Banke 1 Emi Banke ENG 200 Christine Olding February 11, 2014 My Musical Literacy Narrative Music is the

worlds great outlet. It is how people express their ideas, their emotions, their views, and most importantly, themselves. As much as I would love to admit that I could, I cannot create music, and yet I still feel like music is this exceptional tool that links people and unites them in shared values, tastes, or emotions. Everyone can relate to some kind of music, through its lyrics or its sound. This ability enables people to connect and inspire. As I grew up, the music I listened to evolved and changed, as I have evolved and changed, but along its journey, I feel as though it has almost come full circle. Music has always been an inspiration to me, and although music is not my own outlet, I listen to it and use it when I paint and draw, which is my own expression. 1. Mr. Jones by Counting Crows This song was takes me back instantly when I hear it. This is the song that my dad sang to me for years when I was growing up and it reminds me of when he played the guitar and sang to me. He would always change the line She dances while his father plays guitar to She dances while her father plays guitar and I would dance in front of him while he strummed (Counting Crows). It is such a simple and innocent memory, but my dad has shaped my musical taste because the music I listened to in my formative years was whatever he was listening to. 2. Whats Wrong With This Picture? By Lloyd Cole This is another song that sums up the phase of music that my dad was interested in during

Banke 2 my early years through grade school. I have always enjoyed his taste in music with the rock and alternative influences. I think growing up with his ever-changing and evolving taste in music has led me to also enjoy all types of music. From his KISS and U2 collection to his obsession with The National, and other alternative bands, he has both broadened my musical awareness, as well as shown me that there is no one way to love music. 3. Hey Old Friend by Kim Richey Kim Richey is my aunts best friend from growing up. She grew up in Kettering, Ohio with both of my parents and all of my aunts and uncles. Although country is not my dads music of choice, we always had Kims albums playing, and I knew the words to her songs as soon as I was able to talk. Kims music was my first introduction into the world of country music and I think she is a big reason why I enjoy it and have such a draw to it today. The words to her songs always seemed so real, and I have come to find that most country songs have raw, real lyrics that express what sometimes you cant put into words. 4. Ill Follow the Sun by The Beatles This song was played at my cousins funeral. I was quite young when he passed and I used the lyrics as an explanation. And now the time has come/ And so my love, I must go/ And though I lose a friend/ In the end you will know/[] But tomorrow may rain so Ill follow the sun. Which I interpreted to mean that it was his time to go, but he loved us and hated to leave us. The rain was our tears, but better days were coming with the sun and it reminded me to not be sad. It does not make much sense looking back, but it helped me a lot as a nine year old at my cousins funeral. I think this might have been the turning point in my life when the lyrics in songs really began to matter a lot to me, because the ones in this song helped me so much. 5. Everything by Michael Bubl

Banke 3 I think one of the most powerful traits of music is its ability to transport you instantly back to a memory, a place, a person, or sometimes a combination of all of those. This song has this ability for me because it was the song that defines a lot of who I was from the ages of fourteen to nineteen years old when I was dating my boyfriend at the time. Before we were dating, this song became popular and he had asked me if I liked it because his cousin was using it in her wedding. A couple months later, once he and I had begun dating, it naturally transitioned into being our song because we had liked it from so long before and it came to be symbolic of how we felt about each other. Although this song does not have an impact on me in genre or lyrics, its meaning to me has much more to do with the power of memory. Songs have this ability to ignite the power of memory from just a few familiar bars and an instant wave of nostalgia. And although we have long since broken up, this song will always remind me of how we grew up and grew together in some of the most formative years of my life, as it encompassed my entire journey through high school and into college. I like this song because it represents love, and reminds me of happiness and finding someone who loves you like only a first love can. 6. Love Like Crazy by Lee Brice This song follows my fascination with country music. Simple chords and easy phrases that are strung together in a way that sums up everything I think is important to live a full life. Be a best friend/ Tell the truth/ And overuse I love you./ Go to work/ Do your best/ Ddont outsmart your common sense./ Never let your praying knees get lazy/ And love like crazy. Such simple ideas but I think these are words to live by and this is why this song speaks to me. 7. One Tribe by Black Eyed Peas Strangely enough, this song used to be on my high school track teams pump up playlist. We were a team full of fast, loud, liberal girls who spoke up and out about just about anything on our minds. We were a lot for our league to handle on the track, as we were repeated league

Banke 4 champs, but even more so for our coach to handle off the track. This song speaks to me through its genuine and truthful lyrics, One tribe, one time, one planet, one race/ Its all one blood, dont care about your face/ The color of your eye or the tone of your skin/ Dont care where you are/ Dont care where ya been/ Cause where we wanna go/ Is where we wanna be. As I have gotten older, the more and more the songs I choose to listen to are linked to the lyrics. I seem to be drawn to deep, inspirational expressions and ideas and I think that this is a powerful song with deep, underlying comments on society and the worlds racism and issues we face in todays world. 8. Same Love by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis This song speaks for itself. Its words are incredibly inspiring, as well as powerful, as they evoke a number of emotions when you listen to it. So many lines in this song speak at such a deeper level than simply a song to enjoy, but also as a commentary on society and a call to action. I quoted this song multiple times last semester in a paper I wrote about the gay rights movement. Man thats gay/Gets dropped on the daily/ Weve become so numb to what were saying/[] Gay is synonymous with the lesser/ Its the same hate thats caused wars from religion/ Gender to skin color/ Complexion of your pigment/ The same fight that led people to walk-outs and sit-ins/ Human rights for everybody/ There is no difference. How can these words not speak to you and invoke a sense of duty, support, and empathy? Listening to these songs reminds me of why I have such a deep respect and awe for music. It has the ability to take you back instantly to a moment, like dancing with my dad; to an emotion, such as the sadness after my cousins passing; or to inspire you to live life better, fuller, and completely yourself.

Banke 5 Works Cited Beatles, The. Ill Follow the Sun. EMI, 1964. Black Eyed Peas. One Tribe. Interscope, 2009. Brice, Lee. Love Like Crazy. Curb, 2010. Counting Crows. Mr. Jones. Geffen, 1998. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Same Love. Macklemore LLC, 2012.