Claire's Crescendo

 "Just the Way You Are" The song that I chose for my final blog post is "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars. I chose this song because it is a song that I am familiar with. Even though I normally prefer to listen to country music I love this song. One thing that I like about this song is the positive message it delivers. The lyrics "when I see your face there's not a thing that I would change" along with "your amazing just the way you are" are inspirational. The message of the song promotes self confidence. After listening to this song the listener is in a better mood and feels good about themselves. Another aspect that I like about this song is the background instruments. They provide a rhythm without it distracting from the singing of Bruno Mars. I especially like the introduction with the peaceful tune and then the beat changes to more fast paced. Bruno Mars also does a good job of portraying emotion in this song, helping to make the mess...

 "Gone Country" The song that I chose this week is called "Gone Country," by Alan Jackson. The reason that I chose this song is because my favorite genre of music is country and Alan Jackson is one of my favorite singers. The reason that I love Alan Jackson's songs is because they are true country. Today, it seems like a lot of the music that is considered country is not really country, it is more in the pop genre. Alan Jackson's southern sound, along with the music being played helps the song sound country. I have been listening to Alan Jackson since I was little and I love all of his songs. I also appreciate the lyrics in this song. I feel like I can relate to them, as I am from Alabama. The place where I lived in Alabama was pretty country and this song reminds me of home. The line that is repeated and is catchy in this song is "He's gone country." There are several different phrases that follow this phrase, but this phrase is the hook of th...

 "Jump" The song I chose this week is called "Jump" by Van Helen. At the beginning of this song there is a beat that has a lot of staccato notes. The beat is trying to make the effect of jumping, similar to the title of the song. There are several different instruments in the introduction. It is a pretty long introduction before Van Helen comes in and sings, "I get up and nothing gets me down." This is a motivational line. This song could be used as a pump up song as the lyrics are used to encourage the listener. At about 2:20 into the song another instrument is added to the song. I am not sure what instrument but it sounds like an electric guitar. After this instrument there is a long instrumental piece and then the jumping from the intro returns. This adds a dramatic effect to the song and then Van Helen comes back in and simply sings "jump" until the end of the song. The word "jump" is repeated several times throughout the song makin...

 "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" The song that I chose this week is called "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," by Willie Nelson. This song has a very peaceful melody to it, however the lyrics are sad. In the song, the singer, Willie Nelson, is talking about having to say goodbye to someone and knowing that he will never see that person again. He loved the person that he is having to say goodbye to, so he is sad. The listener of this song is able to feel the emotion that Willie Nelson is experiencing. The tune makes the listener able to put themselves in Willie Nelson's situation. The lyrics "blue eyes crying in the rain" are repeated several times throughout the song and are used as a hook. They make the song catchy. I like this song because it is has a country tune to it and country is my favorite genre of music. I also like it because the instrumental music in the background of the song is calm and then the voice of Willie Nelson is also soothing. I think...