Category: Song

Mass communication genre can be characterized by the use of different kinds of languages. Music, unlike any other communication genre, can help to trace music-language relations in the best possible way. Music is believed to have a bigger power over the human emotions than the language, though when it comes to the language of the songs, music and language change their roles. People tend to listen to both the lyrics and the music of the song, and one cannot deny that that if any of these constituents lacks the power to impress the listener, the song will never be considered a success. Lyrics of a song lets the audience perceive the idea of the song and the emotional load it is supposed to carry, whereas the music helps to convey the emotions and inner character of the singer. The songs of different genres are written in different languages, which has certain impact on the audience of a singer and the effect the song produces on it.

R&B and country are two absolutely opposite music genres which have their own features and which are able to produce different impressions on the audience due to the types of languages used in it. Colloquial language is characteristic for R&B, while country music utilizes mostly literary language; each of these language styles has its peculiar features. The distinction between language styles can be easily seen if contrasting and comparing the songs “Déjà vu” by Beyonce Knowles (feat Jay-Z) and “Inside Your Heaven” by Carrie Underwood. Beyonce chose to sing in pop, hip-hop, and R&B with the song under consideration belonging to the latter music genre. Carrie Underwood sings country and her “Inside of Your Heaven” belongs to this genre. “Déjà vu” is written in colloquial language, while the lyrics of “Inside Your Heaven” can serve as an example of literary language; it is necessary to analyze two types of language the songs are written in, as well as poetic diction, type of verse in the lyrics, and structure of the songs in order to find out which role the language has in appealing to the audience, how it reflects the genre of the artifacts, and how it affects the perception of the artifacts.

To begin with, different features of colloquial and literary language can be traced in the songs under analysis. This helps to refer these songs to definite music genres, in this case, either to R&B (the lyrics for which are written in colloquial language) or to country music (for which literary language is typical). Colloquial language “includes contractions (always improper in formal writing), slang, colloquialisms, dialect, turns of phrase peculiar to local areas (provincialisms), and shortened word forms (TV for television, phone for telephone, CD for compact disc, etc.)” (Ehrenhaft 141) Most of these features can be observed in “Déjà vu” by Beyonce. This song may be characterized by frequent usage of contractions, for instance, “Know that I can’t get over you/ Cause everything I see is you/ And I don’t want no substitute…” (“Lyrics: Déjà vu, Beyonce”) There are also several slang words in the song, for example, in “I used to bag girls like Birkin bags”, gotta be having déjà vu,” and “she about to steam” (when there is Beyonce’s turn to sing) (“Lyrics: Déjà vu, Beyonce”). There are several double negatives in the song, as in “I don’t want no substitute” and “Don’t want to compare nobody to you.” (“Lyrics: Déjà vu, Beyonce”) This also proves that the song is written in colloquial language.

Likewise, features of the literary language can be found in the lyrics of “Inside Your haven” by Carrie Underwood. The main features of literary language are standardized vocabulary and spelling, recognized grammar, proper pronunciation of words free from regional dialects and slang. Despite the use of several contracted forms, as in “I’ve been down, now I’m blessed” and “You’re all I’ve got” and simplified form of “want to”, namely, “wanna”, the lyrics of “Inside Your Heaven” can still be considered literary. The song is written in Standard English and in conformity with the existing grammar rules. Unlike “Déjà vu,” no double negatives can be observed in the song; the spelling and vocabulary are standard, for instance, “Take me to the place you cry from/ Where the storm blows your way…” (“Lyrics: Inside Your heaven, Carrie Underwood”) All the words in the song are pronounced properly and according to the standardized rules, the grammar is correct, and the vocabulary used is standard, which means that the song is written in literary language.

What’s more, difference in language style between these two songs lies in the number of the utilized stylistic devices. Colloquial language hardly uses any stylistic devices because it can produce necessary impression on the reader by means of unusual contractions, as well as by accentuating separate words pronouncing them differently, and using double negatives to make the arguments stronger. Literary language, in its turn, is used “to create images in readers’ minds; the language enables readers to engage with the text and incorporate their own meanings and understandings with those of the writer.” (Knapp and Watkins 30) Unlike colloquial language, literary language widely uses metaphors, repetitions, and a range of other devices. Thus, “Déjà vu” contains only a few metaphors, such as “I breathe you” and “Got a better glimpse” and one hyperbole “everything I see is you” (“Lyrics: Déjà vu, Beyonce”). There are no any other stylistic devices in the song, which can be explained by its belonging to colloquial style of language.

In contrast, the song “Inside Your heaven” by Carrie Underwood abounds with metaphors and other stylistic devices. The metaphors are used in the lyrics almost in every line; they are “I felt a revelation coming around,” “my dreams are in your eyes,” the earth that holds you,” “bit of air,” “the wrong becomes undone,” “my soul surrenders,” minutes turn to days and years,” “mountains fall,” (“Lyrics: Inside Your heaven, Carrie Underwood”), etc. These metaphors serve as the main means of expression of emotions in the song. They help to realize how strong the girl’s feelings are and how much she wants to be beside her beloved. Metaphors are powerful means of expression and namely this is why they are typical for literary style. Other stylistic devices which can be found in lyrics of “Inside Your Heaven” are hyperboles, as in “You’re all I’ve got,” “All my dreams are in your eyes,” and “Holding you until the day I die” (“Lyrics: Inside Your heaven, Carrie Underwood”), as well as several kinds of repetitions, for instance, repetition of “when” (anaphora) in “When minutes turn to days and years/ When mountains fall…,” and framing repetition in the stanza “I wanna be inside your heaven/ Take me to the place you cry from… I wanna be inside your heaven.” (“Lyrics: Inside Your heaven, Carrie Underwood”) Hyperboles used in the song are used as a means of exaggeration, while repetition is a means of emphasis. These devices are also used to add the song certain expressiveness.

