Would you rather lug a 50-pound baritone sax on and off the school bus twice a day for four years, or put on a sparkly vest every weekend and strut around on a stage doing “jazz hands”? Most people know without thinking about it which camp they fall into. But if you’re undecided, this quick-reference pro/con list will help you make an informed decision.
It’s 4 a.m. You look out the window and can see the night slowly fading into the morning...possibly. It also might be a hallucination. After all, you’ve been staring at your textbooks for the past six hours, watching the letters dance around on the pages, and occasionally sleeping on a picture of Einstein, praying that by the miracle of osmosis you'll wake up understanding exactly what in the world the theory of relativity is relative to.
This is cramming, otherwise known as study hell. At some point during this marathon, you will strongly consider bringing on a sick day (my personal favorite: hot dogs and coffee. You’ll be puking in no time). But before you subject yourself to the porcelain gods, try hitting the books again. With music.
Sparkler Starstruck2828 reminds us that the best way to start a new school week is with high energy music! —SparkNotes editors
Most of you have probably gone to your school’s musical once because your best friend’s friend’s cousin was in it. Otherwise, you’ve never heard a song from any musical, ever. That’s all about to change. Sparklers, I bring you…my list of Most Amazing Songs from Musicals:
Okay, this song is kinda weird if you don't know what RENT is: a rock opera musical about a bunch of poor bohemians. I think you rebels and artists will find the lyrics totally relatable. And for the rest of you, there’s food in it! YAY!
When someone uses Britney Spears as a punch line, do you say, “I know she’s not a genius, but you have to admit ‘Toxic’ is brilliant”? If someone disses disco, do you respond by extolling the virtues of “Dancing Queen,” despite your friends’ rolling eyes? Have you ever tried to convince your friends that it really is worth the twenty bucks to see Styx and REO Speedwagon at the State Fair?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you may be a guilty pleasure enthusiast. While you don't count guilty pleasure bands among your top favorites, you feel compelled to defend them against fashionable drubbings by those who claim to have more “sophisticated” taste. Sure, some people might lose respect for you as you proclaim your love for Kelly Clarkson, but you probably derive more enjoyment from listening to the schlocky glory of “Since U Been Gone” than from making fun of it.
Sparkler camip0p may live in Florida, but she certainly knows all about fall (and great music!). Hope you like her playlist as much as we do! —SparkNotes editors
Fall is all about pumpkin pie, comfy sweaters, touches of nostalgia, and changing leaves. (Unless you live in Florida, and the leaves have a better chance of sprouting hair than turning orange, but whatever, Florida, be tropical. Ruin my fun.) Perfect fall music is music that's bittersweet, like jumping into a pile of dead leaves. The following is my fall music playlist:
1. "Junebug" by Robert Francis
If you have an addiction to iTunes free singles, chances are you own this song. It's perfect for a day that's all crisp and autumn-y.
Sparkler Claire967's parents must be proud. Instead of hating on their music without even hearing it, she's embraced it! —SparkNotes editors
There are a ton of new bands and musicians to listen to these days, many of them known by, well, pretty much everybody, whether they like them or not: The Fray, Coldplay, Fall Out Boy, Linkin Park, etc. But what happened to the good old music, the stuff our parents listened to when they were kids...and still sing along to (please tell me my dad’s not the only one who sings "Born to be Wild" as he goes down the Interstate)?
Sparklers, we’ve been hard at work supplying Halloweencostume tips and answering your most pressing trick-or-treat questions (the answer is “yes”) while preparing for one of the year’s most fun holidays. But we would be remiss if we neglected one hugely important part of any Halloween festivity: the best Halloween songs to play at your party. We looked in our haunted attic, in the creepy crawlspace under the stairs, and on iTunes. Our grueling journey left us with the following unholy collection. As always, feel free to make your own additions:
“I’m a Ghost”–Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
Most movies and works of literature paint the whole ghost experience as a miserable, lonely slough. It's a good thing there are some talented musicians doing their part to make the ghosting thing sound like a lot of fun.
Why do your parents seem to walk into your room when the dirtiest songs are playing? “Birthday Sex” just isn’t what your mom wants you listening to, and why did she have to stop talking right when Jeremih starts singing about hitting that g-spot? “Ummm…. he means the groovy spot, the spot when you are feeling groovy.... So how was your day, mom?”
We say, don't put yourself at the mercy of parents, your iTunes shuffle, and fate. Take matters into your own hands by making a mix of songs you can play around your parents shame-free . . . songs they might even enjoy listening to. But don't make the songs too good—you don't want a parental pal at your next concert.
In this super amazing post, Sparkler goodnight_kiwi starts with some odd lyrics you're probably familiar with, but quickly delves to the depths of her record collection for weird lyrics from a few artists you may not know. —SparkNotes Editors
Sometimes you hear those lyrics that make you hit rewind, wondering, “Did I hear that correctly? Are they actually the words these award-winning musicians wrote?” Yes indeedio, there are some wacky lyrics out there. Here are few (in no particular order) of some of the strangest lyrics I know:
Unless you play in your school’s orchestra or listen to public radio, chances are you think of classical music as the quiet, tasteful background noise heard in movies, upscale department stores, and scenes in movies that take place in upscale department stores.
It can be hard to jump into classical music if you weren’t raised on it. But all you need to get started is an internet connection and these five great reasons to get obsessed with Bach and Beethoven.
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