Reflection 08: Snowed Out—The Inundation of Christmas Music

How much is too much Christmas music?

It used to be that they wouldn't show up until at least the day after Thanksgiving—at the earliest. Any earlier than that and it just seemed too soon for them. But these days, the dust of Halloween has hardly settled before someone, somewhere, eagerly rolls them out. Whenever it is they come, Christmas songs come with a vengeance. And while some people can't wait to revel in holiday cheer, others quickly feel inundated by the near endless stream of Christmas songs. While these songs can be expected at a party or in a church, they can also be heard while on hold on the telephone or in every mall in America. How do you feel about holiday music? Which songs do you like and which do you detest? What is the line between this music celebrating the season and it spoiling the spirit? Finally, if you do not celebrate Christmas, how does holiday music affect you?

Include at least three of the following in your discussion:

• "Centuries-old Christmas Carols Endure" (Tennessean)
• "Science Behind Why We Love, or Hate, Christmas Music" (WDIV)
• "The Ten Most Annoying Christmas Songs" (Gawker)
• "Ten Best Christmas Songs for Atheists" (Alternet)
• "Christmas Songs that Upset Me" (phillyBurbs.com)
• "Five Christmas Songs that Don't Suck" (Nerve)

Requirements:

• Must be in MLA Style
• Must be two full pages in length
• Must include a works cited page

Due: Wednesday, Dec. 5th

 

Week 15: Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash, "Ring of Fire" (US #1, 1963)

Week 15: Johnny Cash
Mo 11.26 Class: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

We 11.28 Class: Final exam prep; Lecture—“The Mad Dash: Prompts”

Upcoming:

Week 16: Whitney Houston
Mo 12.03
Class: Final exam prep; Lecture—“The Mad Dash: Thesis Statements”

We 12.05
Class: Final exam prep; Lecture—“The Mad Dash: Essay Outlines”
Due: REFLECTION 8

Sa 12.08
FINAL EXAM: 8 AM, LOCATION TBD

Week 17: Bob Dylan
Mo 12.10
Class: Course review

Music News: 11.24.12

 

• Holiday music has returned (and there's something for everyone) (Zimbio)
• R.E.M. + James Franco + Lindsey Lohan = new music video (Washington Post)
• Relenting: AC/DC finally release catalog on iTunes (USA Today)
• "Gangnam Style" > "Baby": PSY overtakes Justin Bieber as most viewed YouTube clip (Chicago Tribune)
• Lil Wayne to retire, focus his energies on skateboarding (Examiner)
• Survey: Adele's music best to help you fall asleep (Daily Mail)
• 
  

Week 14: Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga ft. Beyoncé, "Telephone" (US #3, 2010)

Week 14: Lady Gaga
Mo 11.19
Read: DURAN—Ton Lōc, “Funky Cold Medina” – Duran Duran, “All She Wants Is”
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations
Due: REFLECTION 7

We 11.21
NO CLASS—THANKSGIVING

Upcoming:

Week 15: Johnny Cash
Mo 11.26 Class: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

We 11.28 Class: Final exam prep; Lecture—“The Mad Dash: Prompts”

Week 16: Whitney Houston
Mo 12.03
Class: Final exam prep; Lecture—“The Mad Dash: Thesis Statements”

We 12.05
Class: Final exam prep; Lecture—“The Mad Dash: Essay Outlines”
Due: REFLECTION 8

Sa 12.08
FINAL EXAM: 8 AM, LOCATION TBD

Week 17: Bob Dylan
Mo 12.10
Class: Course review

Music News: 11.17.12

• British X Factor contestant receives encouraging tweet from Adele about accepting her own body (Daily Mail)
• Inside the brain of a rapper (NPR)
• Madonna visits Sandy-damaged Queens neighborhood (Gothamist)
• ...then goes Gangnam Style with the help of PSY (Entertainment Weekly)
• Pennies: How music streaming services compensates artists (Pitchfork)
• Jealous One Direction fans bully Czech supermodel (Daily Telegraph)

Reflection 07: Guilty as Charged—Confessing Our Musical Guilty Pleasures

Though we may not admit it, we all have them. And while they are near and dear to our hearts, often they are kept secret. Yet, our musical guilty pleasures serve an important role: they give us pleasure—even if we don't always own up to them. But why are guilty pleasures, so guilty? What sets this music apart from that which we enjoy openly? Can a song really be so bad it's good? This reflection is your opportunity to come out of the musical closet and reveal three of your musical guilty pleasures. 

