Art In All Its Forms Suraj Partha

NOTE: This episode was recorded in late 2021.
On this episode of the Art In All Its Forms podcast, Suraj speaks with Nate Sloan, a professor of musicology at USC and podcast host. They discuss how Nate decided to study musicology, his academic and research interests, what he admires about Taylor Swift and her artistry, and why he decided to co-host a podcast about popular music.
I learned so much by taking Nate’s jazz history class at USC in 2019. He was a fantastic professor, and it’s a privilege to have him on the podcast!
*****
Show Notes:
1. Nate Sloan’s Bio
2. Nate’s podcast with Charlie Harding, Switched on Pop
3. Nate and Charlie’s book “Switched on Pop: How Popular Music Works, and Why It Matters”
4. Nate’s article in The New York Times about the resurgence of funk music in recent years
5. Segregating Sound by Karl Hagstrom Miller


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NOTE: If you’d like to skip my commentary and go straight to the song, go to 2:01. However, I do suggest listening to the whole episode!
Thanks for tuning into the fifth episode of “25 Bad Songs,” an Art In All Its Forms podcast series where I write 25 songs — one song a week — and show you how I did it.
Today’s song, “How It Started (Virginia Woolf),” tells a story of a relationship beginning and how two people can build the foundation for a connection that lasts.
*****
Lyrics so far:
Verse 1She read Virginia WoolfSitting on a chair in the back of the courtyardLike it was a room of her own A room of her ownAnd that was all it tookFor me to knock on her imaginary doorToo soon to knowHow far it would go
Pre-chorusWell it starts with something in commonA book or a movie, a poemThen you’re out to dinner and you’re talkin’Holdin’ your hands while you’re walkin’
And you can’t wait to tell all of your friendsHoly s**t this is happeningTime seems to be moving fasterLet’s take a minute, flash forwardChorusTwenty years later you’re thinking about How it started (x3)Sitting there together and thinking about How it started (x3)


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NOTE: If you’d like to skip my commentary and go straight to the song, go to 13:13. However, I do suggest listening to the whole episode!
NOTE 2: Other than the title, this song has nothing to do with the new film, “Last Night In Soho.”
Thanks for tuning into the fifth episode of “25 Bad Songs,” an Art In All Its Forms podcast series where I (Suraj) write 25 songs — one song a week — and show you how I did it!
Today’s song, “Last Night In Soho,” tells a story of a breakup that happens in a very famous place and how rejection can be difficult to deal with.
*****
Full Lyrics:
Verse 1I’ll dress up nice if you say soCause it’s our last night in SohoLiving with zero regretsTrade in the t-shirt and sweatsOne look in the mirror before I go
Pre-chorus-ishStep up onto the streetAnd our eyes meetCan you believe this heatI keep on talking nervouslyWalking down West BroadwayThat’s when you say “shut up let’s get a drink”We go into the place right away
Build upSince that summer I met youI still look at you the same wayYou drink so slowly and put the glass downTo tell me everything’s changed
ChorusPlease don’t say anymoreI can’t handle the fallPlease don’t say anymoreI need help from the alcohol
Verse 2I dressed up nice cause you said soAnd it’s our last night in SohoBut now I can see what you meantOur relationship currency spentYou wanted to talk before you go
Pre-chorus-ish You’re so complicatedI don’t get it I’m too fadedTo make any sense of thisDon’t leave me though
Build up Since that summer I met youI still look at you the same wayYou drink so slowly and put the glass downTo tell me everything’s changed
ChorusPlease don’t say anymoreGuess I better walk out the doorPlease don’t say anymoreIt was good while it lasted though
Build upSince that summer I met youI still look at you the same wayYou drink so slowly and put the glass downTo tell me everything’s changed
ChorusPlease don’t say anymoreYour voice will leave me on the floorPlease don’t say anymoreI’m too immatureI’ll just take the train back home



