Today the freewrite is based on the song "Drift Away," (made popular by Dobie Gray)rearranged by Rene Marie on her latest album Voice of My Beautiful Country (Motema).
Oh, today is the Last Day to Drop Summer Session Classes Without “W” Appearing on Transcripts.
Reflect on the lyrics. You can think about Ma and Kim or yourself (smile).
Drift Away
(composers Williams, Warren and Heidi Williams)
Day after day I'm more confused
So I look for the light in the pouring rain
You know that's a game that I hate to lose
I'm feelin' the strain, ain't it a shame
Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
Beginning to think that I'm wastin' time
I don't understand the things I do
The world outside looks so unkind
I'm countin' on you to carry me through
And when my mind is free
You know a melody can move me
And when I'm feelin' blue
The guitar's comin' through to soothe me
Thanks for the joy that you've given me
I want you to know I believe in your song
Rhythm and rhyme and harmony
You help me along makin' me strong
26 comments:
James, Deborah
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
30 June 2011
“Drift Away” – Rene Marie
Voice of My Beautiful Country (Motema 2011) renemarie.com
The song has been slowed down considerably in this rendition of the song made popular by Dobie Gray in the 1970’s allowing time to reflect on the powerful lyrids. The words and musical tonality evoke a powerful feeling of becoming lost “in a better place” and freed from the daily cares and stresses of life.
The lyrics “Gimme me the freedom and free my soul . . . I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away” present a powerful and soothing image of forgetting whatever situation is being endured and a sense of freedom from strife. Spirituals evolved out of the American slavery experience and were a way for the slaves to make their work more bearable while singing songs such as “Steal Away to Jesus,” “Soon I Will Be Done With the Troubles of the World,” and “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen.”
Mankind has sought refuge from the sometimes harsh realities of life through musical escape and comfort. Mourning songs have accompanied funerals and sometimes tragic human situations. Folk and religious songs frequently visit themes of respite and relaxation. The lyrics “I don’t none of the things I do . . . the world outside looks so unkind” reflect a universal feeling of the ofttimes “cold, cruel world” and a desire for some assistance in facing it.
Daniel Lu
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
31 June 2011
Freewrite:
I think that Ma especially would like “Drift Away” by Rene Marie, due to the musician in her heart. In “Girl in Translation”, Ma is deprived of a key part of her life, with her long hours at the factory allowing for none of the luxuries of music she had back in Hong Kong when she was a music teacher. Simply to be able to listen to music would give her joy. I think that she would appreciate the accompanying piano, the emotion in the singer’s words, even if she couldn’t understand what Rene is singing about. But if Ma could understand the lyrics, I think this song would have an even more resounding impact with her, the chorus of “Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away,” appealing to Ma, who probably would want to simply be able to forget her worries and “drift away” on music.
Marie, Rene. "Drift Away." Voice of My Beautiful Country. Motema, 2011.
Kwok, Jean. Girl in Translation. New York: Riverhead, 2010. Print.
Virgil Gamble
Professor Sabir
English 1B
30 June 2011
Free Write:
“Drift Away “was a refreshing remake. I feel that it expressed a yearning for a distraction from all of life’s trial and tribulations. In the case of Kim and Ma, I would say it summarizes the feeling of fright that they bother faced when arriving to America. They probably really wanted to “drift away” when they faced people speaking a language, with different cultures, that they didn’t understand.
Works Cited:
Rene Marie. Voice of My Beautiful Country. “Drift Away.” Motema, 2011.CD.
Stephanie Chan
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
30 June 2011
Drift Away Free-Write
This song is really melodic, which makes the song more enjoyable. I like so slow rhythms of the song because it makes me feel at peace. The song does justice to its title; I want to drift away somewhere far where I hear the slow wave-like percussions. I like how she makes a classic song more modern and appealing to newer audiences. The lyrics seem to connect to most audiences and generations. The iconic line of the song "give me the beat boys and free my soul/ I want to get lost in rock and roll and drift away" really describes the meaning of the song; to be able to feel care free and not feel guilty about it.
