POP SONG'S SECRET RECIPE

Intro

Verse

Chorus

Verse 2

Chorus 2

Solo

Chorus 3

Outro

Does this look familiar to you? This has been the structure for most pop music for the past few years. A pop song usually consists of a series of verses, interspersed with a refrain(Chorus), and often with an instrumental breakdown(which are the favourite parts of songs of many, including yours truly).

The chorus is usually arranged to be in contrast with the verses harmonically, melodically and lyrically in a colourful burst of sound. Choruses are usually fuller in sound, and usually contain the 'hook' of the piece.

People have attempted to alter this primordial structure to give their songs a unique twist of their own, which ultimately resulted in the single-hook-endless-repetition songs that we have today.

It's a matter of personal taste in music, so I shall not delve any further into the genres of music.

"Four Chords" is one of the best work from The Axis of Awesome and only by using 4 simple chords a series of beautiful songs can be made.

James Blunt - You're Beautiful

Alphaville - Forever Young

Jason Mraz - I'm Yours

Mika - Happy Ending

Alex Lloyd - Amazing

The Calling - Wherever You WIll Go

Elton John - Can You Feel The Love Tonight

Maroon 5 - She Will Be Loved

The Last Goodnight - Pictures Of You

U2 - With Or Without You

Crowded House - Fall At Your Feet

Kasey Chambers - Not Pretty Enough

The Beatles - Let it Be

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under the Bridge

Daryl Braithwaite - The Horses

Bob Marley - No Woman No Cry

Marcy Playground - Sex and Candy

Men At Work - Land Down Under

Banjo Patterson's Waltzing Matilda

A Ha - Take On Me

Green Day - When I Come Around

Eagle Eye Cherry - Save Tonight

Toto - Africa

Beyonce - If I Were A Boy

The Offspring - Self Esteem

The Offspring - You're Gonna Go Far Kid

Pink - You and Your Hand

Lady Gaga - Poker Face

Aqua - Barbie Girl

The Fray - You Found Me

30h!3 - Don't Trust Me

MGMT - Kids

Tim Minchin - Canvas Bags

Natalie Imbruglia - Torn

Five For Fighting - Superman

Axis Of Awesome - Birdplane

Missy Higgins - Scar

This work is an attempt to outline the perceived formulaic nature of popular songs. I play piano myself and frankly by twisting and arranging these 4 chords it gives off beautiful-beautiful musics.

LEGACY : HUMANS?

I was watching 2012 on one particular afternoon. Then some weird idea hit me. You know, the world is not immortal. Nothing is. What do you think would happen if humanity were to disappear?

Let's imagine a future where there are no more humans on Planet Earth. A future where all humans are dead, or missing. A possible dimension where the world is free, without mankind.


I went out, one day, taking a stroll on the streets of human infrastructure. My mission was to observe all signboards, the buildings and the sidewalks, looking at everything as though all humans were to disappear. There must be another sentient, intelligent civilisation out there. What if they were to come across our deserted planet, one that had no signs of life?

I picture them to land and gather information regarding the human civilisation, by looking at the relics we left behind. What would they conclude? 

What would YOU conclude?

Strolling down the streets, I see signboards and advertisements of people laughing, having fun. Flyers of insurance and bank loans are all over the pavement. The graffiti on the walls would probably make no sense to the lifeforms that would learn our history. I assume myself to be one of them, seeing everything in a different angle.

I see a group of people laughing at random people passing by. I remind myself that they are not there in this particular future, the future where no humans remain. I stroll on.

Electronic paraphernalia and screens flash and flare. Would they still work once humans are gone? I suppose so, since electricity cycle is automated. Probably not for long. I observe the images on the television screen. Bands perform, newsanchors drone on, citizens lament...

WHY DO YOU NEED SOAP?

Im sure all of us had the day where we're in too much of a hurry to shower/bathe properly. Yes, this happened to me recently. So, i was thinking....in a hustle of the morning, why should i shower with soap.

