Editor’s Note: This transcript has been edited and 
condensed for clarity. Remember sitting next 
to a friend in the library and sharing earbuds 
to introduce them to a new song? Or hearing 
something unfamiliar at a party and immediately 
looking up the lyrics to save it to your phone? 
Since the days of easily experiencing music with 
others are gone (for now), the music beat decided 
to make up for some lost opportunities by holding 
a virtual listening party last week. Writers were 
asked to bring a love song to share with the 
group over Zoom and then chat about what they 
thought. Here’s what happened. 

***

Katie Beekman, Senior Arts Editor: Who 

wants to go first and introduce their song? 

Madeleine 
Virginia 
Gannon, 
Daily 

Arts Writer: My song is “I’ve Heard that 
Song Before.” It’s an old sort of ’20s jazz song 
performed by Harry James, who was a swing 
trumpeter, but it has vocals with it and the 
reason I like it is even though it’s not inherently 
romantic in the sense that it’s talking about 
heartbreak or talking about falling in love, it has 
this sort of deep, familiar, comforting nostalgia. 
You’ll hear in the song that the main lyrics are: 
“I’ve heard that song before,” and I thought, as 
music writers, that would evoke a warm feeling 
because we all know that sense of listening to an 
album or a song and thinking, “We know that, 
that’s familiar.” I think there is a certain sense 
of romance to recognizing a song and a familiar 
tune, and it certainly has a very romantic vibe, 
I think, from the old-style instrumentation in 
jazz. 

Kaitlyn Fox, Music Beat Editor: It’s 

refreshing to hear older music from when 
people would have a variety of real instruments. 
Nowadays, some artists can’t afford to bring in 
anything outside of what their band members 
can play. I was thinking about that when I was 
hearing the song, and it was nice.

Gannon: Also, I swing dance, and this is the 

sort of song that you would swing dance to, so it 
also has that human companionship element. 
Someone who knows how to dance to this style 
of music will know exactly what steps to do — it 
evokes a very romantic memory.

Drew Gadbois, Daily Arts Writer: With 

songs like that, the recording equipment is older 
and there’s this little hazy pop to it. It is kind of 
hypnotic and it creates this almost wistful sort of 
atmosphere that is really inviting.

Gadbois: I can probably go next. When I was 

thinking about different ideas of what love is 
and what love could be I was thinking of this 
very whimsical, kind of childlike quality that’s 
fully joyful. So I kept coming back to this song, 
“Summertime Clothes” by Animal Collective. 
There’s almost a lost in time sort of aspect to being 
in love with someone or just having a moment 
with someone and I think this song expresses it 
really well. 

Gadbois: I’m not going to lie, I hadn’t seen the 

music video up until this point and it was a lot 
more horrifying than I thought it would be, but 
I also think it shows that there’s a point at which 
you can love someone so much it’s crazy. You feel 
like you’re going insane. I think that the lyrics 
express that just absolute heightened state. 

Beekman: I really liked that. I think the lyrics 

that stuck out to me were, “I want to walk around 
with you” and then at the end it continues, “with 
you, with you, with you, with you.” It sounds so 
simple, but especially with all the other stuff 
going on in the song instrumentation-wise, 
it stands out. I think those lyrics are a really 
good encapsulation of being so enamored with 
someone you just want to take a walk with them.

Gadbois: Yeah and there’s another line about 

just frolicking in a fountain and that’s all they’re 
doing, but you hear it and it sounds like someone 
kind of running around in water. 

Gannon: I really liked the song. The whole 

time I had the most vivid imagery of an indie 
coming-of-age movie set in the summertime. 
It’s like a first love, but you’re about to 
move on with your life so you 
don’t know what to do with 
it. And like Katie said, 
“I just want to walk 
around with you.” 
I think it’s a really 
well-chosen 
song 

for such a specific 
feeling of growing 
up. 

Fox: That’s not a 

genre I would have 
thought 
of 
when 

picking a love song, 
but it totally makes 
sense. 
I 
really 

appreciated 
that 

the lyrics are pretty 
simple, but the music is 
so intense, so it’s a weird 
contrast. 

Gadbois: There’s a physicality, I think, that 

ties together a lot of Animal Collective’s work. 
There’s a simplicity to what they’re talking about, 
but a lot of it gets fleshed out through what you’re 
hearing. It’s funny, you mention coming-of-age 
too because this song came out in 2009. So it did 
come out at that age when you start to discover 
music like that and it feels so fitting. 

Nora Lewis, Daily Arts Writer: So I chose 

“Do You Remember” by Jill Scott because when I 
think of love songs, I gravitate toward ’90s R&B. I 
like the narrative style of a lot of ’90s R&B and this 
song, in particular, is a reflection of a childhood 
love and how it’s grown over the years, which I 
think is really sweet. 