Include at least three of the following in your discussion:

• "Why Do We Feel Guilty about ‘Guilty Pleasures’?" (Den of Geek)
• "The 10 Best Guilty Pleasure Songs of 2012" (Complex)
• "My Guilty Pleasure: 90s Boy bands" (Lovelyish)
• "28 Songs You Know The Words To (But Are Too Ashamed to Admit It)" (Live Music Guide)
• "10 Awesomely Bad Songs" (AOL Radio Blog)
• "Guilty Pleasures: What Music are You Embarrassed to Love?" (NPR Music)

Requirements:

• Must be in MLA Style
• Must be two full pages in length
• Must include a works cited page

Due: Monday, Nov. 19th

Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: A Video Playlist

To help you better understand the music that helped shape Rob Sheffield's formative years, below is a compilation of music videos that correspond with the chapters of his Talking to Girls About Duran Duran:    

1. The Go-Go's, "Our Lips are Sealed"
2. David Bowie, "Ashes to Ashes"
3. Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio, "A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)"
4. The Rolling Stones, "She's So Cold"
5. The Human League, "Love Action (I Believe in Love)"
6. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, "Enola Gay"
7. Culture Club, "I'll Tumble 4 Ya"
8. Daryl Hall & John Oates, "Maneater"
9. Roxy Music, "More Than This"
10. Bonnie Tyler, "Total Eclipse of the Heart" 
11. Haysi Fantayzee, "Shiny Shiny"
12. A Flock of Seagulls, "Space Age Love Song" 
13. Chaka Khan, "I Fell for You" 
14. Prince and The Revolution, "Purple Rain" [acoustic cover] 
15. Paul McCartney, "No More Lonely Nights" 
16. Madonna, "Crazy for You" 
17. The Replacements, "Left of the Dial"  
18. The Smiths, "Ask"  
19. The Psychedelic Furs, "Pretty in Pink"
20. Lita Ford, "Kiss Me Deadly"
21. Tone Lōc, "Funky Cold Medina"
22. The New Kids on the Block, "Hangin' Tough"
23. Big Daddy Kane, "Aint No Half Steppin'" 
24. L'Trimm, "Cars with the Boom"
25. Duran Duran, "All She Wants Is"

In addition, here are some of Duran Duran's biggest hits from the 80s:

• "The Reflex"
• "Union of the Snake"
• "Planet Earth"
• "Rio"
• "Girls on Film" [NSFW]
• "The Chauffeur" [NSFW]
• "Hungry Like the Wolf"
• "New Moon on Monday"
• "The Wild Boys"
• "A View to Kill"
• "Is There Something I Should Know"
• "Notorious"
• "Save a Prayer" 

Week 13: Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder, "Superstition" (US #1, 1972)

Week 13: Stevie Wonder
Mo 11.12 NO CLASS—VETERAN’S DAY We 11.14
Read: DURAN— Hall & Oates, “Maneater” – Lita Ford, “Kiss Me Deadly” Class: Reading discussion; Presentations
Due: CLOSE READ ESSAY (DRAFT 2; ATTACH ONE COPY OF DRAFT 1)

Upcoming:

Week 14: Lady Gaga
Mo 11.19
Read: DURAN—Ton Lōc, “Funky Cold Medina” – Duran Duran, “All She Wants Is” Class: Reading discussion; Presentations
Due: REFLECTION 7

We 11.21
NO CLASS—THANKSGIVING

Music News: 11.09.12

Adam Lambert tapped to reign in VH1's Divas

• Adam Lambert joins the ladies for VH1's new Divas special as host (Entertainment Weekly)
• Now you can JAM with Google (CNET)
• Nobody does it better: A James Bond-inspired playlist (Times-Picayune)
• The science of what we (illegally) download (NPR)
• Me first: Usher jumps to the front of the line on Election Day (ABC News) 
• "Nobodies Business": Rhianna's new album to include a duet with Chris Brown (Entertainment Weekly)

