Natalie Cole is best identified for her 1991 album, Unforgettable...with Love, in which she sings 22 songs from Nat King Cole's collection including “Unforgettable” as a duet with her deceased father. Cole uses her father’s original recording and she adds her vocals; the music is the unchanged, the words are identical, the lyrics are sung the same way. On the surface, everything about the cover is the same as the original. The cover still has the velvet voice of Nat King Cole, the soft piano playing in the background, and unchanged tempo. Ultimately, the only thing that sounds different between the two songs is the female vocals incorporated in the cover. On the contrary, those who think there are no differences among the two are the people blind to what is under the surface of the song. “Unforgettable” is set apart from any other cover song out, and is successful not only for its originality but also for sentimental reasons. The purpose, meaning, and audience of the two songs are what make the cover exceptionally special from the original.
“Unforgettable” is a tribute to ...
It’s no question that Janet Jackson is one of the most iconic and influential artist of all time. She has sold over 100 million albums; her tours have had some the highest selling debuts of all time, not to mention the chart topping hits she has created over the past 30 years. Janet’s presence alone is iconic. She has left an unforgettable impression on the music industry as a whole. Her music has affected fans and music lovers all around the world. Her influence is simply not a question it is a salutation to a musical icon that has embedded her legacy into musical history.
Abuse is a difficult and sensitive subject that can have long lasting effects. These traumatic emotional effects are often intensified if the abuse happens at a young age because children do not understand why the abuse is happening or how to deal with it. There are many abuse programs set up to counter the severe effects which abuse can have. Even more, poets and writers all over the world contribute works that express the saddening events and force the public to realize it is much more real than the informative articles we read about. One such poem is Theodore Roethke’s My Papa’s Waltz which looks carefully through the eyes of a young boy into the household of an abusive father. Robert Hayden’s Those Winter Sundays is a similar poem from the perspective of a young adult reflecting back on the childhood relationship with his father and the abuse his father inflicted. These poems are important because they deal with the complex issues surrounding the subject of abuse and also show the different ways which children react to it. My Papa’s Waltz and Those Winter Sundays are similar poems because they use tone, imagery, and sounds and rhythms to create tension between the negative aspects of abuse and the boys own love and understanding for their father.
Aretha Franklin is a well known pop, R&B, and gospel singer. She has been nicknamed “The Queen of Soul” and is an internationally known artist and a symbol of pride in the African American community. Her popularity soared in 1967 when she released an album containing songs “I Never Loved a Man”, “Respect”, and “Baby I Love You.” Throughout her career she has achieved fifteen Grammy Awards, Lifetime Achievement Award, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Legend Awards, and many Grammy Hall of Fame Awards. In 1987 she became the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Time magazine chose her as one of the most influential artists and entertainers of the 20th century. She sang at Dr. Martin Luther King’s funeral and at former President Bill Clinton’s inaugural party. Although she has all these accomplishments and awards there are other reasons that have driven Franklin to fame and landed her on the front cover of Time magazine on June 28, 1968. The reasons I believe allowed Aretha Franklin to become so successful are the following: Her family’s involvement with religion, the inspiring people that surrounded her, and the pain she suffered.
In “Ain’t I A Woman,” Sojourner Truth makes an impassioned case about how being black, a former slave, poor and a woman was formed at the intersection of her various ascribed group identities. On one hand, some argue that social definition such as race, religion, sex, and academic major defines who a person really is. From this perspective, one’s identity defines who he or she really is. It defines what he or she can do and what he or she cannot do. On the other hand, however, others argue that social definitions do not define a person and his or her abilities. In words of Sojourner Truth, “…[intellect] That’s it, honey. What’s that got to do with women’s rights or negroes’ rights?” (Truth 148) The controversial issue is the fact that a person’s
This mix of folky, pop, one attempt at a slowly spoken rap song, and country music produced all different kinds of songs. The songs have the type of lyrics that make you relate your own life to every single one of them. They’re deep, and well thought out. Barquist doesn’t just repeat the same nonsense lyric over and over. Her voice, to me, sounds a little like my favorite artist, Sarah McLaughlin. But it could really go any way she wanted; hard, soft, loud, weak, whiny, smooth, short and breathy. I have also heard her compared to singer Norah Jones. It seems like the marital bond between Barquist and Detweiler might have served as a source for lyric material.
