Good music often provides the perfect background songs for our ordinary daily activities. Music also allows us to relive a story narrated by lyrics in our imagination or allows us to escape to the beats and sounds of different instruments. By making some songs very personal to us, we often forget to acknowledge the inspiration that made it possible for these songs to exist. Here at the Clog, we’re taking the time to acknowledge the meaning and inspiration that went behind some of today’s popular songs:

John Mayer’s “Gravity:” Mayer’s “Come Back to Bed” was actually an early attempt at creating “Gravity.” It took some time for him to actually put the words and instrumentals into a cohesive and powerful song. In a concert in December 2005, Mayer explained that “Gravity” is a song so important to him that he could listen to it for the rest of his life. When addressing where the song came from, he stated, “I was in LA, and I was there for the summer, just writing tunes, and I was in the shower. And I don’t know where it came from, but it’s the damn truth you know, and I just sang, ‘gravity…is working against me.’” He also expressed that “Gravity” took on a more significant meaning; this was a song about “making sure you still love yourself … making sure you still have your head on”.

Jason Mraz’s “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry):” Mraz’s musical remedy would not have been created if it wasn’t for his friend Charlie Mingroni. Mingroni was a close friend of Mraz’s who had cancer. This significantly impacted Mraz. When facing your own personal battles, Mraz sings that “the tragedy is how you’re gonna spend the rest of your nights with the light on.” This song was made to relax the mind and soul even through one’s hardest times.

Ed Sheeran’s “The A Team:” This song was inspired by a gig Sheeran did at a homeless shelter at the age of 18. When listening to people’s stories, Sheeran was fascinated by the extreme struggles that many faced. This was especially the case when discussing substance abuse. Drugs like cocaine, a “Class A drug,” had been discussed and served as the direct inspiration for the song’s title. In an effort to mask addressing the serious issue of substance abuse, Sheeran successfully attempted to make the song upbeat.

These artists show us that by taking inspiration as it comes and transforming it into art is something very powerful. By sharing something you personally created, you can offer someone else an interesting set of lens to look through.

What inspired a work of art that you’re proud of? Share with us in the comments!

Image source: Kia Clay under Creative Commons 

Contact Karen Kwaning at kkwaning@dailycal.org.

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If you’ve been living under a rock (-and-roll-soundtracked fortress with no Internet access), I will repeat the common knowledge that Adele has taken over the world. Homegurl’s got an endless supply of Grammys, No. 1 singles and tears from her fans. Then there’s the fact that I’m hitting some pretty sweet notes as a tenor in the UC Berkeley Gospel Choir. And OMG, did you hear that guy sing John Mayer’s “Gravity” on “The Voice” on Monday night? Of course you did.

So the natural response to all of this information is: How are all of these groundbreaking Soul Singahs around in a time when we can just autotune the out-of-tune?

Further analysis requires a brief breakdown of the history of soul singing. It is rooted in gospel music, which is that stuff that people sing in churches. And that’s probably how the word “soul” became a descriptor, because those religious folk believe in the existence of souls. But that’s just a theory I’ve hastily put together. Anyway, singers had a hard time making it big as gospel singers, so they went all secular. And the ever-reliable Wikipedia says “soul music gradually functioned as an umbrella term for the black popular music” during the 1960s.

You’re wondering, “Have both Adele and Cat been black this whole time?” A peek at my mug will answer that with, “No.” To clarify, you don’t have to be black to sing soulfully, but that kind of vocalization was definitely created in the black community. Moreover, soulful singing is not limited to the genre of soul music. Pop-rock icon Freddie Mercury, for instance, wrote one of the most powerful gospel-tinged songs ever, called “Somebody to Love.” And as I stated in last week’s column, new genres are created by combining elements from previously established genres.

Soul singing is an outlet for emotional expression, especially if you’re deadpan like me and scare passers-by when you attempt to smile at them. Despite the college-kid mentality of party rocking, sometimes you just need to get in touch with your sentimental self. The autotune of LMFAO unfortunately won’t capture the entire depth of your being — unless you’re LMFAO. When Aretha Franklin sings “R-E-S-P-E-C-T,” you can feel in her voice that she wants her man to stop being such a gold-digger and give her some friggin’ respect.

Seriously, the range of expression one can attain via soul singing is endless; it will make you feel like you are stuck in a glass case of emotion. And if you think that reference to “Anchorman” is irrelevant, I will have you know that its soundtrack is really soulful. Seriously, listen to “Afternoon Delight.” You will feel delighted — at your need to get it on midday.

“But,” you argue, “nonsoul-singers like Ke$ha make me feel things — like, I want to dance when I’m drunk in clubs.” “Umm, no,” I counter. Ke$ha makes music that is incredibly hooky — but it doesn’t get much deeper than that. And her vocals are not very emotionally charged.

But what sets Adele and me apart from someone like Katy Perry, whose voice has subtle soulful inflections? Well, there needs to be a rawness of vocal talent that can shine without instrumentation. “Have you heard Katy’s ‘Unplugged’ album?” you argue. “Eh,” I reply. To specify further, soul singing needs to exist outside of the confines of the manufactured, hook-driven pop that she emulates.