Lastly, the songs under consideration have different types of rhyming which can also be connected with the language styles they belong to. Colloquial style is always associated with casualty and ease. “Déjà vu” can be regarded as a song written in free verse. The song does not have any definite metrical pattern: “Seeing things that I know can’t be/ Am I dreaming? When I saw you walking passed me/ Almost called your name…” (“Lyrics: Déjà vu, Beyonce”) In bridge and chorus some of the lines even rhyme, for instance, “Cause everything I see is you/ And I don’t want no substitute…” (“Lyrics: Déjà vu, Beyonce”) Nevertheless, no other definite patterns can be observed in the song. This allows considering the lyrics of “Déjà vu” a free verse. The rhythm makes the words in the song coherent and, in case with “Déjà vu”, the music helps to perceive the song as a whole making it possible to separate the lines and to single out the most meaningful words.

As far as “Inside Your Heaven” is concerned, it is also written in free verse, though the lines are more organized and even arranged in stanzas. Some of the stanzas are written in blank verse. They are not rhymed but have regular meter. If one of these stanzas is organized in a single line, it can be observed that it is written in pentameter, which means that it consists of five feet. For instance, “Naturally my soul surrenders the sun and the moonlight all my dreams are in your eyes.” (“Lyrics: Inside Your heaven, Carrie Underwood”) Still, in general, the song is written in free verse because most of the lines do not have a separate meter. However, the song can not be characterized by the casualty that ‘Déjà vu’ possesses; the arrangement of lines into stanzas makes the song well-organized and coherent. This distinguishes it from “Déjà vu” and can be explained by the fact that it is written in literary language.

Therefore, the analysis of the songs of different music genres shows that they are written in different language styles. The peculiarities of these styles help to define what role the language plays in appealing to the audiences. It can be stated, that literary language is more expressive due to the frequent use of such stylistic devices as metaphors, hyperboles, and repetitions. The song which is more expressive and which is able to evoke emotions in the listener is more likely to be appealing to the audience. The language style also reflects the genre of the songs. Colloquial language can be characterized by the usage of contracted forms and slang which can be found in “Déjà vu,” the song which refers to R&B genre. Similarly, standard grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation can be observed in “Inside Your Heaven” which is written in literary language.

The verse of the songs and their structure also accounts for their genre. Both the songs were discovered to be written in free verse; at this, several stanzas in “Inside Your Heaven”, if organized in a single line, may be considered a blank verse, because in this case they will be written in pentameter. The casualty of the structure of “Déjà vu” may be explained by colloquial style of its language, while a more careful organization of lines and stanzas in “Inside Your Heaven” may be explained by literary language it is written in. This means that the language style is able to reflect the music genre of the songs. Finally, the language also affects the perception of the songs because different styles of language evoke different emotions. Colloquial language of “Déjà vu” produces an impression of everyday conversation. It seems that in case with this song, the music produces more impression on the listener than the lyrics of the song. The music makes the song rhythmic and helps the singer to better express the emotions. “Inside Your Heaven” produces quite opposite impression because the lyrics of the song seem to be more meaningful than the music. The music simply supplements the words and makes the song melodious; it allows stressing the words which are of more importance to the singer and which help to express the idea of the song. Literary style adds beauty to the songs and standard grammar and vocabulary only emphasize this beauty. Thus, literary language has more effect on the perception of the song because it is able to better convey the emotions of the singer due to the use of standard grammar and stylistic devices which make the speech colorful and expressive.

Works Cited

“Lyrics: Déjà vu, Beyonce.” Beyonce Lyrics. 2008. MP3 Lyrics Organized. 2009. Web.

“Lyrics: Inside Your Heaven, Carrie Underwood.” Carrie Underwood Lyrics. 2008. MP3 Lyrics Organized. 2009. Web.

Ehrenhaft, George. Barron’s ACT Assessment. Barron’s Educational Series, 2006.

Knapp, Peter and Watkins, Megan. Genre, Text, Grammar: Technologies for Teaching and Assessing Writing. UNSW Press, 2005.

Both the Exodus and the Redemption Song by Bob Marley are textbook examples of reggae. Traditionally, this genre of music combines authentic dance rhythms with recitative-like singing, guitar, and percussion, giving birth to the inimitable style. Each of the works under review belongs to it, which is apparent from the first seconds. The recognizable voice and manner of the outstanding Jamaican artist add to the general relaxed and optimistic atmosphere with which the genre is strongly associated.

The difference between the songs, however, is noticeable as well; both the lyrics and the melodies serve to communicate dissimilar messages. Thus, while listening to Exodus, even without focusing closely on what the singer is saying, the audience feels as if they were walking at a moderate speed and chilly rhythm; the song actually has such. The refrain “Movement of Jah people,” which constantly interferes with the verses, serves to create anchors that help the listeners synchronize their thought with music, having imagined that they are moving together with the characters.

In fact, the song depicts the process rather than the result of the metaphorical walk; the melody is quite monotonous, although not mournful, and the lyrics describe a journey. The hypothetical destination, meanwhile, is only mentioned in passing: “We’re going to our fatherland,” and it is not clear whether the characters of the song understand any particular location by this term. Rather, they are simply searching for a place where they could live better than before; the rhetorical question of whether the audience is satisfied with their lives manifests the desire to find it. The repetition of the phrases that include the words “move,” “moving,” and “movement” apparently serve to maintain hope in the hypothetical addresses so that they do not stop.

