Keepin' It Old School!

You can steal my car and all that jazz, but DO NOT TOUCH MY BLUE SUEDE SHOES.

*laughs* All that jazz. That’s a song too. Did you mean to say that and . . . I don’t really know what I’m trying to say anymore.

Actually, I didn’t think of that! I was just listening to a song called “Blue Suede Shoes” by Elvis Presely, and he’s like, “. . . you can steal my car . . . *insert other bad stuff that I don’t remember* .  . . but don’t step on my blue suede shoes!” And yeah . . .

That’s what I thought.

Well you have amazing deductive reasoning then! By the way, that’s how I do my math you know with the . . . nevermind I’ll tell you later. So anyway. We’re going to talk ‘bout old school music because it’s the best. And I’m Jo, but . . . pfft, you already knew that, didn’t you?

I did! Do I get a prize?!

*Hands a million dollars* There you go!

Yay! I can buy stuff now! Or I could save for college . . . anyway. I’m in a weird mood. So old songs. I vote that you start.

*Hands another million dollars* There. Now you can do both! Anyway! I’m okay with starting today! So let’s start way back when the pioneers had to sing songs! I like those songs. But now we fast forward. To the 1920’s which was full of amazingness and . . . yeah . . . So let’s see. In the 1920’s. There . . . wasn’t there Louis Armstrong? Well, I guess that’d be multiple decades . . . but still . . . 1920’s?

I think Louis Armstrong came after the 20’s. I will go check though. Nevermind, you were right. I don’t have much to say about the 20’s though.

Well yay! And I did research that anyway because I mean . . . Louis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong people. Okay. So now we skip forward to the 1950’s because . . . Elvis Presely, kay? And the 1950’s was when early rock and roll started to emerge and that was when there was a bunch of awesome songs and singers and machines and dances and stuff! Anything to say about the 1950’s then, Mawie?

Only that you skipped the 30’s and 40’s which is like . . . my favorite for music.

*Smiles* I knew you’d notice! Okay so just kidding. 30’s and 40’s. Marie can start because she’s more educated on the time period than myself because . . . I like my early rock and roll and stuff and stuff and . . . STUFF.

Well of course I’d notice! Anyway. Swing music started in the 30’s and became a bit more popular in 1935-ish. It’s a form of jazz music. Not like, elevator music jazz music. Like, awesome Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald jazz music. Uhm . . . let’s see . . . clarinets, trumpets, saxophones, things like that were all used. What else? Got anything else you think I should say Jo? Or anything you want to add?

Well I’d like to say. That there were a lot of black singers in the day, and I love all of them. And i think that may have been Bill Cosby time . . . but I might be wrong . . . but anyway. Amazingness there. Swing music is pretty amazing. I love it myself, though I listen to more electro swing because . . . I’m always up for hybrid genres. I guess . . . and there was another thing I was going to say . . . OH!!! OH HOW COULD I EVER FORGET GLENN MILLER?! AND FRANK SINATRA?! So many time periods. So anything to say bout those people?

Besides the fact that I really love their music? And you forgot Benny Goodman. Oh! And Duke Ellington! I really like Duke Ellington. And I think that’s it. Now you can talk about rock and roll because I know pretty much nothing about that.

HOW DID I FORGET?! I don’t know. But yeah. Amazing music! Frank Sinatra had a short temper, by the way. He was kind of scary . . . but anyway! So you know how I just said I’m always up for hybrid music? Well that’s what rock and roll is! Basically! So let me look up what it’s made of again because I always forget. So let’s see . . . blues, boogie woogie, jump blues, jazz, gospel music (which is super amazing too. So much soul in it!), with western swing and country music. See how many genres that is? Yeah that’s like seven! Seven is my lucky number! See?! SEE?! Okay just kidding. But seven is my lucky number. But moving on. So this was when guitars, mostly electric ones I believe . . . became lead instrument. And pianos were used. And sometimes saxophones. And snare drums. AND YEAH. Amazingness. And now I must mention Ray Charles and Elvis because they were super amazing.

Ray Charles! I forgot to mention him. But yeah . . . I don’t have much to say about that so . . . yeah . . .

Yeah. The fifties man. Amazing. Just like all years . . . I guess . . . but yeah. I wish I could go visit that time for a while. But anyway! So the next few decades: 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s . . . anything you have to say about them? Because I do . . . but not much . . .

No . . .

*Sighs* That’s a shame. All those decades had good music. And my father and I are like . . . the only ones who know a bit about the music in those time periods. So . . . OH! OH MY GOSH! Aretha Franklin! She’s a singer of the 60’s! An amazing singer! If you haven’t heard her song “Respect” I think you should try to find it. You might recognize it. It’s very popular--er--was. Therefore, that’s why it still exists. And there’s the amazing Jimi Hendrix. Who I don’t have much to say about but uh . . . he’s cool. Look him up. So throughout these next few decades, rock does develop into multiple genres of rock. And by the end of the 60’s there was heavy metal. OH! And psychedelic (YES SPELLED IT RIGHT) rock. Which is . . . interesting . . . it’s psychedelic. And the 70’s . . .  disco! And The King of Pop, Michael Jackson himself! Well there’s . . . more progressing of rock and roll obviously. And there’s soul, which I enjoy very much. And uh . . . FUNK! FUNK is really awesome, in my opinion. A lot of fun and loud and stuff. So singers of that time . . . MJ. Cher. Elton John. Stevie Wonder. Rod Stewart. Paul Mcartney. All those people! And the 80’s. So obviously digital recording. And all those electronic noises and stuff in 80’s songs. So this was the electro age, really. So there’s techno, house, and freestyle. And I think this was when R & B and Hip Hop were . . . found? Made? Something! And so there’s that. Singers: Madonna, Prince, Still MJ (obviously), Janet Jackson, and uh . . . There’s Ozzy, if you people’s ever heard of him. And last but not least, 90’s. Well. There was a lot of hybrid genres. A lot. Alternative Rock is nice. And . . . I love me my reggae. And those mixed with funk and jazz and soul and stuff. And some singers: New Kids on the Block, Celine Dion, Ah, the Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera I think,  and . . . Beyonce. AND! AND RICKY MARTIN! Don’t forget those latinos! And so yeah. I love all those time periods. From the 20’s to the 2010’s I guess.

Andromeda Galaxy Jo! That was a long paragraph! Galilean moons! In that time I bothered my brother, ate a cupcake, insulted my brother, got insulted by my brother, and had my cat be annoying. But anyway. If there were a history class for music, you could teach it. Anyway. I don’t have much to say besides . . . besides nothing actually. So any last words?

I tried to say as little as possible with enough background . . . kind of . . . is it weird that I thought you were going to say, “. . .got insulted by Mittens?” And I’d constantly need to internet to jog my memory. Like here *gestures*. But I’d have fun teaching that. So yeah. Amazingness. All you people should consider listening to some of the older stuff. It’s quite good. That’s all. So bye!

Yes. My cat insults me. That’s why she’s preventing me from getting iced tea because she’s sitting on my lap. Anyway. Yeah. I highly suggest that you people go check out some swing music, and if you don’t like it I don’t know what’s wrong with you. So goodbye fictional people!

~Marie and Jo