By: Beth Kephart ,
on 10/15/2015
By: The PubCrawl Crew,
on 10/2/2015
Hello, readers! Once again, we’ve brought out the Upcoming Titles feature. This month we’re focusing a bit on spooky reads as October is HALLOWEEN MONTH! (Or at least that’s what all the stores tell us.) As always, this is by no means a comprehensive list of forthcoming releases, just a compilation of titles we think our readers (and our contributors!) would enjoy.
Without further ado:
** Distinguished PubCrawl alumni
By: Maryann Yin,
on 6/4/2015
The cover has been unveiled for Pharrell Williams’ forthcoming picture book, Happy. We’ve embedded the full image for the jacket design above—what do you think?
Earlier this year, the famed singer and music producer signed a four-book deal with Putnam Books for Young Readers. People.com reports that the publisher will release the book on October 6th.
Add a Comment
By: Maryann Yin,
on 5/22/2015
Have you ever composed an acrostic poem? The process involves taking the first letter of a word and spelling out new words to form a cohesive piece. The video embedded above showcases the four superstar coaches of The Voice dabbling in this art form.
Christina Aguilera and Adam Levine of Maroon 5 wrote pieces for the other. Blake Shelton and Pharrell Williams paired off to produce pieces about one another. What do you think?
Add a Comment
By: Miranda Dobson,
on 5/5/2015
The infrequency of two high-profile songsters or their representatives going all the way to trial over claims of copyright infringement means that such a case usually receives heightened public scrutiny. This is especially so when mere sampling of the plaintiff's song is not at issue. In recent years, few cases have drawn more public attention than the dispute between the Marvin Gaye estate and singer/songwriter Robin Thicke and song producer Pharrell Williams, over whether the song "Blurred Lines" infringed Marvin Gaye's 1977 hit, "Got to Give It Up."
The post The “Blurred Lines” of music and copyright: Part two appeared first on OUPblog.
By: Miranda Dobson,
on 4/28/2015
A peppy beat and bassline. Cowbell. An ecstatic whoop in the background. Make a note, because all these elements now belong to family of Marvin Gaye. Or do they? The recent verdict against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams in the 'Blurred Lines' case has perplexed followers of the music industry. One might think the ruling was a vindication of the rights of artists, but composers like Bonnie McKee see it differently.
The post The “Blurred Lines” of music and copyright: Part one appeared first on OUPblog.
By: VictoriaD,
on 11/20/2014
Oxford Dictionaries included bae on its Word of the Year 2014 shortlist, so we invited several experts to comment on the growth of this word in music and language.
Today we’re here to talk about the word bae and the ways in which it’s used in hip hop lyrics. Bae is another way of saying babe or baby (though some say it can also function as an acronym for the phrase “before anyone else”). Here are some examples:
Childish Gambino’s “The Palisades”
In this song, Donald Glover sings “Now why can’t every day be like this…Hang with bae at the beach like this.” Judging from the rest of the lyrics and recent pictures of him with a young woman on the beach, I’d say he’s talking about a girlfriend in this case.
Jay-Z’s “30 Something”
In the chorus of this song, Jay-Z repeats the line, “bae boy, now I’m all grown up”. The overall song reads like an updated version of 1 Corinthians 13:11 (“When I was a child, I talked like a child…When I became a man, I put away childish things”). Here bae seems to be standing in for the word baby, as in baby boy.
Pharrell Williams’ “Come Get It Bae”
The video pretty much makes it crystal clear what the use is here: babe, referring to all the dancing ladies presumably.
Lil Wayne’s “Marvin’s Room (Sorry 4 the Wait)”
Bae shows up right at the end of the track, in the line “She call me ‘baby’ and I call her ‘bae’”. Here it’s clear that Lil Wayne’s bae is an alternate version of her baby.
Fifth Harmony’s “Bo$$”
Ok, I know this is actually pop, but I wanted to include it because it’s so catchy. The overall tone of the lyrics is classic girl power, including the line “I ain’t thirsty for no bae cuz I already know watchu tryna say”. Given the content of the rest of the lyrics, it seems like bae is being substituted for the sense in which babe can refer to boyfriend.
It will be interesting to see what kind of cultural capital bae will accrue in the coming years. Will it thrive, or go the way of flitter-mouse? For more on the many and varied terms of endearment the English language has offered through the ages, check out these unusual terms of endearment in the Oxford English Dictionary.
Headline image credit: Post-Sopa Blackout Party for Wikimedia Foundation staff by Victor Grigas (Victorgrigas). CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
The post Bae in hip hop lyrics appeared first on OUPblog.
By: Maryann Yin,
on 5/7/2014
What books make you happy?
The BookExpo America (BEA) team is “Happy (To Read).” The video embedded above showcases BEA staff members dancing with books to Pharrell Williams’ Oscar-nominated song, “Happy.”
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Add a Comment
By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 12/13/2011
Meet Sofia the First, Disney’s first little girl princess (aimed at preschoolers. Sophia will appear on the network in a TV movie and series. While little girls have long looked up to Disney princesses, they’ll finally have one their own age who... Read the rest of this post
By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 5/23/2011
Beliebers can now get Justin in a bottle (with the launch of his new perfume, a fruity scent — tinted purple, of course — called Someday. Cuz, Justin says, “the way a girl smells is important to a guy!” Hmmm, will Selena Gomez... Read the rest of this post
By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 5/11/2011
It’s graduation season, and what will college students (be doing now that they’re leaving school? 85% are moving home with mom and dad, according to one study. Sorry, IKEA, but next quarter isn’t looking so good. What other options... Read the rest of this post