The Redemption Song, on the contrary, contains direct calls for action that both its melody and its lyrics encrypt. In both known versions of the work, the above guitar and percussion are present, but the former undoubtedly is dominant. Due to this, music does not come down to rhythm, as it does in the Exodus, but creates a certain type of tension to inspire the audience and awaken the necessary emotions in them.

From the lyrics, it becomes even more apparent that Marley seeks to communicate a protest mood to the listeners and encourage them to oppose all forms of oppression. Interestingly, this does not mean a physical fight but, predominantly, moral and intellectual struggle, which should be the primary step towards liberation. “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery / None but ourselves can free our mind,” – the artist says, hinting at the necessity of broadening the mind prior to trying to transform the world. One of the keys to mental freedom, according to the lyrics, is to be sufficiently bold to sing about the existing problems instead of remaining aside. “Cause all I ever have: Redemption songs,” – this line apparently means that everybody can join the common fight for liberty by doing what he or she can do best, and any contribution is precious.

To summarize, although both of Bob Marley’s works under review are exemplary reggae songs, the difference between them is observable. The Exodus embodies the process of looking for a better life; its task is to prevent people from losing hope because the result of the search does not seem to be completely clear. The Redemption Song is inspirational as well but expected to make the audience rise and join the struggle, which is apparent from both the lyrics that include calls for protests and the inspiring melody.

Tramaine Hawkins’ 1994 interpretation of I Found the Answer employs Mahalia Jackson’s 1950s performance as a compositional framework, altering the tune that each voice appears in various portions of the song. The ability to preserve musical acts through recording fundamentally changed the social and aesthetic implications of music. A half-century later, the cassette recorder was invented, making sonorities not only repeatable but changeable as well. The techniques developed as a result allowed recorded sounds to be fractured, merged, and manipulated. Such changes might have an impact on sound quality and time spans. This work was written with the aim of studying and comparing two records from different eras.

Recording technology has forced people to rethink what constitutes a piece of music. It is illogical to assert that a written score conveys musical vibrations. Estimation usually does not provide guidance on how the engineer should manipulate their variables. Two tapes of the exact rendition that have been mixed, adjusted, and reverberated separately can vary just as much as two distinct versions of the same composition. This confirms the fact that these records range from each other. These differences lie both in the arrangement itself and in the voice and methods of mixing voice and music.

The technologies of the eras set distinct musical trends both in genres and in listening to music; that is why the recordings sound dissimilar. The old recording is more compressed and noisier because cassettes were used for recording, which created a characteristic noise. The new recording is cleaner and more profound due to more modern voice processing. Speaking about the effects used in the recording, people can see how the echo or reverb effect differs between the versions of the songs. This indicates that different technologies were used to create the effect. Previously, all effects were created through cassette manipulation, but in recent years it has all moved into the digital space.

The use of electronics in music enables more efficient training of basic music concepts through practice and different situations that develop a firm grasp of rhythm and note identification. Technology makes it easy to produce presentations and lectures that may be distributed to help with the education in any style of music (Eiksund et al., 2020). While innovation swiftly improves education, it enhances learning. This indicates that music technology allows people to make all aspects related to music at the highest level. Technology itself is an excellent way to remake this record as it gives the record a new flavor in the form of a more modern sound that can attract new listeners.

To summarize, the capacity to record musical acts has profoundly altered the sociological and cultural significance of music. The advancement of recording technology has compelled individuals to reconsider what constitutes a piece of music. Older recordings were more compressed and noisier since tapes were utilized for recording, which resulted in a unique noise recording. The new recording is crisper and more meaningful as a result of more recent speech processing. This means that music technology enables individuals to generate as many components of music as possible. Technology is an excellent technique to play this record since it provides the song a new edge in the form of a more modern sound that may assist pull in customers.

Reference

Eiksund, Ø. J., Angelo, E., & Knigge, J. (2020). Music Technology in Education: Channeling and Challenging Perspectives. Cappelen Damm Akademisk/NOASP (Nordic Open Access Scholarly Publishing).

Introduction

Folklore is a critical feature of human life that has been part of human social existence in all parts of the world. Folklore pertains to all aspects of human ways of life that are disseminated majorly through oral communication and behavioural examples. Folk groups are characterized by common traits that give each group a sense of identity. As such, folklore genres are some of the key characteristics that play chief roles in determining the identity of a community or a folk group.

It is imperative to note that varied definitions of folklore are given depending on the diverse views and perceptions. Some critics argue that folklore is old-fashioned and may fade away in the near future. However, it is evident that folklore connects people to their past while remaining a chief part of the present life.

This essay gives a deliberated discussion on folklore of the African-American folk group. In particular, the paper discusses the folk songs in the group. After giving a brief history of the African-American folk group, the paper discusses folk songs and folk singers during the slavery era. The subsequent part is on the evolution and development of folk songs among the African-Americans after the slavery era. Of particular interest is the emergence of the folk blues and hip-hop.

The essay is based on library research, obtaining key information from articles in peer-reviewed journals. The authors of the articles adopted academic and empirical approaches to the study of the African-Americans.

