"What Hurts the Most" Cover song

Cascada is a eurodance German group. They consist of two band members; Natalie Horler and Yanou. Natalir Horler has worked for various DJs since she was 16 and has provided vocals for dance act 2 Vibez. Yann Peifer also known as Yanou is a German producer who produces music for Cascada along side DJ Manian.

Rascal Flatts is an American country band that came from Colombus,Ohio. Rascal Flatts is made up of three band members; Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus, and Joe Don Rooney. Gary LeVox and Jay DeMarcus are second cousins who come from a musical family. DeMarcus moved to Nashville in '92 where he became part of his first band, East to West. In '97 DeMarcus convinced LeVox to leave is job and persue a career in music. DeMarcus joined Chely Wright's band, where he met Joe Don Rooney. The family band was playing at a night club one night when their guitarist couldn't make it. They invited Rooney to fill in and they Eventually took the name Rascal Flatts after a famous landmark in Oklahoma.

"What Hurts the Most" was written by Jeffrey Steele and Steve Robson. This song is a ballad which the narrator explains what causes them emotional pain in their broken relationship. Steele's original idea was to write about the loss of his father, but decided to go with a more universal theme of loss in love. In 2006, Rascal Flatts released the song as a single and it became their fifth number one single on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. In 2007, German group, Cascada covered it. This song was their first single released of their second album. The single was first released in Sweden and then released in the United States in December.

Reflection of Popular Culture in Music

Songs like Bad Romance By Lady Gaga and other music that is about sexuality and relationships is what are culture mainly listens to these days. Young girls and boys are learning everyday about sex and relationships due to the music played on the radio. This music is a bad influence and is showing what the world has come down to these days. Also, songs about drugs, drinking and partying are played numerous times throughout the day on the radio. Songs like Tik Tok By Kesha and Telephone By Lady Gaga and Beyonce talk about how partying is fun and the cool thing to do. This shows kids and our culture that, that is life to have. That life is fun and if you want to be like the rockstars, moviestars, and popstars that is what you should do.

Plagarism

"Viva La Vida" By Cold Play is an example of plagarism in music because the chorus of both sounds is very similar. Although it is an example of instrumental plagarism by the way that Coldplay's song has just added lyrics to their song.

"Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne and "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" by Rubinoos are coincidental songs. Avril Lavigne's song "Girlfriend" has alot of instrumental similarities. The words of the song are different, but the music is similar. I believe that they are quite similar, but not an example of plagarism.

Pictures relating to song

This picture of Saturn’s limb and upper atmosphere reminds me of the song “Eclipse” by Pink Floyd because the last words of the song are “There is no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact it’s all dark.” Although this is picture of Saturn it looks like it has a dark side and when I saw this picture “Eclipse” popped into my head.

The lyrics to the song “Mailbox Arson” by Alexisonfire comes into mind every time I view this picture of the city hall burning in Bangkok. The lyrics “I watch the smoke start to rise/ One hundred homes, one hundred fires/ Now everything you own now burns away.” These lyrics remind me of this picture because it shows a city in Bangkok burning and the song is about a city burning and how everything is no longer theirs. Also, Bangkok looks like it is being invaded in this picture which is what this song is also about and how nothing is private anymore.

This picture of an infantry soldier from the Vietnam war reminds me of the song “Unknown Soldier” by Breaking Benjamin because the lyrics “Full of fear/ Ever clear/ I’ll be here/ Fighting forever.” Is describing a soldier and how he is going to fight forever.

Poem 2

Blank stares keep looking at me
The constant insanity is all I see
Chaotic corruptions I cannot escape
It’s blanketing and covering my mind like a giant cape
Why this is happening I do not know
Most of these people don’t shine nor glow
This lifestyle seems so typical and plain
It’s like a chain and a lock without the chain
There is always going to be that one thing missing
Where everyone’s dreaming a dream and they just keep on wishing
Maybe someday this world will change
Away from all the craziness and the people that seem so strange
By: Ariel Monat

Poem 1

Sometimes I think of leaving
I always go back for more
Sitting here wondering
What this life is for
Waking up, eating, sleeping has become so mundane
I’m sitting here wondering why you cause me pain
Alive and lovely you were at first
Being better than a bestfriend
My heart is left broken
Hoping it will mend
That fact that you have changed on me
Makes me so upset
The fact that you’re changing at all
Is the part that I don’t get
I’m wondering why this feeling is the worst I’ve ever had
Wondering if this change wasa good thing or bad
My thoughts are boggled, turned, twist, and bent
I’m laying here wondering when this all will end
By: Ariel Monat

