Music & Me

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Hi everyone! My name is Kyleigh, and I'm a Junior at Converse :) I'm from the coast of SC, specifically Georgetown. I come from a very artistically inclined family but have never had any experience with playing music myself (aside from our extensive recorder curriculum). I grew up in dance and playing soccer, spending the rest of my time drawing or reading. 

Currently, my favorite artists are The Growlers, Anna Bates, Indigo de Souza, and Pom Pom Squad. A song that I absolutely cannot get enough of is Last Man on Earth by Anna Bates. I love Bates' music, and this song in particular, primarily because of her timbre and accent. It's sort of this old-school, transatlantic voice that I rarely encounter in modern music. I also love the rhythm and beat of this song. It's one of those songs you can feel and resembles the energy of a powerful monologue in a play. As prefaced by the prompt, this isn't a song that can be related to necessarily; it takes place in this dystopian world that allows the listener to escape. 


Okay, okay, okay- I am fully aware that I am about to describe a very specific memory that I will be surprised if anyone other than Dr. Vaneman knows what I'm talking about but hear me out. So as a kid, my sister, my mom, and I would watch movies, specifically from my mom's childhood, every Friday that we were all together. One of my sister and I's favorites was Adventures in Babysitting with Elisabeth Shue. I have no idea why me and my sister were so enamored with this one in particular, but we couldn't get enough. I vividly remember the VHS tape never left the top of the television because of how often we rewatched it. So if you've ever seen this movie, you probably think we were obsessed with the Babysittin Blues, which, don't get me wrong, we were, but not nearly as much as we were with the opening scene of Chris lipsyncing Then He Kissed Me, by The Crystals. We had that choreography memorized to a t, my favorite part naturally being when she uses the curtain as a wedding veil. Even as recently as this summer, my sister and I rewatched this movie with our little sister and danced with her to this scene. This song is such a huge part of my childhood that it has remained on my nostalgic playlist to this day. 


For a song that I don't personally like, I am going to sort of call myself out by using an artist I actually really like. Despite liking the bulk of this artist's backlog, this song, in particular, irks me to no end. Vampire by Olivia Rodrigo is one of my greatest disappointments of the year. I am not even sure what it is about this song that I cannot stand because, objectively, it is not that different than her other music. I just think the lyrics of this song are particularly "cringe," for lack of a better term. They are kind of uncomfortable for some reason, maybe it is the way she enunciates or the harsh alliteration. The entire song hinges on one metaphor that, in my opinion, is not that strong to begin with for one verse, let alone an entire single. Despite this, I love the music video. Petra Collins is one of my favorite artists, and I think they did a beautiful job with this. I think they are a perfect match for Rodrigo's style and vision. I would absolutely love to be able to enjoy this song without it irking me but something about it I cannot get on board with. 


A song I would like to share is One Million Lovers by The Growlers. It's a classic to me, I absolutely adore the energy of this song. I would definitely recommend you to check it out if you like psychedelic rock and what I can only describe as dirty or rough-sounding vocals. Basically, if you want a song that constantly sounds like it's being played through your grandpa's old 1993 Chevrolet speakers, give this a listen. 



 


Comments

  1. Simone StinsonSeptember 9, 2023 at 12:57 AM

    I don't see how Vampire by Oliva Rodriguez is irksome personally. But it's definitely not something I'd go out of my way to listen to either. I definitely agree that One Million Lovers by Th Growlers sounds like it is playing through an old speaker system.

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  2. EllieSeptember 9, 2023 at 4:32 PM

    I really enjoyed reading your blog post, Kyleigh! I think it’s really cute how you, your mom, and your sister had a little movie watching tradition, especially of one’s from your mom’s childhood. I bet it filled her up with so much joy! After really paying attention to the lyrics, I do agree with some of your criticisms on Vampire and think the way she compared the meaning of the song with vampire traits is kind of weird. Overall, though, I really like the melody of the song, especially the bridge, and do enjoy listening to it a lot. I honestly dislike her newest song, bad idea right?, more due to the dynamics and pace of the chorus; Just not my style.

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