It is imperative to note that African-American folk songs express community-based traditions articulating common knowledge, culture, history, and general feelings of the group. Folk songs and, music in general, is a significant tradition in the African-American folklore. The songs connect the African-American group to their rich and significant past. Additionally, the folk songs have evolved throughout the dynamic and eventful history of the African-American people. As such, the ancestral wisdom and culture are passed down to generations through the songs. It is worth noting that most of the folk songs in the African-American society reflect philosophies, knowledge, and general emotional states.

The African-Americans History & Membership

The African-American folk group has its ancestral origin in Africa, especially sub-Sahara and West Africa (Bryc, Durand, Macpherson, Reich, & Mountain, 2015). African-Americans came to settle in the United States because of forced mass migrations of the Africans by European empires in between the 15^th and the 19^th centuries. During the slave trade era, more than 11 million Africans were forcibly moved from their ancestral homes and transported to Europe and the Americas. Precisely, most of the Africans were shipped to work as slaves in the European territories in the US.

Empirical studies have revealed the composition and membership of the African-American by linking them to the exact geographical locations in Africa. Studies on the mitochondrial DNA have classified the Africa-American to those that came from west-central Africa, southwest Africa, and the Sub-Saharan Africa (Salas, Carracedo, Richards, & Macaulay, 2005). Notably, Africans from some of the Northern parts of Africa, especially Morocco, are not regarded as African-Americans. It is imperative to note that the term African-American gained preference in the 1970s. Before the 1970s, other names such as Negros were commonly used but faced criticism due to their racist aspects.

Although slave trade was abolished and most of the African-Americans freed, oppression and racism were perpetuated by most white Americans leading to the unifying of the many African-Americans and the consolidation of folk songs.

The use of songs has been very popular in the group especially in the expression of oppression.

African-American folk songs

Folk songs are important aspects of the African-American customs. They vary from zydeco, jazz, blues, and hip-hop and they express a number of themes. Some of the outstanding themes in the African-American folk songs include slavery, struggles of personal empowerment, human rights, perseverance, and the African-American history in general. As such, African-American folk songs depict a full picture of the circumstances the African-Americans has gone through in their history in the United States (Graziano, 2004).

Slave Spirituals and Work Calls

As earlier mentioned, the African-American customs consolidated in the slave trade era. African slaves worked for their white masters under strict supervision and harsh demands. Therefore, the slaves had to work in unity while encouraging each other on perseverance. Folk songs played a vital role in the American slave fields. The songs were meant to pass news and information amongst the slaves and pass time in the harsh unconducive slavery environments (Graziano, 2004).

It is imperative to note that the choral arrangement of most of the slave spirituals and work calls borrowed a lot from the African cultures. Some of the apparent aspects in the folk songs included words interjections, melody variations, and the call response structure among others. Additionally, the African rhythm and the improvisation was a common aspect among the slave folk singers.

Evidently, the slave spiritual and work calls songs have greatly influenced the current folk songs, especially on matters of fighting for human rights, perseverance, and human empowerment.

During these oppressive times, perseverance themed songs characterized even religious ceremonies and rituals. For instance, “We Shall Overcome” and “I shall Not Be Moved” were some of the songs used by the African-American congregations in attempts to instill perseverance and give hope to the oppressed the group.

African-American folk songs after the civil war

The Emancipation Proclamation saw the change of federal laws concerning slavery and the freeing of more than 3 million slaves, especially African-American. Most of the freed African-Americans moved to northern cities, including Chicago and Detroit. However, others did not move but remained in the former slave owners’ states.

Nonetheless, the freeing of slaves did not end racial discrimination and violation African-American human rights. Therefore, the African-American folk songs were still themed with overcoming, endurance, faith, and the fight for human rights.

After the end of slavery, most of the African-Americans were working along railway lines. They constructed new railroads, especially in the rural American west. Others worked as domestic workers while others would sell merchandise along city streets. During this time, most of the songs were about the newfound freedom and the ties the African-Americans had with their waged/salaried jobs. The modern blues music is said to have originated from the era when the African-Americans started working for pay.

During this era, Folk-blues were sang and performed by organized groups of musicians. Touring entertainment groups, advertising shows, and burlesque troupes employed most blues folk singers to sing and perform in front of audiences. The folk-blues, however, were integrated with country-western music as the interaction with the country music singers became inevitable. As a result, the folk-blues become relatively country oriented (Graziano, 2004).

Oftentimes, artists who understand the cultural aspects and circumstances of African-Americans compose the group folk songs. Therefore, the African-American as a folk group easily adopts the songs. Leadbelly used music to tell the hard truth. Sometimes, Leadbelly would sing to seek pardon from imprisonment. He is to date regarded as one of the greatest influences of the African-American folk songs and music in general (Graziano, 2004).

Folk-Blues and the Advent of Rock & Roll

One of the most significant influence on the African-American folk songs is the era of blues and, eventually, the rise of rock & roll. Folk-blues singers such as Bessie Smith and Memphis Minnie made the genre popular even among other folk groups.

Folk-blues singers such as Keb Mo further integrated the genre with rock making it difficult to distinguish the two (Graziano, 2004).

Civil Rights folk Songs

The fight for equal rights by the African-Americans heightened between the 1950s and 1960s. African-Americans were struggling for racial parity, especially under the law. African-American folk singers were among the most vocal contributors to the fight for equality under the law. For instance, Folk singer Odetta and many others worked with Martin Luther King Junior to sensitize the African-Americans on the need for equality under the law. It is imperative to note that most folk singers were against the violent method of fighting for equality; rather they spread the word of direct action through non-violence (Graziano, 2004).

