Create a YouTube playlist that is based on a theme that we have discussed in class or one of your choosing. Themes from past projects have included feminism and female empowerment, breakups, songs about place, nostalgia, drug addiction, coming of age, death, sadness, disillusionment, friendship, drinking songs, dance songs, and many more. Be creative with your theme; however, your theme should not be a genre of music. Hip hop, country music, blues, opera, etc. are not acceptable themes. Your theme can also be based on a concept if you would like (ex. Songs using sampling). There must be at least eight songs on your playlist, but there can be more if you’d like.
Write at least 1,000 words (total, not 1,000 words per song) of accompanying liner notes that explain how each song corresponds with the overall theme. You should also offer a musical analysis of each song. Besides just lyrical analysis (if the song has lyrics), your musical analysis should also reflect the theme. Show how the musical elements present create an appropriate mood or context. In short, listen to the music as well as the lyrics. For example, if your theme was social consciousness, you could use the song “Latinoamérica” by Calle 13 from the album Entren Los Que Quieran. After some lyrical analysis telling what the song is about (feel free to use Google translate if the song is in another language), you could argue that the use of three languages in the music video—Spanish, Aymara, and Portuguese—promotes pan-Latin Americanism, which demonstrates the need for social awareness and understanding among diverse peoples. You could argue that the percussion pattern in the beginning of the song resembles a heartbeat, which, along with the lyrics that enter later, points to the idea that all human life is valuable. The text should be formatted as such: Double space, Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, 1-inch margins, page numbers at the bottom, center of the page Heading with your name, the class name, the date the project is due A creative title Opening paragraph that describes the overall theme of the playlist List of numbered songs, each with a musical analysis and description of how it relates to the overall theme. List the name of the song and the artist, and then write a small paragraph about it that uses both lyrical and musical analysis. Try your best to refer to the elements that we have touched on in class. Include the word count specification and the YouTube link at the end of the paper.
#songs #liner #project