"Drift Away"-Rene Marie Voice of My Beautiful Country (Motema 2011)
Jeffrey To
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
30 June 2011
Freewrite: Drift away-Rene Maxie from her CD
The song is about escaping reality by using music. Music is the medication and answer to some people’s problems. In Drift Away the song is talking about drifting away from the world using music. Music contains different lyrics, flows, beats, and rhythms. Using these different types of things in songs help the listener relate to the song and just go to a different world. They would zoom out all their problems and just listen to the song. Music helps push people and move them forward. The song talks about how positive music is.
Rene Maxie version of drift away is very slow compare to the one I listened to by Magnetic North. The Magnetic North version is the hip hop version. The version by Magnetic North is faster. Their version of Drift Away mentions different genre of music such as hip hop and rock and roll. This version of the song is sung by a duet a boy and girl. The lyrics in this version of drift away using flows, beats and rhythms to drift away from reality.
Rene Maxie talks about rock and roll. She uses rock and roll to drift away. I do not recall her mentioning any other types of music. Rene Maxie version of the song is slower. This helps the person listening to the music calms down ands listen to the lyrics more clearly. I did not know there was a different version of the song.
Marie, Rene. “Drift Away.” Voice of My Beautiful Country. Montema. 2011.CD
Alex Lam
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
30 June 2011
Freewrite #5
Drift Away – Rene Marie from her CD Voice of My Beautiful Country (Motema 2011) renemarie.com
“Drift Away”, from Rene Marie, reminds me of how music can make you feel better and stronger. In this song, the character is asking for everything that would make her “free her soul”. In a way, she’s asking for something that would liberate her. The song says that no matter how bad you life might be, you’ll always have a friend looking over you.
I’ve listen to some other versions of “Drift Away” such as Dobie Gray’s, but this one is more smoothing and calm. The way Rene Marie sings it make it easier for us to listen to the lyrics and understand what each word could mean.
Work cited:
Marie, Rene. “Drift Away.” Voice of My Beautiful Country. Motema, 2011.
B.P
English 1B
Professor Wanda Sabir
30 June 2011
The song “Drift Away” fits very well with what Kim and Ma share with each other, music. When Rene Marie sings about music and drifting away into its sweet sounds, it resembles how Kim feels with her mother’s music, how it would allow Kim to drift away back to the joyful past away from her present troubles. The music also allows Ma to stay in touch with her past, to never forget who she was back in her home country and through music, become the thrilling music teacher she once was. There are hints of mother-child relationships in Marie’s song, as she mentions the struggle of taking care of one another and how the mother cares for her children. Kim takes care of Ma, but Ma becomes Kim’s ball-and-chain, grounding her to succeed rather than run away from everything they had hoped to achieve.
On the first line when she says “day after day I get more confused,” it ties into the idea of drifting away because it shows how she doesn’t want to drift away into her current situation, where day after day she gets more confused, but rather drift away into rock and roll where she feels comfortable in. In this music, she becomes free, and becomes the factor that keeps her from losing to present-day hardships.
Work Cited
Gray, Dobie. “Drift Away.” Voice of My Beautiful Country: Rene Marie. Motema. CD. 2011.
Raymond Ye
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
30 June 2011
Freewrite 5
“Drift Away” by Rene Marie is inspiring to all people suffering through anything. The song says life isn’t always at its best, but there are friends you can count on to help you through it. That friend does not have to necessarily be an animate object. Music, memories, or hope can be the guidance and motivation to help someone through a tough situation. For most people, they rely on friends or role models for any situation throughout their lives. Kim and ma go through hard times as they first get to America, but this song would tell them to never lose hope, just lean on your friends whenever you are down.
Rene Marie. Voice of My Beautiful Country. “Drift Away.” Motema, 2011.CD
Gerardo Guzman
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
30 June 2011
DRIFT AWAY FREE WRITE
The song “Drift Away” tells of a person yearning to be free, not in the physical sense, but emotionally. The chorus contains the lines, “Oh, give me the beat boys and free my soul/ I wanna get lost in your rock and roll/ And drift away.” This is a sentiment held by people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. People fall into the daily doldrums of sc hool and work…day after day after day of the same routine. If only one could escape for a little while. A week. A day. An hour. A breath. Humans aren’t meant to be indoors all day sitting at a computer or listening to lectures about 16th century French poetry. We are a people on the move who need to be exploring new cities, bathing in the ocean, and sleeping under the clear night sky. Our sedentary lifestyle has brought about an obesity epidemic and an addiction to all things technological. Do people really need to update their Facebook status every hour?
