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THE CONVERSATION: Beyoncé’s ‘Blackbiird’ breathes new life into a symbol that has inspired centuries of Black artists, musicians and storytellers
Black musicians have long used the symbol of the blackbird to describe their careers – the isolation they’ve felt and the discrimination they’ve faced along the way. To appreciate Beyoncé’s “Blackbiird,” we think it’s important to go beyond the shadow McCartney’s song has cast over the symbol.
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THE CONVERSATION: Why ‘Barbie’ and ‘The Little Mermaid’ made 2023 the dead girl summer
Ariel and Barbie have quite a bit in common: They’re both frozen in time, and they both yearn to live as humans do. The fantastic seascapes and perfect dollhouses of “The Little Mermaid” and “Barbie” might appear whimsical. But I see these settings – and the characters who inhabit them – as figurations of death.…
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CultureSonar: Tenacious D Does the “Abbey Road” Medley
Tenacious D’s hilarious spin on the bookends of the Abbey Road medley gives more of Jack Black’s signature moves and gestures (which often show off how good he is with his fingers) while musically realizing the truth about the love that’s been there sleeping. Read the full article in CultureSonar
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CultureSonar: Arising to This Moment: Bettye LaVette’s “Blackbirds”
Bettye LaVette’s new album Blackbirds is inspired by the African American women she sees as her musical forerunners. The concluding track, “Blackbird,” the Beatles song she has performed in concert for a decade, crowns the record. Read the full article, which includes my interview with Bettye LaVette, in CultureSonar
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CultureSonar: Astrid Kirchherr: What She Taught the Beatles
Astrid Kirchherr saw magic in the pre-fame Beatles. Read the full article in CultureSonar
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CultureSonar: Martha Wash’s “Love and Conflict” – The Album for 2020
For those seeking uplift in this new pandemic world with the old-familiarity of the Stones or the Beatles, Martha Wash’s Love and Conflict is for you—for more reasons than one. Read the full article in CultureSonar
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CultureSonar: “Photograph” – We Are All Ringo Now
“Photograph” can be read as a follow up to the sentiments of “The Long and Winding Road.” “Every time I see your face / It reminds me of the places we used to go,” Starr begins, concluding the first verse with acceptance of a harsh reality: we can’t get back. There will never be a…
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CultureSonar: The Paul McCartney Song We Need Right Now
“We live in hope of deliverance from the darkness that surrounds us,” sings Paul McCartney. As we shelter in place facing an uncertain future, “Hope of Deliverance” is perhaps the most applicable McCartney song for this coronavirus moment. Read the full article in CultureSonar
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CultureSonar: “She’s So Heavy” at 50: From Billy Preston to Blac Rabbit
The song that John Lennon correlated to reaching for Yoko Ono in a state of drowning is turning 50, along with the rest of the songs on The Beatles’ Abbey Road. “I Want You” (She’s So Heavy)” is often considered a precursor to metal and prog rock. But “I Want You” has a funky origin…
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CultureSonar: “Old Town Road”’s Pop Outlaws
Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” taps into the myth of the American West with promises of overnight fame and fortune that align with our fascination with hits that seem to appear out of nowhere. Read the full article in CultureSonar
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CultureSonar: Blac Rabbit: Turning on the Beatles Today
An all-black psychedelic rock band from Brooklyn on tour now, Blac Rabbit devotes the second half of their set to the Beatles. These energetic covers, especially later songs like “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” are faithful in the best ways—and unfaithful in the best ways, too. Read the full article…
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PopMatters: ‘Come on to Me’ Is Paul McCartney’s Guide to #MeToo-era Flirting
“Come On to Me”, one of the singles from the new album, has been making the rounds of night shows and pop-up concerts; it’s also on the set list of McCartney’s just-launched, in-progress Freshen Up tour. If you’ve seen any of these performances, your first impression might be that McCartney wrote this song in order to…
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CultureSonar: Macca’s Jacca Revelation: More than a Sexy One Off
With his characteristic, persistent optimism, the 2018 McCartney presents sex as one of those magical but everyday happenings that we can and should talk about. It’s the kind of utterly basic idea McCartney has always been so good at using a memorable melody to sell us on. Read the full article in CultureSonar
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ANTENNA: “She Loves You”: The Beatles, Girl Culture, and The Ed Sullivan Show
February 9, 1964: a dark-haired girl gazes into the box perched in her family’s kitchen. Paul McCartney’s face, framed in a close-up on that TV set, shines on the screen. The girl doesn’t take her eyes off of him and his mop-topped cohorts while her younger sisters lean forward and smile, equally mesmerized. Their dad,…
Katie Kapurch, Ph.D.
Pop Icons & Siren Songs
Katie Kapurch, Ph.D. 