Prompt: "A song that your friend picks for today, since you've done nothing this summer besides talk about the Song Challenge, and that friend has opinions, and wants to participate, and is jealous they didn't hop on board last Memorial Day"
Selected by Pat
"Ritt der Walküren"
written by Richard Wagner
Die Walküre, 1870
And now, we proudly present "Killing Two Valkyries with One Stone" by Erin C*********:
It's been a while since I've written a review for PoYB, so forgive me if this seems more like a history lesson compared to a review of a song.
I'm writing under a deadline and Patrick D***** keeps bullying me into finishing this and I didn't know what song to do and I know there's no repeats in the world of Birthday Puke so I figured it would be best not to overthink it, and just pick a song from my labor playlist. There's no way Joe is going to have written a review on that, right?
Known better in pop culture as the "Ride of the Valkyries," "Ritt der Walküren" is the titular Act Three song that you've heard in places like Hey Arnold! and Apocalypse Now. What's important to know about this song (besides how awesome it is), is that Die Walküre is a three-act opera. This opera is only actually Part Two of a four-part opera written by Richard Wagner. The four operas together are called Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), or more simply, The Ring.
You might be wondering "Erin, could you possibly be taking about THAT ring?" And I am here to tell you, fuck yes I am!
While there's a lot less incest in the Tolkien universe, the German storyline is equally as epic (and arguably even more badass). Basic common themes include a ring of power that generations destroy one another over trying to find and control. However, in Wagner's version, there's a Valkyrie who sacrifices herself on top of the burning funeral pyre of her dead lover, and in doing so all of the gods and Valhalla are destroyed. So. That's kinda cool.
RotN utilizes lots of brass instruments and dissonance to create a setting of action, war, and a classic "good vs evil" heroic clash. What are these instruments? I dunno. Perhaps, dear reader, Joe can provide a more expert list of instruments typically used in this piece [Editor's note: maybe this?]. What I CAN tell you is that there some woodwinds in there that heighten the level of anxiety, there are drums, and an overall BATTLE vibe.
Also, I think that Infinite Jest isn't actually good the first time you read it and it's only fun now that I'm listening to it a second time and I also absolutely hate myself for relistening to this book. So I guess if I am going back to this book again, am I further embodying a cycle of addiction? Am I just really fucking stupid because there's so much I still need to understand and feel like I need to listen again in order to feel like I even fucking know what this book is about? Goddamn you, Joe K***. I think about this stupid fucking book every goddamn day.
It's been a while since I've written a review for PoYB, so forgive me if this seems more like a history lesson compared to a review of a song.
I'm writing under a deadline and Patrick D***** keeps bullying me into finishing this and I didn't know what song to do and I know there's no repeats in the world of Birthday Puke so I figured it would be best not to overthink it, and just pick a song from my labor playlist. There's no way Joe is going to have written a review on that, right?
Known better in pop culture as the "Ride of the Valkyries," "Ritt der Walküren" is the titular Act Three song that you've heard in places like Hey Arnold! and Apocalypse Now. What's important to know about this song (besides how awesome it is), is that Die Walküre is a three-act opera. This opera is only actually Part Two of a four-part opera written by Richard Wagner. The four operas together are called Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), or more simply, The Ring.
You might be wondering "Erin, could you possibly be taking about THAT ring?" And I am here to tell you, fuck yes I am!
While there's a lot less incest in the Tolkien universe, the German storyline is equally as epic (and arguably even more badass). Basic common themes include a ring of power that generations destroy one another over trying to find and control. However, in Wagner's version, there's a Valkyrie who sacrifices herself on top of the burning funeral pyre of her dead lover, and in doing so all of the gods and Valhalla are destroyed. So. That's kinda cool.
RotN utilizes lots of brass instruments and dissonance to create a setting of action, war, and a classic "good vs evil" heroic clash. What are these instruments? I dunno. Perhaps, dear reader, Joe can provide a more expert list of instruments typically used in this piece [Editor's note: maybe this?]. What I CAN tell you is that there some woodwinds in there that heighten the level of anxiety, there are drums, and an overall BATTLE vibe.
Also, I think that Infinite Jest isn't actually good the first time you read it and it's only fun now that I'm listening to it a second time and I also absolutely hate myself for relistening to this book. So I guess if I am going back to this book again, am I further embodying a cycle of addiction? Am I just really fucking stupid because there's so much I still need to understand and feel like I need to listen again in order to feel like I even fucking know what this book is about? Goddamn you, Joe K***. I think about this stupid fucking book every goddamn day.
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