The folk singers stood in solidarity to impart the African-American community to reteach the songs of the slavery era. Civil Rights folk songs (that were somewhat radicle), such as “We Shall Overcome”, and “Oh Freedom” became very popular among the African-Americans fighting for equality. Ultimately, the protest, solidarity and the folk songs paid as the African-Americans became equal with the white Americans under the law.

Hip-Hop folk songs

Hip-hop, a genre of folk songs, emerged in the 1970s and quickly took roots among the African-Americans living in urban areas and cities. The genre borrowed rhythms from diverse musical genres, including the antique African drums and some modern music genres. Hip-hop folk singers majorly adopted rhythms and rapping to express deep-rooted emotions of disillusionment. Notably, there were mixtures of celebrations and frustrations among the African-Americans during the 1970s (Graziano, 2004).

The 1980s saw the rise of folk singer that revolutionized hip-hop. Hip-hop artists formed groups like the NWA while other sang alone like LL Cool J. As such, the folk music was brought into public consciousness. Some of the popular themes among the hip-hop folk singers were racism, violence, governance, and the abject poverty that most African-Americans experienced. Additionally, hip-hop artists rapped about relationships/love, work, and other day-to-day aspects of the community (Graziano, 2004).

Synthesis

The influence of folk songs in shaping the African-American narratives, ritual, and their ways of life, in general, is apparent. The folk songs have greatly featured in the history of the folk group, especially on matters of perseverance and enhancing hope. In the modern times, contemporary singers strongly influence the path of the American music industry as a whole. Additionally, music influences the politics civil rights, education, civil opinions, and the evolving history of the US in general.

The use of folk songs is not unique to the African-American society. The use of folk blues songs to express disappointment, perseverance, and in the fight for human rights is common among many folk groups around the world.

Conclusion

It is apparent that folklore is a key aspect of humanity. Folklore connects a folk group to its past while influencing the present.

This essay has discussed folklore in the African-American society. Particularly, the paper has discussed the evolution and the role of folk songs in the African-American as a folk group.

African-Americans have a rich history that is characterized by many events. Outstandingly, the aspect of oppression has characterized the existence of African-Americans. First, the African-Americans were forcefully evicted from their ancestral home during the slave trade. Second, they were forced to work for the white Americans as slaves. Third African-Americans were initially not considered equal to their white counterparts. Lastly, the African-Americans are most of the time discriminated against based on their race.

With such as an oppressive history and environment, the African-Americans have used folklore to ease their pain and make their circumstances relatively tolerable. The African-Americans have used folk songs to instil attributes of perseverance and hope amongst themselves. Additionally, African-Americans have used folk songs, especially blues to express their sorry predicaments while fighting for their rights. Hip-hop, on the other hand, has played a key role in the expression of disillusionments among the African-American society, especially disappointments emanating from racial discrimination and abject poverty.

Decisively, the role of folk songs in any society is apparent, as the essay has discussed the impact of the folklore genre in the African-American folk group and other groups as well.

References

Bryc, K., Durand, E. Y., Macpherson, J. M., Reich, D., & Mountain, J. L. (2015). The Genetic Ancestry of African Americans, Latinos, and European Americans across the United States. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 96(1), 37–53. Web.

Graziano, J. (2004). The Use of Dialect in African-American Spirituals, Popular Songs, and Folk Songs. Black Music Research Journal, 24(2), 261-286. Web.

Salas, A., Carracedo, Á., Richards, M., & Macaulay, V. (2005). Charting the Ancestry of African Americans. American Journal of Human Genetics, 77(4), 676–680.

A racially-discriminating song or performance is unthinkable in the modern world, but this genre was popular during the times of the Confederacy. Daniel Decatur Emmett’s “Dixie” was a song written in 1859 for the minstrel show, which is a racist comedy (“Daniel Decatur Emmett”). The song was composed before the Civil War; thus, it was not perceived as racial stereotyping and was performed on stage (“Daniel Decatur Emmett”). The song consists of five verses and the chorus, repeated three times. The lyrics seem to present the wish of a freed African American to return to the cotton plantations in the Dixie Land (Magia Internetu 00:00:42-00:01:00). The latter was the nickname for the southern states, aggressively supporting slavery. “Dixie” also tells the story of a young couple whose love story ended tragically (Magia Internetu 00:01:55-00:02:05). Still, the music is cheerful, suggesting that no emotional pain was associated with the longing and forbidden love of enslaved Black people.

Although this song was written for minstrelsy, its rhythm seemed suitable for singing near the camping fire or plantations. Indeed, it was popular among soldiers during the Civil War, becoming an informal national anthem of the Confederacy (“Daniel Decatur Emmett”). However, I did not have any positive association when listening to “Dixie.” I view it as a discriminatory song because the lyrics suggest that slavery is a natural state for black people; hence, they miss their plantations and cannot enjoy freedom. My emotional response was negative since the song seemed to sound to me like a parody of the music of slaves, singing during evening gatherings after hard labor. It might not have been intend to resemble black music’s rhythm, but I felt that lyrics were written to show that enslaved people’s lives can be placed in one song. The fact that verses first present the story of a freedman missing his plantation and then move to the love story of two black individuals confirmed my initial reaction.

I believe the main reason why this song elicited antipathy in me was that I knew the story of its making. Indeed, it is challenging not to think about the history of the music, especially if it was created as part of a stage performance that used to discriminate against black people. Even though I knew that the song was written before the Civil War, it did not help remove adverse connotations. Nevertheless, I believe it is possible to separate a piece of art from its past, but it depends heavily on the context of creation. In this particular case, I could not block my negative emotional reaction because I was raised in an environment where any forms of racial discrimination, stereotyping, and humiliation were inconceivable. However, if the song were only about longing for place or separation and had more minor chords, I would likely view it positively.

