1. Describe a song you like – Happy
I have always been a huge fan of music. I love listening to music because good music helps me recharge my battery and energy as well as uplift my spirit after a long day overloaded with work and study. I honestly don’t have my favorite genre as my playlist includes all kinds of music. But if you want me to pick a song that I like the most, it would definitely be “Happy” by Williams Pharrell.
“Happy” is a song with cheerful beat and exuberant vocal taken from the OST of the movie “Despicable Me 2” although it was first featured as the lead single taken from Pharrell’s second solo album entitled ‘G I R L’.
One thing that I really do enjoy about “Happy” is that it doesn’t fall under the classification of EDM. You can relegate “Happy” more to the “old school” category because you can clearly hear the influences of Motown Records throughout the song.
It does make sense, therefore, why Pharrell opted for a more classic and refined approach to the production of “Happy”. Pharrell certainly does an excellent job in helping provide mainstream listeners a “breath of fresh air” from all the EDM-laced influences. In addition, he delivers all his words with so much ease that it almost sounds effortless on his part. Plus, there is also that very distinctive soulful quality to his voice, which adds to the mass appeal and friendly warmth of this single.
The message is clear. It is all about maintaining a positive state of mind despite how gloomy and sometimes disheartening events can be. When you can have a cheerful disposition in life, everything will look brighter and way better than it really is.
In a way, “Happy” is a rare kind of song because it offers the listeners a hearty dose of innocent fun and makes them look at the inner child in themselves as opposed to being one of the hundred pop songs that are either about love or money.
2. Describe a song you like – Permission to dance
One of the songs that strikes a chord with me the most when I hear it is “Permission to dance” by BTS – the most famous Korean boy band currently.
It is a cheerful, summer pop bop that is best suited to be blared through headphones. This is the kind of positive music that can really help with the world still in the grips of a global pandemic; even if there have been many improvements to the situation. I’m assuming that the music video is an optimistic vision of the future where Covid is finally vanquished and we can be free of our masks. A huge element of the MV is the idea of purple balloons signalling the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Permission to Dance” is bubbling with positive energy and it truly is the kind of music we desperately need right now. Music is one of the comforts that I will go to when my mood spirals. This is the kind of song that could instantly lift my spirits – thanks to the energetic tune and lyrics infused with positivity and themes of the idea that everything is going to be okay eventually. This style combines excellently with the contemporary pop genre, a running theme across all three of their English tracks.
“Permission to Dance” was co-written by Ed Sheeran, who is one of the biggest musicians in the world at the moment and has written songs for the likes of Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and Liam Payne – as well writing most of his own music – and I can definitely hear his influence in “Permission to Dance”. I feel that the lyrics are far more coherent and flow a lot better than the lyrics of both “Butter” and “Dynamite”, which are their previous songs. One of the best lines of the song is “We don’t have to worry, cause when we fall we know how to land”. Sheeran and the other writers of “Permission to Dance” have been able to create a song that is both personal to BTS’s experiences whilst still being relatable to the listeners. All in all, “Permission to Dance” is a simple, cheery pop track with an addictive beat and the best lyrics of any of BTS’s English songs so far.
3. Describe a song you like – Easy on me
I honestly don’t have my favorite genre as my playlist includes all kinds of music. But if you want me to pick a song that I like the most, it would definitely be “Easy on me” by Adele, the first single off of her album, “30”. I first listened to this song last year and it has been my jam until now.
Written and sung by Adele herself, this song is very sentimental and talks about the end of her love story and how she didn’t have a chance to think it through because she was so young. She gave up her life for her boyfriend and child so she asks to go easy on her.
I love singing to Adele and this song has such a simple melody with the piano in the background and her voice is spectacular, the way she has the agility to do those runs while switching chest to head voice. There are not a lot of high notes, so what makes this song hard is the breath control, support and the expertise you have to have to sing this.
The song offers mournful piano that gradually becomes more strident as the song progresses – suggesting a hint of cathartic empowerment about sharing your misery – gently supported by subtle touches of bass. It’s chord-heavy, relatively slow, and at the perfect volume to frame Adele’s vocals. Her voice, as powerful as ever, sounds initially wounded, then soars. The lyrics – as on Someone Like You, or Hello, or Send My Love – address the other party in a failing relationship, asking for forgiveness and understanding while underlining that it isn’t really her fault. This epiphany comes out loud and clear in “Easy on Me,” making this song possibly Adele’s most personal and vulnerable to date.
In my opinion, no artist can wrap heartbreak and sorrow in a stunning package as expertly as Adele. In this song, she opens up to the listeners in a way that she has never before, letting them see her flaws and downfalls rather than showing those of her past lovers. I think it is safe to say that the album is as heartbreaking as it is beautiful.
