Deep in the cell of my heart, I will be so glad to go...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIsiVzlvEhI

“Asleep” by the Smiths. However I like the version from the movie Sucker Punch, sang by Emily Browning, the main character in Sucker Punch and Violet from A Series of Unfortunate Events (the movie was awful, but the books were pretty good.).

Again, listen to the song before you read this. The lyrics are almost nothing compared to the music.

Soft piano line and violins, the song sounds like a lullaby. You don’t even need the lyrics. At points in the song, the violins take over the piano and the song almost sounds happy or less sad. Almost hopeful when the bells come in.

This song is so obviously about suicide I’m surprised I didn't notice the meaning until I listened to it a few times. The song is so beautiful it distracts you from the depressing background of the lyrics. I think this is definitely about suicide or thinking about suicide. What we never know is whether the guy in the song goes through with it in the end. It's more about longing to be somewhere else, longing to be somewhere better than the place you are. Eventually, the person thinks the only way out of their situation is to take their own life. They're that desperate to be in another world forever.  It almost feels like the character is pleading for help in the beginning, and throughout the song loses hope. Towards the middle of the song, the character proclaims she wants to be dead, and tells her friends and or family to not feel bad, and that is what she wanted. Towards the end of the song she begins to think about the afterlife, "There is another world, there is a better world. Well there must be", and how good it is promised and said to be. This makes her increasingly depressed. The outcome is obvious. "Goodbye.."

Morrisey (the writer of the Smiths) really did well with the lyrics. The repetition adds to the desperation and depression. Especially the goodbyes at the end, then piano fading to a music box. That brings me to a point; I think the music box at the end represents the character looking back on her life (her life flashing before her eyes), and specifically her childhood, where maybe the root of her depression lays.

Personally, I like the version sang by Emily Browning more, because she has a gentler voice than Morrisey and her accent isn’t so prominent. Morrisey almost sounds whiney- where Browning sounds desperate and lost. 

Music the Inspiration or Death Bringer?

http://www.antilife.org/files/marilyn.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_High_School_massacre#Music

Columbine, the tragedy of a nation. It was so shocking in fact, that the police, victims, and media needed some sort of explanation. Why did this happen? Why would these kids do this? In ignorance came blame. "Dark Metal"bands became the scapegoat and this kind didn't summon up four lamb tokens. The largest of these names, Marilyn Manson. As is known by many, Marilyn Manson has a very dark sense of inspiration, and entertainment. His lyrics are profane, gruesome, and disturbing (at least in my opinion) and many people would consider him a freak (not that I agree). The kids involved with this spectacle of shear madness, were very into his music. As the kids got famous out of murder and their faces ended up on Time Magazine, Manson became a large public enemy and his music became a symbol of murder. Manson went on to explain his out look on shows like the O'Reilly Factor, and gave a statement in Michael Moore's documentary about the event. He explained that his music was about expressing ones self and always being true to ones self. Manson never condoned what had happened at Columbine but did say this when asked what he would have said to the kids, "I wouldn't say a single word to them. I would listen to what they have to say and that's what no one did." 

Marilyn Manson is quite the man. Creepy, dark, and unnecessary are words that I would use to describe both he and his music. Even though I am not much of a fan of  the dark knight, I do not feel that he is to blame for a group of disturbed and tortured kids. Music is inspiration  but not a reason for anyone to harm another person. I have a playlist for just about every emotion that I feel, but just because I listen to the Pokemon theme song doesn't mean I am going to go out and try to fit squirrels into baseballs. This whole situation just seems like a media cop out to both find a reason for such a thing that should not be, and to stir the pot of media evil. To me the media found a story that could cause controversy and get a lot  of attention. All in all, I feel that music isn't to blame when tragedy arrives, instead maybe we should ask ourselves what we could have done to prevent it.

Where Did the Funk Go?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHGOO73Gxg4

Recently I was watching Pulp Fiction, and was jamming out to Jungle Boogie by Kool and The Gang. After the massive dance session, I got to thinking. What in Quentin Tarantino's good name happened to songs where you could just get down? Classic funk songs where the best. Songs where they didn't have any sort of reason other than just simply dancing without a care. Dance music today either has really gross undertones or sounds like Optimus Prime having a seizure. I miss Walk the Dinosaur and Boogie Wonderland. All of this thinking got me to a very depressing conclusion. Music today sucks. Whats worst? The songs of today will be the classic dance songs of tomorrow. Miley Cyrus will be the next Kool and the Gang. Now, this may be a bold statement, but the horrid music of today will indeed be the oldies of our children's day.
Being a fan of Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, and other "oldies"I find this fact of time to be vomit worthy. When my kids run up and say mommy, who was Justin Beiber I will reply with "A mistake of humanity." To even think of music that is played on Z102.9 is you know, actual music is an insult to people who actually wrote their own songs and didn't sing with auto tune. I feel that as an ode to these great artists of the 70s, 80s, and even 90s should be taught in a class and should be a requirement to graduate high school. Maybe I'm just angry at the world, but I seriously think that today's music is so terrible that I actually get mad when I hear it. It just isn't fair that other people my age recognize Nicki Manaj as a writer of music, but have never even heard of Chuck Berry. The most cringing thing about this, is that music could even get worst from here and music could completely become about face rather than about talent. Right now, music is near talentless, and I have zero percent doubt in that statement. Today music is all about face and presentation and not enough about talent, and quality of music. Music of yesterday should be much more recognized as an example of what music should be. We as a society should encourage talent, not bizarre showmanship.