Kanye West "Homecoming"

Songs about musicians' hometowns have a long, storied history. However, they fell out of favor with most mainstream artists sometime in the 1960s as more socially conscious songs entered the zeitgeist.

Yet, rap has remained a home for songs about where songwriters came from.

Kanye West has probably given more shoutouts to Chicago than any other musical act (save, perhaps, Chicago). On "Homecoming," the closer to arguably one of the best rap albums of the 2000s, Graduation, West conjures visions of The Windy City's downtown -- especially its waterfront.

At times, West raps out of sync with the beat but quickly pulls back in line -- as if he was pushed by the city's blustery weather but managed to get back on track anyway.

The choice of a British accompanist in Coldplay's Chris Martin is bold in the face of many Chicagoans who could have provided equally -- possibly better -- support for the song, but that could be seen as a testament to The Second City's allure -- even the Brits can't help but fall in love.

Location: Michigan, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fiona Apple "Criminal"

Image
The worst part about this song is its quality was overshadowed by the controversy that surrounded its video, which has become one of the most iconic of the '90s, has been imitated numerous times, and seems tame compared to some videos in recent years. The mid-'90s had a slew of bad-girl songs that pushed the boundary of what women could sing about and get those songs played on commercial radio. Two years before "Criminal" was released, Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know" gave a heavily-redacted account of acts she performed (and wished to perform) on an ex-lover. In that vein, Apple confessed (with few details) that she was also quite naughty, cheating on her boyfriend. Confessional songs, which were nothing new by any means, soon had a bit of a moment on MTV and radio as artists spilled their souls on topics like love, money, and the environment. However, few artists could hope to combine the raw emotion and raspy vocal technique Apple gives in her pl
Read more

David Bowie "Young Americans" (from "The Dick Cavett Show" Dec. 4, 1974)

Image
One of rock 'n roll's greatest oddities and most talented performers, England's David Bowie used his 1975 album, Young Americans , to explore American soul and R&B. The eponymous first single is a wall-to-wall powerhouse that mixes blue-eyed soul with elements of jazz and island rhythms mixed with politically-tinged lyrics, which include a not-so-veiled reference to The Beatles . This performance from The Dick Cavett Show  shows Bowie in his element -- probably coked up and letting it all hang out for a national audience. If you look closely, you'll even recognize a young Luther Vandross singing backup. Both the record and album have found new life as each generation has championed them as underappreciated accomplishments in the medium.
Read more

One Song Each Day for an Entire Year

A couple decades ago, a friend did an extremely similar project with movies. I thought, "I should do that -- but with music." The goal is to share music that stands out and do so while eating 5-10 minutes of your time for each day. These are not necessarily my favorite songs -- although, I like most of them. They simply have an element that goes beyond your typical piece of music, and each post will include an explanation of why I chose it. Some songs will have a special place in my life, but most of them will speak to a shared experience. Some of them will be bad songs that have a good element. Some of them are all about the music video -- regardless of the quality of the song. Some of them will be about the story behind the song. Even when the project is done, there will be troves of songs that deserve to go here, and I will probably wish I removed This Song and replaced it with That Song. Just like the music we choose to listen to at any given time, whatever goes here will
Read more