"I Will Always Love You"

Dolly Parton is one of the most popular female Country vocalists of all time. She is an American Country music super-star, author, philanthropist, instrumentalist, actress, and singer-songwriter. Years after her birth on January 19, 1946; this Country diva rightfully earned her title as, "The Queen of Country Music." Describing her family as, "dirt poor" the dream for Dolly seemed nearly impossible. However, impossible turned into reality for Dolly. Now, she is tied with Reba McEntire as female Country artists with number one singles in four consecutive decades. With her many other number one hits, "I Will Always Love You" topped the charts in 1974 and is a classic well known by millions of people.

Twenty years later; pop sensation Whitney Houston performed, "I Will Always Love You," and made the songs one of the best-selling singles in music history. Growing up in New Jersey, Whitney was part of a middle class family. Her love of singing was inspired by her mother, Cissy Houston. Cissy would perform at numerous nightclubs and Whitney would occasionally get on stage with her mother and perform as well. In a New York City nightclub, Whitney's thirst for fame became a reality. World renowned record producer, Clive Davis, offered Houston a worldwide recording contract which Houston, to no surprise, signed.

Although, "I Will Always Love You" is a very well known song among millions of people, it is very simplistic when it comes to poetic devices. The few poetic devices that the song contains are objectification and cliche. Dolly wrote this song, and it was probably targeted toward somebody. She frequently uses personal pronouns such as, "I" or "we." By using these personal pronouns, Dolly write the song in first person narrative. When expressing how she is feeling, Dolly wrote; "Bitter-sweet memories/That's all I'm taking with me" (Parton). Objectification, the process by which an abstract concept is treated as if it is a concrete thing of physical object, is used to convey how she will have to take all of the memories that she has had with somebody who she loved very much, and leave with them. Again, Parton uses objectification when she says, "And I hope love, will treat you kind" (Parton). Irony is a major poetic device which is used throughout the whole song. Dolly's song is about how she will always love this person but, in reality, she is leaving that person. The final poetic device used by Parton, cliche, is used when she repeatedly says, "I will always love you" (Parton). Cliche is an overused expression or phrase, "I will always love you" is sort of like a cliche because it is used by everyone. However, just because Parton's song contains very few poetic devices does not mean that is is not good.

You may ask, who sang it better? The truth is, in each of these artists' ways, they captured a different essence of the song each time. Some think Dolly Parton may have sung it better, others believe Whitney Houston did. There really is no answer to that question because it depends on which version you prefer. Dolly Parton connected to the more emotional part of the song. Seeing as though she wrote the song, it is attached to a special place in her heart which made it easier for her to connect to. The way in which she sings and speaks at certain times throughout the song helps convey her emotions. However, Whitney Houston took a different approach to the song. Using her powerhouse vocals, Houston belts the song and has made it her own. The way in which Houston sings it is more current, and is better known by this generation. Although both of these artists have their own style, they each convey the overall meaning of the song.

Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" is a classic, well known by everyone. However, Whitney Houston's cover made it more popular. Parton's version of the songs is more emotionally connected to her and all of her lyrics come from the heart. Houston's cover is flawless and her powerhouse vocals have made the song what it is to this day. All in all, both versions of this song are amazing and Dolly Parton and Whitney Houston can both be easily considered musical virtuosos.

Poem: Untitled

Untitled
Some days it fly’s by.
Some days it drags on.
At times, it feels as though it's not moving.
At times, it feels as though there's not enough of it.
It has the power to cause a volcano to erupt.
It can make a sailor get lost at sea.
It can drive people crazy.
It can make you late.
It can make you early.
It has the power to make the sun rise.
It has the power to make the moon fall.
It has the power to kill.
It has the power to heal.
It has the power to give life.
It can give you hope.
It can give you fear.
It can creep up behind you and steal your soul.
It has a mind of its own.
You try to beat it but, you never can.
It is always following you but,
If it gets ahead of you, it never waits.
It decides your future.
It could end the world.
It decides whether your life is long,
Whether your life is short.
It rules the world.
It conquers all.
In the end...
Only time will tell.

"The Beaches of Cheyenne" Song Analysis

Garth Brooks is one of the most distinct country artists of all time. His integration of rock elements into both his recordings and live performances have gained him immense popularity. This integration of rock elements allowed him to prevail the country music charts. Not only is his music so very diverse from many other country music artists, he has an astonishing voice to match. His interesting lyrics send you on a journey. Brooks' song, "The Beaches of Cheyenne", is no exception to his diverse performing and writing style and uses various poetic devices while telling the story of a woman's heartbreak.

As soon as Brooks' song starts, the narration of his story of heartbreak is automatically known. Brooks sets up the story by describing what is going on by saying, "They packed up all his buckles/And shipped his saddle to his dad/And by the way the house looked/She must have took it bad/The workers come on Monday/To fix the door and patch the wall/They say she just went crazy/The night she got the call..." (Brooks, 1-8). Brooks starts off by telling his listeners about a woman who received a call and went crazy. Later on in the song, he says that her husband had died. The way in which his narration is told adds an eeriness which is present throughout the rest of the song.

The first verse, as well as setting up the narration of the story, sets up the characterization of the woman present within Brooks' lyrics. In the third verse he states, "They say she just went crazy/Screamin' out his name..." (Brooks, 16-17). Within this line, the woman is depicted as though she has gone crazy because she had lost her husband. Brooks' characterization of the woman adds to the overall feeling of the song. This also adds to the overall tone of the song which makes it more depressing.