In high school I hated having to read Henry David Thoeau’s Walden Pond. However, it seems that slim book is more applicable now than ever before. There needs to be a reconnection with Nature and an acknowledge that we are borne of the earth and shall return into to. From dust to dust. There needs to a respect for our planet as our ever increasing population and climate change are on a dangerous course.
There are many pressures in today’s life and people are constantly stressed. If only we can step outside and drift away for a while.
Marie, Rene. “Drift Away.” Voice of My Beautiful Country. Motema, 2011. CD.
Joanna Louie
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
30 June 2011
Free Write: Drift Away
Drift Away, artist Rene Marie, is a song that describes wanting to move past the hard times one may face. One path to find comfort and to escape is through music. Through the lyrics of the song, she wants to find freedom. Marie sings, “Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul/I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away”. “I wanna get lost in your rock and roll” means she wants the music to take over her hardships, her thoughts. She wants the rhythm of the music to carry her to a place of relaxation, a place without worries and fear; she wants to “drift away”. Even through the “pouring rain”, she knows “light” may be found, there is a way for her mind to escape the difficulties, and for Marie, it’s through the lines, beat, and melody of music. Even through the unhappiness, “music comes through to sooth [her]”. In many ways I agree with the course of the song. Often in times of stress, I turn to music for comfort, to pick me up and “drift away”. There is something about the combination of words and the beat to any song that makes the perfect remedy for relaxation or encouragement. At times I need inspiration words, it is the music that allows my mind to wonder freely and to believe anything is achievable. At times of sadness, it is the music that brings me comfort. Music is a form of art, a form of expression, it “sooth[s] me”, just as it soothes Marie.
Work Cited
Marie, Rene. “Drift Away.” Voice of My Beautiful Country. Charleston Sound, 2010. CD.
Ricardo Antonio Chavarria
Professor Sabir
English 1B
30 June 2011
Freewrite: Drift Away
The song Drift Away brings me back to the topic of freedom. Freedom from the responsibilities of being a college student and responsibilities to others. I am also familiar with the original song of Drift Away. My parents used to play the song in the car or at the house when I was younger. It was a time when I did not have as many responsibilities as I did today, so when I heard the song I thought about the original and it automatically brought back memories.
I think another meaning of the song is the trust and dependence on others for help. There are times when you need to rely on others for help because you cannot do everything by yourself. One of Kimberly Chang’s flaws was that she had too much pride. She did not accept any help from her friends at the beginning and did not even invite her to the house. Kimberly’s mom also refused any further help because she believed that she would be too indebted to everyone. The song Drift Away describes the desire to relieve stress from the world. Kimberly also wants for temporary relief from her duties of school and work at the factory. I think a bit of relief comes for Kimberly when she is at the party and decides to smoke pot, that is her drifting away moment. I am not saying that you have to use drugs to relieve some stress but that is how Kimberly decides to relief her stress.
Citation
Marie, Rene. “Drift Away.” Voice of My Beautiful Country. Motema, 2011. CD.
Kwok, Jean. Girl in Translation. New York: Riverhead, 2010. Print.
Makalai, Jennah
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
30 June 2011
“Drift Away” – Rene Marie
Voice of My Beautiful Country (Motema 2011) renemarie.com
"Drift away" is exactly what Kim and her mother want to do. Drift away from their condemned apartment, from their long hours, from the grind.
"The world outside looks so unkind". Coming from Hong Kong to living in a condemned building in the Brooklyn project certainly paints the picture of an unkind world.
"And when I'm feeling blue, the guitar's coming through to soothe me" When Kim and her mother first come to America, they are faced with numerous obstacles. One of the things that puts Kim at ease is when her mother plays her violin. She speaks often about her disappointment in the fact that Ma is unable to play her violin, whether due to fatigue, her fingers being too cold.
"Now I'm counting on you, to carry me through" Throughout the novel, we are all counting on Kim to carry us through. Through all the adversity and to ultimately come out on top as a strong, confident and educated woman.
