My Songprint

Greetings, my name is Joan Schopmeyer . I was born and raised in the southern tip of Indiana known as Evansville. I grew up in a Catholic family which included Sunday morning church every week and private schooling my entire life... well, until now. I am the third of four children, and the second to attend IU. When we were younger we had Friday night pizza and music sessions in the basement, which basically consisted of my father blaring his music of choice on the stereo system and the kids dancing along. My dad has been an influence on my music selection as well as the passion I possess for music in general.  After the awkward middle school "punk/hip-hop/I don't know who I am" stage, my music interest started reflecting my dad's more and more as the years went by. My passion grew as I did, and I started attending any and every concert in town and out of town. Through the years concert going was always something my family enjoyed doing and as I became more independent I started attending concerts more frequently with my own group of friends. I am known for my crazy obsession with bugging security after concerts until I meet the artist, get an autograph or set list, or most recently, a piece of their equipment. With this passion for performance and respect for the subject, I long to have a carrier promoting music in some way.

Michael McDonald- Blink of an Eye

Michael McDonald in this song quite literally talks about the fact that time flies by in the blink of an eye. Recently graduating and leaving the comfort of my home of nineteen years, I am starting to realize how quickly time does go by. One can be warned that life is short and to be prepared for 20 years to go by in the blink of an eye, but how can one actually prepare for that? In this song it is quoted:

Sometimes you look so far, there's only so much time
Only so many of us are gonna get there
Here and now is all we really have
But if we can make it count, we got no reason to worry

These lines express the importance of living life to the fullest and making each second count. Why dread the end when that is completely out of our control? "There's a time to be born and a time to cross over." To me, making life worth living is important in gaining respect in society and it is crucial in understanding what living is really for. 

Bonnie Raitt- I Will Not Be Broken

These lyrics stand as a symbol for strength and independence to some. Throughout life I have been pushed around by many and I have been told who I am by others. Through these lyrics it is expressed how one should not let another define them. There is an importance in knowing who you are and what you stand for, and no other person can tell you different. I am aware I will encounter instances in life where one might think he or she can break me or pull me around, but growing up my parents emphasized on the critical value of being one's own self. Bonnie quotes, "I will not be someone other than who I am. I will fight to make my stand ,'cause what is livin' if I can't live free? What is freedom if I can't be me?" Life is not about letting others define who you are, life is about discovering who you are in your own ways and taking a stand in what you believe. Letting someone break you gets you no where. Having the strength and confidence to stand up for yourself gets you anywhere. 

Stevie Wonder- Higher Ground

The world never stops turning, people come and people go, fate will always take its course. I have learned in life to long for the top, to fight for your goals. You cannot sleep through life and expect success to come your way. No matter how many times you fail, you have to brush the dirt off and get up to try again. There are points in life, I have discovered, where you might receive a second shot at something. If you receive the opportunity to try again, never take the opportunity for granted. Each day is a new day, a fresh start in becoming the person you are intended to be. There comes a point in life when one might realize he has not been living the way he should, and the realization of that forces him to have this desire to live a better life than he was. I believe everyday you should long to reach a higher ground than where you stood the day before. 

Josh Thompson- Comin' Around

I was raised on rock and roll, steal guitar, and a little bit of funk. Ever since I was young I was consumed in some genre of music. Growing up, I but-heads with my parents more often than none, and in middle school I was hard headed and found it necessary to make a point I was not at all a resemblance of my father. Every time my father would try to intervene when I was playing my music in the car, I would react by rolling my eyes and adding a harsh comment about his music. In this song though, it explains how his father's music was like "nails on a chalkboard" but he is now coming around to the realization that he actually enjoys his dads stuff and he is more like his father than he thought. He mentions multiple times in the song how he is turning into someone he never thought he would be. Growing up, I went to church every Sunday and when I was young I never appreciated the gospel or what the preacher was saying. Honestly, I was just looking forward to the fried chicken or tacos we would be having after. Recently though, I have developed an attachment to my faith and where I come from that I never thought I would have. I am seeing things from a point of view I have never had before and this song is the perfect index to my growing up and maturing into who I am today. As Josh says though, "I'm still a little more lost than I am found, but I'm comin' around."

Fleetwood Mac- Landslide

"This is for you, Daddy."

Ever since I have heard this live version of the song, it has instantly reminded me of, you guessed it, my dad. As much as I told myself growing up that I was nothing like my dad, I now am beginning to see more resemblances of him in me than I would have ever imagined. I never really became conscious of the fact that I relied on my parents for so much, or better yet, how much of an impact on my life they have been.

  

Well, I've been afraid of changing
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older I'm getting older too

This song commonly provides indices to the public of moments where one is growing up and realizing life is so much more diverse than what they thought it out to be. Growing up is an overwhelming feeling, and you start to realize you are drowning in a world that is constantly changing, for better or for worse. Stevie Nicks also vocalizes, "Oh if you climb a mountain and you turn around, if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills, well the landslide will bring you down." That verse itself is hard to comprehend and different people understand it different ways solely based on their experience in life. For me, the lyrics symbolize leaving a lasting impression and that life is fragile. It is about grasping on to the fact that life is more than who we are. Your quest is not for you, you have a bigger purpose in life, basically, you can choose to be a taker, or you can choose to be a giver.