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It’s All About the Song: The Mount Olympus of American Pop-Rock Songwriters
The essence of popular music is the song; whether it is folk, pop, rock, R&B, soul or country, the song is the core of the popular record. This course examines the lives and work of eight great songwriter/artists of the golden era of rock and roll. We will study the contributions of Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, the team of Carole King and Gerry Goffin, Brian Wilson, the duo Barry Mann and Cynthia Weill, Paul Simon, Jackson Browne and Joni Mitchell.
Through the use of audio, video, stories and live in-class performance, we will look at, listen to and break down the musical and lyrical components of songs by these composers, in order to better understand and appreciate the artistry, insight and social context these songwriters brought to popular music.
Zoom link and course syllabus will be provided upon registration.
Class description
The course will be broken up chronologically, focusing on one songwriter each week. Each session will include:
- A thorough, background lecture about each composer, including the musical style most associated with them and stories, sometimes primary source.
- A slide show with photographs, charts, maps and information on each composer.
- In depth analysis of select lyrics from songs by each songwriter
- Audio high-quality CD versions of songs
- URLs of selected video clips (youtube)
COURSE OUTLINE
Week 1: Chuck Berry
He was rock & roll’s first singer-songwriter, and the music’s first guitar hero, as well.
Week 2: Buddy Holly
Chuck Berry wrote about teenage America. Buddy Holly, the other great rock & roll singer-songwriter of the Fifties, embodied it. Holly was one of the first rock & roll singers to write his own material, exerting a huge influence on the Beatles and Rolling Stones, among countless others.
Week 3: Carole King and Gerry Goffin
Goffin and King were pop’s most prolific songwriting partnership –and, even more impressively, they kept their winning streaks going even after their marriage split up. With King handling melodies and Goffin the lyrics, they wrote many of pop music’s most evocative songs, providing tender snapshots of the adolescent experience.
Week 4: Brian Wilson
The Beach Boy’s musical director wrote gloriously ecstatic California anthems, rock & roll’s greatest odes to idyllic summertime freedom. But he also penned darkly introspective masterpieces as well as groundbreaking symphonic masterpieces. His resiliency in the face of tremendous challenges has been an inspiration.
Week 5: Barry Mann and Cynthia Weill
The legendary Brill building duo—and best friends of Carole King and Gerry Goffin—brought pop dreams to life with such 1960’s masterpieces as: Blame It on the Bossa Nova, On Broadway, Walking in The Rain, Saturday Night at the Movies, You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’, You’re My Soul and Inspiration, Kicks, Hungry and We Gotta Get Out of this Place.
Week 6: Paul Simon
The quintessential New York singer-songwriter, he switched between styles effortlessly with as much attention to rhythm as melody. Over the decades, his music has incorporated Tin Pan Alley styles, world music, acoustic reveries, gospel, R&B and electronic music, all without diluting his core appeal as an eloquent chronicler of everyday alienation.
Week 7: Jackson Browne
The quintessential California singer-songwriter, don’t let his laid- back persona fool you: beneath those good looks lies a brilliant, incisive, talented singer-songwriter whose tales of love, coming of age and society are ennobling, inspiring, and—catchy.
Week 8: Joni Mitchell
Never a pure folkie, she started out banging on her acoustic guitar in innovative ways and tunings, moved to playing sophisticated melodies at the piano, all the while unfurling starkly personal lyrics that pushed beyond traditional songwriting towards intimacy and rawness. Mitchell’s run of albums in the early 1970’s, on which she perfected a jazzy form of pop, rival any streak of record-making in pop history, and her lyrical depictions of being a strong woman offered a unique look at the era.
To get the best experience from your online class, you will need:
A computer or a mobile device (e.g. iPad/tablet or iPhone/SmartPhone) with built-in or external camera. An iPad or iPhone will produce a better quality image than a laptop.
Audio speakers along with microphone (you can use the built-in mic and speakers on your device, however, a headset may be preferable depending on the type of class).
A good internet connection.
If you still have questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at: info@rhythmix.org.
Disclaimer: Participants in online/virtual classes are responsible for their own safety and environment. Rhythmix and individual course instructors accept no liability for injury or harm sustained by participants as a result of the online classes or information shared on our website. This includes online/virtual Zoom classes, Zoom meetings, emails, videos and text.