Music Analysis #1
"Oklahoma Smokeshow" Musical Analysis
LINK TO MY SONG- HERE
This song is made by Zach Bryan. He is an extremely popular artist in the country music community.
This song has 44 million plays on YouTube.
Oklahoma Smokeshow by Zach Bryan was made in 2022 in Tennessee
This song is personally very relaxing to me. It helps me to calm down. When I hear this song as well as many others by the same artist I usually think of car rides with family and friends over summer.
Musical Elements:
Tempo- the tempo of this song is 123 bpm. This is a pretty normal to quicker paced song. This is a very good tempo for this song because it is fast enough that it is a song and not just talking, but it is slow enough that you can really understand the lyrics and understand that it is a serious kind of sad song overall
Lyrics- I think the lyrics are the next most important part of the song. These lyrics are very emotional as well as very powerful. This song talks about living in a small town. The opening of the song talks about a rebellious young woman, who seems to always fall in love with reckless men. She no longer can be the happy free girl she used to be, she has to follow the societal norms to fit in. It signifies not having many options for things like love and being trapped inside of a small town.
Melody- I think that this is important because it really conveys the feelings in this song. It starts off calm and a bit sad, it gets louder as the song goes on. Like he is really struggling or trying to convey a message to someone. I think it is very interesting and helps you to feel the emotion of the song and he did amazing at making you feel exactly how he wants you to for this song.
Sources-
“BPM and Key for Oklahoma Smokeshow by Zach Bryan: Tempo for Oklahoma Smokeshow: SONGBPM.” SongBPM, songbpm.com/@zach-bryan/oklahoma-smokeshow-2LalN3G85V. Accessed 16 Sept. 2024.
“AZLyrics - Request for Access.” AZLyrics.Com, www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/zachbryan/oklahomasmokeshow.html. Accessed 16 Sept. 2024.
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ReplyDeleteI like your analysis of the Oklahoma smokeshow, This seems like a very interesting and personal song. I haven't listened to too much of Zack Brian before but I get the impression that he puts a lot of effort into his melodies and lyrics.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard this song before, but I really like it. The instrumentation is really beautiful and I love the rasp that Zach Bryan has in his voice when he's accentuating a word- it's really nice. I also like that it's technically country music, but it has a much more modern and subtle country feel so I can see the song being appealing to a much wider range of people than just country music fans. Also, I agree that the lyrics are such an important part of this song- they are the key to telling this story of the girl who makes all the wrong choices when it comes to her partner and even if the listener is not that girl, they more than likely know somebody who is that girl and so that makes the song so relatable to so many people and is probably a big reason for the song's success. Great job on the first analysis!
ReplyDeleteHey there, I haven't heard this song before! I was never a huge fan of Zach Bryan but my boyfriend is. Do you also like the song "Motorcycle Drive By"? That's one of the few Zach Bryan songs that I enjoy. I like that pacing of this song like you've mentioned. I agree that it adds to the expression of the song, allowing listeners to understand the lyrics.
ReplyDeleteHey Zoe, I am so glad you did a Zach Bryan song. My favorite Zach Bryan song is "I Remember Everything". This is also in my top of his songs. When I hear this song I think of aspects of my life of when there have been certain people that I could see be in my life for a long time and it is not always reciprocated. It actually makes me a sad when I listen to the lyrics to closely. You mentioned the girl in the song and how she is reckless and free and does what she wants and I agree in the aspects that she ends up back with the boy that gives her rides and thinks about a life with her. I think the music video really exemplifies the lyrics and shows what Zach was trying to portray.
ReplyDeleteLove our analysis! Zach Bryan captures so much emotional depth and raw honesty with his storytelling. Your thoughtful interpretation of the lyrics and breakdown of the lyrics really add value to your post.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing, I find myself identifying with this song. Practically all songs from Zach Bryan lend themselves to revealing real and raw essence about small-town life and hardships. The tempo, lyrics, and melody are combined and create an accurate emotion an outlook for an audience. Of course, I have met those influences because I can easily connect this song to desire and feelings of homesickness. Here it is such a pleasure to hear that the society enjoy this song as greatly as I do.
ReplyDeleteI love the song you chose! I love Zach Bryan, I would do anything to see him live. This song also is really relaxing to me as well. This song in particular is in my top 5 Zach Bryan songs. I think that he does a really good job at conveying very personal messages in his songs.
ReplyDeleteZoe, this is one of my favorite songs, too! I agree with all the musical elements you chose to use. Because the lyrics play such a big part and can allow listeners to relate, and when it comes to the melody, it allows the reader to feel the emotion of the music which you mentioned! When reading more about your analysis, I found nothing missing from our rubric. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteI'm also a big fan of this song, and I enjoyed reading your analysis. "Oklahoma Smokeshow" was one of the first songs that got me looking into Zach Bryan a couple years ago. The Summertime Blues - EP is probably my favorite work of his, you should check that out if you haven't already.
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