1. Music plays a large role in building the holiday spirit for Christmas. The songs Jingle Bells and snow candy do a really good job of displaying exactly that. Jingle Bells has this way of bringing every family, friends, and strangers together. As it started as a Christian song for the celebration and now has expanded further for everyone hence is why it can bring so many people together. There are diegetic sounds in the music such as slay bells, giving even more of that holiday charm. Snow Candy starts with a beautiful intro with the slay bells and a theme most people can recognize in holiday music. It has a warm feeling with the soft singing and togetherness we get from everyone involved singing together. It was released by a band called Starship planet and they did this as most artists around Christmas time do their own holiday cheer spreading.
2. If I were to write about the topic I would pick “Carol of the Bells” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”. I picked these songs because not only one person is known for singing or performing it and they have been around for so long. Carol of the bells is one of the most famous caroling songs out there, it originated in Ukraine based on the Ukrainian folk chant song called “Shchedryk”. The lyrics are beautiful basically telling a story about the bells and every time comes back to the bells and their song. The infamous bells that remind everyone of Christmas. Like any good ol’ Christmas song, there are bells involved but most times this song is sung in a canon where singers in the same voice groups come in together and every other joins in making it one beautiful canon. “Santa Claus is coming to town” is a great Christmas song for kids, and was originally written for kids by Haven Gillespie a composer known for his children songwriting. Its popularity has risen since the 50s and till this day is a very known song. The lyrics are based on the fact that Santa is coming to town, telling kids to watch out and behave well if they want gifts. It plays a role in child behavior, especially around the holidays. It again has the famous sleigh bells but one interesting characteristic is that the original song is sung by kids, sang by kids for kids.

1. The topic I chose was Music and Loss, the reason being that some of the songs that many artists create have such a strong message that it causes the audience to feel their exact emotions. The first song presented is “No Time to Die” by Billie Eilish and the connection given is that the slow tempo gives off a feeling of loss. The tempo of the song and the low pitch are the musical characteristic that help the audience feel the grief. The second song is “It’s Your Eyes I See” by Hanne Leland which portrays denial and the longing phase of the loss of someone. The song uses repetition to emphasize certain lines and the word “haunting” is sung, it gets dragged out for many beats along with the increasing dynamics to help emphasize her emotions at the time.
2. A song I would pick if I were to do Music and Loss would be “Supermarket Flowers” by Ed Sheeran because this song was dedicated to the loss of his grandmother. The song starts off with piano being played very slowly, giving off a sense of sadness. Ed’s voice remains very low during the song, and with the lyrics “Packed up the photo album Mattew had made, Memories of a life that’s been loved” giving off a feeling of sadness, letting the listeners know that someone has moved on. Simply listening to the song, you’re able to hear the sadness in his voice as he slowly sings it to the pianos beat emphasizing his sadness. Another song I would use if I were to do this topic would be, “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth. This song was a tribute to actor Paul Walker who had died in an accident in 2015. The song begins with slow piano notes being played back to back, giving a moment to just think and then the lyrics come up, “It’s been a long day without you my friend, and I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again” referring to when they’ll meet him on the other side. The beat of the song goes from a moderate speed to a slow beat emphasizing the sadness of Paul Walker no longer with us. The video displayed many images of their past memories, showing all that they’ve gone through and then ending it with them going down two separate roads letting the audience know that he is in a better place now.

I choose Music and Romance, in the first song, basically connected socially because of a direct relation to a song intended to his wife and throughout the song he just talks about his love for his wife. He sang” What would I do without your smart mouth? / Drawing me in, and you kicking me out / You’ve got my head spinning, no kidding, I can’t pin you down”. John Legend is just saying all the things he loves about his wife and it’s romantic. The tempo is slow which is closely associated with love. Her second song is similar to the first song with the tempo and musical characteristics and lyrics that quite literally means intercourse such as “I know you wanna love, but I just wanna fuck” and just constant context of coitus.

The song I would pick is Los – One and Only because it is talking about traditional love and romance with lyrics like “you could be my one and only / I could be your one / we could take it slowly”. This meaning if they are meant for each other, they could go through the steps in the relationship. It is created with intent of finding true love. The next song is Izzy Bizu – Diamond which is talking about the same context as the first song with finding true love and it’s rare to find a perfect match as said in “You’re a diamond in the rough I can’t fight the feeling / You’re a diamond / I can’t touch”. It also has the slow tempo and exaggerated sounds like All of Me from John Legend.

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.

