Blogging Around

This is in responde to Mary's blog post about the loss of simplicity in modern music, and references Jerry Lee Lewis's "Great Balls of Fire" as an example of the older, better aproach.

You've really nailed it on the head here, Mary. Besides the fact that I love this song, I absolutely agree with your observation about the loss of simplicity in music today. I think that's why I'm so fond of artists like Jack Johnson, who often sing plainly with just a guitar in hand. I mean, half the time I listen to music, I zone out and let the instrumentals bring me to some place in my head. I do some of my best thinking to the soundtrack of Prokofieff's concerto for cello, which is very complex, but mostly contained in a lone cello with little orchestra involvement. I mean simplicity is beautiful in music, and it's a sign of our obsession as a society with always being productive that we can't stop outselves from shoving five minutes of singing into a three minute song. If you look at classic songs from the 30s, 40s, and 50s, you'll rarely find one more than three minutes long. Nowadays, the standard has risen to about six minutes. We need a musical reality check!

This is in response to Chen's post about the rock version of Pachelbell's Canon in D, which emphasizes changes in music over time.

Haha I LOVE this video. I have ever since I saw it a few years ago, back when it was a youtube sensation. I don't know if you'll know this, but after this video came out, some record company or other decided they wanted to sign this talented kid, so they ceaselessly searched for him. I mean, as you'll notice, he doesn't show his face. I'm not sure if they ever found him, but I found it interesting. Anyway, this song is really a cool interpretation of a classic song. I'm not even sure why it's considered Christmas music. Some people use it for their wedding. But yeah, interpreting songs that have been done in one way for a really long time is just as original and difficult as writing the song yourself. It may even be harder to do...