Sweet Dreams - The Eurythmics

 "Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics is one of my all time favorite songs. I've heard this song since I was a young kid, but it wasn't until my high school days that I began to appreciate it more fully. I remember seeing the movie X-Men Apocalypse and the song "Sweet Dreams" appeared at one of the most epic scenes where one of the main characters raced around a school at superhuman speed to rescue the rest of the cast from an explosion. This epic scene reminded me of how awesome the song was and made it become one of my most listened to songs even till now.

The synth heavy beat is a music staple and is the most memorable part of the song. Annie Lennox provides great vocals alongside the brilliant instrumental. The content of the lyrics themselves is also pretty interesting. It provides an often overlooked view of humanity. I think its best summarized in the line, "everybody's looking for something." Its sort of thought provoking to think of people wanting anything other than good things in life. But perhaps there are people looking to be used and abused. Its a good reminder to me to be sure to treat everyone respectfully, because you don't know everyone's feelings or circumstances. 

Rapper's Delight - The Sugarhill Gang

 "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang is a hip hop classic. This song really set the tone and paved the way for much of modern rap and hip hop. I think what is so cool about this song is how the pattern established in the song as well as its style, have returned to hip hop today after the genre had branched out in other directions for several years. The smooth flows, light hearted and fun lyrics, as well as the heavily pop influenced beat are staples in much of today's rap and hip hop music. 

Something I found interesting about this song compared to many of the other songs we have been listening to, aside from it being one of the first songs we could truly call rap, is the length. At seven minutes long, "Rapper's Delight" is way over twice as long as what we have normally been listening to. This isn't necessarily a bad thing and actually  works somewhat in the group's favor. The consistency of the flow and beat allow the song to really sit in your brain and the duration of the song makes it extremely catchy. I had heard this song before, but after some more in depth listening, its definitely one of my new favorites. 

Superstition - Stevie Wonder

 Stevie Wonder is one of the most beloved musicians even today. Going blind as an infant, his life and music provides us not only with great entertainment but also great inspiration and motivation. To be honest, I personally haven't gotten into a ton of Stevie Wonder's music aside from his most popular songs. However, "Superstition" is one of my personal favorites. For me, this song is all about the beat. The funky groove and instrumentals provide this song with a great upbeat vibe. It really just makes you want to jam out and dance. This song is just totally enticing and draws your attention. To be honest, the beat is so good that aside from the chorus, each time I listened I found myself almost totally ignoring the lyrics in favor of the beat. I also found myself recognizing that this song was totally owned by Stevie Wonder, and not just in a legal sense. With some songs, you can imagine another artist performing well on it or even better than the original artist. But with "Superstition," that's just not the case. Stevie Wonder totally knocks this performance out of the park and makes it clear why he is such a music legend.

A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke

 "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke has become one of my favorite songs since hearing it in class a couple weeks ago. Each time I listen I'm inspired by Sam Cooke's powerful vocals, inspiring message, and emotional instrumental. I love the message this song contains about having a hope for a brighter future. One of my favorite lines is, "brother help me please." I find it tremendously inspiring that Sam Cooke chose this line because the best way for us to overcome trials is together. I find the message of the song very pertinent for the time of its release in 1964 which was at the peak of the Civil Rights Movement. In fact, the song is quite prophetic. It was actually written in 1963 and recorded in January of 1964, although it wasn't released until December of 1964. Between the months of its release in July was when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act which abolished racial segregation. I found that bit of history of the songs timeline quite interesting and it made the song even cooler to me. This song remains a classic because the quality of the music matches the quality of the message, making it a masterpiece. 

Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles

 The Beatles are arguably some of the best musicians of all time. Their distinct sound propelled them to international recognition and stardom. "Eleanor Rigby" is one of The Beatles more popular songs. Its iconic sound set the track apart from virtually every other artist of their time. The utilization of multiple string instruments provides the song with an extremely unique audio aesthetic. I love the role the violins play in the song in transforming the song from a typical rock or pop song of the day to something else entirely. Another important part of "Eleanor Rigby" is the vocal harmonies of the band members. I love the fact that not just one of The Beatles got to show their vocal talent, but that we got to see them work together to create such a beautiful melody. As The Beatles continued to push the boundaries of traditional pop music of the day, "Eleanor Rigby" must have had a big role in showing the music world that such musical experiments could create awesome music. This song is one of my personal favorites by The Beatles as it highlights what set them apart from the other artists of their day and shows the range of their skill. 

Mystery Train - Elvis Presley

 Elvis Presley is a music legend. I grew up listening to Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash on road trips with my dad and my appreciation for Elvis Presley's music has grown ever since. He really became a cultural icon by becoming a pioneer of early rock and roll and fusing it with hillbilly style music as well. Elvis's cover of "Mystery Train" which was originally recorded by Junior Parker, is among his most classic songs. The lead guitar riff grooves throughout the entire song and provides great continuity and makes the song interesting while still allowing Elvis's vocals to still take center stage and shine as the primary attention grabber. This song is a little bit different than most of the Elvis Presley music I listen too which is typical softer, such as "Crying in the Chapel," or has more raspy vocals, such as on songs like "If I Can Dream" (which prompted a recent cover by pop music stars Post Malone, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Shawn Mendes and Darius Rucker) and "Jailhouse Rock." "Mystery Train" is fairly up tempo and has Elvis singing smoothly over the instrumental. I wouldn't consider it crooning, but its certainly not like some of his belting vocals on other hits. All in all I'd definitely recommend this song for anyone who is a fan of classic rock or enjoys listening to cultural icons throughout history.

Nancy (With the Laughing Face) - Frank Sinatra

 Frank Sinatra is an undisputed legend in the music industry. His impact stretches far beyond just his time period or even the soothing crooning singing style he perfected. Even to this day his impact is felt in a wide variety of genres including the "Young Sinatra" hip hop mixtape series released by rapper Logic. Nancy (With the Laughing Face) totally highlights classic Frank Sinatra. The sultry composition of the music is incredible and Frank Sinatra's voice is the cherry on top to make this song absolutely incredible. Nancy (With the Laughing Face) and actually Frank Sinatra's style in general is outside what I would typically consider my style of music, but for some reason I totally dig this song and much of Frank Sinatra's music. I feel like this song is a perfect description of love and romance and is a great song to just chill and listen to. The instruments in this song and its overall sound are different than what is typical in today's music but they pull of a sound so exquisite together that this song continues to be a classic and well known song. With his performance on Nancy (With the Laughing Face), Frank Sinatra defines himself as one of the greatest singers of all time.