Ray Bradbury’s “Sound of Thunder” and Gloria Skurzynski’s “Nethergrave” are both fascinating stories, placed other realities, about how someone’s mistakes can backfire into something much larger. When Eckle steps off the path, and Jeremy turns himself into something he isn’t online, their lives completely change.
Jermaine Cole, otherwise known as J. Cole, is an American hip hop artist based out of New York City. Earlier in his career his music was notorious for having a gangster sound to it due to the lyrics and beats that the songs possessed. Though in his most recent albums Cole’s sound began to change drastically. It was seen a tiny bit in his earlier album ”2014 Forest Hills Drive”, but when “4 Your Eyes Only” dropped, his most recent album, listeners were able to see an entirely different side of him. Cole speaks deeply about the issues of racism and oppression in black community’s around the United States by rhyming about his own experiences growing up and beyond. One song in particular on the album that I believe
The article “In Defense Cover Songs”, Don Cusic talks about his opinion on cover songs. His main point was to express the loss of cover song. He wants us to know that just because someone cover songs and it goes to their album does not make them less legitimate. Don Cusic is an author who wrote plenty of books. He typically wrote on songwriters and music. He also has succeeded in writing and he focuses on country music. Cover songs are songs that someone has sung, but they did not write it themselves. Many recording studios and some fans don’t accept singers who do not write their own songs. Artists are being required to be just more than a writer or a singer. Studios and fans are putting a huge demand on the artist. Don expresses that even though a person does not write and sing a song they are just as important as anyone
Whitney Houston is considered one of the greatest singers of our generation. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, she holds the record of being the most rewarded female artist of all time. I chose her as my topic, because she represents resiliency and tenacity, despite her troubled experiences with drugs and her personal life. Whitney Houston comes from a family with an amazing, musical pedigree; her mother, Cissy Houston, was a successful back-up singer for Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley. Dionne Warwick is her first cousin, and Aretha Franklin is her godmother.
In John Winthrop’s sermon, City on a Hill, he believed that Puritans must focus on their community and carry each other to prosper in the New World. When the Puritans fulfill their obligations, they will set the perfect community for all people to follow. Winthrop demanded that Puritans “must entertain each other in brotherly affection. [They] must be willing to abridge ourselves of our superfluities, for the supply of others’ necessities.” He urges them to bond as a community and all live simple lifestyles where everyone shared their burdens and happiness. They will eventually become the perfect community held together by love and charity and be dedicated to bonding within themselves and to God in order to achieve afterlife. In order to spread
Everyone has their own definition of the word dream. The meaning of dream to me is being indubitable or passionate about what it is that I would like to do. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, two of the definitions of dream is, “a strong desired goal or purpose,” and “something that fully satisfies a wish.” “Sonny’s Blues” is a story about two brothers who has took their own direction in life, but also trying to find the meaning of their lives. The short story “Sonny’s Blues” and the musician Ray Charles chart the lives of aspiring musicians facing distractions of poverty and family difficulties as they try to reach their impossible dreams.
Tupac Shakur is one of the most influential artists of all time, regardless of genre. Tupac only lived for 25 years, as he was killed in a drive by shooting outside of a Las Vegas casino, which was allegedly the result of a feud between two rap groups. Tupac’s music has always cast a long shadow across the hip hop music industry, because his lyrics discussed deep and meaningful issues that his community was dealing with during his life time. The songs that I have selected to break down, in the ways they relate to and portray women during this time, are “Brenda’s got a baby,” “Dear Mama,” and “keep ya head up.” The lyrics, and stories that are discussed in these songs are extremely relatable and are example of why Tupac was able to rise to prominence,
Even though the two singers had very different qualities, both singing and performing, it worked out quite well and they were quite successful. The two singers were very different from each other but they never wanted to change that. One didn’t force the other to be more like them. This made the duo very unique. They didn’t want to change who they were. That is how the public knew them. One of ...
...and how he projects his voice through lyrics. It was genius for him to put out this song since he has many agreeable fans towards his work and for others to listen.
What exactly does Christina Aguilera try to convey? According to her words along with personal interviews of the true meaning of this stanza in her song, Beautiful, Christina Aguilera approaches the reader and listener with her profound emotions. She perceives that through immense pressure and criticism, she is still "beautiful."