English 1121, OL41

Stephanie Dirani- Listening Log Week 1

Song: Stressed Out by Twenty-One Pilots

3 Repetitions I notice-

• Music:
  • The bass in the introduction repeats the same notes.
  • The drum beat repeats as well.
• Words: The chorus lyrics repeat: ” Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days when our momma sang us to sleep but now we’re stressed out.”

3 Changes I notice in the music-

• Music:
  • Change from singing to rapping at one point.
  • Piano comes in during a part of the song.
  • The instruments/beat changes during the chorus.

3 phrases that strike me-

• “I was told when I get older all my fears would shrink
  But now I’m insecure and I care what people think.”
• “Out of student loans and tree-house homes we all would take the latter.”
• “Used to dream of outer space but now they’re laughing at our face saying, ‘Wake up, you need to make money’ yeah.”

When we were children, we couldn’t wait to grow up and be adults and now that we’re there we would do anything to go back because adulthood isn’t as fulfilling as we thought it would be. Just look at the things we see and experience every day. We all just want to run away so that we can maintain our sanity. We work to survive and survive to work only to sleep, wake-up, and repeat. I wish all I had to worry about is whether to use my Orange or Yellow crayon to draw the sun.

Stephanie Dirani- Listening Log- Week 2

Song: Good as Hell (Feat. Ariana Grande)-[Remix] by Lizzo

3 Repetitions I notice-

Music:

• The piano in the introduction repeats the same notes.
• The snapping repeats as well.
• Words: The chorus lyrics repeat: “I do my hair toss, check my nails Baby, how you feelin’? (Feelin’ good as hell)”

3 Changes I notice in the music-

Music:

• The switch from Lizzo to Ariana
• At one point there’s a little maraca shake.
• The music stops to allow for a small piano solo.

3 phrases that strike me-

• “Come now, come dry your eyes You know you a star, you can touch the sky I know that it’s hard but you have to try If you need advice, let me simplify”
• “If he don’t love you anymore Just walk your fine ass out the door.”
• “Cause he better know my worth There’s so much that I deserve But I ain’t worried now, I’ma let my hair down He been tryin’ it, but not today.”

This song could talk about someone that’s just ready to get out of a relationship that isn’t working anymore, but I also believe it low-key speaks volumes about leaving a toxic relationship. I say low-key because the music is so upbeat and confidence-boosting. When I think of a song about a relationship gone wrong I usually hear the sadness and pain. But in this song, Lizzo all about that “I could give two shits about you because you don’t give a shit about me” And she’s singing to us like a best friend would, like “You’re gonna do what I’m about to tell you because I tell you it with love!”. If someone doesn’t love you, chances are they’re going to make that obvious. They’re going to treat you differently and with less care, or they may fake their way through it to get what they want from you. But the moment you realize that person doesn’t love you anymore, then you better walk right out that door because you know what you’re worth and what you have to offer. That’s the final message I get from both, Lizzo and Ariana.

Listening Log Week 3:
Song: Hey Look Ma I Made It– Panic at the Disco

(I thought this appropriate with pinning and graduation season)

3 Repetitions I notice-

Music:

• The guitar tune that starts in the beginning.
• The clapping effect.
• The chorus: “Hey look ma I made it, hey look ma I made it. Everything’s coming up Aces…”

3 Changes I notice in the music-

Music:

• The drumbeat comes in and out around the chorus.
• When the band switches into and out of the chorus.
• The trumpets that come in for the chorus.

3 phrases that strike me-

• “Friends are happy for me Or they’re honey-suckle phonies”
• “Then they celebrate my medals Or they wanna take my trophies”
• “And if you never know who you can trust Then trust me you’ll be lonely, oh”

These three phrases really hit home for me. I’ve been burned one too many times and these speak the truth. People only want something to do with you when you’re successful, when you have status, and/or when you have money. Not all are like that, there’s a select few that genuinely are happy to celebrate with you. But even then, you never know who you can trust because sometimes it’s those closest to you that end up stabbing you in the back. After all, they say “keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” In the end, we’re all someone’s enemy. (Sorry for all the depressive stuff haha)

Stephanie Dirani- Listening Log Week 4

Song: Stay Awake by Dean Lewis

3 Repetitions I notice-

Music:

• The guitar in the introduction repeats the same notes.
• The drum beat repeats as well keeping the tempos for the verses.
• Words: The chorus lyrics repeat: “Stay awake, stay awake, stay awake with me.”

3 Changes I notice in the music-

Music:

• The tempo changes from verse to chorus back to verse
• Harmonies come in at the chorus.
• The chorus is more upbeat than the verses.

3 phrases that strike me-

• “Cause they say the bigger the love, the harder the fall Well, I’m crashing through the floor”
• “I’ve been looking in the mirror Trying to figure myself out”
• “All our memories are packed into boxes Stacked up against the door”

The phrase with the biggest impact was, “I’ve been looking in the mirror Trying to figure myself out”. Many people don’t need to be going through a heartbreak to be standing in front of a mirror trying to figure themselves out. So many things can happen to a person which makes them question who they are whether it be heartbreak, self-esteem, hitting rock-bottom, feeling like everything is going wrong in their life, feeling lost, not knowing who you are anymore, searching for the love you have for yourself. The list goes on, but it’s never wrong to take a look in the mirror and really look at what you’re seeing. They say the eyes are the window to the soul, look into your own eyes and you’d be surprised at what you can find.