A4Ever
10-23-03, 08:19 AM
We've had the your favourite band/song-threads. In those threads, you can give a list of artists and then bash other people's choices. That can be fun, but it gets tiresome.
So now I would like to know why your favorite bands/composers/artists/songs have acquired this status.
There are "objective" arguments, like the guitar skills of the lead guitarist, the octave range of the singer and so on.
There are also a lot of subjective arguments. Those are interesting too. Examples: The song that was playing when I met my wife, a way to direct my anger, the lyrics seem to describe my own life and so on.
I think it would be good for the quality of the thread to go beyond "they kick ass" or "they rock".
It is only fair that I start.
Song: Smells like teenspirit by Nirvana
I heard the Weird Al Yankovic version first, on a walkman with a friend of mine, each listening to one earpiece. We were 12 or 13.
We looked at each other and knew that this was it, this was what was gonna get us out of pop music and through puberty :)
Of course we knew this was a spoof, and soon we obtained the original version.
I still play it regularly, although you might say that I am through the teenage angst nihilism period. (Well maybe there's some nihilism left). That's why I think that the impact would be far less if I heard it now for the first time. I can still relate to the "oh well whatever, never mind" part.
What makes this song great? Maybe the best song ever? (from my humble nineties perspective of course)
For starters there's the music. It is simple and loud, with no compromise. It is the perfect use of distortion. I always like hard/soft changes in songs. Makes for great contrast.
Cobain's voice is quite special. It is very powerful, yet fragile. It gives the impression that it can break down any second now. It is filled with hurt.
The lyrics were supposed to be non sensical (I think) yet millions of people found something important in them. I already mentioned the whatever never mind part. The "here we are now, entertain us" meant more to me than just that phrase. It said: here I am, 13 years old, what is going to happen now? What do you have for me world?
Although my personality has changed (luckily :) ) I still look at the song as a manifesto of good taste in alternative music. I often think: if Nirvana were here right now, we wouldn't have Linkin Parks and Limp Bizkits. I know that that's not true, but it is a soothening thought.
I once said I want this song at my funeral. That is still an option.
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Well, that was my attempt. Now I would like to read yours.
So now I would like to know why your favorite bands/composers/artists/songs have acquired this status.
There are "objective" arguments, like the guitar skills of the lead guitarist, the octave range of the singer and so on.
There are also a lot of subjective arguments. Those are interesting too. Examples: The song that was playing when I met my wife, a way to direct my anger, the lyrics seem to describe my own life and so on.
I think it would be good for the quality of the thread to go beyond "they kick ass" or "they rock".
It is only fair that I start.
Song: Smells like teenspirit by Nirvana
I heard the Weird Al Yankovic version first, on a walkman with a friend of mine, each listening to one earpiece. We were 12 or 13.
We looked at each other and knew that this was it, this was what was gonna get us out of pop music and through puberty :)
Of course we knew this was a spoof, and soon we obtained the original version.
I still play it regularly, although you might say that I am through the teenage angst nihilism period. (Well maybe there's some nihilism left). That's why I think that the impact would be far less if I heard it now for the first time. I can still relate to the "oh well whatever, never mind" part.
What makes this song great? Maybe the best song ever? (from my humble nineties perspective of course)
For starters there's the music. It is simple and loud, with no compromise. It is the perfect use of distortion. I always like hard/soft changes in songs. Makes for great contrast.
Cobain's voice is quite special. It is very powerful, yet fragile. It gives the impression that it can break down any second now. It is filled with hurt.
The lyrics were supposed to be non sensical (I think) yet millions of people found something important in them. I already mentioned the whatever never mind part. The "here we are now, entertain us" meant more to me than just that phrase. It said: here I am, 13 years old, what is going to happen now? What do you have for me world?
Although my personality has changed (luckily :) ) I still look at the song as a manifesto of good taste in alternative music. I often think: if Nirvana were here right now, we wouldn't have Linkin Parks and Limp Bizkits. I know that that's not true, but it is a soothening thought.
I once said I want this song at my funeral. That is still an option.
------------------------
Well, that was my attempt. Now I would like to read yours.