bum bum bum bum - You shake my nerves and you rattle my brains - bum bum bum bum....
Sure, Jerry Lee is a little bit older than when the song came out, but this was the best video to show off his piano skills. His skills don't include throwing the piano bench or lighting the actual piano on fire, but his skill for bringing energy to some simpler piano playing. This song shows off the simple things in one large amazing work of art. Not everything amazing is complex or hard, and this song is the best example to use.
First let me explain. Jerry Lee doesn't exactly play the hardest of piano pieces. I'm not saying I could play what he does, but it isn't exactly a two hand piano piece meant for six. I am saying though, that what he does is probably more recognized than that hard six hand piano piece. I would argue that this is one of the best songs I have ever heard. It has the best ratio of musical interludes to words and just that one little thing that makes me want to get up and dance. Some might not say so, but we'll say yes for this explanation. When I think about it, something with classic blues/jazz beats and pretty classic high chords has my jaw dropped on the floor thinking "Wow, I should have been born in the 50's!" The words are said over and over, the same notes over and over, but I absolutely LOVE this song.
So, what I learned from this song is that I don't have to do everything comletely out there, or only like things that are crazy hard, I have to like the simple things in life too. Without me knowing, I've probably loved the little things more than the big things in my life. I'd say that everytime I see a heart on a desk I sit at, or hear the same "What up?" from the kid in my math class everyday, makes my day something great. Every little thing I see and hear makes one big day. Every little part of that song makes one big song.
Why, though, have we strayed so far from the type of music Great Balls of Fire is? Don't you see the people dance and cheering all through the song? Why is it that we didn't keep this type of music if we know people loved it? I think the answer is that we get more caught up with how many words we can fit in a small span of time (rap) or eventually just making the 2:30 song into a 3:15 song. Don't get me wrong, I love listening to more modern music, but I don't even listen to the words that much. I know that expressing oneself in a song is a great talent, and I try to do the same with my own songs, but can't we take a hint from people like Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Bill Haley, Ritchie Valens, The Teenagers, but you get the point. They wrote and performed so many amazing songs, that I can count the songs from nowadays that have the same effect on me on one hand.
Not to say that music now isn't inspiring, but I'm starting to realize that music can be inspiring and fun to dance to as well...or at least have a full sound. In music from the 50's, you can hear all the instruments, hear the words and have fun. The simpler sounds brought everyone together to make one big song...Goodness Gracious, Great Balls Of Fire!!
You've really nailed it on the head here, Mary. Besides the fact that I love this song, I absolutely agree with your observation about the loss of simplicity in music today. I think that's why I'm so fond of artists like Jack Johnson, who often sing plainly with just a guitar in hand. I mean, half the time I listen to music, I zone out and let the instrumentals bring me to some place in my head. I do some of my best thinking to the soundtrack of Prokofieff's concerto for cello, which is very complex, but mostly contained in a lone cello with little orchestra involvement. I mean simplicity is beautiful in music, and it's a sign of our obsession as a society with always being productive that we can't stop outselves from shoving five minutes of singing into a three minute song. If you look at classic songs from the 30s, 40s, and 50s, you'll rarely find one more than three minutes long. Nowadays, the standard has risen to about six minutes. We need a musical reality check!
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