…and the hooome of the brave.

Everyone knows “The Star Spangled Banner”. Our national anthem is played at almost every sporting event throughout the country to show patriotism and respect for veterans. I think it is safe to say that the national anthem has been drilled into our brains ever since we were little, because that is just how it goes. In many cases, younger children learn the words to “The Star Spangled Banner” early on, but do not learn about the significance behind the lyrics until they are older.

When you think about it, the lyrics to the national anthem are about war and violence; they are not so much about how wonderful America is. As Francis Scott Key wrote down his observations of the battle at Fort McHenry in a poem, he had no idea just how much of an impact it would have on the history of America.

A huge American flag was flying over Fort McHenry, and the soldiers knew that so long as their flag was still waving, the Americans were still able to have a chance to win. This battle against the British took place during the night, and the only light sources throughout the “perilous fight” were from explosions in the air. Having observed this, Key wrote, “the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that the flag was still there”.

Overall, I believe that “The Star Spangled Banner” is catchy and patriotic, but I do not think that it is the best choice to be America’s national anthem. I believe that a better choice would be “America the Beautiful”, because that song showcases the majesty of this great country and does not encourage acts of war. The probability of the national anthem changing to a different song is very unlikely, so the Star Spangled Banner will continue to “gallantly stream” thorough the ears of Americans for generations to come.

Some days, listening to music is a necessity while doing homework. Other days, I require complete silence to fully focus on the tasks at hand.

For some reason, all of my friends and I had a lot of homework last night. It seemed as though we were finally learning how to college, and as it turns out, freshman year is no joke. In between chunks of homework, there were multiple dance breaks and pauses to drink chocolate milk (from the Creamery of course).

As my roommate, Maria, was doing her French homework, we started talking about our experiences during French class in high school. I only took one year of French, but I very much enjoyed learning about the culture, food and language of France. Maria and I started talking about all of the activities our teachers did to engage with the class, and we both automatically started to sing short French songs.

I use the word “sing” loosely.

Most of the songs we learned in high school were nursery rhymes or patriotic songs about the strong nationalism in France. At my school, every once in a blue moon, my teacher would play a contemporary French song that usually sounded like a crappy 2000’s pop tune. It is safe to say that my favorite sing-alongs were the fun, seasonal ones.

As Maria and I were jamming out to “Vive le Vent”, a song about winter that is sung to the tune of “Jingle Bells”, we started to explore contemporary music that is written in French. We came across one of my favorite musical artists – Stromae.

Stromae is a successful Belgian singer/rapper, and he writes his music in his native French language. Stromae, whose stage name is a play on “maestro”, is known for his upbeat, electrifying hip-hop music. One of his most famous songs, “Papaoutai”, has won several awards in Belgium and is slowly making its way into American culture.

At first listen, “Papaoutai” sounds like an upbeat song with a great rhythm for dancing. Catchy guitar hooks and rhythmic beats coincide perfectly with Stromae’s baritone voice, creating a rich dynamic. Even though all of the lyrics are in French, it is easy to pick up on the repetition of the chorus throughout the song, making it enjoyable to sing along to.

After further research into the meaning of the lyrics, I learned that the positive, dance-y feel to “Papaoutai” is just that – a feel. It is safe to say that I caught the feels after learning that this song is about Stromae’s father abandoning him as a child. Papaoutai translates to “Where are you Papa”, and the lyrics all throughout the song, Stromae pleads and asks where his father has gone, and why he has left him. Again, although there are no lyrics in English, Stromae conveys such emotion in his singing that one can tell that this song has a significant meaning.

People say that music is a language of its own. I wholeheartedly believe this saying; no matter what native language a person speaks, they can identify with beautiful compositions and enlightening melodies from all over the world. Yesterday, listening to music definitely helped me accomplish my homework tasks, as well as gain a deeper appreciation for international culture.

I’d like to start my passion blog by making a very cliché statement: I love music. This past Labor Day weekend, I attended Made In America music festival in Philadelphia and it was the most fun I have ever had. I normally hate huge crowds of people, (and people in general), but there was definitely an exhilarating feeling while being surrounded by thousands of other festivalgoers. It was a hot, sweaty and ridiculous weekend but I would not have wanted it any other way.

Beyoncé and The Weeknd were the major headliners of MIA, but a bundle of other artists and groups performed, spanning several genres of music. Some of the most famous rappers to go on at MIA included J. Cole, Big Sean and Meek Mill. Although most of the performers were hip-hop artists, a few rock bands performed such as Death Cab For Cutie and Modest Mouse, as well as some pop performers like Nick Jonas and Marian Hill. The crowds were into every single performance, which gave the performers momentum to deliver an exciting, cohesive show.

As if seeing Queen B in person wasn’t amazing enough, The Weeknd performed on Sunday night. It was great to see The Weeknd at the festival considering the festival was called Made In America, but he is from Canada. North America still counts… Right? Anyway, the crowds jumped and sang along to every song, especially his newer ones “Can’t Feel My Face” and “The Hills”. My friends and I have loved The Weeknd forever, so it was like a dream to see him live.

My friends and I pushed out way to the front of the main stage both nights, so we were less than 50 yards away from Bey and The Weeknd. Standing that close was wonderful, but hundreds of other fans were also crammed to try to get a better look at the stage. We were like sardines in a can, all trying to see how close we could get to the Queen. All of the live music over the weekend was fantastic, and there was not one performance that I did not like. I am happy that Made In America was my first festival experience.