My music

This week I want to write about the song “La Bamba,” adapted and performed by Ritchie Valens. This piece by Valens I believe perfectly embodies the Latin side of Rock ‘N’ Roll during this time period. The song perfectly reflects the influence that Valens’ Latin heritage and exposure to Rock ‘N’ Roll have on him as an individual. Ritchie Valens was a very big artist who was not in the music industry for a long time, but played a very influential role in the Latin Rock ‘N’ Roll genre. He released this song 1958, which was the year before he died in a plane crash at age 17. He along with other artists like Buddy Holly and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson died in that crash on February 3, 1959 and that day is now known as “the day the music died.”  The song itself has a very upbeat tempo that makes you want to jump out of your seat and dance. This is actually very fitting considering the phrase “La Bamba” actually translates to “the dance” in English. The loud instrumentals mixed wi...

“Nancy (With the Laughing Face)” performed by Frank Sinatra is a timeless piece. Sinatra’s crooning style is very smooth and leaves the listener feeling relaxed. His voice is very similar to Bing Crosby’s since both were crooners; however, Sinatra mixes in more Italian opera influence. The slow beat and the soothing voice compliment each other. His voice combined with the tempo of the song creates a tone of love. This is why the song is sometimes thought to be composed specifically geared towards his wife or daughter who are both named Nancy; however, this is not the case. The song originally was even named “Bessie (With a Laughing Face),” so the song was not written intentionally for his wife or daughter. The lyrics talk about the joy and happiness that Nancy brings to his life. He uses seasons to symbolize the way Nancy makes him feel:  “She takes the winter and she makes it summer And summer could take a few lessons from her”  This metaphor in the song shows the rea...

The Blue Yodel No. 2 is a song in the genre of Hillbilly music written by Jimmie Rodgers. It came out the year of 1928, when phonographs were still being purchased at very high rates in America. This piece truly captures the feeling of the new Hillbilly music style that was being introduced in the music industry at the time. We can see the influence Hillbilly music has on modern day country music just by the use of instruments like the banjo, guitar, and bass. Rodgers is thought to be one of the biggest influences in how country music came to be. Rodgers yodel adds a new element to the song, because he uses his voice in a different unique way. His yodel is a very distinct personal touch he added to not only this work, but to a number of his pieces. This technique reminds me a little bit of scatting, because yodeling does not use actual words, but merely focuses on the voice as an instrument alone. The yodel sets his work apart from other Hillbilly songs in that time period. It works as...

The song “West End Blues,” sung by Louis Armstrong and the hot five (in the year of 1928) is a beautiful composition that I feel truly emulates the spirit of jazz. The trumpet solo at the beginning of the piece is upbeat and immediately grabs the attention of the listener. It also shows how Armstrong influences the song by adding the solo that reflects his unique personality as an artist. The flow of the verses after the introduction I feel is an example of authentic jazz. The song is slow and relaxing. The trumpet is very prevalent in this piece, and stands out against the other instruments. The numerous amount of instruments however create a multilayered melody that adds dimension to the song. I believe that the instruments sing for themselves and the song is complete without the use of any lyrics. I do think that Armstrong’s use of scatting really sets this song over the top. It adds another unique element to the song. You can hear the influences of the time period and southern cult...

Hey! I'm Raegan Ashby I'm from Payson Arizona, and my favorite genre is R&B.