Trang Tran
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
30 June, 2011
FreeWrite
Kimberly Chang and her mother face many challenges that would want to make them “drift away”. It mostly express their feeling when face with the many challenges that was thrown at them from speaking the language to dealing with their own family member Aunt Paula. For mostly they wanted to feel free and unshackles by the chains that hold disable them from moving forward for a better life without feeling the guilt of dishonoring or leaving unanswered question that the people surrounding them might have.
Work Cited:
Marie, Rene. "Drift Away." Voice of My Beautiful Country. Motema, 2011.
Kwok, Jean. Girl in Translation. New York: Riverhead, 2010. Print.
G. L.
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
June 30, 2011
Free Write: Drift Away
The song “Draft Away”, sung by Rene Marie just reminds me that the heart and soul when the people have love between each other, and then work together to reach the destiny of their life. It just recall me to think about Kimberly and her Ma in the book “Girl in Translation”, which they love each other so much, and go through their life journey to success.
It’s always the most wonderful to find someone you love and be loved at the life journey. With he/her support, we have the purpose and motivation to overcome all difficulties. And you also want to share your success, your happiness, your sadness and everything in your life to him/her. I love the words “Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul, I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away”. It is so free and feeling safe when you can totally trust someone, and give your life to him.
Marie, Rene. "Drift Away." Voice of My Beautiful Country. Motema, 2011.
Kwok, Jean. Girl in Translation. New York: Riverhead, 2010. Print.
S.D.
Professor Sabir
English 1B
30 June 2011
Drift Away:
In the song Drift Away Rene sings” Give me the beat boys and free my soul, I wanna get lost is your rock and roll and drift away.” I can identify with the melody of that song. Many times I hear a song that touches my soul at the core, and I become lost in the rhythm, it takes me to a place that frees my spirit. “I look for the light through the pouring rain” describes the challenges that life presents however hope is never lost as long as I can see the rainbow after the storm. Music is medicine for my soul and the rhythm of life.
Mari, Rene. “Drift Away.” Voice of My Beautiful Country. Motema, 2011
Manuel Francisco Seminario
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1b
June 30th 2011
FreeWrite
Rene Marie a song writter pay tribute to “Drift away” a song that was originally written by Dobie Gray ,but slowed down by Rene Marie . “ Drift away” how many times have any of us wanted to do just that ,to drift away into the sunset ,to drift away into a place where noone can find you, drift away like the summers wind from across the sea. In Girl in translation, Ah-Kim and Ma feel like doing just that ,after a long days work / and or study ,not only that but drift away from their relative Aunt Paula ,Ma’s older sister. To Ma the only thing she can do to get away from it all was play her violin or piano.I quite know how ma feels when she plays the violin. Although I may not know how to play an instrument I still get lost when ever I listen to “take five” a simple jazz piece that relaxes your mind and sets your soul free ,even if it’s for 4 minutes of playing time,you feel as though you are at a coffee shop drinking a tall lattee with a scone or muffin. In her rearanged “drift away “piece ;she does exactly that , with a slow yet randition of instruments,accompanied by her voice.
S.C.
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
30 June 2011
Blog Response
To Joanna: I can definitely relate to your interpretation of the song. I like your explanation of the song; it expresses the determination you have to overcome hardships and obstacles. I like how you really find the deeper meaning of the words of the song and relate it back to your own experiences.
B.P
English 1B
Professor Wanda Sabir
30 June 2011
I see that Virgil Gamble see a one of the big ideas in “Drift Away.” Throughout the piece, Rene Marie sings about hardships and the need to drift away, to get away from the confusion and situations of the present. Living in a country where everyone in the community speaks a foreign language, the streets are filled with many frightening dangers, and different customs in daily habits, Kim and Ma feel troubled by the many questions, wanting to drift away.
Work Cited
Gray, Dobie. “Drift Away.” Voice of My Beautiful Country: Rene Marie. Motema. CD. 2011.
Ricardo Antonio Chavarria
Professor Sabir
English 1B
30 June 2011
Respond to: Virgil Gamble
I think that most people can identify with the song Drift Away. There are moments when people want to drift away. Whether it is from their jobs, school, social pressure, etc. I think the relaxing tone of the song gives a sense of serenity and freedom.