Get full access to This and That at surajpartha.substack.com/subscribe

NOTE: If you’d like to skip my commentary and go straight to the song, go to 12:28. However, I do suggest listening to the whole episode!
Thanks for waiting an extra WEEK for the fourth episode of “25 Bad Songs,” an Art In All Its Forms podcast series where I (Suraj) write 25 songs — one song a week — and show you how I did it!
Today’s song, “When The Trees Smiled Back,” tells a story about nature, climate change, and the things we take for granted that could be lost forever.
*****
Full Lyrics:
Verse 1We used to listen to The Beatles on road tripsEarly morning drives through the forestSinging la di dah dah day, la di dah dah day
Open up the windows you could smell itRedwood trees and the foliageSinging la di dah dah day, la di dah dah day
Pre-chorus 1Painfully unaware when we were youngerPlaying in the park as the fire got hotterSmiling at the trees in the scorching summerBut now I wish for the days
Chorus 1Back when the trees smiled back at usGet on your knees and pray for usThat they’ll smile another day, smile another dayBack when the trees smiled back at usYou better hope there’s hope for usThat the smoke will clear away, they’ll smile another day
Verse 2We used to listen to lay on the ground, feel the grass growLook at the sky and the stars aboveSinging la di dah dah day, la di dah dah day
Open up your eyes, you can see itThe things we take for granted gonna slip through our fingertipsImagine it, even if its too hard to admit
Pre-chorus 2Painfully unaware when we were youngerWe’re too lazy to let the world live longerSmiling at the trees in the scorching summerWishing for better days
Chorus 2Back when the trees smiled back at usGet on your knees and pray for usThat they’ll smile another day, smile another dayBack when the trees smiled back at usYou better hope there’s hope for usThat the smoke will clear away, they’ll smile another day
BridgeThe world’s gonna come crashing down around us and we can’t be bothered (x4) (La di dah dah day) (x3)
Chorus 2Back when the trees smiled back at usGet on your knees and pray for usThat they’ll smile another day, smile another dayBack when the trees smiled back at usYou better hope there’s hope for usThat the smoke will clear away, they’ll smile another day
OutroLa di dah dah day


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NOTE: If you’d like to skip my commentary and go straight to the song, go to 8:08. However, I do suggest listening to the whole episode!
Thanks for waiting an extra day for the third episode of “25 Bad Songs,” an Art In All Its Forms podcast series where I (Suraj) write 25 songs — one song a week — and show you how I did it!
Today’s song, “I’ll Do It Anyway,” tells a very broad story about power and the desire to keep it, even if it was required through illegitimate means. It is very loosely based on a conversation I had with my sister, as well as the Showtime TV show “Billions,” starring Damien Lewis and Paul Giamatti.
*****
Full Lyrics:
Verse 1You can say I’m a devilYou can say I’m a foolBut I’m on a higher levelWhere I make my own rules
I know you’re out to get mePull out the pistols at dawnDon’t bother tryna hurt meWhen you say that I’m wrong
ChorusI’ll do it anyway (x4)
Verse 2Can you believe these people When they see what I built they wanna tear it all downNo respect, only wanna catch meI’m moving too fast, they want me to slow downTake a breath, make a threat, look me in the eyes when you say, “It’s going down”Oh, it’s going down
I know I’m not so perfectI’ve played the game for too longBut it’s all been worth itEven I’m doing wrong
ChorusI’ll do it anyway (x4)
Solo
ChorusI’ll do it anyway (x4)


Get full access to This and That at surajpartha.substack.com/subscribe

NOTE: If you’d like to skip my commentary and go straight to the song, go to 14:47. However, I do suggest listening to the whole episode!
Thanks for tuning in to the second episode of “25 Bad Songs,” an Art In All Its Forms podcast series where I (Suraj) write 25 songs — one song a week — and show you how I did it!
Today’s song, “Always In My Head,” tells the story of a troubled father-son relationship. It is very loosely based on Franz Kafka’s letter to his father, which he wrote in November of 1919.
*****
Full Lyrics:
Verse 1Hey dad, I know it’s been a minuteI called to tell you one thingThat the apple falls far from the treePeople see you and they don’t recognize me
I used to try to be what you wantedIt didn’t work out, you were always disappointedI was tired of it all, I was doneWalked right out and then I wasn’t your son
Pre-chorus 1But even if I move to somewhere far away from you I still feel sick itIt doesn’t matter what I try There’s no escaping itI don’t want to admit that I’d be lost without you
ChorusOh Oh OhhI wanna be my own manBut I can’t forget all of the s**t you saidYou’re always in my head
Oh Oh OhhI can’t understandWhy I can’t forget all of the s**t you saidYou’re always in my head
Verse 2Hey Dad, I know you didn’t think I’d call to tell you one thingWhen you said that I was weak you were wrongI was trying to be kind and I was so young
I used to be afraid of monsters under my bedYou threw me out into the cold that nightThought I’d freeze to deathBe the master of your fate, you said
Pre-chorus 2And even though I try to close my ears I’m always listeningI don’t want to admit that I’d be lost without you
Chorus (x2)Oh Oh OhhI wanna be my own manBut I can’t forget all of the s**t you saidYou’re always in my head
Oh Oh OhhI can’t understandWhy I can’t forget all of the s**t you saidYou’re always in my head


Get full access to This and That at surajpartha.substack.com/subscribe