Popular Song

Page 3

SONGWRITER

Bésame Mucho: song meaning and source of inspiration behind the famous Mexican bolero

Bésame Mucho is one of the most famous songs in music history that has been tirelessly performed for the past eighty... 1 comment
Music Theory

Locrian mode: music examples and harmonic structure

Music theory describes seven diatonic scales of which the major and minor scales are the most functional and therefore...
Music Theory

Picardy third: cadence for a happy ending in classical music and popular songs

In musical theory, the term Picardy third is used to refer to a special way of ending a minor piece with a major chord....
SONGWRITER

Twist in My Sobriety: rare oboe solo in Tanita Tikaram's best song

Twist in My Sobriety is a song by British pop-folk singer Tanita Tikaram released as a single from her debut album...
Music Theory

Popular songs featuring Phrygian mode and Neapolitan chord

Western music theory describes seven diatonic scales that are the basis of corresponding musical modes, among which the...
SONGWRITER

Salma Ya Salama: historical record by Sayed Darwish, the father of Egyptian popular music

Salma Ya Salama is a famous song written by songwriter Sayed Darwish who is considered to be the most influential...
Music Theory

Mixolydian mode: famous examples in classical and pop music

In the 17th century, the major and minor scales became the basis for almost all classical music compositions. This... 13 comments
Music Theory

The Andalusian cadence: distinct chord progression of flamenco that captivated all pop music genres

The Andalusian cadence is a musical term denoting a chain of four chords that appear sequentially through each step of...
Music Theory

Microtonality: the variety of approaches to microtonal music in world cultures

In theory, microtonal music describes a piece that contains one or more intervals measuring below a semitone. Although...
SONGWRITER

The fusion of traditional Mexican music in María Grever's songs

María Grever, born Maria Joaquina de la Portilla Torres, was a Mexican songwriter who, combining the musical cultures of...
Choir

Gershwin's Summertime: the most recorded song draws inspiration from Ukrainian lullaby and African American spiritual

Written by the American composer George Gershwin in 1934, Summertime aria is now the most recorded song in the history... 3 comments
Classical Guitar

The native heart of Peruvian folk as explored by ethnomusicologist Alomía Robles

It has been a little more over a century since the Peruvian composer Alomía Robles crossed the Andes in search of...
SONGWRITER

The smoky alto of Chabuca Granda elevated the Creole waltz to the international level

Chabuca Granda is the single most important figure in the history of Peruvian music. Though identified with the city of...
SONGWRITER

Just Another Diamond Day: the stunning rediscovery of the hippie-era gem

Vashti Bunyan is an English singer and songwriter primarily known for her 1970 album Just Another Diamond Day, which was...
Cor Anglais

The alloy of melody and spoken word in the music of Reynaldo Hahn

Reynaldo Hahn was a Venezuelan-born—later naturalized French—composer, pianist, and singer who wrote in the French...
SONGWRITER

The timeless tragedy of Molly Malone

Not many songs can boast international recognition of being so deeply and fondly Irish the way Molly Malone does. Also...
FILM

The unique music garden of Toru Takemitsu

Widely considered to be the greatest composer in the classical music tradition in modern Japan, Toru Takemitsu merged...
SONGWRITER

La Mer poem became an international hit after years of searching for a melody

Charles Trenet was one of the most influential popular French songwriters in the mid-20th century. A performer of...
SONGWRITER

German roots of the Moon of Alabama

The Alabama Song first appeared in a collection of five poems published by German playwright Bertolt Brecht in 1927,...
SONGWRITER

Voice of Wassoulou preserves the ancient roots of West Africa

Oumou Sangaré is a Malian singer regarded as the greatest female voice in modern African music. She began her career as...
FILM

The drama of The Chain kept alive on the big screen

The Chain, included on Fleetwood Mac’s classic 1977 Rumours album, has retained that particular brand of culturally...
Trombone

Moonlight Serenade got its name to contrast the sun

Glenn Miller, American big band leader, composer, and trombonist, is considered the primary musical symbol of the World...
SONGWRITER

Cream's biggest hit inspired by Hendrix's debut in England

Sunshine of Your Love by the British rock band Cream is perhaps their best known song that spawned numerous covers...
SONGWRITER

I Put a Spell on You: the wild roots of the song's blackout drunk recording

I Put a Spell on You is a 1956 song written by Screamin' Jay Hawkins that became an instant classic and remained his...
SONGWRITER

There were no bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover

(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover is an iconic song composed in 1941 by the American songwriting... 4 comments
FILM

Easy Living owes Billie Holiday for giving it voice

A tender ballad Easy Living has forthright lyrics that declare just how wonderful life can be when living for someone...
WILLIAM BLAKE

Prog rock version of Jerusalem was banned by BBC

Jerusalem is a British national song based on a poem by William Blake printed in 1808. At the heart of the poem is the... 4 comments
SONGWRITER

Ursula Le Guin as told through English alt-folk

Alt-folk band This Is the Kit is a project started by the British musician Kate Stables that comes to life through...
SONGWRITER

The Birth of 'Venus': from Stephen Foster, to The Big 3, and Shocking Blue

Stephen Foster (1826—1864) was an American composer whose vast contribution to a popular song, specifically the ballad... 2 comments
MALE VOCAL

Dede Efendi: the father of the famous Ottoman waltz

İsmail Dede Efendi (1778–1846) is one of the greatest Turkish classical composers. He has created masterpieces in all...

«
1
2
3
4
»