Music and Christmas 

1. For the first entry, although the song wasn’t written for Christmas, due to the very recognizable and clear sound of bells and how easy the song is to catch on to, it relates to Christmas. Christmas is about people coming together so songs that are catchy, that people can singalong to help bring them together. The lyrics and musical characteristics in this song are what help relate it to Christmas. The lyrics relate to the Christmas season and are easy to remember, while the jolly melody also gives it that Christmas feel. For the second entry, it also had a distinctive bell chimes that relate to Christmas time. It also had a singalong feel to it, going back to the idea that it brings people together. The upbeat tempo and catchy rhythm also help make the song relate to Christmas.
2. One song I would use for this topic would be “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” by Harry Reser which took place in 1934. This song was an instant hit due to how catchy it is and due to the upbeat tempo. The social context came from the television special that was being made at the time that this song was made for. Since then, many popular artists have recorded their own versions of it like The Jackson 5 and Frank Sinatra. The lyrics relate the song to Christmas because they are catchy and talk about aspects of the holiday. They are easy to singalong to, bringing people closer together. The musical characteristic of the upbeat tempo make it memorable and a fun song for everyone to sing along to. The second song I would have added to this playlist would be “Grandma Got Run over by a Reindeer” by Elmo & Patsy. The social context of this song comes from 1979 when it was released for a film of the same name. The lyrics of this song are catchy and easy to singalong to, and the song itself has a lot of Christmas-y sounds within it. The rhythm of the song is catchy, which also aids people singing a lot to it. 

In both music entries, the topic of depression is shown. In Billie Ellish’s song, the cause of depression in her song has to do with fame. She expresses the sadness she is facing currently. As mentioned in the presentation even though she has accomplished so much, that does not correlate to her being happy. In Lana Del Ray’s song, the depression is focused on suicide. In the lyrics, she talks about losing someone due to suicide and the pain it has caused. The musical characteristics discussed relates to the rhythm of both songs. These songs both have a consonant harmony.

If I did this topic I would use “1-800-273-8255” by Logic ft. Alessia Cara and Khalid. This song focuses on suicide and the struggles of depression. When this song came out it was performed at music award shows. When it was being performed they created a movement out of it. The timbre in this song stands out to me. There are three very different voices, and it adds a lot to the song overall. Another song that I would use is Billie Eilish’s song “ idontwannabeyouanymore”. This song talks about not only being depressed but, being upset that you are even upset. I think this song offers a different and interesting perspective on depression. The harmony in this song is constant and the rhythm matches the feeling of being tired. Which in this song is expressed as being tired of being sad.

The connection between music and Christmas is that most of the songs associated with christmas are usually the same type of melody and genre. In addition, they are all also mostly slow and steady with a nice catchy tune that is easy to follow along to. They all include bells and chimes, with a jolly feel to each song. It is in almost every family’s tradition to listen to Christmas songs when it is almost Christmas time. 

If I wrote about this topic instead of my own, I would have included adult Christmas songs and children Christmas songs. This is because there are some Christmas songs that children may not listen to like “Baby it’s Cold Outside”. I would connect these songs by seeing the background of the making of the song, and the exact story behind the lyrics. This is because there are many controversy in connection to this song because it seems like sexual assault towards the women singing. Another song I’d add on to my topic presentation is Christmas songs related to religion and Christmas. This is because there are many different music that is associated with Christian music and Christmas music since it is the day Jesus was born. For example, “Joy to The World” is one of the most popular hymns that are sung on Christmas. I would find differences in the tone of the song and melody, compared to regular jolly Christmas music. 

1. “All of me” by John Legend relates to music and romance because this song is all about Legend expressing his love for his wife. The song mentions how he falls in love with every single part of her, and how he goes in full force with his love. As mentioned in the original presentation, romance is an expression of one’s emotions, feelings, and affection. This song definitely relates to romance as Legend is expressing his deep feelings, as stated in the song, “give your all to me, i’ll give my all to you.” This song is conveying deep commitment, strong emotion and love, all of which are involved in the topic of romance. Additionally, as stated, romance can also include feelings without the commitment and love. Romance can encompass lust and sexial desire, or just the comfort that comes from another person. “Bed” by Jacquees connects to this as the main message is that although Jacquees knows his significant other wants a real relationship, he on the other hand just wants that sexual component. “I know you want to love, but I just want to feel..I got to keep it real.” Jacquees just wanted simple lustful pleasure, without the real expressions of love and commitment involved, as he thinks that is more realistic. 

