Blog Post 4: "Great Speckled Bird"

 

This week I listened to Roy Acuff’s “Great Speckled Bird” and I do not think I have ever heard a song like this before. First impression honestly reminded me of the show SpongeBob a little because of the frequent sliding sound that goes up. Looking at the history and lyrics of the song, Acuff is singing about the great speckled bird in the King James Bible Jeremiah 12:9. This song is a hymn and I think it is quite interesting and talks about standing up for what you believe and being strong even in the face of adversity.

The song also has a very stable tune and has an ABAC format. The range of the song is not all over the place and is somewhat conservative in my opinion. The guitar has a steady part during the song, and I cannot tell if the sliding sound is violin or something else. I would say this is an early western song as it has the western feel but not as heavy as I would classify as western. The song fits into country as it has instruments like the guitar, base, violin, etc. and talks about faith and women. Overall I liked the song, it provided a pleasant feel, but I would not readily listen to it if I had the opportunity.