Another Eagles Report

Last school year I did a report on Hotel California. Thanks to everyone's help, I did really well on it. This year I'm doing a compare/contrast essay about Eagles Music vs Today's Pop Music. I want to get another A+ for the Eagles. I'd appreciate your help again since we did well last time. Thank you so much! Here's the report:

Eagles Music vs. Today’s Pop Music

Don Henley, who is one of the founding members of the Eagles, suggests, “Time passes things change.” As the trends of a decade change, so does the music. The Eagles are a band that started in the 1970s when the style was country rock with long lyrics. Today’s pop music was written 40 years later when the style has changed to all rhythm and beat and no superior lyrics. That time difference between the Eagles music and Today’s pop music, brings differences in the way the music is made and the style of lyrics but both types are famous.

The two types of music are made differently. Real people play each note on an Eagles song. They have real guitars and real pianos. In today’s pop music, premade notes are built up on a computer to make a song. Nobody played on it; there is no human interaction that creates an unexplainable sensation in a song. Eagles albums were made on records while today’s pop music is made onto a CD. A CD may sound clearer, but a record gives the song a rugged feel that makes the song sharper. The Eagles put time and effort into their songs. The practice and the thought shines into the song which makes it last a life time. Today’s pop music is commercialized to sell so that everyone involved in the song makes money. They don’t care about their song like the Eagles do.

The lyrics of the songs in both types of music are drastically different. In Eagles songs, the lyrics are meaningful. The lyrics boost you up when you’re sad, comfort you when you’re scared, and rally you when you’re excited. They surround you and lift your mood. Today’s songs in pop music don’t have that many words in them. The lyrics are repetitive or just speak of partying. They aren’t meaningful. Flowing is a great word to describe Eagles song lyrics. The words go from one to the next and keep the song moving. The lyrics in today’s pop music are unclear. In some cases, the words are completely inaudible because they are so slurred. Too many times, an artist’s song is written by someone else. Then, the song has no personal meaning. If it has no meaning to the artist, it won’t have meaning to the people who hear it. The Eagles wrote their songs from the heart. It makes the song more complete and understandable.

Lastly, both types of music are famous. They are well-known for different reasons but you can hear them on the radio or watch the music video on T.V. Both types have fans and that’s why they thrive. Everyone becomes a fan of the music they like. Fans are the ones who listen to their favorite type of music and support it.

Time makes a difference in style which creates differences. Even though there are major differences due to the trends of the time, there still are similarities. Eagles music and today’s pop music are the same in that they are both famous but they differ in lyrics and the way the music is made.

Honestly, I think you might want to re-evaluate your content. You make a lot of generalizations about today's pop music that I'm not sure are accurate. While it's true there are pop singers out there who are all fluff, it's not the case for all of today's pop music. I guess part of it depends on how you're defining "today's pop music." What artists do you have in mind? Some people have called Adele pop, but her music has a lot to say and some of her lyrics are very insightful. On the other hand, while the Eagles do have great lyrics most of the time, the band also has a few lyrical fails like "Teenage Jail" in its catalog. Avoid the kind of "all" / "none" / "every" statements that leave no room for exceptions. The Eagles are not 100% flawless and today's pop music is not 100% worthless. If you want to compare/contrast, speak in terms of "most" or "many" rather than "all."

If I were you, I'd pick a certain artist in particular to contrast with the Eagles and I'd use examples to back up my arguments. You can't make claims without proof.

I'd also do more research into how music is made. While it's true that computers are used a great deal now, there are still many artists who use "real" instruments. Also, the final format (vinyl vs CD) has little to do with what goes on in the studio. Furthermore, the Eagles have released music in the post-vinyl era; is that music inferior as a result? Your argument implies that.

I'm not trying to be down on you - I definitely agree that the Eagles are better than anything being put out today - but I think you need to cut out all those sweeping generalizations and take a more nuanced approach to make this paper work.

Thanks soda! This helps a lot! I guess I'm being pretty biased. :oops: I didn't realize it. I'll work on it though. I'll let you know how I do. Thank you again!