Monday, March 09, 2015

History of Rock 3/9

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

What did the success of the female Singer-Songwriters of the early 1970s reveal about the changing roles of women in the United States?
  1. Read  Handout 1: Excerpt from Lyrics to "My Guy" and play the brief video of singer Mary Wells performing the song in 1965.
  2. Answer 
    • What is the song about? What kind of mood does it create?
    • Explain to students that “My Guy” was written by Smokey Robinson, who also co-wrote the Temptations’ hit song “My Girl.” Ask: Why do you think he titled the song “My Guy” and not “My Boy”? What does this suggest about attitudes toward women in this period?
    • Do you think a man is qualified to write a song expressing a woman's feelings about her relationship with a man? Why or why not? Was something lost in an artistic way when women were not writing their own songs to sing?
    • Look at the lyric "I'm sticking to my guy like a stamp to a letter.” Overall, what does the song suggest about female roles? About what is worth singing about? About what is important in life?
  3. Play the video clip of another hit from that era, the Shirelles performing "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" in 1964. Note that the song was co-written by Carole King and her then-husband Gerry Goffin. Answer 
    • What is the overall mood of the song? Is it similar to “My Guy?” In what ways? In what ways is it different?
  4. Play the video clip of King performing the song, which was included on her 1971 album Tapestry.  Compare the two versions of the song, and then answer: 
    • Compare the performers’ appearances. How are they dressed? What kind of facial expressions do they offer? What image of themselves are they presenting?
    • What overall tone/mood does each version convey?
    • Compare the vocal styles of each performance. How are voices used in each version?
    • What are the performers in each video doing while singing? What message(s) do their actions convey? (Note: Be sure students notice that King is playing the piano, while the Shirelles are not playing instruments.)
    • Would you classify the performers in each version as “girls” or “women”? Why?

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