I just read pages and pages of Trump's crimes, lies, idiocy. Almost as if there was something every god damned day. Actually, I didn't read the whole thing; it was just too much. How much longer will we tolerate this monster?Feel free to disagree. Everyone has the right to be wrong - Even me.
The music not so much, That is both composition and performance.
After hearing it once, I honestly can't say anything really stood out. The "woo hoo hear them cryin'"motif is repeated enough, it's kinda remembered. If I can't remember it easily, I guarantee 99.999% of the public won't either. You can look away from a painting, but you can't listen away from a symphony
Re: Lyrics are powerful
Posted by jacque on October 13, 2025, 2:20 am, in reply to "Lyrics are powerful" Valued Poster
I'm not predicting a number 1 hit.
I appreciate it for the commentary with a bit of artistry.
I agree it could use/loose a few bars here and there but overall I thought it was an accurate representation through younger eyes and ears.
live long and prosper as best you can Jacque
It is, but it will not spread very far because it is a chore to listen to.
Because you shared it, I slogged through to see what she had to say and found the lyrics to be great, but nothing else. The music stinks and she's not much of a singer.
If I wasn't reading the words, I would have missed most of it and certainly would have shut it off quickly.
She drops many words to "sound cool." Poor execution is never "cool." She doesn't need an operatic voice either. The words should flow easily, like in a conversation. They need to be clear, with pauses to give people time to think about them. Great protest music is also timeless. The music of Dylan applies to us today as mcuh as it did when it was written.
The Vietnam War era gave us lots of great examples.
Dylan was a wanting poor singer and player. But his message was clear and easy for anyone to sing.
The Byrds played covers of many Dylan protest songs. Dylan told Roger McGuinn, he loved what The Byrds did with this. Who is Mr. Tamborine Man? 'T'is a metaphor?
Unfortunately the ugly head of AI is already causing significant damage.
We are in for a very rough time ahead because of AI.
You can look away from a painting, but you can't listen away from a symphony
🎵 Look out kid! It's something you did. God knows when but your doin' it again. You better duck down the alleyway Lookin for a new friend The man in the coonskin cap wants 11 dollar bills You only got ten 🎵
Too wordy, AND a monotone melodic line that is not only rhythm, but doesn't differentiate any important idea. It is just a step barely above sprechstimme- speech singing. At a concert, or on an alblum, this is filler material to MAKE an album.
Glen Miller used his musicians as a barometer. If they liked a song, he'd round file it. If they hated a tune, he knew the public would embrace it. The band absolutely HATED In the Mood. They still do!
I never met Dylan. I'd like to. I am not sure his instrumentals are out of tune, or tuned to a kind of tuning that intentionally sounds that way, which there are many kinds. Perfect tuning in a key like C generates a weird out of tune effect when music is played in more distant keys, like E or bA
This doesn't sound artsy, folksy, or mod. It sounds bad. Weird bad. He might have been going for weird.
Second most important is marketing, which means frequency of performance. The song must be quality to begin with. It must be played on the airways often enough to become easily and quickly widely known.
Behind the scenes is a real dog eat dog, ugly ugly business.
It became too complicated when lawyers got involved.
The self promotion gadgetry of You Tube and Spotify so badly flooded the market, a tremendous amount of quality material is never heard or rises above the din of poorly produced mediocrity. You can look away from a painting, but you can't listen away from a symphony
Dylan had several songs like this. Just a Sign of the times. I've heard this on the radio as well as the turntable since I could remember. This was 'folk rap' before rap.
It was never meant to be a protest just life reflecting things during times you may need to protest.
Rainy Day Women #12 is another classic too.
The Original post wasn't meant to imply protest songs.
I appreciate your experience and commentary. I'm just poking a bit for fun.
Maybe you might appreciate this version by Weird Al
Posted by Pikes Peak 14115 on October 15, 2025, 6:16 pm, in reply to "LOL"
Because I worked in the commercial music advertisement field, in addition to education and the stage, I intimately understand persuasive powers of music.
My grad work was in how music develops the adolescent brain measurably by academic achievement. It is more a scientific research than music. While it specifically focused on adolescents during the period of transition from concrete to abstract thinking and adult maturity, it applies to everybody regardless of age.
My work focused on biology of dendritic avenue growth as result of music performance, also used for comprehension of higher mathematics. While language and science is involved, that was too broad for my research. Others pursued causal relationships between music and other disciplines.
Chemistry of electrochemical neural pathway conduction and transfer was in an infancy. Many of the specific neural electrochemical endorphins weren't yet known, studied or identified. Many are now and we have a better understanding of it.
Effect music has in advertisement is very similar to academic performance. You would think the latter might have revolutionized education, but it didn't. Too much resistance by school administrators who lack training and not only remain skeptical, they're unwilling or unable to simply change the academic class schedule to accomodate and take advantage of what music performance does. In short, they don't believe it, and that is sheer ignorance.
I do not know how to fight ignorance, which I define as the willing choice of people to remain stupid. That is precisely why we elected a felon to be POTUS.
I wrote music for pharmaceutical companies and products. The most successful campaign was for a company whose product lowered two kind of cholesterol. The musical melody was written in thirds, accompanying a pair of actors, often twins, who looked the same but dressed differently, or looked different but dressed the same, representing the two different cholesterol medicines. The commercials played everywhere, all day, every day.
The product was very successful until it was discovered not to do what it was claimed. Pfizer was sued and the product recalled. All ads were recalled and stopped immediately. Since I sold the music, I don't own the copyright, and if I put it on You Tube, I'd get a copyright strike and sued.
Too many people far underestimate the power of music, and they are almost daily victims of music manipulation of which they're largely unaware. It is insidious in retail shopping. Many major retailers musically control customer behavior from time they enter a store until they leave, totally unaware of what happened. You begin with the "right hand swing" and you slow down around every sale bin, table, and rack. You spend 13% to 30% more time than you intended, and buy up to 35% more crap you don't need that you didn't intend to buy.
Unfortunately it hasn't been as effective with shoplifting.
Key to good protest songs; Gotta keep it simple.
All these shorts have one thing in common that made them instantly successful.
We need good protest music. Yesterday if not sooner!
The felon destroyed American science relations with the world. We are at least thirty years behind just because of his policies. He destroyed our agriculture business with his stupid tariffs. We can't recover for a decade, even if we can manage to get rid of him. He destroyed our business relations with the world because he proved untrustworthy as a businessman. For starters, he lies all the time.
The America we knew, even just a year ago, is prolly gone for good. The most ignorantly stupid POTUS was elected by the most ignorantly stupid people. One need look no further than quality of students and education in those regions.
Tommy Tuberville was a sh!tbag bad teacher who rose to become a coach, then Senator and soon to be Governor. He might be a POTUS rivaling the stupid fool in there now.
You can look away from a painting, but you can't listen away from a symphony
Re: Life in a time needing protest is itself protest
on October 12, 2025, 2:05 am
