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Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025

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Music Notes

by Amethyst Agape Angel

Rated: 13+ · Book · Music · #2313403

A blog about music from my unique perspective (also a spot for some poetry I’ve written)

A blog, generally about music, usually for projects hosted by Jeff

. I may also write about the 48-Hour Media Prompt Challenge if I don't feel like writing a story or poem inspired by the given song. Other bits of poetry or different topics of discussion might end up here as well.

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

Ms. TerrifyingTuber

Oct 15, 2024 at 12:09pm
In response to "500 Miles (I'm Gonna Be) (ID cover)"

That was an amazing performance. Dan certainly has a sense of showmanship..

1 Like

QPdoll

Oct 12, 2024 at 8:00am
In response to "I Heard It Through the Grapevine (CCR)"

I've only known the Marvin Gaye version. I have to say that CCR did it justice. The drums and that bass. So cool.

Excellent choice!

1 Like

♥HOOves♥

Oct 12, 2024 at 7:45am
In response to "I Heard It Through the Grapevine (CCR)"

Great song choice! There is also a version with Gladys Knight and the Pips that may or may not have been the first one. It was the first one that I heard.

1 Like

Dave Ryan

Oct 11, 2024 at 8:19am
In response to "If I Had a Hammer"

Puff the Magic Dragon is a great song for traumatising the kids. There's nothing like a happy ending, and that one is definitely nothing like a happy ending.

1 Like

QPdoll

Oct 10, 2024 at 7:57am
In response to "Fast Car (Jonas Blue cover)"

This is great! I love this song and have heard a couple of different versions, but I've never heard this one. Thank you for sharing.

1 Like

♥HOOves♥

Oct 9, 2024 at 9:07am
In response to "Fortunate Son"

Love Centerfield and Have You Ever Seen the Rain, also!

So many wonderful songs!

1 Like

♥HOOves♥

Oct 8, 2024 at 9:00am
In response to "I Won't Back Down"

Great song choice!

1 Like

QPdoll

Oct 8, 2024 at 6:15am
In response to "I Won't Back Down"

I like Tom Petty, too. My favorite song is Mary Jane's Last Dance. However, I like the message of I Won't Back Down. It's a fine choice.

1 Like

tracker

Oct 7, 2024 at 12:23pm
In response to "Creeque Alley"

This is when I like AI. The song is a story about when the group was formed. It was released when I had first started college. Where? In California! Good choice of song.

1 Like

QPdoll

Oct 6, 2024 at 7:58am
In response to "Three Little Birds"

It's been a long time since I've heard this song. I don't know if I've heard it from beginning to end. I think it's just been in pieces in different instances. Thank you for sharing. I don't have a playlist, but the song is fun.

1 Like

February 21, 2025 at 1:28am

#1084162

Stargazing, by OneRepublic

As I begin writing this post while waiting in line at Walmart, would you believe 2013's Counting Stars started playing overhead? Yep. Good ol' OneRepublic

Stargazing is a deep cut off their 2024 album Artificial Paradise. There's an acoustic version on the Super Deluxe album, and it's hard to choose a favorite. 1R does wonders with acoustics… when they're not too lazy to record a fresh set of vocals over them

Sound:
This song has a "vibe-y" sound, classic OneRepublic in all respects: guitar strums, harmonies, echoes, etc. Listening to the original, I'm wondering what exactly the difference is with the acoustic. I'll let you know…

Ok, the acoustic begins with a piano rather than a guitar. Ryan speaks into near silence at first, and the instruments are much sparser. I believe they did indeed record a fresh vocal track for this version. It also seems a bit slower, but that's more the pacing of the music than the actual length, which is identical to the original.

Oh, there's no drum. That means I can add the acoustic Stargazing to my "no drums" playlist. Which means I should probably go back through the acoustic set and see if any of the others don't have drums either. I was in a bit of a rush when the Super Deluxe Artificial Paradise came out. Hardly had a chance to truly appreciate some of the treasures on it.

Theme:
Stargazing is one of the cornerstones of AP, shedding more lyrical light on the album's themes and concepts. It speaks with a hint of sadness: "dark side of the moon/ the world looks so blue/ I'ma leave it all behind if I have to…"

Remember what I said about "Singapore, by OneRepublic"

painting a musical picture of an alien encounter? Well, Stargazing pretty much paints a lyrical picture of such. The chorus, "top down, now we're beaming up" and "welcome home to the afterglow" as well as the general desire to be removed from the world's pains and sorrows by losing yourself in celestial wonders…

Significance:
Stargazing was an immediate favorite of mine, one of the AP tracks which fell into the more classic and acoustic category rather than being more electronic or funky.

As I listened to this song while condensing my ideas about AP's overarching narrative, I realized I had already tapped into this same idea of running away with aliens, three months before the song appeared! Inspired by Nathan W. Pyle's loveable Strange Planet creatures, I wrote "Little Blue"

for Gaby's "Game of Thrones"

activity in April of 2024.

Enjoy this beautiful, wistful song.

Words: 448.

Comment

© Copyright 2025 Amethyst Agape Angel (UN: greenwillow at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
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