Since we all now know the story behind “Dixie,” it was shocking to learn that some people in the southern states are proud of that legacy. I would assume that these individuals are unaware of the term’s etiology; however, you mentioned in your post that this restaurant had existed there for a long time. Hence, the likelihood that the owners are aware of the word’s connection to slavery is high. Since the origin of “Dixie” is known to me, I also find it challenging not to feel revulsion when listening to it and not to judge those who use this term for naming their companies.

Works Cited

“Confederate Song – I Wish I Was in Dixie Land (with Lyrics).”YouTube, uploaded by Magia Internetu, 2013.

“Daniel Decatur Emmett.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 2021, Britannica.

I have picked “O frondens” from the Ordo Virtutum by Hildegard von Bingen as a musical sample to listen to. Early Western music seems to me very sublime, concentrating on the spiritual world of man. It happens since Early Western music was religious and was created in order to help a person reach out to God. I experienced a feeling of flight and light sadness because of the smooth melancholic motif of the main voice that contrasts vividly with the deep, monotonous sound of the choir. I associated this piece of music with a calm, relaxed expression on my face with my eyes closed and turned to the sky since it has ecclesiastical moods and reminds me of something unearthly and sublime.

I did not want to move to this music. I tried to freeze and close my eyes because while listening to such a melody, it is necessary to feel the soul’s movement, not the body. The work evoked images of the church and the light breaking through the colored stained-glass windows. This association with prayer and church comes from Early Western music and has a close cultural and historical relationship with religion. The mood of this musical passage is calm and blissful, which follows from the single bright sounds of the main voices. Combined with soft continuous bass, they bring a sacred feeling.

What struck me most about “O frondens” is the harmony and use of timbre, which is different from modern Western music. The voices in harmony move together and create various modal effects (Hansen et al., 2012), which provides the sample with bright harmonious schemes. It makes the piece lyrical, melodic, and sublime and does not create harsh and dissonant sounds, which originally made me choose harmony as a term to describe. The timbre of the sample is “subtle” to the listener’s ears, which corresponds to the instrumental sound of the Renaissance, but is not confirmed by the known data on vocal performance (Hansen et al., 2012). I have paid special attention to it since the timbre here is high, creating a musical and spiritual vibration as if pushing a person forward and up.

References

von Bingen, H. (n.d.). O frondens. From the Ordo Virtutum. Web.

Hansen B., Whitehouse, D. & Silverman, C. (2012). Introduction to music appreciation. American Public University System ePress.

Introduction

Ironic is a song by Alanis Morissette, a Canadian-American alternative rock singer, and songwriter (1996). The song was released in 1996 and was the third song Morissette wrote together with the songwriter and record producer Glen Ballard. Despite receiving significant popularity at the time, the song is majorly notable for instantly capturing the attention of the media, and receiving a lot of debate and criticism over the perceived “unironic” content of its lyrics.

This criticism was based on the fact that few of the situations described in the songs fit the traditional definition of irony as a “situation in which something which was intended to have a particular result has the opposite or a very different result” (“Irony Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary” par.1). The debate received a lot of coverage, prompting responses from critics, comedians, satirists, and integrated itself into the pop culture.

The purpose of this literature review is to study the lyrics and the meaning behind it, as well as evaluate the validity of the intended message.

Analysis

The song consists of three verses, which relate several supposedly ironic situations. The first verse begins by talking about a ninety-eight-year-old man, who won the lottery but died the very next day and proceeds to describe several other misfortunes.

The other verses and the chorus text has similar content, portraying a man who crashed on his first flight after being afraid of flying his whole life, a traffic jam when one is already late, and a meeting a man of one’s dreams, only to discover him already married. While unquestionably unfortunate, these situations don’t seem to fit the traditional definitions of irony and appear to work better as instances of mere bad luck and, for some, particularly vocal, critics, examples of what irony is not.

There is no subversion of the meaning of the situation. On the other hand, the situations described in the song fit far better with the concept of “situational irony”, which is based on a discrepancy between expectations about a situation and the eventual outcome (Watt par.1). While it is unclear how much of it was intended by Morissette, due to her comments about not trying to make everything by-the-book ironic, but all of the situations are based on the characters expecting a particular resolution, which are quickly brought down by a contrary result (Horberry 136).

Reflection

This song has a lot of focus on situations that create hope and high expectations, and the disheartenment that comes when outside forces, upon which we have no influence, subvert these expectations. Whether these lyrics can be considered “ironic” in their original sense, or not, they still provide an insight into the mind of the authors, and contemplation they have for some of the unfortunate situations that befall them.

Ironically, if one does accept the opinion of the critics that the song has failed to capture the sense of irony, then the name of the song fittingly becomes ironic, due to the discrepancy between the intended and actual meaning.

Conclusion

Ultimately, this is a very entertaining song that managed to involve the audiences not only with relevant and touching lyrics but also, unintentionally, with a complex linguistic debate, the personal outcome of which could change a person’s perception of this song.

“Ironic” plays to its strengths, and it shows that it was written with the enthusiasm and creativity of a fresh team of two songwriters working together.

Works Cited

Horberry, Roger. Sounds Good on Paper: How to Bring Business Language to Life. London: A. & C. Black, 2010. Print.

“Irony Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary.” Cambridge Dictionaries. n.d. Web.

Morissette, Alanis. Ironic. Maverick/Reprise Records, 1996. MP3.