It feels clean at first but on my way to school, i started to feel 'unclean', although i could have sworn that i'd washed my entire body properly, without soap. So i think for a while. If using soap (or not using it) be the main  trigger for uncomfortable feeling of dirtiness, and then i wonder how did the ancients survive without soap.


So, here is the answer.




Let me tell how how does soap work. Soap is made of two chemicals: a fatty acid and a base, that are attached to each other. The fatty acid end is hydrophobic, it latches on to anything else but water, so it sticks to the dirt on your skin. The base end is highly hydrophilic, and when you rinse your body with water, the base end pulls the fatty-acid with it, and all dirt with it, leaving you with clean skin.

TA-DA~!

IMAGINATION

This garfield cartoon strip is really interesting and inspiring as well...try focus on the last panel. An imagination is a powerful tool. It can tint memories of the past, shade perceptions of the present, or paint a future so vivid that it can be entice...or terrify, all depending upon how we conduct ourselves today.

Imagination has a great role and value in each one's life. It is much more than just idle daydreaming. We all use it, whether consciously or unconsciously, in most of our daily affairs. I did "imagine" a lot of things when i got nothing better to do. :) A developed and strong imagination does not make you a daydreamer. On the contrary, it strengthen your creative abilities, and is a great tool for recreating and remodeling your world and life.

So guys. use your imagination to build mental scenes, objects or any events you want...let it run wild instead of suppressing it. :D have a nice day yah!

TRASH THE ASH

I always wonder, why do people smoke? This question strikes my mind when I was sitting at the mamak stall spacing out watching someone lighting his cigarette. It's kind of interesting if you can imagine the lit cigarette acted as a beacon. It gets brighter as you inhale and the light slowly disappears as you stop inhaling, drawing in any people who happened to see or smell it.

I would be lying if I said I never tried a cigarette before, you know...out of curiosity. Well, the story goes like this, there is one time when my friend invited me to take a puff. I did. Then i ran to a nearby stall and drained a total of 2 to 3 cans of 100 plus, drinking so furiously that half of it ran down my chin and onto my shirt. How could he, or anyone, really, make a habit of something so fundamentally unpleasant? Seriously!! So guys, be smart and don't start. Try learning from these interesting and creative anti smoking advertisement, each picture has their own meaning, understand it and you will know that smoking beings only harm to you and the people around you

   

Top 45 Creative Anti-Smoking Advertisements. (2009, May 18). The Design Inspiration. Retrieved June 20, 2012, from http://thedesigninspiration.com/articles/top-45-creative-anti-smoking-advertisements/ 

LIFE OF THE ALLNIGHTER

I found one very interesting picture in Facebook today. This is a life of an “all-nighter” who spent all night rushing assignments/projects. Hmm, don’t you think this is quite true? Where people would procrastinate as much as they can and this is what happened. Frankly, I am the “Allnighter”.

People like me love to do things when there is only a few days left to the submission date. However I find it quite challenging and thrilling doing things at the last minutes, it's like your heart misses a beat. The overwhelming fear of unable to finish your assignments in time pushes you to the limit where your mind reaches a state where It won’t stop thinking. However in the end, when you managed to pass up your assignment its like all of your stress is stripped away from you. J Ahhh...totally reminds me of my last semester.

HMMM, WHY I DIDN'T THINK OF THAT?

Have you ever experienced that your friend/colleague done something that turns out great, instead of being happy for their success, all you can think is, “Why didn’t I think of that before?” Frankly speaking, I once thought of that before, especially when one of my friends managed to think of a better idea than mine.

Jealousy is a common emotion in people. It’s easy to view a friend/colleague’s gain as your loss. So, instead of wasting time beating yourself up, how bout tries to put this energy to work for you. If your friend/colleague can do it, why can’t you? Let their good luck propel you forward, and remind yourself that your goals are achievable too. See them as an example J.

You can also learn from them, pay closer attention to them, it may look like pure luck, but usually more to it than that. Jealousy? Left to itself, is a drain of energy. Next time when you find yourself pulling out your hair, wondering “Why didn’t I think of that before?” Take a few breaths, then think again. J