Tone

The song “Rock n’ Roll” By Boston sounds happier and more enjoying. This song has a positive tone and is looking on the upside of being rich and famous. Also, it’s looking on the good side of living the good life where everything is nice and people want to be like you. “We barely made enough to survive/ But when we got up on stage and got ready to play/ People come alive”. These lyrics show how everyone loves their music and it makes them come alive. “Dancin’ in the streets of Hyannis”. These lyrics show how their music makes everyone want to dance and that the rock n’ roll life is all about the partying life. “Livin’ on rock-n-roll music/ Never worry ‘bout the things we were missing/ When we got up on the stage and got ready to play/ Everybody’d listen”. These lyrics show that rock-n-roll and music makes them seem like nothing is wrong and that they aren’t missing anything because they have nothing to worry or miss out on. All of these lyrics show a positive outlook and a positive tone of rock-n-roll and being famous.
The song “Have A Cigar” By Pink Floyd has a depressed and darker feeling to it. It also has a mocking tone. This song is skeptical and cynical which shows how the life of fame isn’t bad but it isn’t all that great either. “Oh by the way, which one’s Pink?” . These lyrics show that because they are famous, people are always trying to get to know them and pry into their personal life. “We heard about the sell-out/You gotta get an album out/ You owe it to the people”. These lyrics show that people are trying to get them to do what they want and that fame isn’t all that great. The line “Everybody else is just green” show that everyone is filled with envy because of the band. This song shows the tone of mocking the rich and famous life because it shows that the rock-n-roll life, although seems great, can be a bit of a hassle.
The shared tone qualities that these two songs have are that they are both about the rich, famous, rock-n-roll life. Also, they are both about being in a band getting a contract and becoming rich. The cigar in both songs is a motif and represents victory and celebrating. The cigar also represents age and people usually have cigars as a celebratory thing.

Myths and Legends:

Myth #1 Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil:
According to the myth, Robert Johnson always strived to be a famous Blues musician. He was born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, where he lived on a rural plantation for all of his life. Striving to be a great guitar player, he took his guitar to the crossroads at midnight. At midnight he was met by a large black man who is said to be the Devil. This large black man took Robert's guitar and tuned it. Once the guitar was tuned, the Devil played a few songs and gave the guitar back to Robert Johnson. This gave Robert Johnson the ability to master the guitar. This is called the "Deal with the Devil". Over time the legend has been developed and changed, but some people still believe it. No one really knows, still, if Robert Johnson actually sold his soul to the devil to play the guitar or not.
http://www.stormloader.com/users/crossroads/
http://www.mudcat.org/rj-dave.cfm

Myth #2 Ozzy Osbourne's taste for doves and bats:
It was said that Ozzy Osbourne bit the heads off doves and bats. This myth is actually true. In 1981, Ozzy went to a record deal meeting, in Los Angeles, where he bit the head off of a dove. His plan was to release doves into the air during one of his performances, but he was too drunk and he it the head off of the dove. This act has been alluded to several times throughout his career, which helped to make his career and was one of the reasons he became famous. Also, at one of his shows in Iowa, he was thrown a "dead" bat, that he believed was rubber. With his belief that the bat was rubber, he continued to bite the head off. The bat was not only alive, but bit Ozzy onstage, where after the show he had to get a rabies shot.
http://www.rollingstone.com/Mythozzy
http://www.av1611.org/rock/ozzy.html

Myth #3 The mythology surrounding the Abby Road cover:
The myth is that in 1969, a DJ received a call from a man named "Tom" who claimed that some Beatles records contained hidden clues that suggested that Paul McCartney was actually dead. The theory is that Paul was decapitated in a car wreck after he had left the Abbey Road studio. Paul had left over an argument and took his Aston sports car, and he perished in an accident that killed him and he was replaced with a look-alike. The myth behind the Abbey Road album cover is that the four Beatles are walking in a single file line across the crosswalk at Abbey Road. This is thought to symbolize a funeral procession. Also, John Lennon is dressed in white, which represents the Church and in some Eastern cultures, white is the color of mourning. Ringo is dressed in black, representing the undertaker and Paul is out of step with the other Beatles, and he is barefoot and his eyes are closed. In a number of societies, corpses are buried without their shoes. Also, in the album cover, Paul is holding a cigarette with his right hand, when in reality the "real" Paul was left-handed. Last, George Harrison is dressed in work clothes, and is represented as the gravedigger,too many. Another hidden "message" on the cover is that on the Volkswagen Beetle, the license plate showed "LMW 28IF" which indicated that if Paul lived he would have been 28.
http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/051220_mcartney.html

Myth #4 Bob Dylan goes electric:
Bob Dylan was one of the country's leading young folk singers and he performed in the Newport Folk Festival, where he was greeted warmly. This was the first time he played with his electric sound and an electric blues band. His performance made his career go down and he even lost some of his fans in the folk community. This act changed folk and rock-n-roll.
http://buffaloreport.com/020826dylan.html