Watt, A. T. “Situational Irony.” Types Of Irony. n.d. Web.

Introduction

The present paper will present a concise analysis of the creative work of ten prominent rap artists and will offer an account of the main cultural issues of a particular period described in the songs.

“Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang

“Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang is a perfect choice to start the list of outstanding rap songs and artists. “Rapper’s Delight”, by all means, deserves being the first rap song to become a hit of Top 40 due to its rhythm and energy that infects the listener from the first chords. However, their song does not throw light on any serious problem being a kind of attraction of people, as it is stated “all I’m here to do ladies is hypnotize” (Sugarhill Gang line 63). It emphasizes the physical relationship between the sexes.

“Planet Rock” by Afrika Bambaataa

“Planet Rock” by Afrika Bambaataa is a song that proclaims the following motto: “Love Life Live” (Afrika Bambaataa line 17). It is an optimistic and rhythmic song that presents the unity of tune and lyrics. It aims to show the power and magic of music. The song inspires people to become free with the help of music and Afrika Bambaataa wants to turn the Earth into the Planet Rock.

“Jam on It” by Newcleus

The song “Jam on It” by Newcleus can be interpreted as an introduction of the musical group and the explanation of their position in the world of music that is as follows: “I came to rock the human race” (Newcleus line 96). The zest of the song and Newcleus’ music, in general, is the introduction of electronic beats that create a cosmic effect that contributes to the harmony of music and lyrics.

“The Brakes” Kurtis Blow

Kurtis Blow, in “The Brakes”, presents a humorous story with such witty lines as “He said his Cadilac was gold But he didn’t say it was ten years old” (Kurtis Blow line 60-61). Unobtrusively, the rapper wants to show that it is possible to overcome the difficulties of life and the song sounds very optimistic. The special feature of this song is the originality of the funk beat that makes it stand out against the background of rap music of that time.

“The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

“The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five is the first song on the disk that resembles the modern school of rap by the theme of hardships that ghetto-dwellers face. Its feature is the prevalence of lyrics over the music that promotes the main aim of the song: to draw the attention of the public to the ghetto for people not to die young anymore. The lyrics are moving and make flash creep due to such lines as “I’m close to the edge I’m trying not to lose my head” (Grandmaster Flash line 10-11).

“Sucker MCs” by Run-D.M.C.

“Sucker MCs” by Run-D.M.C. is interesting as it is the first example of a music assault aimed at rappers who produce music of low quality in contrast to the authors of this song. Music of high quality is the honest way to respect and wealth with its traditional signs like “Champaign caviar, and bubble bath” (Run D.M.C. line 12). This song can be characterized by aggressive notes and its feature is the absence of music but for beats and claps accompanying the lyrics.

“Roxanne, Roxanne” by UTFO

The song “Roxanne, Roxanne” by UTFO is the one that can make any listener smile due to such lines as “And she said, “So?” And I said, “So?!?” Baby don’t you know? I can sing, rap, and dance in just one show” (UTFO line 3-4). It is a bright example of the behavioral pattern of young rap artists that are making advances to an attractive woman and get her refusal. It is a lyrical and romantic song and the refrain makes its contribution to this naïve lyricism.

“Roxanne” by the Real Roxanne

“Roxanne” by the Real Roxanne, “the lady-devastator” (sec 00:22), as she calls herself is a witty repulse addressed to UTFO and their song. Probably, this reaction to UTFO’s song is the beginning of “battles” common among rap artists. The song is not inferior to the one produced by UTFO and a perfect choice made by the author was to use the refrain from the original song.

“Human Beat Box” by Fat Boys

Fat Boys and their song “Human Beat Box” has a special feature that is common in contemporary rap music but used to be an innovation at the time of old school, it is beatboxing, the beats produced by a man with help of his mouth without special musical instruments. On the whole, the lyrics convey common themes and phrases like “born Mcs”, “cool and witty” (Fat Boys sec 1:36) that can be found in other songs but beatboxing is the feature that makes it special and pleasant to listen to.

“Hey, DJ” by World’s Famous Supreme Team

Finally, World’s Famous Supreme Team’s “Hey, DJ” is a melodious combination of a beautiful tune, female voice, insertion of a child’s speech, scratching, and real rap that are united to produce a song of high quality. It is addressed to the DJ who should “show the entire world what he can do” (World’s Famous Supreme Team sec. 3:14). At the same time, the song is meant to unite the world with the help of music.

Conclusion

Thus, the analyzed songs show that the old school of rap preferred peaceful themes and melodic tunes; the greater part of songs was optimistic and was aimed at the attraction of the audience’s attention.

Works Cited

Afrika Bambaataa. “Planet Rock” Planet Rock 12’’. Lyrics. 2010. Web.

Fat Boys. Human Beat Box. Mp3. 2010. Web.

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5. “The Message” The Message. Lyrics. 2010. Web.

Kurtis Blow. “The Breaks” The Breaks 12’’. Lyrics. 2010. Web.

Newcleus. “Jam on It” Jam on It 12’’. Lyrics. 2010. Web.

Run-D.M.C. “Sucker M.C.’s” Run-D.M.C. Lyrics. 2010. Web.

Sugarhill Gang. Rapper’s Delight. Lyrics. 2010. Web.

The Real Roxanne. Roxanne. Mp3. 2010. Web.

UTFO. Roxanne, Roxanne. Lyrics. 2010. Web.

World’s Famous Supreme Team. Hey, DJ. Mp3. 2010. Web.

