Song of the Day: What's Up

Whilst waiting for my food at the campus food court, I was serenaded by the cashier with this song:

4 Non Blondes |MTV Music

"What's Up" by 4 Non Blondes

Needless to say, I was impressed that the guy knew all the words and also that he sang with so much gusto.

And in terms of this video: let's hope 90s fashion doesn't come back. Oh, wait.

Song of the day: Runaway

The other day somebody expressed their dislike of Janet Jackson, and I was trying to remember why I kind of like her. The reason I do: "Runaway" from Design of a Decade 1986/1996--except I had the cassette single*. It's vaguely ethnic in sound, and the music video is vaguely ethnic in dance and costume. I loved the harmony-heavy "yeahs" in the chorus and listened to this song over and over. Check it out:

Janet Jackson - New Music - /music/video/" style="color:#439CD8;" target="_blank">More Music Videos

No wonder I have such fond memories of Miss Jackson. Has she ever been so bubbly and adorable?

Side conversation: In a cage match of who does the best at incorporating globalization in a music video, who would win: Michael Jackson in "Black or White" or Janet Jackson in "Runaway"? Discuss.

*Thanks, sister! (I think it was a Christmas gift).

Song of the Day: Biblical edition

This is a really random post, but as I was finishing my Old Testament reading for my final and came to 2 Samuel 18:33, I remembered an Eric Whitacre choral piece that uses this text. While the piece isn’t written for its biblical context, it still conveys the sadness that King David must have felt over losing his estranged son Absolam. It gave me a more emotional connection than the dry, KJV English text does alone.

But even if you don’t know the story of David, this song is one of the most accurate artistic expressions of mourning and grieving. The dynamics, speed, and use of voices comes in waves just like any emotional breakdown. The music starts out slow and quiet, hesitant, as if doubting the very words. It builds to a choral yell, questioning the event. Then it quiets again. A single voice sings the words, clear. The choir sings in syncopated, overlapping rhythms, muddling the meaning. The words repeat and repeat.

Listening to this song is draining because of its honesty—it’s 15 minutes of pure anguish. But it’s beautiful and entirely human.

I uploaded the song with an unfortunately ever-moving-Ken-Burn’s-effect picture of King David. The sound quality isn’t the best, but you get the idea. I would recommend Eric Whitacre: The Complete A Capella Works, 1991-2001 for better quality sound as well as many other gorgeous choral songs.