On July 23rd, 2011 one of the most intriguing figures in the pop business passed on of alcohol intoxication. This individual was in charge of making a standout amongst the most intense collections of the twenty-first century. Inside this collection was a melody that could be viewed as the most influential singles of their accumulation. The album was titled Back to Black by none other than Amy Winehouse. The song “Back to Black” demonstrated Amy’s exceptional over-exposure while still displaying mysteriousness. Amy’s honesty and openness in handling the subjects in her tune, combined with her strength of character and vocal swagger, was her charm. Ms. Winehouse demonstrated that this sort of music cannot display elegance or strength without …show more content…
“I love you much it's not enough you love blow, and I love puff and life is like a pipe and I'm a tiny penny rolling up the walls inside”. Amy seemed like a unique sixties soul star, created when the scene had no principles. Amy told it like it was in her musical composition, “Back to Black”, but only enough to show what was on the surface. The way Winehouse wrote the lyrics made the listeners feel the need to empathize but could never relate to. “Me and my head high and my tears dry get on without my guy”. Amy had a whole different way of perceiving things, which was the reason the listeners were compelled towards her music. Ms. Winehouse’s music could make a person laugh at the weird lyrics she sang, or cry for realizing that Amy went through so many horrible obstacles that led her to fall. “Back to Black” amplifies such strong emotions that can make it an ideal song for when someone is down. The vivacious beat coupled with Amy’s lyrics creates the perfect song for getting over relationship troubles. The listener can relate to her, in the sense that you are also having quandaries in the romance department, but could never understand the deep troubles that Amy suppressed from "Back to …show more content…
In any case, Winehouse was a fine shepherd of the past. Amy’s life was an open book that anyone could read into. Winehouse’s methods of coping were convoluted, but after all that she went through Amy still has many adoring fans who dote the woman that made one of the most powerful albums of the twenty-first century. What hurts most is the manner by which the album Back to Black hadn't finished the idea. There were more tunes, perhaps numerous. Presently? The jukebox is off and everyone is being escorted home, with no
The story “The Old Man Isn’t There Anymore” by Kellie Schmitt is about a lady who lives in China that tries to make friends with the people in her apartment. She does this by sending sympathy flowers to the family of the old man that passed away. She then later attends the funeral of the old man. In the end Schmitt creates a funny twist. Schmitt created an intriguing story about a person’s experience in China.
Originally published in 1999, Mary Pattillo’s Black Picket Fences explores the circumstances and conventions of the Black middle class, a group that has experienced both scholarly and popular neglect. In the Acknowledgments section of this work, Pattillo details the mentorship she received as a graduate student from William Julius Wilson at the University of Chicago. She recounts that Wilson often encouraged his students to extend, and even challenge his scholarly works, and that this urging provided the impetus for her research on the Black middle class (xiv). The challenge Pattillo (2013) refers to, becomes quite apparent when comparing her work to Wilson’s 1980 piece, The Declining Significance of Race. In this work, Wilson (1980) contends that in the industrial/modern era of the United States, class has surpassed race to be a salient factor of social stratification. He supplements his argument by referencing the progress and achievements of the Black middle class, relative to the “economic stagnation” of the Black underclass (p. 2). Pattillo (2013) offers a
When the speaker gets up the first thing she notices is that he is black, and she ends it with this quote, "We have come over a way that with tears has been wanted, we have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered¨. Suddenly, she started to feel that blacks are back on top. She expresses that sentiment when she states, "we were on top again, as always again. we survived." She thinks that no matter what blacks always overcome any obstacle that comes in their way. This is a sharp contrast from what she was thinking earlier. At first she was thinking it wasn't beneficial to be black because of the racism she would have to face the rest of her life. Then its a sudden change when she hears the black speaker and she feel like blacks will always
For the movement composition, I partnered up with Keziah Bernanadas and Fabiola Salazar. Us three are good friends, so it was a foregone conclusion that we all work together. After much contemplation and consideration, we decided to use the song “Oblivion” by Bastille with a choreographed dance that shows the story of how three friends age and mature over time only to tragically split apart. At first, we chose “Mia and Sebastian’s Theme” from the movie “La La Land” to execute this same storyline. The storyline was adopted as I heard this particular theme and pictured people growing up. However, we encountered two major obstacles: the song was too short and the extended versions did not meet to the original’s quality and that the climax in which the death scene was to occur was too short and abruptly cut off,
In this song, she sings about events that have oppressed the African American people and other ethnicities in the United States for many years. In the song she states (line 60) “Mafia with diplomas keeping us in a coma trying to own a piece, of the "American Corona”, The Revolving Door, Insanity every floor, Skyscraping, paper chasing, What are we working for? Empty traditions, Reaching social positions, Teaching ambition to support the family superstition?” In this part of the song she is saying that everyone today is trying to be successful and trying to accomplish the American dream. She says that trying too hard to be successful is toxic and it will mess with one’s traditions that he or she does. She also is saying that in some ways it will mess with one’s social abilities with one’s family and friends. Success is only good if one is doing good and feeling good in the end. It is not good when there is no good in involved. Therefore, that’s why she calls it
Throughout history women were taught that they needed to learn how to sing, play a piano, keep up with the latest current events, socialize, etc. in order to maintain their status as a woman. However, they were only taught to learn these various things on a minimal level in order to entertain a crowd, make simple conversation, and appear wealthy and educated. This was especially this case in Iran in the 1930’s. Women were/still are pressured to embody a modest personality and style. Women were especially not expected to be poets and/or film directors. Regardless of the societal standards Forugh Farrokhzad was held to, she had an influential career as a poet thus becoming a bold female voice that was able to express what it meant to be a feminist
I decided to expand on my Week 5 Post All About That Bass. Our assignment for that week was to analyze Meghan Trainor’s song All About That Bass and to give our opinion on what message we believe the song lyrics and video provided the public with. The second part of our assignment also involved watching “It’s Not About the Nail” and the Dave Barry article that addressed stereotypes about gender and what affect they might have on individuals.