So, to answer your first question: Adele and I exist in this time period because our voices are unlike the earworms that only temporarily infect your mind. We have the rich history, depth and lack of autotune that satiate the emotional needs of our audiences. And that’s timeless.

Contact Caitlin Kelley at ckelley@dailycal.org. Check her out on twitter at @misantherapy.

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@DailyCalReaders: I wish I could keep this to just one sentence. #ThingsWomenWant.

Last week I offered my downloadable service as a shaman for your digital adventures. Thank you for supporting @TonyJesus. Your free trial has 10 columns left. At the end, you will be asked to complete a customer satisfaction survey. If you complete the survey, I will have all the information I need to steal your identity.

Today I entice you, link-by-link, to get with the program, to tiptoe into the web ocean, to start by exploring the shallowest of mental seas. This training exercise hones basic Internet skills such as link-clicking and hunt-and-peck typing. I’m not going to say anything too complex so you can follow me. I’m navigating the home of twits, 140 characters at a time.

Twitter is where egos beg to be stroked and careers ask for destruction; where new standards for inanity are set and bested; where celebrities go to affirm their celebrityhood, and noncelebrities go to do the same.

On Twitter you can feel like you are crewing w/ Lil Wayne, watching his life with illicit thrill. Here is Lil Wayne sk8′n in L.A. Now you’re at his mansion’s window, and Lil Weezy (excuse me: @LilTunechi) is calmly watching a basketball game on TV. The Lakers just scored, and @LilTunechi is jumping up and down! What are you doing here outside his window? After about an hour of fake peeping, you feel some very real shame.

Twitter is the messenger pigeon’s ghostly vengeance. Some products and services are manageable whether or not they are digitally provided, such as maps. But personally directed short-form communication a la Twitter is unique to computers. Its medieval precedent just wasn’t that efficient. A system of hundreds of individually trained birds clouded the skies, the birds catastrophically crashing into each other midair, dying in droves. Hard to train your pigeon to travel far: You couldn’t tell anyone from the next village about your beer trough bash. RSVP stood for Remaining Sky Versus Pigeon.

Now just punch your short message and release your maxim into the Twitterverse! Voila! On Twitter, we’re Oscar Wildes and Nietzsches in training, apprentices under Shaquille O’Neal and Justin Bieber! It’s all silly and fun and it’s about sharing cultural ideas and social media revolution and #YouClubbinTooHardWhen you think that instantly broadcast brain farts are consequential in any way.

#BigMistake. Twitter is a global forum for future prophets and jesters, as well as for village idiots and cretins, and if you show yourself as one of the latter, you must be prepared to face the consequences. No insurance plan in the world will save Gilbert Gottfried’s career as a cantankerous canard from the insensitivity of his Tweets regarding Japan’s tsunami. When Hosni Mubarak was arraigned and talking heads on all the major media networks celebrated The First Twitter Revolution, Kenneth Cole went on the site to venture a guess that his spring fashion line, not Mubarak’s dictatorial repression, was the real cause for revolution. He was a little off on his guess, so his CEO resigned.

While I’m on the topic of Twit-slips, I suppose I should mention Twitter slip-outs. Members for members. The leader of the packin’ is the Weinerman — Representative Anthony Weiner of New York. He made a bid to become chairman of the House Committee of the Exterior when he posted a photo of his Bill Clinton Monument onto the Tweetosphere. For a representative of the public, he had a surprisingly narrow understanding of the definition of “public,” perhaps forgetting the “l” in the word. His 12-year career ended in fewer than 12 sentences — and inches. Then there were the Tweeted lewd photos of Jonjo Shelvey of Liverpool Football Club and of mixed martial artist Tito Ortiz, but given their workout routines, they must have felt more qualified to post than Congressman Weiner. At least they don’t vote on economic stimulus plans or appropriations bills.

My eye’s on you, Feb. 14; #relationshipsendbecause of this stuff. Don’t believe me? So long as you pay attention to Twitter, then you’d best pay attention to this story: Jennifer Aniston supposedly broke up with John Mayer because of his insatiable Twitter obsession. He was waiting on the world to change, every minute. The man was actually too “busy” with Twitter to spend time with Jennifer Aniston: Thus should end celebrity idolatry.

The average relationship doesn’t get this kind of publicity and is generally too precious to forfeit due to a Tweeting habit. Nonetheless, Twitter is a sounding board for the lovelorn. Those still picking up the pieces of their broken heart post-Valentine’s Day can find solace in Twitterbreakups.com’s live feed. It’s guaranteed to cheer you up.

The chirping bird is an apt metaphor for the Twitter user because the site encourages a fluttering and ephemeral attention span. It allows for endless scrolling up-and-down and side-to-side movement to new branches of the web. It’s a virtual aviary where ideas and phrases chime in from all sides and lure you to and fro. And even if you’re a humble scavenger fowl of the lower canopy, you can hear the exotic calls of the high-flying birds above and can imagine how it must be to live at the top of the social hierarchy. But never forget, idle Tweeters: You are in a zoo, and your crooning can be heard by the keepers.

RT.

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