Beekman: Another great choice. To me, that 

felt like a sunny afternoon drive home on the 
school bus. 

Gadbois: It’s interesting you say it’s sunny, 

because I felt the exact opposite. I was thinking 
about a moonlit walk under street lights. I think 
’90s R&B production has some of the most 

mysterious and alluring sounds. It’s insane 
because it immediately sucks you in and you have 
to sway your head. It’s so good.

Gannon: I feel like I lost time listening to that 

song because I was so hypnotized. It completely 
took over every one of my senses. I was suspended 
while I was listening to it and then when it ended 
it let me go. I was out of it for the whole time, in a 
good way. It was comforting and warm — I felt 
enveloped by the music.

Lewis: I feel like it’s a good mixture of what 

Katie and Drew said. I think it’s supposed to 
be a reflection on a childhood love, so Scott 
reflects on the past, which is the sunny, 
childhood part, and she sings about where 
they are now, like they are catching up on a 
nighttime stroll. 

Gadbois: Regardless, it’s definitely a warm 

feeling. I think you’re totally right and I don’t 
think of a nighttime stroll as anything other than 
warm as well. 

Beekman: To finish the party, I chose a 

country song: “Just to See You Smile” by Tim 

McGraw.

Gadbois: There’s an awesome 
rhythm to that that I really 

enjoyed.

Gannon: I thoroughly 
enjoyed that. There’s 
something 
about 

country music and 
the instrumentation 
of the fiddle and 
banjo 
and 
the 

vulnerable 
vocals 

that make it feel very 

“every man.” It feels 
more relatable than the 
average song just because 

it feels so pared down 

musically. It feels as if someone 

is just sitting there on their porch, 

singing about seeing you smile. I thought it 

was a really great romantic song, probably one of 
the most vulnerable and emotionally accessible 
of the songs we listened to. Mine was very old-
fashioned and Drew’s song evoked an intense 
emotional nostalgia. But I feel like the Tim 
McGraw song is one that anyone of any musical 
taste could relate to. 

Lewis: I’m not really like a country fan 

generally, but I feel like the word to describe the 
song is jovial. It’s very upbeat and fun and it works 
well as a love song. Like Madeleine said, anyone 
can kind of relate to it, which is nice. 

Beekman: Does anyone have anything to say 

about our choices overall? 

Gadbois: I think they reflect the music beat 

entirely. 

Gannon: I think the songs make a lot of sense. 

Love is different for everyone, it’s not just one 
thing. There’s a lot of different ways to love and 
a lot of different kinds of love so I think it makes 
sense that none of our songs are very similar.

Beekman: Well, thanks for coming to the 

party, y’all. I hope you had a good time.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
8 — Wednesday, March 3, 2021 

It’s no secret that FOX has been, 

for better or worse, one of the most 
influential producers of animated 
television. From “The Simpsons” to 
“American Dad!” to “Family Guy,” the 
studio has been carving the landscape 
of adult animation for generations. But 
as a proud member of Gen Z, none of 
these programs have resonated with 
me nearly as much as the relatively 
recent “Bob’s Burgers.” Its style of 
character-driven 
humor, 
which 

combines weirdness with heartfelt 

sincerity, has resulted in one of the 
most beloved TV families of the past 
decade. 

Now, “Bob’s Burgers” writers and 

executive producers Wendy and 
Lizzie Molyneux have teamed up 
with Minty Lewis (“Close Enough”) 
to produce “The Great North,” a show 
with all the winning ingredients of its 
predecessor.

“Parks and Recreation” star Nick 

Offerman plays Beef Tobin (yes, his 
name is Beef): a single father of four 
(along with a soon-to-be daughter-
in-law). Among these children is 
Judy (Jenny Slate, “Big Mouth”), a 
fantastically-cast, artistic teenager 

who seeks to experience life outside of 
the frozen forests. 

Along with the same niche humor 

and family focus, the new series also 
features the same animation style 
as “Bob’s Burgers.” It’s simple and 
goofy, and it embraces the colorful 
landscapes and starry skies of the 
“Great North.” Finding beauty within 
simple animation is something these 
shows excel at. 

After the sporadic release dates 

of the last two episodes, the latest 
marks the start of a regular schedule. 
This one follows Wolf Tobin (Will 
Forte, “Scoob!”) as he travels across 
the sea to find avocados for his 

fiancée Honeybee (Dulcé Sloan, “The 
Daily Show with Trevor Noah”), all 
because she had a few dreams about 
guacamole. Meanwhile, Beef and 
Ham (Paul Rust, “Love”) try throwing 
a Shrek-themed party based on Ham’s 
memory of Shrek being gray and a big 
fan of beaches. 

