The Woman In The 70's: Song Analysis

Music has always had a crucial impact on both political and cultural events throughout the years, whether it be about topics such as war, a breakthrough within society (i.e., racism, sexuality, etc.). It has provided hope during some of the darkest moments in history. For this assignment, I have chosen to discuss a topic that is much ‘closer to home’. Rita MacNeil’s song “Working Man”, in addition to other Cape Breton folk songs, was inspired by the Island’s rich coal mining history as well as the disasters and hardships that define that history.

Martha and the Vandellas was a female vocal group and one of the first groups signed by Motown Records. Big in the 1960’s and 1970’s, they were probably best known for their song “Dancing in the Street” which has been covered by numerous artists since. Though one of their less popular songs, “I Should Be Proud”, stands out to this day as an anti-war song which voiced a disagreement with the war- particularly regarding civil rights issues at the time.

American singer and songwriter Carole King has written and co-written over 400 songs that have been recorded by more than 1,000 artists. King’s career began in the 1960s where she along with her co- songwriting partner Gerry Goffin, who later became her husband, wrote more than two dozen chart hits for many artists. Their hits include "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" for The Shirelles, "Take Good Care of My Baby" for Bobby Vee and "You Make Me Feel (Like a Natural Woman)" for Aretha Franklin. Carole seemed to be comfortable being the woman behind the music, she had two daughters, a husband and a house to attend to so it seemed as touring and performing live was not in the plan.

The song “Internationale” tries to bring a lot of pro-activist and more of anti-oppression movement fillings. As the songwriter, and till this day a left-wing activist, Billy Bragg was encouraged to make an English verse from one of the French successors of the song, Pete Seeger. (It is important to mention that Eugène Pottier (born in France) was the original author of the song who composed it somewhere at the end of the 19th century, and due to its popularity, has gone all around different musicians afterward). Of course, Mr. Bragg could not resist the offer, and so he created an English version. It is well known that sometimes the translation changes and varies from artist to artist, yet two (Billy Bragg and Pete Seeger) collaborated so there would be no mistakes or misinterpretations.

“Despite the economic uncertainty, riots and struggles, for us in the U.S. at least, the ’70s are considered a time of freedom, both creatively and sexually. I think there is a desire to go back to that,” said Patricia Mears,

I like to think of myself as a pretty smart individual. I have expressing my feelings through song for more than two decades. I was so focused on that, that I missed a lot when it comes to communicating with people directly. As a child I was left to navigate life and relationships on my own. I found a connection in music I was lacking in life. Several years ago, I gave up alcohol to live better. I have had a rough time adjusting to a new lifestyle. This chapter has helped me understand communication in a new light. I intend to use this new knowledge to have more effective connections with people.

Many songs that we listened to sounded like they came right out of Brave New World. The ones I liked most would have to be “Can't Feel My Face”, “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” and “I Am Produced”.

“Don McLean (1971) vs. Madonna (2000) “American Pie” Don McLean Don McLean sang the song “American Pie” very well. His voice is crystal clear when he sang this song, and it sounds like he is pouring his heart into the song. Don McLean has a very dynamic voice, which makes the song both very simple and complex. He makes his voice quiet on serious verses and adds energy to the song, which makes it a very unique song.

While the 1970s were a time of true hippie fashion; peace, love, sexual liberation and 

freedom, the 70s also signified the decline of classic, more 

traditional social norms, values and gender expectations. Women began to enter the workforce, 

as opposed to being full-time homemakers and the primary source of childcare. Yet, 

women, people of colour, Native Americans, people who identified as gay

The song “Magic” is by a Scottish rock band called Pilot. The band makes mainly pop rock and soft rock songs. Pilot is no longer active but were from 1973 to 2014. The band’s members were David Paton, Ian Bairnson, Billy Lyall, and Stuart Tosh. Their songs are usually made with vocals, guitars, pianos, and drums.

Classic" Hey! Where's the drums? Oh whoa-oh-oh-oh Let's go! [Tony:]

Band Members: Stevie Wonder- (lead vocal), Lani Groves - (background vocal), Tasha Thomas– (background vocal), Jim Gilstrap- (Background vocal), Malcolm Cecil- (upright bass), Dean Parks- (acoustic guitar), David Walker- (Electric Guitar), Clarence Bell- (Hammond Organ), Larry Latimer-(Congas), Ralph Hammer- (acoustic guitar), Scott Edwards- (electric bass), Yusuf Roahman- (shaker), Sheila Wilkerson-(bongos), Willie Weeks- (electric bass)

So many songs were written inspired by all the politics and movements happening in the 60’s. “I Ain’t Marching Any More, Phil Ochs song is from the point of view of a solider as he is called on to fight through American history, culminating in the atomic bomb attack on japan” (Iredale, Anne). “The war drags on, This 1960s protest song by Mick Softly, It tells the story of Dan, a soldier who is sent to Vietnam, and who has a nightmare about a nuclear war that ends the world” (iredale, Anne). “The Times They Are A-Changin, This 1964 song from Bob Dylan is another protest song that traces the history of American conflicts, with cavalry versus in Indians all the way to the cold war” (Iredale, Anne).

There are specific songs that all teenagers connect to, and sometimes it is more than one. One song that I believe is easy for teens to connect to is, Missing you by All Time Low: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfhbVUTZn7A http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/alltimelow/missingyou.html. It was released 2015, and is on their newest album. All Time Low has four band members, they formed the band while they were still in high school. They are still making songs, and are currently on tour. They are from Baltimore, Maryland. Their top five songs are Weightless, Dear Maria Count Me In, Remembering Sunday, and A Love Like War. The overall message of the song is helping someone out of a hard time and to people that feel lost, out of place and are not sure where their next

For this project I was supposed to look for a song that represents me. After a long hard search I finally found the song I was looking for. This essay will be about “A Million Dreams” from the movie “The Greatest Showman”. While I was listening to this song and researching it, I found many similarities to me as a person. This song is a a great song that has a great contrast of instruments and singing. The boy who sings the song wants to make his own world because he comes from nothing, he is just his father's apprentice. As it says in the song “I close my eyes and I can see the world that's waiting out for me that I call my own” like this part of the song I too can see the world that's waiting out for me. This song is a very creative and nice