There has been a major revolution in contemporary music over the past years in various countries across the world. However, one of the most notable places where this dynamic revolution has taken place in Korea. One of the most famous Pop Music groups is the Girls’ Generation. In Girls’ Generation’s song, “Gee,” the theme is love and admiration. Unlike in the past when it was out of tradition for a girl to express how she felt for the opposite sex, this belief has slowly faded with time. Girls’ Generation through their song “Gee” portrays a girl who is expressing her love for the opposite sex.

Gender Femininities

In a stereotyped world, some years back, women had to stick to the strict dressing code. However, in the major K-Pop band, Girls’ Generation hit song, “Gee,” the girls dance along to the song in shorts that reveal their legs (Jung 6). Unlike some time ago, women were very conscious of their clothes, the video exhibits a group of girls that seems to be less bothered by their attires. More so, their faces appear to be touched through plastic surgery, as well as thick layers of makeup.

In general, the K-Pop revolution is only picking up but it is doing so quite steadily. Music gateway seems to be the major highway where the female gender can air their views without fear of intimidation or rejection. As time goes by, K-Pop music will be the most viral in terms of its being widespread in social media as well as YouTube. It is also worth noting that the female gender battles for supremacy in the music industry (Seabrook 5). This is regarding the Girls’ Generation who has formed an entire girls’ only group excluding the gents.

Works Cited

Jung, Eun-Young. “K-Pop Female Idols in the West: Racial Imaginations and Erotic Fantasies.” The Korean Wave: Korean Media Go Global. Ed. Youna Kim. London and New York: Routledge, 2008, 106-119. Print.

Seabrook, John. “Factory Girls: Cultural Technology and the Making of K-Pop”. The New Yorker. Web.

This essay aims to select a sample of five Soul songs and analyze them collectively for the messaging they convey regarding the Black Power movement. While “Soul” is universally acknowledged as a style or aesthetic when applied to food or music, little does anyone realize that it also played a defining role at a particular time in shaping the history of Africa America most importantly, the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s (Guillory and Green, p. 3).

Just as there are many forms and subgenres of Soul, including Motown, Classic Soul, Philadephia Soul, and Memphis Soul, there is also a huge variety of songs and albums that reflect the Black experience in different times periods (Burnim and Maultsby, p. 11). For the sake of simplicity, we shall restrict our window of analysis to the song lyrics written mostly during or after the turbulent ’60s. The soul is a very delicate subject, generally meant to be pleasing to the senses, but it can also be a highly refined genre subject to innovative interpretations, some of which are mentioned below.

Let’s start off with the “Godfather of Soul”, James Brown, whose iconic album “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud” became the anthem of the Black Power movement due to its strong statement on Black cultural nationalism (Vierkant, p. 2). The song addresses the system of perpetual oppression affecting a benighted Black community, but as a generalization, could be easily extended to anyone who remains under the jackboots of an unchangeable system that is thwarting his progress in life. Brown’s signature-style song lyrics radically call upon the oppressed to break free from the manacles of social oppression and identify with self-empowerment, a statement which could be considered very bold for the 60’s when the average Black wasn’t very keen on swimming against the tide.

A related song in the Chicago Soul subgenre, “keep on pushing” by Curtis Mayfield, carries the message of empowerment one step further by using the words “Hallelujah, hallelujah” as an endorsement for the Black Israelite movement again, a very powerful statement because it opines that Black Africans are the true Israelites, a very different interpretation from “Ham’s curse” which was a racist Biblical interpretation coined by Caucasians to imply that Blacks were a cursed race, and hence, to be forever subjected to servitude at their hands. Not any more!

Another song in the Philadelphia Soul subgenre, “Backstabbers” by O’Jays is a “dark, ominous meditation on treachery” faced by African-Americans in their daily lives due to a racist system that brutalizes their sense of identity, and takes away their manhood, taking a dig at liberal do-gooders who fall empty on their promises towards uplifting the Black man the song serves as a cautionary tale through its high-intensity vocals and backing voices (Jackson, p. 28).

Another song lyrics in the Classic soul category, by Staple Singers, “Respect Yourself” is a reflective yet mild advisory to the Black community, to start learning to respect their own identity and calls for empowerment through taking responsibility for one’s actions. The premise of the song is clear if minorities have to fight against oppression in their midst, they will have to start looking inward to be the change they want to see in the world. On a positive note, the song does not chastise any particular race but ends with optimistic overtones.

Finally, Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” reflects on the singer’s humiliation at a WHITES-only motel in Louisiana where his band was denied permission to board (Werner, 42). However, like the previous song, it ends on an optimistic note by voicing that change is inevitable, and will come sooner or later.

IN SUMMARY: Put together, the historical and social implications of Soul have been phenomenal in forging Black unity and building resistance against establishment oppression. Soul has been one of the key dimensions that have allowed all Americans of color, to collectively raise their voice in an environment of apathy, and shape the present character of this nation.

Works Cited

1. Burnim, Mellonee V., and Portia K. Maultsby. African American Music an Introduction. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print.
2. Guillory, Monique, and Richard C. Green. Soul: Black Power, Politics, and Pleasure. New York: New York UP, 1998. Print.
3. Jackson, John A. A House on Fire the Rise and Fall of Philadelphia Soul. New York: Oxford UP, 2004. Print.
4. Vierkant, Paul. James Brown and the Black Power Movement or was America’s Soul Brother. Nordestedt, Germany: Auflage, 2005. Print.
5. Werner, Craig Hansen. A Change Is Gonna Come: Music, Race & the Soul of America. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 2006. Print.