The plotlines are so strange, yet 

they are completely grounded by 
the characters’ innocence and love 
for each other. The best part about 
any good family, blood-related or 
otherwise, is the acceptance and even 
nourishment found in its weirdest 
quirks. In fact, one could argue that 
the thesis of this show, as well as its 

predecessor, might be that this is the 
only thing that makes a good family, as 
the members possess few other traits 
that are traditionally admirable. 

Even Beef, the father and leader 

of the pack, tells his kids that their 
mother was mauled to death by a bear 
so that he doesn’t have to face the fact 
that she left him. The writers give 
sympathy to everyone. We all have 
issues that we need to work out, and 
rarely do we manage them in ways 
that make us look sane.

It’s also worth mentioning how 

great it is to have a comedy about a 
rural Alaskan family that isn’t just 
a bunch of stereotypical rednecks. 

There’s an increasingly problematic 
notion within progressive circles that 
people in red states are all bad, and 
this show serves to challenge that 
idea, especially in its admiration for 
the outdoors.

“The Great North” finds maturity 

and humanity within the awkward 
and the ridiculous. There’s a heart to 
these characters that you don’t often 
find in adult comedy shows. “The 
Great North” is nothing we haven’t 
seen before from the Molyneux 
sisters, but that’s not a bad thing. 
The Tobin family is fresh, lovable 
and loads of fun. I can’t wait to get to 
know them.

“Supernova” 
opens 
in 
total 

darkness. Slowly, stars emerge. One 
shines brightly, then disappears.

Tusker, Stanley Tucci’s character 

(“Spotlight”), later explains that 
everything is made from dying stars, 
which turn into supernovas that spew 
“star stuff,” the building blocks for life, 
through space. With a gigantic flash, 
these interstellar explosions create 
the universe as we know it.

There is a vitality to destruction. A 

beauty, even. 

That’s why “Supernova” is a 

beautiful film. Its subject matter, 
Tusker’s worsening dementia and 
its effects on his partner Sam (Colin 
Firth, “The King’s Speech”) are 
upsetting, even gruesome at times.

The 
relationship 
between 

Tusker and Sam, who are first 
shown nude and in bed together, 
is unflinchingly real. Their love’s 
complete believability makes the 
film heartbreaking when dementia 
escalates its attack. The couple has 
decided to take one last vacation 

through the English countryside, 
staying in an RV with their dog 
Ruby. They drive through locations 
important to their relationship, like 
a quiet lake where they spent their 
first night together, under the stars. 
Speaking of stars, the illness works 
like a supernova in reverse, flashing 
through lives that have already been 
lived, eating them away and leaving 
emptiness in its wake. Maybe it’s more 
of a black hole.

The film is a day-to-day portrait 

of Tusker and Sam’s relationship, 
showing both what makes the men 
perfect for one another — nights spent 
stargazing and days bickering like an 
old married couple, as their van sails 
through verdant English hills — and 
the horror of the imminent illness, 
the far-off look in Tusker’s eyes as the 
fog of memory continues its inevitable 
descent. 

Tucci exhibits a deep sadness in 

every scene, sometimes understated, 
sometimes blazingly tragic, that 
shows the viewer the heartbreaking 
reality of losing oneself as the days go 
by. Firth will also leave most viewers 
reaching for the tissue box. Sam is 
mourning his lover while the man is 

still alive, simultaneously bottling the 
terrible despair so he doesn’t make 
Tusker feel even worse.

“Supernova” is patient, portraying 

the gradual tragedy that accumulates 
because of this dreadful disease. 
The film’s slow pace doesn’t make its 
conclusion less tragic, though, only 
more brutally real.

What makes the film unique is that, 

while the couple depicted are in a gay 
relationship, there is no discussion 
of persecution or even gay identity 
in general. “Supernova” could be 
about any couple. This itself is sort of 
radical. Most gay-centered dramas 
focus on prejudice, a “coming out” 
story or some combination of the two. 
The question, though, is this: Should 
homosexuality be performed by 
heterosexual actors? 

Speaking from my subjective gay 

experience, I think the era where 
this is unquestionably fine has 
passed. Ten years ago, when most 
producers wouldn’t touch a mass-
market gay-themed movie like “Love, 
Simon,” I would have said that queer 
representation was so necessary that, 
if it took heterosexual actors to get the 
story told, then fine.

Yet, in 2021, queer representation 

has become mainstream. Stories 
as diverse as “Ammonite” to 
Pixar’s “Onward” are including 
LGBTQ+ characters and telling all 
sorts of stories. This flourishing 
in the topic hasn’t come with a 
proportionate rise in LGBTQ+ 
performers, however. The queer 
leading characters in “Ammonite,” 
for example, were played by 

heterosexual actresses. Maybe this 
just takes time.

