Music News 10.17.15

• T.I. on Hillary Clinton's presidential candidacy: "Not to be sexist, but I can’t vote for the leader of the free world to be a woman." (Vibe)
• Virginia family builds extravagant Halloween light show display to Mackelmore & Ryan Lewis' "Downtown" (Time)
• Kanye West drops in on American Idol auditions (Taste of Country)
• MTV India to curate  Apple Music's Bollywood and Indian playlists (Medianama)
• Leaked: A surprise Justin Bieber-Selena Gomez duet (Billboard)
• Does One Direction's "Perfect" steal from Taylor Swift's "Style"? (New Music Express)

Reflection XX | All On My Own—On Breakup Songs

At one time or another, all of us will feel the sting of a painful breakup. And when we're in the grips of heartache, we most often turn to music for comfort. Yet, it's not usually cheerful, uplifting music that gets us through our darkest moments. Instead, it's sad songs that routinely makes us feel better. Why? Why do we take comfort in maudlin songs when we're feeling lonely to begin with? What is it about hearing about other people's misery that makes us somehow feel better? Are there certain elements that make up a perfect breakup song? And if you've ever found yourself at the raw end of a breakup, what music got you through the pain? Do you have a go-to song for a breakup? If so, what is it and how does it help you cope?

Here are a dozen iconic breakup songs to get you in the (sad) mood, but feel free to use any songs you like:

• Toni Braxton, "Un-Break My Heart"
• Bill Withers, "Ain't No Sunshine"
• ABBA, "The Winner Takes it All"
• Jewel, "You Were Meant for Me"
• Candace Glover, "I Who Have Nothing" [Tom Jones cover]
• Jim Croce, "Operator (That's Not the Way it Feels)"
• Patsy Cline, "She's Got You"
• Elvis Presley, "You Were Always on My Mind"
• Roy Orbison, "Crying" 
• Sinéad O'Connor, "Nothing Compares 2 U" [Prince cover]
• Elton John, "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word"
• Adele, "Someone Like You"

Include at least three of the following in your discussion:

• "How Listening to 'Sad Songs' Heals the Blues" (Telegraph)
• "Five Scientific Reasons Why Breakups are Devastating" (Huffington Post)
• "Why Do Breakup Songs Hurt So Good?" (How Stuff Works)
• "Here are Ten Break Up Songs That Will Make You Feel Better. What Other Song Made You Feel Better About It?" (Reddit)
• "Why Do We Need Breakup Songs? Aren't We Suffering Enough?" (NPR)
• "The 20 Most Poignant Breakup Songs" (Billboard)

Requirements:

• Must be in MLA Style
• Must be two full pages in length
• Must include a works cited page

Due: Thu 10.22

Week 9: Amy Winehouse

Mark Ronson (Ft. Amy Winehouse), "Valerie"

Week 9: Amy Winehouse
Tu 10.13/Th 10.15
Read: BRAIN—“I Love Music and I Love Science—Why Would I Want to Mix the Two?” – “Behind the Curtain”
Class: CLOSE READ; Reading discussion; Presentations; Lecture—“Close Reads: A How-To”

Upcoming:

Week 10: Stephen Sondheim
Tu 10.20/Th 10.22
Read: BRAIN—“Anticipation” – “After Dessert, Crick was Still Four Seats Away from Me”
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations; Watch—“Why Music Moves Us” (The Agenda with Steve Paikin); Lecture—"The Most Common Grammatical Errors—And How to Avoid Them"
Due: REFLECTION 5

Music News 10.8.15

• Sam Smith debuts video for "Writing's on the Wall" from Spectre (Time)
• Paparazzi snap nude photos of a vacationing Justin Bieber (People)
• Lady Gaga checks into American Horror Story: Hotel (USA Today)
• 50 Cent says Empire's ratings are down because of too much "gay stuff" (Huffington Post)
• Some US radio stations are already playing Christmas music (Digital Music)
• James Corden, John Stamos, and Julianne Moore star in a Taylor Swift-inspired soap opera (Daily Mirror)

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Close Read Playlist: Female Singer-Songwwriters

Choose one of the following songs for next week's in-class close read:

1. Anaïs Mitchell, "Wedding Song" (Anaïs Mitchell, 2010)
2. Dolly Parton, "Jolene" (Dolly Parton, 1973)
3. Hole, "Doll Parts" (Courtney Love, 1994)
4. Erykah Badu, "Tyrone" (Erykah Badu and Norman "Keys" Hurt, 1997)
5. k.d. lang, "Trail of Broken Hearts" (k.d. lang and Ben Mink, 1989) Mariah Carey, "Vision of Love" (Mariah Carey and Ben Margulies, 1988)
6. Bobbie Gentry, "Ode to Billie Joe" (Bobbie Gentry, 1967)
7. Alicia Keys, "Fallin'" (Alicia Keys, 2001) 
8. Corinne Bailey Rae, "Like a Star" (Corinne Bailey Rae, 2005)
9. Loretta Lynn, "Don't Come Home A' Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)" (Loretta Lynn and Peggy Sue, 1967)
10. Carole King, "You've Got a Friend" (Carole King, 1971)
11. Tracy Chapman, "Fast Car" (Tracy Chapman, 1987) 
12. Norah Jones, "Come Away With Me" (Norah Jones, 2002) 
13. 10,000 Maniacs, "What's the Matter Here?" (Natalie Merchant and Robert Buck, 1987)
14. Kate Bush, "This Woman's Work" (Kate Bush, 1989)
15. Adele, "Chasing Pavements" (Adele and Eg White, 2008)
16. Sade, "Jezebel" (Sade Adu and Stuart Matthewman, 1985)
17. Cyndi Lauper, "Time After Time" (Cyndi Lauper and Rob Hyman, 1983)
18. Joni Mitchell, "Both Sides Now" (Joni Mitchell, 1967)
19. Yoko Ono, "Yes, I'm Your Angel" (Yoko Ono, 1980)
20. Taylor Swift, "Begin Again" (Taylor Swift, 2012)
21. Regina Spektor, "Fidelity" (Regina Spektor, 2006)
22. Tori Amos, "Cornflake Girl" (Tori Amos, 1994)
23. Jewel, "You Were Meant for Me" (Jewel Kilcher and Steve Poltz, 1996)
    
24. Katie Melua, "Halfway Up the Hindu Kush" (Katie Melua and Mike Batt, 2005) 
25. Sarah McLachlan, "Adia" (McLachlan and Pierre Marchand, 1997)
 

Week 8: Journey

Journey, "Lights" (1978)

Week 8: Journey
Tu 10.6/Th 10.8
Listen: DB—Iconic Female Songwriters music primer
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations; Lecture—“On Wordiness: Exercises”
Due: REFLECTION 4

Upcoming:

Week 9: Amy Winehouse
Tu 10.13/Th 10.15
Read: BRAIN—“I Love Music and I Love Science—Why Would I Want to Mix the Two?” – “Behind the Curtain”
Class: CLOSE READ; Reading discussion; Presentations; Lecture—“Close Reads: A How-To”

Music News 10.1.15

• Katie Perry groped by fan onstage in Brazil (Rolling Stone)
• Jakob Danger, son of Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, releases solo album (New Music Express)
• What have we done to deserve this?: Honey Boo Boo debuts rap single (Daily Mail)
• Coachella organizers eye new festival in New York (KTLA)
• Carly Rae Jepson to play Frenchy in FOX's Grease: Live (Variety)
• Music video of the week: Lana Del Ray's "Music to Watch Boys To" (Rolling Stone)