By the Banks, in the Pineshttp://benleedscarson.com/by-banks-in-pines/en-US2010-02-09T12:44:55ZSquarespace Site Server v5.9.1 (http://www.squarespace.com/)-http://benleedscarson.com/by-banks-in-pines/2009/11/4/testing.htmladriana moosekian2009-11-05T05:11:25Ztesting

]]>-http://benleedscarson.com/by-banks-in-pines/2009/10/15/posted-this-in-the-wrong-place-earlier-update-on.htmlJackson Losh2009-10-16T05:13:57ZPosted this in the wrong place earlier…

Update on Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 12:50 PM by Jackson Losh

I really enjoyed Bill Monroe’s rendition of In the Pines, at some parts I was almost laughing because the ambling, folky sound of it is just something we never hear anymore, especially in popular music, and I just found it humorous. And I assume that we’re going to be learning about how this type of music connects with more modern popular music, so I’m anticipating that connection. I think it’s interesting that, like we talked about in class, it has a more upbeat melody and sound despite the nature of the topics it addresses, which are difficult and sad. To be honest, the first time I listened to this song I didn’t even hear the lyrics or listen to them, and then I had to relisten and concentrate on hearing the words of the song as I read them.

I think it’s interesting in contrast with Lead Belly’s version, which has a more melancholy sound, and this is enhanced by the tone of the singer’s voice and the specific words he stresses and the way he stresses them. I really enjoyed both of these tracks, and I almost wish I would hear more of this folky music today. I’m sure people are still doing it.

]]>On the Bankshttp://benleedscarson.com/by-banks-in-pines/2009/10/15/on-the-banks.htmlAlyssaYoung2009-10-16T05:03:10ZI chose to discuss the Kossoy Sisters’ version of Banks of the Ohio because I was particularly struck by their use of harmony in the song. Being more familiar with the melancholy Johnny Cash version, it was a very interesting experience to hear the sisters sing a much lighter rendition. While I could be wrong about this, I believe that there are two instruments being used in the song which are the bass and the banjo. The bass plays one note per down beat, following a very simple pattern, and the banjo has a more layered sound. I also found it very intriguing that either the sisters or somebody else changed the lyrics to the song in this version.

Had some difficulty deciding on the song structure. (??)

I asked my love to take a walk

Only for a little way

And as we walked we’d have a talk

Of our approaching wedding day. A

(Chorus)

And only say that you’ll be mine

And our home so happy be

Down beside some water flow

On the banks of the Ohio A’

I drew a knife across her breast

As gently in my arms she pressed

Crying “Oh Willy, don’t murder me

For I am unprepared to die.” A

(Chorus) A’

I took her by her lily-white hand

I drug her down to the river strand

I plunged her in where she would drown

And stood and watched her as she floated down A

(Chorus) A’

While walking home between twelve and one

Thinking of the deed I’d done

I’ve killed the girl that I love best

Because she would not be my bride. A

(Chorus) A’

]]>Lead Belly - In the Pineshttp://benleedscarson.com/by-banks-in-pines/2009/10/15/lead-belly-in-the-pines.htmlGarethMeeson2009-10-16T02:36:08Z
The lyrics keep a constant feel throughout the whole song. It is meant to be a consistent feel so that the listener would pay more attention to the lyrics of the song, rather than the tone of the singing. This song is a story that is told with music. Two lines of the lyrics are repeated throughout the whole song as to keep a consistent feel.

Even the style of singing remains similar throughout the song, it does not stray far from the initial feel. The side comments that are put in the song make the song feel less like it is for entertainment, but more as a story to be passed down through generations to come. Overall, this song is meant to be played slowly and with a slight monotone to reinforce the emotion of the song. The pitch stays low and the singing almost drags behind the music.

]]>Appreciation of Bill Monroe's "On the Banks of Ohio"http://benleedscarson.com/by-banks-in-pines/2009/10/15/appreciation-of-bill-monroes-on-the-banks-of-ohio.htmlAliciaZhang2009-10-16T02:19:16ZJudging from the melody, Bill Monroe and Monroe Brothers’ “On the Banks of Ohio” is not like a traditional murder ballad because it is not filled with fear, cruelty, or indifference (which is so common in murder ballads, for example, in Nick Cave’s music), and the singers have not changed their emotion a lot throughout the whole song. To some extent, this song reminds me of another song – “Sun and Moon”, in that they both involve an unbelievable and shocking murder, and they both belong to folk music. Therefore, “On the Banks of Ohio” bears a lot in common with “Sun and Moon”: the repetition of melody, stable atmosphere, basic feeling, shifts of lyrics, etc. In “On the Banks of Ohio”, we can hardly tell narrator’s emotional changes from the music because the music stays quite the same. The form of this song is, I think, “A-A’”. The song is played with a rather stable melody, but there is still slight difference between the first two lines and the next two lines in every verse: at the end of the first two lines, there is a lift in tone, while at the end of the next two lines (especially the third line), there is a falling tone.

One thing more about my favorite part of this song: the chorus. The chorus appears three times throughout the song. The use of chorus leaves me an impression of ancient Greek tragedy. The repetition of chorus builds a sad, pitiful, blue feeling which makes this murder ballad more impressive and memorable. By means of chorus, the narrator keeps showing us the scene of his proposal to his lover, therefore, the contrast between his killing the girl and his proposal is more shocking as well as pitiful.