Myth #5 Striped Siblings:
The White Stripes, the eccentric garage duo from Detroit, became popular in the world of pop. Jack and Meg White were believed to be brother and sister because of their sharing jet-black hair and pasty complexions. They passed themselves off as a brother-and-sister team, and they were the two youngest siblings in a family of ten. In 2001, a journalist exposed that the two were once married in 1996 and divorced in 2000.
http://www.rollingstone.com/Mythwhite

Myth #6 The mythology presented in Sgt. Pepper cover:
The Sgt. Pepper cover the crowd surrounding the four Beatles, resembles the mourners at a funeral, and the flowers in front of them do not only spell out the name of the band, but a set of the yellow hyacinths form the shape of a left-handed bass guitar, which was Paul's instrument. Paul also had his right hand raised above his head, which in some Eastern societies is the symbol of death. Another sign is that all of the band members were holding bright, golden band instruments, while Paul was holding a black clarinet. This is a supposed symbol of death to some people. A doll also wore a striped sweatshirt that said "Welcoming The Rolling Stones", where on her leg is a small model car that resembles an Aston Martin that is heading toward "Stones". This is believed to be a clue to the accident. Also, if you open the album jacket, the Beatles are in Sgt. Pepper's uniforms and on Paul's arm patch it says "OPD" which is an abbreviation for "Officially Pronounced Dead".
http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/051220_mcartney.html

Song Analysis 2

"Only You Can Love Me This Way" by Keith Urban

Well I know there's a reason
And I know there's a rhyme
We were meant to be together
That's why
We can role with the punches
We can stroll hand in hand
And when I say it's forever you understand

That you're always in my heart
Always on my mind
And when it all becomes too much
You're never far behind
And there's no one that comes close to you
Could ever take your place
'Cause only you can love me this way

I could have turned a different corner
I could have gone another place
Then I'd never had this feeling
That I feel today

And you're always in my heart
You're always on my mind
When it all becomes too much
You're never far behind
And there's no one that comes close to you
Could ever take your place
'Cause only you can love me this way

And you're always in my heart
You're always on my mind
And when it all becomes too much
You're never far behind
And there's no one that comes close to you
Could ever take your place
'Cause only you can love me this way

Only you can love me this way


This song is about his partner and how only she can love him the way he loves her. Keith Urban mainly writes about love and heartbreak. He is arguably one of the most heartfelt country singers.His songs pay more attention to love and heartbreak. Alos, to life experiences and his opinions/views on things. The lyrics "And you're always in my heart/You're always on my mind." show that this person/his partner is always gonna be his love and he can't stop thinking about them. Also, "And there's no one that comes close to you/ Could ever take your place/ 'Cause only you can love me this way" shows alliteration in his lyrics. His songs show good examples of poetic devices and show great tone. Also, his tone helps to show the feeling he has in his voice and the pain or feeling he has.

Song Analysis #1

Help Me Remember By Rascal Flatts
I know that you're leavin'
As soon as the sun
Comes through the window
There's no talking this over
The damage is done
There's just too much hurt
Too much to forgive
Oh, but we both know
We were'nt always like this

CHORUS
Help me remember
The way that we used to be
When nothin' else mattered
"cause you were lovin' me
Just for the night, one last time
One more good memory
When I look back
That's what I wanna see

Oh, help me remember

Those days that were so good
Those nights that we held
Held on forever
When we weren't pretenders
We were as real as we felt
Oh, I don't want to fight anymore
Don't want the last thing I hear tonight
To be a slammin' door
Baby, let it be like before

Repeat Chorus

This could be the last time
I look in your eyes

Help me remember
The way that it used to be
When nothin' else mattered
'Cause you were lovin' me
Oh, help me remember
Oh, help me, help me
Oh, oh, oh, oh-

FADE

This song is about a tough relationship. The two were in love and they forgot what they had and he needs her to help him remember the good times. Also that the two had an amazing relationship in the beginning and then it just turned out that they can't stand each other anymore, but he just wants one good memory of the two of them together before they go their seperare ways. "Oh, help me remember/Those days that we held/ Held on forever/ When we weren't pretenders/ We were as real as we felt/ Oh, I don't want to fight anymore/ Don't want the last thing I hear tonight/ To be a slammin' door/ Baby, let it be like before". The tone of this song is sad and you can feel the pain of the heartbreak that he is going through.

Declaration

I chose Love and Heartbreak in Country because I thought it might have a wide range of music and alot of examples. Also, I just recently started liking and listening to country music and I thought this project would broden my range of country music that I listen to. Another reason I chose this theme and genre is because there is a bunch of country songs that are about love and heartbreak.