Little did the 1969 band, Credence Clearwater Revival, know that their classic rock song, “Proud Mary” would become one of the most iconic songs to date. Written by the band’s very own John Fogerty in 1968, the single was released by Fantasy Records the following year. The song gained immediate popularity in the United States, ultimately taking the number two spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It became one of five songs to receive the number two spot on their album, “Bayou County”. In all, “Proud Mary” is ranked number 155 on Rolling Stone’s 2004 list of ‘Greatest Songs of All Time”. In 1998 and 2003, the song received recognition in the Grammy Hall of Fame Awards. Fogerty explained in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that the opening …show more content…
It’s just one thing you see, we never, ever, do nothin’ nice and easy. We always do it nice and rough, but we’re gonna take the beginning of this song and do it easy. And then we’re gonna do the finish rough. The way we do Proud Mary, listen to the story now.” Besides this, the lyrics were untouched. Writer for PopDose, Scott Malchus, says Turner’s version of ‘Proud Mary’ is “legendary…when the bands lets loose for the up-tempo portion of the song, it’s like a freight train barreling toward you a hundred miles an hour,” (100 Greatest Cover of All Time, PopDose.com). The tempo in Turner’s version utilizes chord D, whereas Credence Clearwater Revival used chords D and A. The beginning, like Turner said, is very slow and places emphasis on each word. As the song continues, each chorus picks up the tempo. Turner’s version captured the attention of Credence Clearwater Revival. Fogerty said, “I loved it, and I was so honored. It was a really good version, and it was different. Instead of the same thing, it was really exciting,” (SongFacts.com). ‘Proud Mary’ became one of Turners most iconic songs to
she had in the coming years with many great songs being recorded in the sixties. Lynn soon became best friends with Pasty Cline, another female country singer who helped Lynn navigate the music world. Cline would tragically die in a plane crash leaving Lynn heartbroken and lost with no one there to help her. Lynn songs were influenced by the world around her singing about the struggles of motherhood and wives in her songs “Blue Kentucky Girl” and “Wine, Women, and Song”. Lynn felt what every woman at the time was feeling and that was the suffocation of being stuck in a role and not being able to break out and accomplish what you want, but soon that would change. Lynn also wrote about the Vietnam War with her song “Dear Uncle Sam” she was not afraid to tackle issues of the period. In 1967 Lynn be the first to win Female Vocalist of the Year.
As the passage of time continues inventions and traditions come and go, and with them the feelings and memories of those around them. Some of these people will let go willingly, because they had nothing special about them, and they are quickly forgotten. Others, however, hold significance to the societies of their time. In Dearly Disconnected, author Ian Frazier shows the more physical side of this, how old pay phones hold sentimental value to him, and probably to many others in the city. On the other hand,Defining a Doctor, with a Tear, a Shrug, and a Schedule by Abigail Zuger shows the difference between two doctors, one with modern values and one with traditional values, and how ideas and cultures are hard to let go. In both of the essays,
Renee Stout’s “Tales of the Conjure Woman,” currently on exhibition at Spelman College’s Cosby Hall, puts on display the culturally mysterious nature of African folklore. In the exhibition, Stout presents with utter brilliance the depth of the culture through her artistic manifestation of ceremonial traditions, magical hoodoo, and spell-related practices. In her works, Stout uses a unique personification, an alter ego of sorts, named Fatima Mayfield, to explore the African folkloric world of which her exhibition represents. Ranging from simple recipes to intricate descriptions of the aforementioned magical practices, Stout takes on her work with her alter ego in an attempt to demonstrate both the past and contemporaneous dimensions of her work. Additionally, it would seem as if Fatima exists as a sort of special source of understanding and clarity for Stout given her vast knowledge and countless abilities. The exhibition is home to various pieces that allow one to “jump inside the pages” and interact with Stout’s rendition of the African folkloric community.
Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit “is probably one of the greatest songs composed telling the chilling story about lynching. A little unknown fact is that it was written by a Jewish man by the name of Abel Meeropol. Initially “Strange Fruit” originated as a poem written by Abel Meeropol, as a protest against lynching of African Americans. Meeropol meet Holiday in a bar, where she read the poem, and decided to make the poem into a song. The record made it to No. 16 on the charts in July 1939. This song is probably Holiday’s most famous song she ever sung throughout her whole life. In the end Strange fruit forces listeners to relive the tragic horrors of living in America as an African American. The vivid lyrics paints a picture that causes a person
“This a song I never want you to forget. This is my song to you,” she said. On the radio played the song made famous by Tim McGraw called “Humble and Kind” The lyrics focus on remembering where
To the persistent individual, though, there is a body of music in existence that merits regard. It is powerful music written by the youth of America, youngsters who did have a stake in the Vietnam War. There can be little question about the origins of the power which American protest music conveyed: those who wrote such music lived each day with the real knowledge that they were losing friends in, and could possibly be forced themselves to go to, Vietnam. One such group, Creedence Clearwater Revival, made its contribution to this genre near the end of the Vietnam War.
