My Life's Soundtrack (or so they tell me)

In an obviously extremely desperate measure to procrastinate from doing my music theory assignment, I decided to do that stupid life soundtrack game. You know the one - You put your music player on shuffle and record the first number of songs, then they go in that order into the certain categories. Below is my life's soundtrack, apparently. It has a lot more Arrogant Worms , references to Saskatchewan and Yoko Ono than I would have thought.

Opening Credits:

We gotta get outta this place, The Animals

Waking up:

Nunavut, Arrogant Worms

First Day of School:

A Well Respected Man, The Kinks

Falling in Love:

Shiny Happy People, REM

Fight Song:

Pride and Joy, Stevie Ray Vaughn

Breaking Up:

Five Me Away, Badly Drawn Boy

Life is Good:

Feb. 14, Drive by Truckers

Mental Breakdown:

Stranger's Room, Yoko Ono

Driving:

The Pirate Saskatchewan, Arrogant Worms

Flashback:

Highway 61 Revisited, Bob Dylan

Getting Back Together:

Saskatchewan, Les Trois Accords

Wedding:

Why Can't the English?, From My Fair Lady Original London Cast

Final Battle:

Unfinished, Bare Naked Ladies

Death Scene:

The Murder, Psycho

Funeral:

Be My Yoko Ono, Bare Naked Ladies

End Credits:

Girl in the War, Josh Ritter

I see a few problems with this. First of all, why is my fight song "Pride and Joy"? Is it an ironic fight song? Maybe it is music is diagetic. If that is the case, I hope this battle takes place during a live concert.

My second problem is with "Saskatchewan" being my getting back together song. This song is about a woman cheating on her husband. She leaves him for "un gars de Regina"! This doesn't show much hope for the future of my relationship! Is this again perhaps an ironic song?

Also, why is my wedding song "Why Can't the English?" I mean, I get a kick out of this song, but why not a different song from My Fair Lady, or better yet, a song that is not a dialogue. This is just going to make things awkward.

There are a few songs that are just bizarre, like "Feb. 14" for my life is good song or "Unfinished" for my final battle. Did I not finish the battle? Maybe my opponent forfeited.....and left me to die, I guess. Also, why wake up to "Nunavut"?

Oddly appropriate is the Psycho music accompanying my death. Kind of creepy....Before leaving me, my opponent in this death match must have stabbed me repeatedly. I certainly hope my blood was chocolate syrup. Also, the Kinks' song for the first day of school is funny because it's true! oh. haha. I crack myself up. Oh suburbia.

Surely this is entertaining someone as much as it is me, and I wish I could continue, but Schubert's Impromptu in G-flat Major (D899) stubbornly refuses to analyze itself.

Schubert's Masterful Booger Imagery

I am currently working on a paper for my 19th century music analysis class. The subject of the paper is essentially "Schubert's 'Auf Dem Flusse': Seriously, what's up with measures 48-54?" Now, if you haven't heard this song, I strongly urge that you run out and listen to it right now. RIGHT NOW! GO! I'm sure your local library has a recording of it. Even if you don't have a library card, you can walk in and listen to the song, then leave. This method of "hit and run" library visiting is common especially among students. I know I am always running into the library between classes and listening to/reading/watching the first thing that comes up on the catalogue that day. Am I crazy? Do I need practice socializing with my peers? Do the librarians think I am a friendless girl who probably sleeps on the couches when the library closes? The answer is "yes" to all of these questions, and many, many more.

Anyway, the song is obviously in German, and the English translation provided seems to be sub par. Granted, I don't speak German, but you know how sometimes you just have the feeling that something is not quite right?

The song begins speaking of a "clear wild stream that rippled so gaily" that is now not so gay. Somehow the stream has been covered with "a hard, stiff crust". What is this crust? Do they mean ice? If it isn't ice, I think EPA or some other environmental group needs to be called to help this stream out! This crust is so thick and hard, that the person begins carving a list into it with a sharp stone. This list includes the date and hour of the carving, the name of his love, the date that the two met, the day he left his love, and a few designs surrounding this inscription. Again, what is this crust? I am imagining something along the line of one of those hard crust boogers...or dried puss.

I'm not even going to touch the part that I am supposed to be writing this paper on. I'm sure by now you have gone out and listened to the song and formed your own opinion anyway.