Week 1 - You Are My Sunshine

Norman Blake’s version of “You Are My Sunshine” is a nice and light version of the tune. By that I mean it is not so minimalist such that it reflects the story of only a lone guitarist, but the additional banjo and even perhaps mandolin add a subtle layer of depth which keeps the quality of the tune from being overpowered by superfluous instrumentals.  The ability for a song to convey its message and emotional quality with minimal production is something I respect greatly.  Blake’s version embraces the art of efficiency, and the beauty of simplicity.  It has the rolling, bumblin’ and tumblin’ quality that makes much folk music so easy to listen to. I think this version was chosen because it is very pretty, and does not fall victim to the childish quality which so often take prey of Jimmie Davis’ classic.  

Blake also manipulates the lyrics of the song, beginning with one of its saddest stanzas before going into the chorus. Many versions of the song switch around the stanzas, and by starting with such a sad lyric, he immediately sets the mood of the song, foregoing any mystery to whether it had a "happy" ending or not. I think this sets the tone very well, because while the music seems cheery, “You Are My Sunshine” is actually a terribly sad ballad.  I like this juxtaposition between melody and lyric, and the added layer of depth to the narrative being told.  It is as if the narrator is jubilant to sing of his lost love, while being unable to escape the sad tale he tells.  

In my first attempt at painting, I tried to abstract the progress of happy thoughts and memories towards the sorrowful result of the narrative by moving from warmer colors to more cool ones.  The sky is a light purple wash of slanted lines and the sunset is a deep red, symbolizing the lack of “shine” left by the final verse. The stars were supposed to trace the sheet music of the song.  I used watercolor on non-watercolor paper, another allusion to the dueling nature of the song’s melody and narrative.  However, this was problematic in execution, and ended up looking very chaotic.  I then decided to repeat the scene on watercolor paper, and place the two images side-by-side.  I attempted to trace elements of the narrative and musical quality through the image, using mostly warm but also cool colors to represent the conflicting nature of the song’s music. I wanted the image to reflect the initial feeling of listening to the song, wherein the heart feels warmed by the devotion of love and the light tune, but elements of sadness persist throughout. Again, the “stars” a representative of the musical notation.