Music is an application of human creativity through instrumental and/or vocal sounds, which express emotions of the writer and are appreciated by others for its beautiful sound. A powerful emotional tool that may enlighten and entice some, as well as mystify and repulse others. Either way it is an art form that invokes a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts for listeners to comb through. In the short story “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin music plays a vital role in the life of his characters. The story portrays two brothers that grew up in harlem struggling with their environment as well as their emotional detachment from one another. Sonny one of the brothers in the story suffers from a heroin addiction that distances him from his family. The narrator Sonny’s brother, willingly creates a distance between him and his brother
The interpretations of what comes after death may vary greatly across literature, but one component remains constant: there will always be movement. In her collection Native Guard, Natasha Trethewey discusses the significance, permanence and meaning of death often. The topic is intimate and personal in her life, and inescapable in the general human experience. Part I of Native Guard hosts many of the most personal poems in the collection, and those very closely related to the death of Trethewey’s mother, and the exit of her mother’s presence from her life. In “Graveyard Blues”, Trethewey examines the definition of “home” as a place of lament, in contrast to the comforting meaning in the epitaph beginning Part I, and the significance
For Stanley, the blues tell the stories of the African-American community. Some of the stories talk about the harshness of their lives, but they also talk about the good times they had. [People] play the blues to get rid of the blues not to get them." (Lamb, 1). When people play or even listen to the blues, they are letting all of their worries go. They are not worrying about their job, the bills, or their kids. They are just trying to enjoy the moment when the blues are playing. The blues are some people's release from the stresses of their lives.
James Baldwin writes about two African-American brothers growing up in Harlem, a black ghetto in New York, during the 1950's. During this time black people were forced to live in a world of prejudice, discrimination, poverty and suppression. The life of a black person was very difficult; many opportunities afforded to whites were not afforded to blacks. Sonny and his brother lived in the projects and had many obstacles to overcome that white people didn't have to. Sonny chose music to outwardly express his suffering, his brother chose to bottle it up and keep it inside, but this is the common thread they both shared. Suffering is also shown in the story when Baldwin says "it came to me that what we both were seeking through our separate cab windows was that part of ourselves which had been left behind" (P 47). I think this quote means that both Sonny and his older brother want to retrieve some of their past so that it can help them cope with what has happened in their lives. If Sonny and his brother can both cope with what has happened in their lives and get over it, I think t they both can start moving forward and putting this behind them.
“27 things You Ought to know about Amy Winehouse.” The Lives of India,N.p.,n.d. Web. 19
Although “Thriller” is beloved as a classic 80’s pop music video, it manages a successful dive into the social and political issues that make zombie flicks so great. Pulling from a history of work on zombies, Michael Jackson packs so much history into such a concise package. Through using the texts of Amy Devitt and Kerry Dirk we are able to uncover Jackson’s experience and social commentary in “Thriller”. He simultaneously writes a hit song, revolutionizes music videos, and still remarks on the societal problems of the early 1980’s. However, the story goes much further than that of a number one hit. “Thriller” owes its success to an important cultural figure that looms as large as
During the 1960's the Rolling Stones were a part of a British Invasion in music. "Paint It Black" was a darker theme and projected the imagery of bad boys. The song was created by The Rolling Stones in 1966 were it was published in their album called Aftermath, which was in fact released the same year. "Paint It Back" is a unique song due to various factors. The Rolling Stones first used the Middle Eastern instrument, the sitar, which was first introduced by George Harrison of the Beatles. The song, Norwegian Wood brought a completely new and different style to rock and roll. During the 60's the sound of "Paint It Black" was mostly influenced by Middle Eastern cultures and it(what is it?) slowly became introduced in bands and artists. Additionally, the general meaning of "Paint
The narrator listens to blues and visions of memories come into mind. Also one of Louis Armstrong’s lyrics stand out in his mind, which was “What did I do to be so black and blue?” (Ellison 12). This disturbs the narrator and he claims the music demands he take action. Another character in the book went to music for help subconsciously. Trueblood, a man who” accidently” made his daughter pregnant felt a slight amount of guilt and he says, “I looks up and sees the stars and I starts singin’ . . . all I know is I ends up singin’ the blues” (Ellison 66). Music was a way African Americans found comfort and took feelings and made them into positive energy to keep them at peace and that is what Trueblood