Dorm room inspires music nostalgia
Nick Frumson
Issue date: 9/3/09 Section: TruLife
I was in my friend's dorm room the other day and there were so many band posters on the walls, I felt like I was in Hot Topic. I decided to choose four artists from my friend's wall and focus my review on key songs that represent them. I chose "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by The Beatles, "Raspberry Beret" by Prince, "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC, and "She's A Rainbow" by The Rolling Stones.
The first choice is "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds." I have to warn you, my inner Beatles fan is going to come out a bit. This song is so beautiful, unusual and different. The main melody sounds like a sitar and synthesizer combo, but it's really just an altered guitar. If not for the honorary fifth Beatle, producer George Martin, this song and many others would not be nearly as great. Because they are the Beatles, they can get away with not always making sense. A segment from the music video of "Yellow Submarine" is a prime example of this. You are essentially watching an acid trip of women dancing with partners, horses, and other women. Almost every frame is a colorful and purposely messy animation of various women frolicking about in a Crayola world. Awesome song, awesome group.
Next is "Raspberry Beret" by Prince. This song is a lot of fun and great for dancing and driving. It features Prince in all his pop glory, yet offers something unexpected. There is a prominent background string accompaniment along with the '80s synthesizer and clapping. "Raspberry Beret," although repetitive, has an exceedingly catchy chorus. In the song, Prince talks about a lady he sees wearing a raspberry-colored beret and how much he loves her, even though the beret is the kind you buy at "a secondhand store." I never really thought of Prince's music as accessible, but this song is fun and easy to enjoy.
Another unexpectedly accessible artist is AC/DC, with their song "You Shook Me All Night Long." This song is a great rock 'n' roll jam. When I listen to it, I just want to bang my head along with it. It's a real '80s big hair screamer and I enjoy the lead singer's raspy high-pitched voice. Along with this great song must come a great video as well. The music video alternates shots of the band playing with black-and-white scenes of a man being seduced by a sexy woman. It's decorated all over with scantily clad women and '80s smoke and light effects. Classic.
Further along on the dorm room wall was The Rolling Stones. Immediately, I thought of "She's a Rainbow." I love this song for many reasons, one being that the main melody is voiced by a grand piano. How cool is that? The song also sports a string quartet, acoustic guitar and a mellotron, as well as the rest of the band. Besides a total shift in sound from what the Stones normally put out, another interesting fact about "She's a Rainbow" is that the lyrics don't coincide with the song's title. The chorus goes "She's like a rainbow," while there is no "like" in the song title.
The first choice is "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds." I have to warn you, my inner Beatles fan is going to come out a bit. This song is so beautiful, unusual and different. The main melody sounds like a sitar and synthesizer combo, but it's really just an altered guitar. If not for the honorary fifth Beatle, producer George Martin, this song and many others would not be nearly as great. Because they are the Beatles, they can get away with not always making sense. A segment from the music video of "Yellow Submarine" is a prime example of this. You are essentially watching an acid trip of women dancing with partners, horses, and other women. Almost every frame is a colorful and purposely messy animation of various women frolicking about in a Crayola world. Awesome song, awesome group.
Next is "Raspberry Beret" by Prince. This song is a lot of fun and great for dancing and driving. It features Prince in all his pop glory, yet offers something unexpected. There is a prominent background string accompaniment along with the '80s synthesizer and clapping. "Raspberry Beret," although repetitive, has an exceedingly catchy chorus. In the song, Prince talks about a lady he sees wearing a raspberry-colored beret and how much he loves her, even though the beret is the kind you buy at "a secondhand store." I never really thought of Prince's music as accessible, but this song is fun and easy to enjoy.
Another unexpectedly accessible artist is AC/DC, with their song "You Shook Me All Night Long." This song is a great rock 'n' roll jam. When I listen to it, I just want to bang my head along with it. It's a real '80s big hair screamer and I enjoy the lead singer's raspy high-pitched voice. Along with this great song must come a great video as well. The music video alternates shots of the band playing with black-and-white scenes of a man being seduced by a sexy woman. It's decorated all over with scantily clad women and '80s smoke and light effects. Classic.
Further along on the dorm room wall was The Rolling Stones. Immediately, I thought of "She's a Rainbow." I love this song for many reasons, one being that the main melody is voiced by a grand piano. How cool is that? The song also sports a string quartet, acoustic guitar and a mellotron, as well as the rest of the band. Besides a total shift in sound from what the Stones normally put out, another interesting fact about "She's a Rainbow" is that the lyrics don't coincide with the song's title. The chorus goes "She's like a rainbow," while there is no "like" in the song title.
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