Trouble So Hard

This piece was inspired by Marian Anderson's "Nobody Knows De Trouble I've Seen". I was familiar with Moby's rendition of the song, but I prefer this one because there is a truthfulness that can be heard in the singer's voice.

In this drawing, I drew two "soul singers" from the 1920s/30s and used a colorful background with both warm and cool colors to parallel the warmth and energy that can be heard in the song with the melancholy messages the songs convey. 

Tony had sent me an article about Adrian Frutiger, a famous typographer, and I was inspired to practice more with my own typography skills. I looked through fonts online from the period, and chose to write (what I think is) the most important line from the song in a similar style. I made sure that the lettering is sans-serif, since Frutiger's most famous fonts are in this family.

When I look back at this piece, it is my least favorite of all the work I did in this course. The art depicts a woman and man who are from an entirely different place and time period; they seem like they would be more fit for city blues. I think this piece is one that I can use to look at now and see how far I've come. When I created this, I was not thinking about the context of the song, the people, the place, or the time. I look at the picture and have difficulty drawing parallels between the image I created and the meaning of the song. I also think that, while the font I chose may have been fitting for a jazzy/city blues type of song, it does not fit here. 

The piece just does not do "Trouble So Hard" justice. I should have thought harder about what I was listening to and how it related to the readings. The song is about the hardship that African Americans faced in America - the racism, cruelty, discrimination, and mistreatment. 

You Are My Sunshine

Every time I hear "You Are My Sunshine" played aloud, I hear an "aw!" or see someone gesture in such a way that indicates nostalgia (i.e. hand over heart). I think that that speaks to the huge presence of "You Are My Sunshine" in American culture. 

It was interesting to listen to Laura Henton's "Heavenly Sunshine" because many obvious parallels can be drawn between "Heavenly Sunshine" and "You Are My Sunshine" both in tune and lyrics. Henton's gospel voice differs from Jimmie Davis's more jaunty, hillbilly-like singing.

Ollie Gilbert's rendition of "You Are My Sunshine" made me feel slightly uncomfortable - although I could not pinpoint the reason that is. Her tone is distinct, and there is something a bit croak-y about it. You can hear the pain of the Great Depression in her voice; it is raw and unapologetic, not particularly beautiful or melodic, but you can tell that "You Are My Sunshine" means something to her. She is connected to the song, the lyrics, the time.

Unsurprisingly, I really enjoyed Mississippi John Hurt's version. It is far more soothing than Davis's rendition, more melodic.  Davis, on the other hand, has one of those voices that just sounds hearty, familiar, and American. His version is the one most of us know and love. 

The song was an enormous hit when Davis released it, and it's been embedded in American culture every since. It doesn't surprise me that the song was so popular in the 1940's. The tone is upbeat and catchy, and the lyrics are simple. It's one of those songs that's easy to remember and easy to sing to - the perfect candidate for parents to sing to and with their children.

The lyrics to "You Are My Sunshine" has melancholy undertones that are fitting for the time period. Phrases such as "you have shattered all my dreams" and "if you leave me to love another but you'll regret it all some day" reveal that the song is not literally about sunshine. The singer is singing about a woman he loves, and it is ultimately revealed that she has left him. The bitterness of the lyrics make for a sort of paradox when paired with the jaunty tune in Davis's version. I think that the sadness incorporated into the song only speaks more to the "hope" aesthetic that it inspires in listeners such as myself; people grasp onto hope in times of sorrow, and similarly, the song describes sunshine and love as well as clouds and loss. It speaks to the sadness and happiness often associated with memory and nostalgia.

My depiction of "You Are My Sunshine" is of my sisters and I when we were young. When I hear this song, I am taken back to my mom singing this to my sisters and I in our childhood. The song makes me sad, and it's because of the nostalgia associated with these memories. My sisters, particularly my younger sister, and I were inseparable growing up. When I reached high school, my younger sister started to pull away from me and from my family, isolating herself from everyone who loved and cared about her. She suffered from a crippling, severe depression for about 6 years until today, when I can confidently say that she is on the path to happiness. Regardless, I hear this song and the "sunshine" is my younger sister. 

Lyrics:

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are grey

You'll never know dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away

The other night dear, as I lay sleepin'

I dreamed, I held you in my arms

When I awoke dear, I was mistaken

So I hung my head and I cry

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are grey

You'll never know dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away

You told me once dear, you really loved me

And no one else could come between

But now you've left me and you love another

And you have shattered all my dreams

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are grey

You'll never know dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away

I'll always love you and make you happy

If you will only say the same

But if you leave me to love another

But you'll regret it all some day

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are grey

You'll never know dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away

Please don't take my sunshine away

We Are Going To The Zoo

One of the first songs I remember hearing is "We Are Going To The Zoo". My mom used to sing it to my two sisters and I, and we eventually learned to sing along with her.

I would always imagine lions and the tigers when I'd hear the lyrics. Thus, it seemed fitting that I draw a tiger as a means of representing the song. I can't take full credit for the originality of this image; I actually came across a similar painting in a store a while back and took a photo on my phone that I based this piece off of. I remember seeing the painting and not being sure why it made me feel so nostalgic. And now, months later, I've finally figured it out - it epitomizes my interpretation of "We Are Going To The Zoo".

I hope to portray through this illustration a sense of playfulness and imagination; after all, back when this song was a regular part of my day, I saw no reason that humans and tigers couldn't interact as friends. Ironically, my mom has never been a large fan of zoos (or animals in general), so the song stands out to me because of the moments I spent singing it with my family and because of the pictures that would flash through my head as I listened.

Lyrics:

We are going to zoo,

To the zoo, to the zoo. 

We are going to the zoo,

Won't you join us too?

We'll see lions, tigers too,

Tigers too, tigers too.

We'll see lions, tigers too,

All at the zoo.

We will find some chimpanzees,

Chimpanzees, chimpanzees.

we will find some chimpanzees,

Swinging from the trees.

We will look for kangaroos,

Kangaroos, kangaroos.

We will look for kangaroos,

Hopping at the zoo.