1. I chose to look at the “Music and Breakups” presentation. The two entries in the presentation were: “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis Presley and “Mittens” by Frank Turner. I think “Heartbreak Hotel” was chosen for the presentation because it connects well to the topic of “Music and Breakups”. “Heartbreak Hotel” is a song sung by Elvis who is singing about his feelings after a breakup. The song starts off very upbeat but then shortly starts to talk about heartbreak and the music is more solemn and low. The line,“ Heartbreak is so lonely, I could die”, really sums up how he is feeling.He is feeling so down that he feels like he can die from the pain and loneliness. The second entry, “Mittens”, is a song describing the feelings and thoughts after a breakup. He is describing everything he put into the relationship and how it didn’t help preserve the relationship. It felt like all the efforts were for nothing. In the song, it says,” you left me feeling like, we’d never really been in love”. This summarizes the idea that after a breakup, people may feel like they did so much for the other person and put in so much effort to now be treated like a regular person, not someone who was in love with them. The musical characteristic that stands out is the tone of the signer’s voice. He sounds like he is yelling meaning he is upset about it and wants everyone to know. Usually, after a breakup, it is really rough for people and they tend to need to vent and yell out their frustrations.

2. If I would’ve chosen the topic of “Music and Breakups”, I would have included “Since U Been Gone” By Kelly Clarkson and “Die From A Broken Heart” By Maddie & Tae.  I would have chosen “Since U Been Gone” because it is the epitome of a breakup song. It discusses both sides of feeling after a breakup, feeling like you want them back and feeling that you are relieved to have ended the relationship. She sings about all of the “red flags” that she didn’t see in the relationship but she sees now, thanks to the breakup. The chorus says, “But, Since you’ve been gone, I can breathe for the first time”. This means that since they’ve broken up, it has been better. It is such a relief since he left her. The musical characteristic that stands out is the tone of the signer’s voice. She sounds happy but is singing in a very loud voice. She is so relieved to have ended the relationship, she is screaming in joy! The second song I would have chosen is “Die From A Broken Heart”. This song mimics a conversation someone would have with their mother after a breakup. The pain is so hard to deal with. It feels like one cannot function and feels like they may even die. In the song chorus, it says, “Momma, can you die from a broken heart?”. This means that the pain and frustration is so high, she is wondering if this pain and sadness can kill her.  The singers were both going through heartbreak or personal failures at the time of the song so the song is very genuine and heartfelt. The musical characteristic that stands out is the guitar melody in the background. Guitars are usually used to give off a homey feeling. They are usually used in group sing-alongs because for some reason, the softness of the guitar brings comfort and unity. In this song, she needs her mother’s comfort because she is so upset from the heartbreak.

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