2. If I did the topic of music and romance I would have chosen two songs from the country genre. The first song I would have chosen would have been “Beautiful Crazy” by Luke Combs. I would have chosen this song because this song represents that no matter how crazy one’s significant other may be, all those things that make them different and quirky, is what makes them loved. Combs is singing about a special woman in his life that he loves no matter what, as he finds everything about her beautiful, the good and the bad. Although this song was written by a man for his wife, the lyrics are generic enough to allow anyone to relate to them in many different situations. This song represents romance for me because I think a part of romance is loving someone despite their imperfections since you wholeheartedly are in love with them. This causes everything about them to become beautiful, which is what I think this song represents. I don’t think romance only needs to include relationships, but can encompass expressions of love for the important people in one’s life. Another song I would have chosen would have been “I Don’t Dance” by Lee Brice. I think this is a great choice for the music and romance topic because another component of romance is doing things one never even thought of, just because of one’s love for another person. In this piece, Brice sings about how he never thought of himself as a man who would settle down and make a commitment, however that all changed once he met his wife. As stated in the song, “I don’t dance, but here I am spinning you round and round in circles, it ain’t my style but I don’t care, I’d do anything with you anywhere.” I think this represents that he was willing to go out of his comfort zone and do things he usually wouldn’t be comfortable with, just cause he loved his wife so much that it didn’t bother him. This song was originally written for the first dance at Brice and his wife’s wedding, although I still think this song is a great message for everyone. In relationships, one may have to do things out of their comfort zone, however that just makes one love stronger. I think this represents Romance as relationships aren’t always easy, but they teach admirable life lessons.

1. I chose the presentation: Music and Addiction. As addiction is the topic at hand, the lyrics and the social context have the most meaning, although I saw that for both the songs chosen the musical characteristics of the two had been shown to follow the lyrics. For instance, for the song, “Sober” by Demi Lovato, the person chose to write about the crescendo/decrescendo of the melody, which correlated with the occurring lyrics which could symbolize addiction’s path in her life. Lovato struggled with her addiction, and with fame came paparazzi, whom documented/described her check ins to rehab centers, and how she withdrew from the public eye to handle the situation. For the song “Master of Puppets” by Metallica, it also references how addicts’ lives are similar to how the song’s tempo moves relative to the chaotic emotions that encompass how addicts’ feel during the course of their highs and lows. I understood where the presenter was coming from, and agreed with them on their stance regarding the phases of addiction(as well as recovery/rehabilitation that come after) that show up in various parts of the songs. The presenter chose two songs that were able to showcase the difficulties of what addicts go through on a daily basis, and its additional aspects of how the song’s musical elements helped along that understanding for the listeners.
2. Had I chosen the topic : Addiction, I would have used the two songs: Painkiller by Three Days Grace, and Linkin Park’s: Breaking the Habit. My song choice is similar to the original presenter, as they too chose a rock song, however both my songs are in the genre, as compared to their one(from the two shown in the presentation). They’re both in the same genre which is rock, but Three Days Grace song is hard rock. “Painkiller” directly references it, with lyrics like, “You know you need a fix”, “the dose that you die on”, and the obvious, “painkiller”. The lyrics show the inherent desperation addicts feel when they miss a dose of their favorite high, and even if they die because of their addiction, they can’t stop themselves from reaching for the drugs that make their pain go away for a while. It’s exactly why they’re addicted, it’s because they stop feeling or opposite, feel more, by letting out their emotions. As with the lyrics, the singers of the group are able to fit those emotions into the song, the raw pain coming out from the way they’re able to not quite scream, and manage to keep it all together. For Linkin Park it’s alternative rock/alternative metal. Slight differences, but it’s clearly shown between the two as Linkin Park’s song doesn’t have the harsh grating of multiple voices rising in pitch, in tandem with the chords. Chester’s voice is at a steady, stable pitch, consonant rather than dissonant with the guitar and drums in the background. Although, he does raise his voice towards the end of the chorus, which signals the letting go of the habit that’s ruining the narrator’s life, even if there is the off chance that the person will come back to it, thus is an addiction over the course of life, it’s simply unpredictable, but it can be managed, and stored away where it can do no more harm than one would want. There is also the personal struggle that went unseen in this song at the time, the main singer, Chester Bennington had an addiction with drugs and alcohol, that went on for some years, until his suicide three years ago. It also relates with my topic: Life Transitions, which everyone goes through, even more so for addicts, whose lives may be upended by their inner turmoil. Although, if they do turn their lives around for the better, it also relates, because that’s a huge life decision they must make, in order to get clean and stay that way.