Required Listening Blog #1

Jerry Lee Lewis
The Mamas and the Papas
 Aretha Franklin

This week, we had a required listening list for Spencer's class. The list had songs from the 50s to the late 70s. It included artists from Elvis Presley to Bob Dylan to Jimi Hendrix. I enjoyed this requirement because it was an experience to hear all of the different sounds and types of music that these famous artists had to give to our world. 

One artist that stuck out to me was Aretha Franklin for singing her wonderful hit, "Respect". This song, to me, was a cry for what people had to go through back then. The way that Aretha sang this song is just amazing to me. The harmonizing of this tune is not only mesmerizing, but keeps your attention. The use of music in the background keeps you focused on the singing, but is a very nice touch to the songs main message. 

Another artist that had a great impact on my opinion of this required reading list was the Mamas and the Papas. The way that they sang, "California Dreamin'" was not only a delight to hear, but kept my attention the entire time. This song is so beautifully performed with the solos and the different harmonizing. What I especially liked about this was the different voice pitches and use of panning of those voices. The way they had both men and women singing the song was not only refreshing, but very unique. 

The last, but definitely not the least, song is by Jerry Lee Lewis called, "Great Balls of Fire". This song has a happy feel to it. If it wasn't for Jerry's emotion and emphasizing, this song would not be what it is now. The great piano in the background helps the emotion of the song even more. "Great Balls of Fire" is a great dancing song and a feel-good one, too. It was a pleasure to hear.