Musical Debate
Oh say can you see…
The Star Spangled Banner is perhaps one of the most popular songs in the world today. Americans stand to the song to face their flag may be in the battlefield, before a public event, even before two baseball teams slug it out. The song and the flag are symbols of America and its free people. Americans stand up to it and the world listens to them belt out the song that their forefathers rally behind to during their war for Independence against the British in 1812.
The song was written by a lawyer named Francis Scott Key, who watched, on board his tiny little boat, as the vaunted British Navy fired their rockets and cannons at Fort McHenry to force the surrender of a tiny group of American soldiers holding out in Baltimore, Maryland.
The British confidently started the war with the Americans. Fresh from their eradication of Napoleon at Waterloo the English is at the pinnacle of their world domination. However, they were wary of the growing American power – foremost the American Navy which has started to send forays into the Caribbean. When the British forcible boarded the American ship Chesapeake, a close battle ensued, signaling the inevitable start of the War of 1812, as the British call it.
The confident British were so sure they will trounce the amateur American soldiers and end the word quickly.
All over the night and day, the British bombarded the fort, leaving it into just a little pile of rubble by the next morning. Key, was, of course, watching the whole proceedings. By the next morning, however, instead of the universal white flag of surrender, few remaining American soldiers inside the fort raised the tattered but otherwise majestic American flag – a sign of continued defiance of the Imperial British.
Key was so moved by the scene, he immediately scribbled the opening words of the now immortal song – Star Spangled Banner:
However, the controversy over the song has not ended more than 200 years since it was first sung. Experts and even the British claim the song was derived from a pub song of a popular club in England. Yes, there are actually people who claim the most melodious and solemn song for Americans were taken out of a song from a pub – a place where men gather at the end of a day’s work to drink beer, whiskey and what have you.
The song was supposedly called To Anacreon in Heaven, sung by members of the Anacreon club. Anacreon was a known 6th century Greek poet who specializes in writing about love and drinking wine, thus the connection between him and the drinking Brits and their club.
Well, this controversy may not see the end of the day soon. For anything, it shows the cultural even musical connection between the two countries that started well, went to war, and presently into an alliance that has gone through the toughest tests in the world. It also showed that knowledge and debates will continue as long as there is freedom – one thing both countries staunchly fought for in their own ways – shown by one of the lines of the Anacreon song: Boys hear the loud flute, no longer being mute…
Music and Myself
Music has always been my refuge ever since I get to know the world and became aware of the twist-and-turns of living. It has become an escape to another world where you can be in harmony with the words, and the sounds of piano, drums and guitars. Music, in other words, has become my life buddy. I basically listen to all types of music – ballad, rock, hip-hop, jazz, country, tribal, etc. – You name it, I’ve got tons of various music files per genre.
However, I have some personal favorite music genres, which are categorized as “priority” in my music player:
1. Hip-hop
Although I cannot understand some of the words uttered by most of the rappers in this kind of song, but I still enjoy listening to hip-hop songs. It’s the beat and tempo that made it so alive and danceable at the same time. It triggers the grooves and unleashes dormant passion to hit the dance floor and get lost with the music.
2. Rock Songs
It can be the exact opposite of hip-hop music, but rock music has also an impact at me because of the sincerity rock songs convey. If one will listen closely with the lyrics of most of the rock songs, one can realize that many rock songs talk about realities in life wherein joys and sorrows are always present. Furthermore, the shouts and the guitar “shrieks,” which characterize most of rock songs, can also encourage people to sing along and let those emotions get out by shouting together with the rock singer.
3. Country Music
Country songs for me are charming. It creates a homey and soothing ambience that one can basically relax with this kind of music. There is also certain rawness in country style; yet, it still depicts class and arts. The sounds of guitar playing in country songs make it more appealing especially those who want a laid back atmosphere in this crazy jungle of urban living.
