I know the words to a lot of songs. So I had to come up with a way to pick ONE out of them all, which was difficult. I figured, I needed to come up with a song that isn't on the list anywhere else, lyrics I'd probably never forget, and at the same time gave me that feeling that I wanted to mouth along with the artist whenever I heard it.
At first, I thought of:
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
One of my favorite song lyrics is contained in this very song.
"I find it hard,
hard to find.
Oh well,
whatever.
Never mind."
So meaningful, yet simultaneously utter nonsense. The whole song is. Go read the lyrics. The song went on to become an unexpected hit from the young Nirvana, which would unintentionally become anthem for apathetic kids of Generation X. Even the title of the song is misleading. Kurt Cobain, Nirvana's frontman came home to discover the message "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" spray painted on his wall. Since he had been discussing anarchism, punk rock, and similar topics, with some friends, Cobain interpreted the slogan as having a revolutionary meaning. What the writer actually meant, however, was that Cobain smelled like the deodorant Teen Spirit, which his girlfriend at the time wore. Hilarious.
Then I thought of:
I Try - Talib Kweli (feat. Mary J. Blige)
Here, Talib speaks of swimming through all of society's bullshit. Just the overall struggle, the beautiful messiness of life. and how you just gotta survive despite it all. It kinda reminds me of his previous single, 'Get By' in so many ways. His lyrical wordplay is so clever here as he describes these things behind several complex metaphors. Backed by a Kanye West piano driven instrumental, and on top of all that, Mary belting out a tenacious and determined... "I trrryyyy"
"Life is a beautiful struggle,
people search through the rubble
for a suitable hustle-
Some people usin' the noodle
Some people usin' the muscle
Some people put it all together,
make it fit like a puzzle."
Finally though- it hit me. I knew what song I wanted to pick. It wasn't a song that moved me or I particularly enjoyed in any mood. Just a bunch of words set to a beat, that just happen to be in an alphabetical alliteration.
Alphabet Aerobics (The Cut Chemist 2 1/2 Minute Workout) - Gift of Gab (of Blackalicious)
There's not much to say about this song, because it really has no meaning- besides the clearly obvious. The Gift of Gab is showing of his awesome emcee skills by constructing his bars in slight alliteration in alphabetical order. To top it all off, he increases speed as the song progresses. By the time you reach the 'F's, I dare you to try to keep up.
It's amazing. Every time my iPod shuffles this into play, (because really there's no other reason to listen to the song, it's not a song you can ride out to or anything) I immediately begin spitting his lyrics as if I wrote them.
...and then like all good things, 2 minutes later, it's gone.
Title: Alphabet Aerobics
Artist: Blackalicious
Album: The A2G EP
Released: June 22, 1999
At first, I thought of:
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
One of my favorite song lyrics is contained in this very song.
"I find it hard,
hard to find.
Oh well,
whatever.
Never mind."
So meaningful, yet simultaneously utter nonsense. The whole song is. Go read the lyrics. The song went on to become an unexpected hit from the young Nirvana, which would unintentionally become anthem for apathetic kids of Generation X. Even the title of the song is misleading. Kurt Cobain, Nirvana's frontman came home to discover the message "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" spray painted on his wall. Since he had been discussing anarchism, punk rock, and similar topics, with some friends, Cobain interpreted the slogan as having a revolutionary meaning. What the writer actually meant, however, was that Cobain smelled like the deodorant Teen Spirit, which his girlfriend at the time wore. Hilarious.
Then I thought of:
I Try - Talib Kweli (feat. Mary J. Blige)
Here, Talib speaks of swimming through all of society's bullshit. Just the overall struggle, the beautiful messiness of life. and how you just gotta survive despite it all. It kinda reminds me of his previous single, 'Get By' in so many ways. His lyrical wordplay is so clever here as he describes these things behind several complex metaphors. Backed by a Kanye West piano driven instrumental, and on top of all that, Mary belting out a tenacious and determined... "I trrryyyy"
"Life is a beautiful struggle,
people search through the rubble
for a suitable hustle-
Some people usin' the noodle
Some people usin' the muscle
Some people put it all together,
make it fit like a puzzle."
Finally though- it hit me. I knew what song I wanted to pick. It wasn't a song that moved me or I particularly enjoyed in any mood. Just a bunch of words set to a beat, that just happen to be in an alphabetical alliteration.
Alphabet Aerobics (The Cut Chemist 2 1/2 Minute Workout) - Gift of Gab (of Blackalicious)
There's not much to say about this song, because it really has no meaning- besides the clearly obvious. The Gift of Gab is showing of his awesome emcee skills by constructing his bars in slight alliteration in alphabetical order. To top it all off, he increases speed as the song progresses. By the time you reach the 'F's, I dare you to try to keep up.
It's amazing. Every time my iPod shuffles this into play, (because really there's no other reason to listen to the song, it's not a song you can ride out to or anything) I immediately begin spitting his lyrics as if I wrote them.
...and then like all good things, 2 minutes later, it's gone.
Title: Alphabet Aerobics
Artist: Blackalicious
Album: The A2G EP
Released: June 22, 1999
No comments:
Post a Comment