Alicia Zhang (Yi Zhang)

]]>Where Did You Sleep Last Nighthttp://benleedscarson.com/by-banks-in-pines/2009/10/15/where-did-you-sleep-last-night.htmlRyanIkeda2009-10-15T20:05:20ZIn response to the song “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” Lead Belly never dramatically changed his expression. In some ways it was sung with an upbeat attitude. To add flare to the song, Lead Belly uses different pitches each line of the song. This seems to add emphasis to his lyrics. With the simple A-B-A format and his use of simple lyrics he is able to convey much passion and emotion, from what seems to me to be an emotionless way of singing. This way of singing was common for folk music of the time period. Another thing that Lead Belly did in his rendition of Where Did You Sleep Last Night, was his ability to change from monotone singing to spoken word. He added phrases like “come on and tell me something about it, or shiver for me now.” These phrases gave the song texture. He was able to stray of his strict use of the A B A format by interjecting these phrases in between his different verses.

Lead Belly strictly sticks to the A B A format. We are able to tell because he repeats the same tone and some of the lyrics every other verse. The whole song seems to be a conversation between a man and a woman and he switches off voices every other verse. With the conversation between the man and the woman he sticks to his use of the A B A format.

]]>On the Banks of the Ohio (Johnny Cash)http://benleedscarson.com/by-banks-in-pines/2009/10/15/on-the-banks-of-the-ohio-johnny-cash.htmlJeffreyAntonakos2009-10-15T19:30:17ZIn the song “By the Banks” by Johnny Cash, we encounter a couple who we believe to be happily in love. They take a walk, where Willie (Johnny Cash) plans on discussing the couple’s wedding day. At this point in the song, it is impossible to discern from Cash’s somewhat plain tone of voice whether the song will take a sad or happy turn. Eventually, Willie asks his love to marry him, to which she has no response. There is no change in Cash’s tone of voice, and it is not until the line “I plunged a knife into her breast
And told her she was going to rest,” that the song’s sad reality becomes clear.

Aside from Johnny Cash’s unchanging tone, it is also the form of the song which stays consistent. All four verses, and the chorus, appear to have the same A form. Therefore, with no change in the tone or form of the song, it is only the lyrics that progress. I can’t seem to find any instances of diaspora in the song, or any other concepts from the lectures for that matter. All in all, I enjoyed this version of the song more so than the other versions. Despite his matter-of-fact delivery, I feel that Cash’s delivery of the lyrics was more powerful than Monroe and the Kossoy sisters.

]]>In the Pineshttp://benleedscarson.com/by-banks-in-pines/2009/10/15/in-the-pines.htmlGabrielleReedy2009-10-15T18:24:10ZIt seems amazing that a song which was made popular in 1944 and was originally recorded before then could be re-recoded so many times and remain popular and prevalent. Nirvana’s version definitely seems to be the most powerful, while also being the most dramatic. Kurt Cobain’s use of power chords along with his angsty tone makes the song seem much more heartfelt. Although I have not heard any of Leadbelly or Bill Monroe’s other works, I feel safe in assuming that, like Cobain, each of their versions of “In the Pines” were done in the same style as the majority of their music. For example, Bill Monroe has the classic old-style folk sound with many “woo hoo’s” and more of a southern accent. Leadbelly’s version also has a folk sound, but is sung with a deeper voice and played with less instruments. Cobain stuck to Nirvana’s usual tone and style throughout his version as well. Although the song’s lyrics changed over time (such as Cobain changing “black girl” to “my girl”) it still kept the same tone of melancholy and sadness. This song truly proves that music is the common link between all decades and even shows that a song can be sung in any style, yet still come across with the same meaning each time.

]]>Johnny Cash's "On the Banks of the Ohio"http://benleedscarson.com/by-banks-in-pines/2009/10/15/johnny-cashs-on-the-banks-of-the-ohio.htmlbrianfischl2009-10-15T18:19:13ZJohnny Cash, in his version of “On the Banks of the Ohio,” expresses the lyrics in a somber, slow, constant tone. Cash has the same tone when describing his love for a women, whom he wished to marry, as he does when describing, in some detail, how he murdered her for rejecting his proposal. i think that the lyrics of the song do have a sense of remores or atleast acknowledgment of doing something wrong. The expression of those lyrics though was a constant tone which didnt distinguish between happy and sad part of the lyrics.

]]>Monroe's "In the Pines"http://benleedscarson.com/by-banks-in-pines/2009/10/15/monroes-in-the-pines-1.htmlJessica Kim2009-10-15T17:44:11ZBill Monroe’s version of “In the Pines” seems to be a better depiction of a folk song, than a pop song in its early stages. The melody sounds as if it comes from the deep South, and never falters throughout the entire song. With a static melody, the tone in which Monroe sings doesn’t change either, but the ideas presented throughout the story do. This version of “In the Pines” evokes the story of a hard working man in a 19th century America. These lyrics differ greatly from Leadbelly’s version.

Leadbelly’s version of the song is more melancholy, and the message of the lyrics is much more haunting than Monroe’s. Monroe’s version of the song lacks the lines “His head was found in a driving wheel/But his body never ever be found,” which I find to change the entire mood of his song. Because of the lacking lyrics, Bill Monroe’s version of the song seems to be on a more positive note. His melody sounds happier, and his lyrics are not as depressing. Perhaps the sharp contrast between the melody and the lyrics, like in a good folk song, does not allow for the listener to really correctly interpret the lyrics, leaving it up to interpretation.

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