There are many obstacles in which Maya Angelou had to overcome throughout her life. However, she was not the only person affected throughout the story, but as well as her family. Among all the challenges in their lives the author still manages to tell the rough and dramatic story of the life of African Americans during a racism period in the town of Stamps. In Maya Angelou's book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings she uses various types of language to illustrate the conflicts that arise in the novel. Among the different types of languages used throughout the book, she uses literary devices and various types of figurative language. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou the author uses literary devices and figurative language to illustrate to the reader how racism creates obstacles for her family and herself along with how they overcome them.
Joyce Carol Oates's “Where are you going, Where have you been?” tells the story of a young girl's journey to find her own identity. Along the way she uses her beauty and sexuality to create, in her mind, a feeling of maturity which ultimately becomes her downfall. She believes that by spending her summer days in the mall, dressing in a way that is different than what she would wear at home, and flirting with older boys, while finding pleasure in ignoring boys she knows, she is being her own person and is creating her own identity—one that is different from that of her mother's or sister's. It is not until the end of the story, when Arnold Friend comes into her house, that she begins to realize what is truly important. The title of the story comes into play at the end when she is leaving with Arnold. She does not recognize the town outside; she does not know where she is going. She realizes that all of the time she spent worrying about appearances was meaningless; she could not say where she had been, because her journey was only just beginning.
Blues music emerged as an African American music genre derived from spiritual and work songs at the end of the 19th century and became increasingly popular across cultures in America. The Blues is the parent to modern day genre’s like jazz, rhythm and blue and even rock and roll, it uses a call-and-response pattern. While Blues songs frequently expressed individual emotions and problems, such as lost love, they were also used to express despair at social injustice. Even though Blues singing was started by men, it became increasing popular among women, creating one of the first feminist movements. Ma Rainey, a pioneer in women’s
Not known to many, the genre of rock music originated from gospel music sung on the slave plantations in early Mississippi. A common musical device used in rock music is known as “call and response”. This is where the singer sings the line and everyone else involved in the chorus repeats that line. This came from slaves working in the fields and singing songs to get through the day. Theses hymns are fondly referred to as “negro spirituals”. In Anne Moody’s novel, Coming of Age in Mississippi we revisit African Americans in Mississippi struggling not through slavery, but through the oppression of the Civil Rights Era. At the same plantation but in a different time, Jim crow has made life almost impossible for blacks to get by in the South. In a country were all men were created equal, laws were put in place to ensure that blacks could never achieve equality. Through Anne Moody’s work and through the work of musical artists Johnny Cash, and Nas, we will discover just how far we may or may not have come.
In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Hurston the author gives several examples of one’s quest for self identity. Throughout the story Janie's quest for self identity can be clearly seen as she keeps moving from one marriage to another. As time passes her search takes several bad turns, In the end she ends up finding her true identity. Through her marriages with Logan, Joe, and Tea Cake she figures out she should do for herself and how she should live. In the end of the story she is where she finally wants to be and where she really belongs.
In the essays "You Can Go Home Again" by Mary TallMountain and "Waiting at the Edge: Words Towards a Life" by Maurice Kenny, both writers are in search of something. Throughout their lives, they 've been mocked and felt out of place due to their Native American heritage. Both authors wanted to disown their heritage; however, it is through this attempted renunciation, that both authors wanted to fit in amongst their peers. In order to do so, TallMountain and Kenny had to search for their selves. Both, TallMountain and Kenny, search for their identity through family, school, and nature.
In the excerpt from the novel Under the Feet of Jesus by Helena Viramontes, the story of a girl named Estrella is described. Throughout the story, Estrella learns a valuable lesson from a box of tools. Viramontes’s use of the literary elements such as selection of detail, figurative language, and tone are implicated to display the development of Estrella’s character. Estrella, a very timid girl at first, eventually becomes confident and capable of succeeding in school after she learns a lesson from a box of tools.
When asked to name the first rock song that pops into his head, my boyfriend instantly replied with, “’Simple Man is rock, right?’”. What he did not know was that the song he named was from one of the greatest bands of all time within the genre of southern rock. A subgenre of rock, southern rock was a combination of blues, country, jazz, and R&B (Stack et al., 2014). The background that shaped southern rock, the characteristics as well as instruments and technology used in the music, and the artists/songs important to the subgenre would forever become a staple in the music industry.
Gloria Naylor begins her essay “The Meanings of a Word” with an analysis of words, their meaning, and why the power placed behind a word is more important than the word itself. This entire essay seemed to be about the weight a word can carry, and how no matter the permanent structure of the word itself, the weight can be shifted and transformed into something completely different. Specifically, the essay is about the word nigger, which feels as though it’s italicized constantly as some sort of defense mechanism for the writer. She goes on to describe the first time she heard the word, but by the end of the essay, we understand that this is only the first time that she recognized a hint of the cruel meaning behind it, because it is likely she heard the word many times before. This solidifies the idea that it is not actually the word that contains the power, nor the definition, but the connotation that the word