Bop with Brescia
Welcome to Bop with Brescia! In this new column, written by Editor Lauryn Bikos, you will find sections such as Buzz-worthy Lyrics, Banging Soundtracks, Brilliant Artists, and more.
Hey, y’all! Welcome to my new column, Bop with Brescia. I am beyond excited about this new Buzz development, as music is truly my love language.
In many ways, I have been raised by music. I always have it on even for background noise, and my mom (shoutout to Professor Bikos if you have met her!) has exposed me to various genres, from Classical and Musical Theatre to R&B, Rock, Folk, and Hip Hop. I will admit a hole in my musical education is Country music…I try to like it! But some days, it just is NOT my vibe.
I have played the piano since I was six years old, and I can confidently play the clarinet, flute, and ukulele, and *maybe* get some chords out on an acoustic guitar as well - but it is a work in progress!
As per Spotify Wrapped, my top genres are Pop, Rock, Hip Hop, Modern Rock, and Indie Folk. Some of my favourite artists and bands are Lorde, Post Malone, The Eagles, Cardi B, Coldplay, Lord Huron, The Lumineers, Blue Rodeo, David Bowie, and Fleetwood Mac…and I think I have to stop the list there because I could honestly go on forever!
But this column is not all about me. I wanted to start this column because I share the viewpoint that “Music is the universal language of mankind”. I recommend reading this 2019 Harvard Gazette article, which refers to a study by Samuel Mehr, Manvir Singh, and Luke Glowacki. In this study, they confirm that “across societies, music is associated with behaviours such as infant care, healing, dance, and love (among many others, like mourning, warfare, processions, and ritual).”.
So, the idea of this column is to give Brescia students and the community at large a space to love something together, something that I believe is special to all of us. I hope you enjoy it!
Buzz-Worthy Lyrics:
“I can buy myself flowers
Write my name in the sand
Talk to myself for hours
Say things you don’t understand
I can take myself dancing
And I can hold my own hand
Yeah, I can love me better than you can”
Miley Cyrus is back at it again with another catchy anthem with lyrics that are full of self-love, worth, and power. I think we all have been in a relationship with someone (friend, partner, etc.) who did not love or treat us the way they should have. It can be really hard to bounce back from that! But Cyrus is here to remind us that self-love is important and empowering after such an experience.
The literal meaning behind these lyrics is Buzz-worthy; however, there is some serious tea behind them. Note this is all speculation, but here are some current theories about Cyrus’s song and music video.
Banging Soundtracks:
If you have any form of social media, odds are you saw a clip of Miles Teller (Rooster) dancing on the beach from the movie Top Gun: Maverick. Arguably, this was the soundtrack of summer 2022, with two key songs: “Great Balls of Fire” (Live) by Miles Teller and “I Ain’t Worried” by OneRepublic.
There are a couple extra songs that, while not as popular on social media, are essential parts of the soundtrack:
“Take My Breath Away” Berlin
“Hold My Hand” Lady Gaga
“Penny Returns - Interlude” Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga, Hans Zimmer, Lorne Balfe
Brilliant Artists:
This week, a brilliant artist I want to focus on is Buffy Sainte-Marie. The following information has been taken from her website and her autobiography, “Buffy Sainte-Marie: The Authorized Biography with a foreword by Joni Mitchell” by Andrea Warner (an excellent read!).
Sainte-Marie is a Cree singer-songwriter who is an incredible advocate, artist, and composer. Since 1964, she has advocated tirelessly for humanitarian efforts, Indigenous leadership and rights and created a unique voice in the music industry. She “keeps one foot firmly planted on either side of the North American border, in the unsurrendered territories that comprise Canada and the USA.”. You can read more about Sainte-Marie here.
Sainte-Marie has won numerous awards throughout her career, including JUNOs, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe. She has “written pop standards sung and recorded by the likes of Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley, Donovan, Joe Cocker, and Jennifer Warnes”.
Her most recent album release is Medicine Songs (2017), which is about the “environment, alternative conflict resolution, Indigenous realities, greed, and racketeering”. It points to the work that still needs to be done for these issues, with the whole truth, not a sugar-coated version or silenced narrative we often find in mainstream media. The point of this album is not to overwhelm or oppress; instead, Sainte-Marie wants to make us “feel stronger and more capable of seeing the world around us clearly”. This album is labelled as “the soundtrack for the resistance”.
You can check out Buffy Sainte-Marie’s music on Spotify.
Based On:
If you like this song…
“Never Be Like You (feat. Kai)” Flume, Kai
You should check out…
“Not Going Home (feat. Gia Koka)” DVBBS, CMC$, Gia Koka
“Roses” The Chainsmokers, ROZES
“Don’t Let Me Down” The Chainsmokers, Daya
This week’s recommendations:
General
“These Days” Rudimental, Jess Glynne, Macklemore, Dan Caplen
“Linger” The Cranberries
“Nellie” Dr. Dog
“Hallucinations” dvsn
“Edge of Midnight (Midnight Sky Remix)” Miley Cyrus, Stevie Nicks
Upbeat
“Come On Eileen” Dexys Midnight Runners
“Dead To Me” Kali Uchis
“Tongue Tied” Grouplove
“W.I.T.C.H.” Devon Cole
“Save Me Some Sunshine” Rafferty
What’s that song from TikTok?
“You’re so Vain” Carly Simon
“I Ain’t Worried” OneRepublic
“Anti-Hero” Taylor Swift
“Until I Found You” Stephen Sanchez
“I Love You So” The Walters
I Forgot About This Song!
“Nothin’ On You” B.o.B, Bruno Mars
“Just Can’t Get Enough” Black Eyed Peas
“Down” Jay Sean, Lil Wayne
“I’ll Be There For You / You’re All I Need To Get By” Method Man, Mary J. Blige
“Cleopatra” The Lumineers
Here is this week’s playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3jOd9YqPNEC91Qr1cf29zE?si=b497f08323f7419b
Music can mean something different to everyone, and that is the beauty of it. If you would like to collaborate with the Editor on this column, please reach out via email (bresciabuzz.editor@bucsc.ca) or Instagram @thebresciabuzz.