Still, gay identity isn’t a costume 

that can be slipped on. Even if 
Supreme 
Court 
Justice 
Amy 

Coney Barret says so, it’s not a 
“preference.” It’s an identity, a 
community.

It is vital to include LGBTQ+ voices 

behind and in front of the camera, 
especially when the films themselves 

are 
about 
LGBTQ+ 
characters. 

While Firth and Tucci are great, 
there are also plenty of gay actors, 
like Ian McKellen (“The Hobbit: 
an Unexpected Journey”) and B.D. 
Wong (“Nora From Queens”), who 
have lived as gay men in the 20th 
century, experiencing traumas like 
Section 28 and the AIDS crisis, and 
have grown old and loved and lost. 
This was their story to tell.

The music beat has a party

‘The Great North’ is weird, lovable and very Alaskan

Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci 
are stellar in ‘Supernova.’ But...

ANDREW WARRICK

Daily Arts Writer

BEN SERVETAH

Daily Arts Writer

StudioCanal

DAILY MUSIC WRITERS

Taylor Swift released her self-

titled debut album in 2006 at 
only 16 years old. In a way that 
no one could have predicted, 
Swift emerged as the ruler of the 
pop and country music charts 
for the next fifteen years, all 
the way up to her most recent 
release, evermore, in December 
2020. In the past two years or 
so, especially since the release 
of Lover in 2019, I have been 
finding myself wondering how I 
have been able to so consistently 
enjoy Swift’s music, as far back 
as “Should’ve Said No” and as 
recent as “willow.” What is it 
about her or her music that 
makes her stand out so vividly 
from all her contemporaries?

Swift knows how to keep 

people interested, not only in 
the music she’s releasing but 
also in her personal life. From 
her earliest albums, speculation 
about who she writes her songs 
about 
(e.g., 
“All 
Too 
Well” 

and 
the 
now-infamous 
Jake 

Gyllenhaal scarf) has circulated 
around each album. The world, 
regardless of whether they hate 
or love her, knows about her and 
who she surrounds herself with. 

From 
new 
boyfriends 
and 

heartbreak to best friends and 
betrayals, Swift’s life has been 
aggressively public for as long 
as she’s been a part of the music 
industry. Many would argue 
that her public relationships 
and feuds are what keeps her 
so relevant. As Kanye West so 
famously stated, “I made that 
bitch famous.” But I disagree. 
Strongly. So many prominent 
musicians 
have 
maintained 

relevance due to their publicity 
stunts, but so many of those 
artists don’t continue to get 
bigger. With every album Swift 
releases, her fanbase and critical 
acclaim grow.

I’ve realized that Taylor Swift 

is the perfect example of an artist 
who changes with her audience. 
I’m now 19, but when “Love 
Story” came out, eight-year-
old me couldn’t have been more 
obsessed. And while I still listen 
back to tracks like “Love Story” 

and “You Belong With Me,” even 
11 years later those songs are 
filled with nostalgia. Swift not 
only matures with every release, 
but she changes her entire image. 

Taylor Swift was her country 

girl debut release, clean and 
fun. Fearless was a slightly 
matured version of that, and 
Speak Now was her ballad-
filled heartbreaker, where Swift 
became the music industry’s 
princess. Red was her subtle 
transition 
into 
pop 
music, 

marked by the iconic red lipstick. 
1989, in my opinion, redefined 
pop as Swift fully pulled away 
from her country roots. I also 
believe 
that 
Reputation 
was 

the most important comeback 
in 
21st-century 
music, 
and 

she fully committed to the 
bad-girl persona. Lover was a 
complete 180, in which Swift 
became a pastel martyr for true 
love (minus her usual side of 
heartbreak), and sister albums 
folklore and evermore showed 
the most raw, artsy and matured 
version that anyone had ever 
seen from her. 

While not every era of Swift 

has been widely loved by fans, 
they were at least all appreciated. 
Her constant changes, not only in 
the sound of her music but also 
in her public image as it relates 
to each era, are what has allowed 
her to continue flourishing well 
past what would be most artists’ 
prime. 

Something about Taylor Swift 

has stuck with me for years. 
From the 8-year-old who loved 
her early singles to the 19-year-
old me sitting here now writing 
this article, she has maintained 
a place in my mind and heart 
that no other artist has ever 
done. I find myself constantly 
floored by the intricacy of her 
lyrics combined with the ever-
changing sound of her music. She 
has made a song for every single 
tough or beautiful moment in 
my life, whether it be my first 
heartbreak, growing up, moving 
out or being in love. When people 
say Taylor Swift is their mother, 
it’s not an exaggeration. We’ve 
grown up with her and she 
continues to nurture us through 
music in ways I didn’t think were 
possible. 

Taylor Swift’s evolution is 
what makes her timeless

GIGI CIULLA
Daily Arts Writer