pop music and story songs
I popped my head into some pop music lately (blame Sirius XM) to find that there are melodies again - and there are story songs again. I wandered away in the rap era. It didn't appeal to me.
I've latched onto a Taylor Swift song, "Blank Space." It's catchy, sassy, and tells an impressionist story. (The music video fills in details you might not have imagined on your own.) Setting aside the troubling point that this song feeds into the "girls are crazy" belief in our culture, I find it refreshing and empowering that she's not the victim, that she has only a partial understanding of herself and her relationships, and that she's able to be flirty and tongue-in-cheek. (Per Wikipedia, the song is supposed to be satirical/autobiographical.) It keeps playing in my head.
Most of the other songs I've latched onto over time tell stories. I'm a big fan of Jim Steinman's song writing - lots of great imagery, catchy melody, and storytelling. I'd enjoy more story songs, with stories I can connect to and share with my children. Is that too much to ask? Maybe we need to stick to Radio Disney?
I've latched onto a Taylor Swift song, "Blank Space." It's catchy, sassy, and tells an impressionist story. (The music video fills in details you might not have imagined on your own.) Setting aside the troubling point that this song feeds into the "girls are crazy" belief in our culture, I find it refreshing and empowering that she's not the victim, that she has only a partial understanding of herself and her relationships, and that she's able to be flirty and tongue-in-cheek. (Per Wikipedia, the song is supposed to be satirical/autobiographical.) It keeps playing in my head.
Most of the other songs I've latched onto over time tell stories. I'm a big fan of Jim Steinman's song writing - lots of great imagery, catchy melody, and storytelling. I'd enjoy more story songs, with stories I can connect to and share with my children. Is that too much to ask? Maybe we need to stick to Radio Disney?