have probably listened to his songs before (not knowing it was him), but I was not too familiar with Bob Dylan. As I started this song though, I immediately recognized it. It seems as if there are many different covers of this song as well. Bob Dylan definitely has a unique voice, it sorta seems raspy to me, which makes it all the more interesting to listen to. The soft guitar in the background sets a relaxed mood for the song, and then there are times where the singing dies out and a harmonica (I believe) comes through. Considering this music with the lyrics, the song evokes a very thoughtful and sometimes sad feel. I kind of imagine going down a lonely country road as this song plays. He asks many rhetorical questions throughout the song, never really giving an answer. The questions are often posed to some 'man' who goes unidentified. The...

Finally. Some music that I actually have listened to before and really enjoy. I'm so glad this day has arrived. We even listened to four songs by the Beatles in class last week. Was I sad about that? Absolutely not. In fact, for this week's blog, I selected another Beatles song - "In My Life". Firstly, it amazes me how many great songs the Beatles were able to produce. Decades later, I'm pretty sure the majority of people are familiar with some of their songs. Anyways, I really enjoyed this song. If you can't tell, I pretty much enjoy all songs by the Beatles. This specific song sort of evokes a nostalgic feel - as they sing about places and people from the past. But then the song transitions to more of a love song, as the lyrics focus on a certain individual. I think it's cool how the song relates people and relationships as one's life moves forward. It is broad enough of a theme that I think it is very relatable. The singing is easily recognizable...

THAT'LL BE THE DAY - Buddy Holly This week I listened to "That'll be the Day" by Buddy Holly. I will admit, I did not completely understand the lyrics. It seems as if he is singing to someone, most likely his significant other, about how she will never leave. He claims that the only time she will leave is the day that 'he dies'. Over and over in the song, the phrase 'That'll be the Day' is repeated. The way the lyrics work together, there is quite a bit of rhyming as well. There is quite a bit of irony listening to this song now, because Buddy Holly actually did die a premature death. He was in a plane that crashed, which killed him and two other musical artists on 'the day that music died'. Overall, the song is pretty catchy and upbeat. Listening to it, the sounds kind of make you want to nod your head or tap your foot along with the beat. I can definitely understand if people danced to this song or if this was played at large gathering...