James, Deborah
This is a response to Jefferey To’s comment on the song “Drift Away.” I agree that “music can make you feel better and stronger.” In the novel we are reading, Ma attempts to soothe and reassure both herself and her daughter Kim whenever she is able. I agree that “music helps push people and move them forward.
A. L.
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
30 June 2011
Response to James, Deborah
I agree with you on how people has sough refuge from difficult times in life via music. As they escape reality, they sought comfort in the words they sing. Personally, whenever I feel angry, I listen to punk rock. When I am calm and relaxed, i would listen to Rnb or Pop. Music just makes people happier, thinking about something else than their bad aspects of their lives.
Satima Flaherty
Wanda Sabir
English 1B
30 June 2011
As Rene Marie croons, “free my soul” from the cd player ah-Kim and her mother comes to mind. The both of them are trapped in an everlasting battle against poverty. They have no choice but to fight to survive. As Marie sings “day after day I’m feeling confused” I picture ah-Kim in Brooklyn not knowing which way to go.
It sounds like those words were written specifically for ah-Kim and her mother. All they're able to do is dream of drifting away to a place that is easier a place that is more relaxed.
Marie sings the blues for ah-Kim, Ma, Matt and Matt’s mother. She sings the blues for all the characters in Jean Kwok’s book who are in a negative place in their lives. She sings for those who work in the sweat shops, for those who are hungry, and for those who do not have a place to stay. Marie Sings for those who “look for light in pouring rain”.
Marie, Rene. "Drift Away." Voice of My Beautiful Country. Motema, 2011.
Kwok, Jean. Girl in Translation. New York: Riverhead, 2010. Print.
Manuel Francisco Seminario
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
June 30th
In response to Stephanie Chan
"This song is really melodic, which makes the song more enjoyable. I like so slow rhythms of the song because it makes me feel at peace." I agree the song is really melodic tune which in times can make you go into a stuppor of joy .
Joanna Louie
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
30 June 2011
Response to a student:
To Daniel Lu:
I agree with that connection you make between Ma, from “Girl in Translation” and the inspiring song, “Drift Away” by Rene Marie. The simple things in life bring complete joy to Ma. Kim reminds us how Ma use to teach music lessons in Hong Kong, and the music Kim remembers brought joy to both Ma and herself. Music still brings joy to both of them, but the opportunity for Ma to play her violin is very limited, due to the lifestyle she now faces. On the day Ma, Kim and Matt went to New York, Ma was able to reconnect with her passion. Here I felt Ma was the happiest she had been in a while. The factory is not a good place for her; it is a labor intensive place to be that stretches her day from the early morning, all the way into the dark evening. It is through her passion for music that “frees her”, music being one of the only times we see Ma happy. I just hope for the best of Ma, she is a kindhearted person, who works hard to try and provide Kim with the opportunities she never had.
Work Cited
Kwok, Jean. Girl in Translation. New York: Riverhead, 2010. Print.
Marie, Rene. “Drift Away.” Voice of My Beautiful Country. Charleston Sound, 2010. CD.
Shipra Pathak
Professor Sabir
English 1B
30 June 2011
Free-Write: Drift Away by Rene Marie
I love the melodious and soothing music of “Drift Away” by Rene Marie. I enjoyed listening to “Drift Away” more than “We Exist” by Ise Lyfe early in the morning. The lyrics of the song can be associated with the character of Kimberly’s mother, Mrs. Chang in the novel Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok. Especially the lyrics “The world outside looks so unkind, I’m countin’ on you to carry me through” is a representative of Mrs. Chang’s appeal to Kimberly to protect her from the “unkind world” symbolizing Aunt Paola.
Rene Marie. Voice of My Beautiful Country. “Drift Away.” Motema, 2011. CD.
Shipra Pathak
Professor Sabir
English 1B
30 June 2011
Responding to Jeffery’s Free-write about “Drift Away”
I agree with you that “music can make one feel better and stronger”. Music is used as a therapy to heal emotional and physical conditions because it has the healing power which could affect individual’s health and behavior. As a result, contemporary medicine incorporates the music therapy to accomplish the therapeutic goals for variety of patients.
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