As well as using major poetic devices like Brooks' narration and his characterization, he uses many others as well. Alliteration is used multiple times throughout his lyrics, an example of alliteration is when he says, "Some say she's still alive..." (Brooks, 31). His various uses of alliteration throughout the song help to catch the listeners' ear. Various uses of imagery are used as well. Brooks uses imagery to help the listener picture what is going on. A prime example of imagery within his song is when he says, "And to this day they claim/That if you go down by the water/You'll see her footprints in the sand/'Cause every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne." (Brooks, 19-22). Brooks also uses an euphemism, "He promised her he'd turn out/Well it turned out that he lied..." (Brooks, 11-12). Brooks says this because it is more pleasant than just bluntly stating that her husband had died. Also, Brooks uses local color within the song too, he talks about where they live, "And the dreams that they'd been livin'/In the California sand..." (Brooks, 13-14). Brooks' uses of various poetic devices help to better exemplify his song writing skills.

Garth Brooks' "The Beaches of Cheyenne" genuinely uses numerous prime examples of poetic devices. His narration throughout the song is complemented by various other poetic devices like; imagery, alliteration, local color, euphemism and characterization. All of these poetic devices are used to ameliorate the overall appeal of the story. His lyrics focus upon heartbreak which a woman had felt when she had found out that her husband had died. Garth Brooks' "The Beaches of Cheyenne" is unlike various other country songs about heartbreak and could be considered a masterpiece among so many other country songs.

"Here Comes Goodbye" Analysis

Rascal Flatts is arguably the greatest all-male band in all of contemporary Country music. Their songs are loved by millions and they have numerous fans. They have sold millions of records and have various top hits on the Country music charts. From their vocal ranges to their instrumentals; everything they do within their music is exemplary. Even though Rascal Flatts is a Country band, many of their songs have been made into Pop hits by major artists like; Cascada. Their lyrics speak to millions and they can always make a good connection with their audiences. The songs of Rascal Flatts deal with many themes, to name a few; love, hope, dreams, and heartbreak. Heartbreak is a feeling that everyone has to go through at some point in their life. The song “Here Comes Goodbye” contains various poetic devices which exemplify the song writing abilities of the members of Rascal Flatts.

Rascal Flatts uses a first-person narrative mode throughout their song “Here Comes Goodbye”. First-person narrative mode always refers to the focal character as “I” or “we”; in this case the focal character is referred to as, “I”. As soon as the song starts, the point of view is known right within the first verse; “I can hear the truck tires coming up the gravel road/And it’s not like her to drive that slow, nothing’s on the radio/Footsteps on the front porch, I hear my doorbell/She usually comes right in, now I can tell…” The first verse of the song is a prime example of the first-person narrative mode which is used in this song. The use of first-person narrative mode helps the songwriter connect to their audience more. As well as first-person narrative mode, imagery is used as well. The imagery used in the first verse is sound. Examples of imagery using sound are; “I can hear the truck tires coming up the gravel road/nothing’s on the radio/Footsteps on the front porch, I hear my doorbell…” Each of these lines within the first verse use imagery through sound and make you feel as though you are hearing what the focal character is hearing. Another use of a poetic device within the first verse is alliteration. Alliteration is the repetition of sounds at the beginning of words. The use of alliteration if found in several places throughout the first verse; “…truck tires…/Footsteps on the front porch/She usually comes…now I can tell…” are exemplary examples of the use of alliteration throughout the first verse.

Rascal Flatts continues on to tell about the pain and heartbreak that is on the way. In the chorus of the song, a motif is recognized; “Here comes goodbye/Here comes the last time/Here comes the start of every sleepless night/The first of every tear I’m gonna cry/Here comes the pain/Here comes me wishing things had never changed/And she was right here in my arms tonight/But here comes goodbye…” They express the use of motif by consistently using “Here comes” and then explaining what is coming; goodbye, or in other words, heartbreak. Also in the chorus, objectification is used as well; “Here comes the pain…” This shows an abstract quality, pain, which is being treated as if it were a concrete or physical object. Another poetic device is used in the line; “The first of every tear I’m gonna cry…” This hyperbole is an extravagant exaggeration that was cleverly used to express all of the sorrow, pain, heartbreak, and loneliness the focal character will have to venture through.

In the second verse, Rascal Flatts then goes on to talk about everything that is going on; “I can hear her say ‘I love you’ like it was yesterday/And I can see it written on her face that she had never felt this way/One day I thought I’d see her with her daddy by her side/And violins would play Here Comes The Bride…”in this second verse, a variety of poetic elements are used. In the first and second lines of the verse; “I can hear her say ‘I love you’ like it was yesterday/And I can see it written on her face that she had never felt this way…” characterization is used. They are using the speech and description of another character to convey how the focal character is feeling and how he cannot believe what is going on. Imagery is also used to convey the focal characters’ thoughts about the future and how he thought, “One day [he] thought [he’d] see her with her daddy by her side/And violins would play Here Comes The Bride…” He had envisioned that he could see her walking down the aisle with her father one day, but that day will never come now.

Rascal Flatts’ lyrics are applicable with vast majority of people. There will always be a day in everyone’s life when a “goodbye” will come. However, these “goodbyes” could vary from the love of your life to a loved one in your family. It is an inevitable thing that somebody will leave you one day. Unfortunately, within everyone’s lifetime, they will have to say goodbye to somebody or something eventually.

Declaration Paragraph

Heartbreak and loneliness in Country music is the theme genre combination that I chose. Since I was little, I grew up listening to Country music in the car everyday. At first, I was not very fond of Country music but then as I got older, it grew on me more and more. Country music is now one of my favorite genres. I listen to it all the time and I have so many songs from this genre on my iPod. This is why I chose "Heartbreak and Loneliness" in Country music.