Critical Response 3: Take On Me

Here is the original one by A-ha.

This is the cover by Claire Prendergast.

I picked this song because it sounds so pleasant among the songs that the axis of awesome performed during the show. Even though they are all made up of 4 chords, this song still has a beautiful melody. Unlike any other pop songs, the "take me on, take on me" part is the part I liked the most. In Claire cover, the song is sung in a different way. Claire's voice is husky and smooth, she makes the song a bit lighter and brisk. The instrumentation of the cover is based on a guitar and an accordion ( I hope it's an accordion, I don't know.) Overall, I liked it and probably I'll put it on my ipod. :)

Take Me On 

A-Ha

We're talking away
I don't know what
I'm to say I'll say it anyway
Today's another day to find you
Shying away
I'll be coming for your love, OK?
Take on me, take me on
I'll be gone
In a day or two

So needless to say
I'm odds and ends
But that's me stumbling away
Slowly learning that life is OK.
Say after me
It's no better to be safe than sorry

Take on me, take me on
I'll be gone
In a day or two

Oh the things that you say
Is it life or
Just a play my worries away
You're all the things I've got to
remember
You're shying away
I'll be coming for you anyway

Take on me, take me on
I'll be gone
In a day or two

Critical Response 2: 2 Forms and Good Life by Steven Mudd

Here are two examples of 2 of the forms that we discussed in class

An example of Opera ~ Queen of the Night ( best part starts at 2:12)

An example of Fugue ~ Toccata and Fugue in D minor

Good life ~ by Steven Mudd

Good life is a song by American alternative rock band Onerepublic. The song was written by group members Ryan Tedder, Brent Kutzle, and Eddie Fisher. Also, the song was released on November 19, 2010. In this video, the performer Steven Mudd is using a totally different way to perform this song. The original one tends to be more like a rock song. However in this version, Steven Mudd uses a Bossa Nova style to represent the song. The melody is soft, easy, and relaxed. Steven uses a variety of "instruments" to make the song. You can hear the guitar as the song begins, then the glasses filling with water make a delightful harmony. Drum, cymbal, belt, book, handbell and some unknown instruments create beautiful sounds which are so nice to listen to. I really liked it and I thought it is the best cover I've seen. The reason I chose to write the comment about this cover is because the "line" of the song is quite clear and uniform. There is no complex mixture of sounds. For example, even though every single sound (like voice, guitar, glasses...etc) is individual, you would feel like it's just one thing. So neat and nice. 

Good Life Lyrics

Woke up in London yesterday
Found myself in the city near Piccadilly
Don't really know how I got here
I got some pictures on my phone
New names and numbers that I don't know
Address to places like Abbey Road
Day turns to night, night turns to whatever we want
We're young enough to say

[Chorus]

Oh this has gotta be a good life
This has gotta be a good life
This could really be a good life, good life
Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight
Like this city is on fire 'night
This could really be a good life
A good, good life

[Verse 2]

To my friends in New York, I say hello
My friends in L.A. they don't know
Where I've been for the past few years or so
Paris to China to Col-or-ado
Sometimes there's airplanes I can' t jump out
Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now
We all got our stories but please tell me-e-e-e
What there is to complain about

[Bridge 1]

When you're happy like a fool
Let it take you over
When everything is out
You gotta take it in


[Chorus]

Oh this has gotta be a good life
This has gotta be a good life
This could really be a good life, good life
http://www.elyricsworld.com/good_life_lyrics_one_republic.html
Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight
Like this city is on fire 'night
This could really be a good life
A good, good life

[Bridge 2]

Hopelessly
I feel like there might be something that I'll miss
Hopelessly
I feel like the window closes oh so quick
Hopelessly
I'm taking a mental picture of you now
'Cuz hopelessly, hopelessly
I have so much to feel good about

Critical Response #1: Somebody That I Used To Know- THE ENVY

This song is called "Somebody that I used to know" sung by THE ENVY. The original song was written by an Australian-Belgian singer, Gotye, who also performed it in 2011. The dynamics of this song are basically soft and relaxed. However, as the song goes on, it suddenly turns into a tense part. Differ from the beginning, the middle part can easily get the audience's attention due to the singer's heightened voice. At first, the singer uses a flat, plain, and husky tone to demonstrate the song which nicely matches the lyrics. ( The lyrics are talking about a guy who feels lonely and desperate without his girl beside him.) Later on, the music reaches its climax with a "popping" high voice. Unfortunately, this group didn't do a full version of this song so it's the only fly in the ointment. The instrumentation is based on five guitars and a male voice. The guitars accompany one another quite well. I thought the guitars' part is a bit too loud. I could barely hear the guy singing. Instead of 5 people playing 1 guitar, they did 1 person playing 5 guitars and I thought it was really creative and attractive.

I really enjoyed this song. In fact, I had seen the version of "walk of the earth" cover before Ms. Huskins showed it to us, so I was so excited when you actually showed the same one! To be honest, I liked the walk of the earth better because they had three people singing which made the song more "colourful". By contrast, this version seemed to be slightly thin and weak. This one is funnier though. ( Especially the water part. How could that guy keep his face so serious?)

Overall, this group has done a nice job and I liked it.

Somebody That I Used To Know

Now and then I think of when we were together
Like when you said you felt so happy you could die
Told myself that you were right for me
But felt so lonely in your company
But that was love and it's an ache I still remember

You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness
Like resignation to the end, always the end
So when we found that we could not make sense
Well you said that we would still be friends
But I'll admit that I was glad that it was over

But you didn't have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened and now we were nothing
And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and I feel so rough
No you didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records and then change your number
I guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know

Now you're just somebody that I used to know
Now you're just somebody that I used to know

[Kimbra:]
Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over
But had me believing it was always something that I'd done
But I don't wanna live that way
Reading into every word you say
You said that you could let it go
And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know

[Gotye:]
But you didn't have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened and now we were nothing
And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and I feel so rough
And you didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records and then change your number
I guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know

[x2]
Somebody
(I used to know)
Somebody
(Now you're just somebody that I used to know)

(I used to know)
(That I used to know)
(I used to know)
Somebody