Popular Music In America

      Smells Like Teen Spirit is one of the most iconic rock songs of all time. Even if you didn't know the song by name, you know the song for what it sounds like. Maybe it doesn't play on the radio as much anymore unless you're on the right station but it still can be heard many places. It starts out with a decently long intro that hooks you in with it's simple but catchy riff and then gets you head banging to it 30 seconds. One of the things that makes this song so popular and iconic is that it is so simple but so strong and powerful sounding. It's hard rock sound can make anyone wanna jump around and head bang to it.     What the song also does well is sounding like the style of song it's supposed to without sounding exactly like all the other 2000's rock sounds. It has a unique structure which first hooks people into listening to it and a not too repetitive sound that makes it so you can listen to it over and over on repeat. What the song also does gre...

            Jump by Van Halen is one of the most iconic songs of all time. Maybe not everyone knows the name of the song but if you play the first minute of the song, just about everyone would recognize the tune of it. Van Halen's Jump is less about the meaning of the lyrics or really the details of them at all, but more about the the electrifying music and getting everyone to, ironically, jump.           The song starts out with the classic 80's synthesizers that just about everyone recognizes. It transitions from these synthesizers to the iconic Van Halen solos. In these solos he shreds like the song doesn't even exist with it. The solos are most stand outs in the song rather than being a part of the song and that element is one of the things that makes this song such an iconic and memorable one. Van Halen makes this song his own by adding these solos in and also by being very simple. It doesn't try to be just like every othe...

           Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain by Willie Nelson is a very simple but somber song that has a lot of meaning in just a little amount of lyrics. Willie Nelson has a very soft and smooth voice that is perfect for songs that typically have slower tempo. His voice also brings the feeling of home and can make you feel like you're longing the "good ol' days." Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain is one of the best examples of taking advantage of the sound and tone of someone's voice and using it in a setting that fits it best.            The song is few in lyrics but makes up for it in the depth of them. He starts out by saying that he sees a woman's blue eyes crying in the rain. This one sentence has already set up the setting and the emotion in just a few words and now we can tell what kind of song this is going to be. Then, he sings about when they had kissed, he knew that they would never meet again. This lyric lets us know a...

      Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin is one of the most iconic songs of all time. To start off, its in the small category of songs that are eight minutes long. Second, its one of the few 8 minute songs that are actually listened to and loved. Lastly it is one of the most recognized songs of all time and one of the most influential. Stairway to Heaven is a musical masterpiece. It's lyrics are able to tell a story and get their message off without being repetitive and too long. The slow build up of instruments and catchiness of the song make it one you could listen to and not get sick of.      The guitar intro at the beginning is simple enough that you can follow along to and even the amateur guitar players can play it. That intro is "forbidden" at guitar stores so much that many of them stop you from playing it there. Maybe because its played far too often by new people but also because of the lore behind it. Stairway to Heaven can be listened to in many...

           A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke is a beautiful song that addresses the hardship and trials that Sam and possibly others have gone through and the hope they have that the future will be better because "Change is gonna come." During this time period, racial discrimination and poverty was still a huge challenge. There were colored and white bathrooms, schools, drinking fountains, and seats on the bus. Sam Cooke worked along side other civil rights leaders such as Muhammed Ali and Malcom X.           The start of the song, first details his life. He states he was "born by the river, in a little tent" and that he's been running just like the river ever since. He says its been too hard living but that he's afraid to die, meaning that his life has been so hard but he doesn't want to die just yet. He then talks about how he goes to the movies and downtown where people tell to "not hang ...

         You Can't Hurry Love is one of the classics that almost everyone knows. It appeals to even the most casual listeners through it's simple message and beat while also impressing people who have have a deep knowledge of music and music structure. It's a simple story of a mother telling her daughter about how love " don't come easy" and that sometimes you just have to wait. It repeats the same line enough for you to remember it without it getting too repetitive so that combined with the catchy beat makes for a very iconic and memorable song.       I had heard both versions of this song before, the original one by the Supremes and the later cover by Phil Collins. Both have a similar feel but I believe the original to be the better song. The original song uses a style of singing that is long lost and that is emphasized when a white male does a cover of female African American singers. The unique structure of the song provides a differ...