---

Welcome to my music blog! My name is Morgan, some call me Morgs for short. This is my second year attending UAF, as I am genuinely excited about all of my classes, especially this one! After I get my AA, I would love to travel and volunteer for a Peace Corps or Cross Culturals Solutions mission trips. Outside of my education, I work at a sushi restaurant called Ajimi, which means “taste”, as sushi is my favorite. In my downtime, I enjoy doing yoga as someday I wish to own my own yoga studio.

“Yoga is like music: the rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life.”

I can remember connecting to music on a deeper level as early as seven years old. My mom got me a mobile CD player that I listened to all of the time, probably repeating the same five albums over and over. Which is interesting because my favorite way to listen and explore music now is through listening by albums as you learn so much about the artist. If you were stranded on an island and you could only listen to three albums. What would they be? Astral Weeks by Van Morrison, Beautiful Thugger Girls by Young Thug, and Hozier by Hozier. I spent most of my time growing up listening to music from and have always loved every genre. In 2018, I aired on KSUA 91.5 once a week during my first semester. I played everything from Mac Miller to Fleetwood Mac, as my slot was called Abstractivity to express the best of all genres. When I was thirteen I went to my first live concert for Jake Miller. Since then I have loved live music, as I attended music festivals from Rolling Loud to CountryUSA. Recently, I bought myself a guitar to learn how to play which I am very excited about.

Music Analysis

1- Singer and songwriter, Amy Winehouse, released her album titled, Back to Black on October 27th, 2006. In early 2007 the single Back to Black on the same titled album became a hit single. This soulful single originated from the UK, where it held #8 on the UK Singles Chart. In the US, the song hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 selling nearly 1.85 million copies. As with most of Winehouse’s music, the lyrics come straight from her. The song is also written with the help of Mark Ronson, who also composed the piece as well as most of her album.

Amy dedicated this song to her ex, Blake Fielder-Civil, who left her for another woman. The video is displayed in black and white, where she is brought to a cemetery that symbolizes Winehouse’s heart in the grave. Winehouse states in an interview given by Sun newspaper, “‘Back to Black’ is when you’ve finished a relationship and you go back to what’s comfortable for you. My ex went back to his girlfriend and I went back to drinking and dark times.”

There are various elements to analyze music with. The breakdown of this song is just as unique as Amy herself. With her long ranged vocals, the beat has a pulse that sounds familiar to a 1960’s girl groups band drops in right away with the fast paced tempo at 118 BPM (beats per minute). The meter holds a simple quadruple 4/4 steady pattern through the whole song. The steady piano riff, kick drum, and tamborine play a significant role leaving the audience feel Amy’s emotions like their own.

2- Mac Miller’s fifth studio album titled, “Swimming” was released on July 23rd, 2018 where his song What’s The Use? is featured on. The smooth number that makes you want to dance is collaboratively written by Snoop Dogg, Thundercat, Pomo, and Miller himself. The song is composed by several people named M. McCormick, C. Broadus, and S. Bruner which originated and was recorded in the heart of Los Angelos, California, signed through Warner Bros. Unfortunately, this was Mac’s last album that he released himself as he passed away nearly three months after.

The uplifting artist has created so many remarkable songs that have left a huge impact on people. This song in particular has personally always lifted my mood, and within three minutes I am smiling, singing along with a smile. The authenticity that Mac showcases sets the funky, groovy, yet soulful tone of the song as he uses many different instruments (piano, guitar, drums, and bass) that complipents the exquisite timbre or “quality of sound”. During an interview with Zane Lowe, posted below, Mac explains the making of the song,  “Then Thundercat came over that night and I was like, wait, could you try a bass line?” Swear to God, that was the first thing he played, like not even checking the notes or anything . . . He literally picked up the bass and that was the first thing he naturally did.” This explains one of the most distinctive sounds on the track. The overall quality of sound in this song, or texture, is considered to be a homophonic texture. Homophonic texture is the most common texture in music, and in this case, the song does not sound common whatsoever. Mac Miller’s beautiful voice expresses the melody, as several different voices and instrument solos play in the back ground. The diversity and chemistry that is heard in this song is remarkable. The song varies in tempo, as the slowest BPM sits at a steady 78, where in the climax of the song, it reaches 157. The vibrations of the air, also known as pitch, carries at a fast pace pitch that hits the heart.

The song was based on his breakup with Ariana Grande, as he proves that staying positive will always win. Mac struggled in the past with drug abuse, as well as reaching a healthy mindset, which he expressed his success in his track: “When I had nothing shit it wasn’t so funny // Made a promise to the homies nobody go hungry // Look how far we came, still they throwin’ dirt on my name // But it never worried my brain”.

FWiser, C. (2010). Back to Black by Amy Winehouse – Songfacts. Retrieved from https://www.songfacts.com/facts/amy-winehouse/back-to-black

Rettig, J. (2018, July 23). Mac Miller – “What’s The Use?” (Feat. Thundercat, Syd, & Snoop Dogg). Retrieved from https://www.stereogum.com/2006937/mac-miller-whats-the-use-feat-thundercat-syd-snoop-dogg/music/

(2009, December 23). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJAfLE39ZZ8

(2018, July). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0nn2OfSXEg