High Noon and Proof of Paradise for September 25th, 2012
High Noon
Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water vs. Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven
Today's High Noon was a duel of rock ballads, an underappreciated (or rather, fairly unknown!) portion of rock. Usually shadowed due to a band's stronger, heavier songs, these types of songs are nonetheless, some of the best out there. Both of these songs have been recognized as two of the best rock ballads out there. Indeed, Stairway is a Zeppelin classic now, and few people don't recognize the song. However, Bridge over Troubled Water gives it a run for the money. Stairway is a gradual build up to a hard rock section that begins about 6 minutes in. However, Bridge maintains a high level of energy throughout the song, which is saying something, seeing as it is, as Simon described it, "a piano song." Origins of these songs are interesting. As said before, Simon wrote Bridge while Garfunkel was busy filming Catch-22 (which is a great movie and book). He had intended Garfunkel to sing it, but when Garfunkel heard the demo, he was so impressed by Simon's falsetto, that he asked for Simon to sing the song instead. The band's producer wanted a third verse for greater energy, and lo Bridge over Troubled Water came to fruition. Stairway to Heaven, on the other hand, was basically a mosh-pit of ideas, originally thrown around by Jimmy Page, who had a bunch of guitar parts he wanted to make into a song. After some fiddling around by the rest of the band (a large portion of the lyrics were written by Plant on the spot), Stairway was created. Despite what everybody else says, though, I'll have to give the win to Bridge over Troubled Water. Simply put, I cannot think of a stronger, more energetic, and musically incredible piano rock song than Bridge. It truly is worthy of being called one of the greatest rock ballads of all time.
If you have any ideas for songs you'd like to see "duel," leave a comment below!
Proof of Paradise
Who: Cornell University EMS (organized by Community Education Chair Alexandra Boehrer)
When: Sunday, September 23rd
Where: Ithaca High School
What: For helping the Ithaca community become more aware of safety when using bicycles. There are a surprising amount of accidents, some major/fatal, that involve bicyclists. Education is the first step to prevention. And while you can't eliminate all risk, you can try to limit it as much as you can.
If you know of somebody who has done a good deed, leave a comment below! Names released with permission only
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