Week 9 - Reflective Blog

 1. In regards to the clip from Oklahoma, "People Will Say We're In Love," find the lyrics to the song (or write them out). Do the lyrics behave like poetry? Why or why not? What features make these words particularly appropriate for singing? Substantiate your opinion with facts from our textbook. 

LAUREY

Why do they think up stories that link my name with yours?

CURLY

Why do the neighbors chatter all day, behind their doors?

LAUREY

I know a way to prove what they say is quite untrue.
Here is the gist, a practical list of "don'ts" for you.
Don't throw bouquets at me
Don't please my folks too much
Don't laugh at my jokes too much
People will say we're in love!
Don't sigh and gaze at me
Your sighs are so like mine
Your eyes mustn't glow like mine
People will say we're in love!
Don't start collecting things
Give me my rose and my glove.
Sweetheart they're suspecting things
People will say we're in love.

CURLY

Some people claim that you are to blame as much as I.
Why do y' take the trouble to bake my favorite pie?
Grantin' your wish, I carved our initials on that tree.
Jist keep a slice of all the advice you give so free.
Don't praise my charm too much
Don't look so vain with me
Don't stand in the rain with me
People will say we're in love!
Don't take my arm too much
Don't keep your hand in mine
Your hand feels so grand in mine
People will say we're in love!
Don't dance all night with me
Till the stars fade from above.
They'll see it's alright with me
People will say we're in love.


I believe this song behaves like poetry because it has rhythm, stanzas, and it rhymes. I believe music is a form of poetry. Most good music has a poetic rhythm to it.


2. Billie Holiday's troubled private life was known to her public well before the publication of her autobiography, which told of her relationships with abusive men. How might that knowledge have shaped at least some of her audience's reception of this record? Conversely, Cole Porter kept his homosexuality out of the public eye his entire life. Only after his death have his songs come to be regarded as expressions of desires not condoned by the social mores of his time. Are Porter's sexual preferences important to an understanding of the song? Why or why not?


The knowledge of Billie Holiday's troubled relationships with abusive men may have shaped her audience's reception of the record because when people know about the artist, their music comes to life. Most artist write music from their own personal experiences.

In regards to Cole Porter, I also believe that his music was a way of expressing how he felt and who he was. People may not have realized it until after he died, but it is important to know about the artist who wrote the music to better understand it.