4. Religious or Praise Music
One might wonder if such genre is a mistake to be in my pool of “priority” music. It might sound weird to some that – from hip-hop music to rock songs, and country music – I, then, jump into religious music. What makes this kind of music a priority in my music play list is that it strengthens my inner self and my connection with God. Religious songs, for me, are songs of assurance that everything will be alright as long as one remains linked to God. For many times I’ve listened to this kind of music (especially those moments when I feel so low) and, until now, it has not failed in giving me some kind of comfort.
Those abovementioned music genres are my top music favorites. It does not mean, though, that I just limit myself with these kinds of songs. The choices are actually boundless. One should consider that music is not only a product of art or an output of genius minds, but it also serves an outline to some people in shedding out their emotions and thoughts which they cannot normally convey in normal conversations.
The Best Music Lyrics Site on the Web
There are a lot of sites that feature music lyrics. Some are limited in terms of scope. These are usually Web logs that feature lyrics of the blogger’s favorite artists or songs, or those that he or she likes at the moment. Other sites are more comprehensive and feature lyrics to songs by a wide variety of artists and belonging to a wide spectrum of music genres and belonging to various periods.
Lyrics to songs are one of the most popular searches daily, with thousands and thousands of lyrics being queued on search engines every single day.
And because of this, a lot of sites that feature song lyrics have sprouted like mushrooms on the Internet. Admittedly, there are some really bad music lyrics sites that present erroneous lyrics or that does not have lyrics to a good number of songs. However, some sites stand out when it comes to providing the accurate words to your favorite melody. These sites generally:
* Provide fast access to search queries,
* Feature little or no distracting advertisements,
* Have their own database of songs that can speed up your search,
* Provide links to other resources like mp3 downloads or videos.
So without further ado, the best lyrics sites in existence on the Internet right now are:
1. LyricsFind.com
With its neat interface and with a search box at the top of the page, LyricsFind.com helps you find the lyrics to your songs easily and quickly. The site also provides an option to browse for songs according to artists. What’s more, its home page gives you 10 recommended artists and sometimes features information about them.
LyricsFind.com also has a list of recommended lyrics sites that you can go to.
2. LyricsPlanet.com
This site basically has a similar interface as LyricsFind.com, only that it also features a listing of Top 10 billboard songs. This site also allows you to request or submit your lyrics.
3. LyricsPlace.com
LyricsPlace.com is a one-stop place for your lyrics needs. With the ability to search for lyrics or browse by artist, LyricsPlace.com brings together the databases of more than 20 lyrics sites.
4. LyricsDot.com
LyricsDot.com allows you to search for your lyrics by band, album name or song title. Search results could be a perfect match to your keywords or a sound-alike. So if you are trying to recall the title or artist of a song, but you are unsure of it or you don’t know the exact title or artist, you can use LyricsDot.com to do the job! For instance, you distinctly remember a song by some band that sounds like Invictus, you could search for it and bands like In Victus, or Evict Us (if they exist) would be included into your search results. Another example would be if you have snippets of songs playing in your head but do not know the title and the artist, then you can just type whatever words in the song you can remember and voila!
5. MetroLyrics.com
Fast and comprehensive, this lyrics site has very easy navigation that allows you to search for lyrics by artist or song title. It also has resources that you would find interesting like music news, events, and applications for your computer or iPhones.
If you are out to find out the most popular music, you can easily do so by looking at the site’s Top 100 lyrics. Or perhaps you wanted to get a list of chart toppers the world over, MetroLyrics provides a list of top Billboard songs, as well as its own list of top 100 songs.
MetroLyrics.com also features the beginnings of a social networking site that is dedicated to music. In a lyric page, you have the option to become a fan of the artist, comment on the song, read the opinions of other listeners and even post the song on Twitter. That is aside from additional content like the song’s videos, news about the artist, and recommended songs.
6. LyricsCafe.com
If you do not care for the myriads of resources found on MetroLyrics.com like its news and events, you can go to LyricsCafe.com and have a more focused lyrics search.
LyricsCafe.com recommends CDs and breakthrough artists and also has a list of top 10 singles along with a top 10 most wanted list. More than allowing you to search and browse, you also have the option to look for your lyrics according to which genre the song belongs. This allows you to discover more music in the same genre as you go along!