Week 12: Bee Gees

Bee Gees, "How Deep is Your Love" (US #1, 1977)

Week 12: Bee Gees
Mo 11.05
Read: DURAN—The Go-Go’s, “Our Lips are Sealed” – Ray Parker Jr., “A Woman Needs Love” Class: SHORT ANSWER RESPONSES

We 11.07 Read: DURAN—The Rolling Stones, “She’s So Cold” – Culture Club, “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya” Class: Reading discussion, Writers workshop
Due: CLOSE READ ESSAY (DRAFT 1; BRING 2 COPIES); REFLECTION 06

Upcoming:

Week 13: Stevie Wonder
Mo 11.12 NO CLASS—VETERAN’S DAY

We 11.14 Read: DURAN— Hall & Oates, “Maneater” – Lita Ford, “Kiss Me Deadly”
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations
Due: CLOSE READ ESSAY (DRAFT 2; ATTACH ONE COPY OF DRAFT 1)

Music News: 11.03.12

• Huge: Taylor Swift's Red debuts with 1.2 million copies sold (Entertainment Weekly )
• Class act: Chris Brown dresses as a Taliban fighter for Halloween (Just Jared)
• Justin Timberlake apologizes for the "unsavory video" shown at his wedding (JustinTimberlake.com) 
• Also sorry: No Doubt pull new video, just hours after debut, due to "hurtful" Native American imagery (Spin )
• Sorry: iTunes update delayed until this month (USA Today ) 
• Lady Gaga speaks out for marriage equality in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington (Buzzfeed) 

Close Read Essay

What can a careful analysis of each of these songs reveal?

Sometimes, it's not until a piece of art is examined in fine detail that new meanings arise. When cultural context, the artist's intentions, even your own prior knowledge, are set aside, a new way of "seeing" the art can emerge. This is the purpose of a close reading (sometimes called an explication). For this essay, you will conduct a close reading of a song. The goal is to delve deeply into this song, in hopes of uncovering new ways to understand it. You will have wide latitude in how you choose to engage it. You may look at the function of the song as a whole or highlight its minute details. (For example, one might do a close reading of the whole of Michelangelo's Mona Lisa or consider only the hands.) As always, ground your analysis in a strong thesis, supported by evidence from the song. Choose only one of the following songs, either lyrical or instrumental, for your analysis:

Instrumental songs—

1. "Psycho" (Suite for String Orchestra) [Music by Bernard Herrmann, 1960]
2. "Variations 1 - 4" [Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, 1978)
3. "Claire de Lune" (Third movemnt of Suite bergamasque) [Music by Claude Debussy, 1905]
4. "L'Autre Valse D'Amelie" [Music by Yann Tiersen, 2001]
5. "The Great Pumpkin Waltz" [Music by Vince Guaraldi, 1966]
6. "March" (from "Raiders of the Lost Ark") [Music by John Williams, 1981]

Lyrical songs—

1. "The Way I Feel Inside" [Music and lyrics by Chris White, 1968]
2. "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" [Music and lyrics by Jule Styne and Leo Robin, 1949]
3. "Carol Brown" [Music and lyrics by Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clemen, 2009]
4. "The Land of Might-Have-Been" [Music and lyrics by Ivor Novello and Edward Moore, 1924]
5. "Human Nature" [Music and lyrics by Steve Porcaro and John Bettis, 1982]
6. "Help Me, Rhonda" [Music and lyrics by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, 1965]

All songs are available in the Dropbox section of this blog.

Requirements:

• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation
• 3-page minimum
• Include a works cited page

The best papers:

• Stay focused on a single song, veering from any outside considerations
• Have a concise thesis which clearly outlines your findings on the song
• Are informative in tone
• Clearly support their thesis with solid evidence, citing from the song's musical and/or lyrical structure
  
• Conclude with a summation of the song
• Properly cite evidence using MLA's parenthetical citation method
• Are in compliance with MLA Style

Due: Wednesday, Nov. 7th (Draft 1; Bring 2 copies)