Orren's musical ramblings

 Musical analysis # 2: The Pretender The song The Pretender by Foo Fighters was released in 2007 in the U.S. It's very motivating and loud. The chorus, " What if I say I'm not like the others? What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays? You're the pretender. What if I say that I'll never surrender?" always really stood out to me. I had a habit of memorizing songs I enjoyed because we were too poor to afford mobile music-playing devices. During Bootcamp, I used to play this song in my head when times got tough. Basic facts about the song and band: The Pretender was written by David Grohl, who also did the vocals and rhythm guitar. He did not give away the song's meaning, as he prefers the listener to come out with their own interpretation. Grohl also founded Foo Fighters after his drumming role with Nirvana ended. Grohl is an excellent musician, and I recommend listening to his drumming work and observing his unique style. Grohl's drumme...

  "Mandela" By Cyhi The Prince Produced in 2014, U.S. Some songs can just be listened to. They are catchy and entertaining without any analysis. Some songs, like Cyhi's Mandela, are much more profound. Every scratch at the lyrics can lead to surprising rabbit holes that seem bottomless. The song was released on the mix tape called " Black Hystori," which is fitting because it needs to be analyzed through a historical lens. The song references American and south African history going back hundreds of years. This might seem daunting, but the bars are excellent and worth the journey. I was going to include the mix tape cover art, but it was just a picture with "Black Hystori" in the center. So instead, I'll use the common black power fist symbol. It matches the theme well. Here is a link to the song and the lyrics if you want to follow along. Video cant do outside publishing. What others have said: I read a review blog on Fuxwithit.com, cited below,...

      Hi, everyone. My name is Orren, which is pronounced Or-ren. I am working on my associate of arts, and I'm hoping to get my bachelor's in history as well. For hobbies, I like playing games online with friends/family, studying Japanese, studying history, and learning. I enjoy watching documentaries about random obscure facts. As far as music goes for this music class, I enjoy most kinds of music. I come from a very musical family where everyone knows or used to know how to play at least one instrument. I don't typically listen to music as much as I used to, but that may change with this class. One thing I'm really hoping for is that everyone will post super interesting music that I can add to my library and listen to as well. I look forward to reading your blogs.      As far as pictures I thought I'd post this picture I took outside of my old house in the fall at sunset. Its got this rustic beauty to it, with the color of the sky being the same as the c...