Covers If one were asked to describe David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World” with a single adjective, it is probable that – regardless of their specific musical tastes – they would do so with the word strange. This is so for two reasons: one, the style of the music is markedly different from much contemporary music, with interesting combinations of instrumentals and vocals (more on that in a moment); and two, the lyrics are quite cryptic, relating a strange and very incomplete tale whose meaning is not explained, and whose participants are not fully described. An analysis of the lyrics reveals that this is so. The narrator of the song speaks of encountering an apparent stranger in passing, whereupon the two speak of “was and when,” with the stranger saying that the narrator “was his friend” (Bowie). This “came as some surprise” to the narrator, who “wasn’t there” and who proceeds to speak into the stranger’s eyes, saying “I thought you died alone, a long, long time ago” (Bowie). To this …show more content…
In some cases Bowie’s voice is quite raspy: it is only a slight exaggeration to say that he sounds as if he is choking or in need of clearing his throat. At other points, especially during the chorus, it is stronger and clearer, if not perfectly so. At various junctures a strange sound can be heard in the background, a sound similar to that made by running the end of a drumstick across a washing board or stepping on a creaky, old wooden board (Bowie). The ending features deep but subdued vocals mingling together vigorously to produce a sort of operatic sound which endures for approximately the final minute and which creates a high and flying sense of excitement and expectation similar to that which is created by such energetic pieces as Rossini’s “William Tell Overture” (albeit with far less aesthetic beauty and
Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, is an elaborate and intriguing best-selling song from 1975. There is much speculation about what this song could be about, but there is a general understanding that no matter it is about, the song is used to express Mercury’s feelings. Throughout the song, there are various shifts in tone and music style, which are very important in demonstrating Mercury’s emotions toward himself and others. The song is symbolic of Mercury’s emotional struggles, and through various rhetorical strategies he conveys his confused and fragile emotions to the listeners.
In this essay I will be critically analysing and evaluating ‘The Beatles’ Sgt. Peppers album in relation to their associated genre, their lyrics, their musical creativity, their social and political context, their overall impact on music and popular culture and
Gay musicians felt this John song was a message to Brian Epstein, featuring a Dylan influenced folk rock sound. It is...
“But the song George picked is one of the hardest songs ever in history and he played it perfectly, until he played the ending. Although he created the ending right off the back of his head. It was better than a the original,” continued the
When we hear the song Brown-Eyed Girl, it is safe to assume the majority of us think of the Van Morrison version that was first introduced in his album Blowin’ Your Mind, released in 1967. Since that time the song’s legend and popularity have grown to unprecedented heights. Many artists have redone the song, some with a similar music style to Morrison (like Jimmy Buffet), and others of a completely different genre like the punk rock band Green Day. In my essay I will argue that the stylistic differences between the two songs are not a barrier. Rather, in combination with the similarities associating with cover songs, they form a bridge between two genres. In this case, it is achieved by
The repetition of “strange”, stranger” and “strangest” emphasises the realisation of the son about his father. Also, as the narrator grows older and has gained more experience, he starts to see his father’s virtues of “honesty, generosity” and “integrity” again. In the same way, oxymoron is used to show his change in perception as he begins to realise how insignificant he is compared to his father. As he is “not knee-high to this long dead God”. However, he realised his father's importance too late, as his father has passed away and the tone of the poem becomes sad and depressed. This shows the persona’s regrets towards his change of heart regarding his father. Which not only shows that the persona’s perception has altered but also his perception of himself as he transitioned with experience and
To conclude this presentation. Space Oddity is the second album by David Bowie, the different attempts of styles Bowie demonstrated was something new and refreshing since his debut in 1967. The star of the show was of course the song Space oddity. A song about an astrounout stranded in space, with strong emphasis on cynicism and alienation.
Many say that music has evolved over the years. This essay shall explore the elements of two versions of one song. It shall discuss the correlations and disparities of these songs and confer how it has been revolutionised to entertain the audiences of today.
With its evolving and unique sound, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by the British band Queen may be one of the strangest, most inspired and least-understood songs in the history of rock. Released on October 31, 1975 in the album A Night at the Opera, “Bohemian Rhapsody” became very popular, staying at the top of the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks and by the end of January, had more than a million copies sold. Freddie Mercury, the sole writer of this song, never disclosed the song’s official meaning, but Brian May, the lead guitarist of the band, believes it is about his struggles in life and how he tried to get past society’s standards, for the lyrics progress through the central character’s understanding of the situations portrayed in the song. Nonetheless,
The music is rebellious and its uncompromising intensity is uncatagorizable for its urgent flooding past genre definitions. Miles’ music of the five-year period is unlike any music that preceded it, and still, 30 years later, so original, so Progressive, and so inadequately described.
The musical song “Wonderwall” by Oasis speaks about a friend rescuing the life of another friend. The speaker appears to be the band, Oasis, singing the song in first person through the multiple uses of the term “I.” The singer experiences the conflict of loneliness, that somebody must save him from his own downfall. The conflict ties in with the theme of always relying on a friend to come save the day, no matter the situation. Oasis writes the poem in the structure of a stanza, but the line count in each stanza varies. Within the poem, the singer’s intended audience may be a significant other, perhaps a woman. The reader believes this due to the fact that the singer says “you” throughout the song (2).
Also this rhetorical question is not meant for an answer but for the audience to think and emphasize the point that businessmen and woman are missing out significantly on the peacefulness and beauty of the outdoors. Finally, in the last line of the song Grandaddy concludes the songs just how he began it, when he includes, “They were the group who couldn't say.” This concludes the song by explaining how these business men and women were speechless after going on their excursion and witnessing the beauty of the outdoors and escaping the anxiety of life. This song provided many example of how the outdoors can change a person's life and how many people in the world are cooped up in a office working day and night not experiencing what the world has to offer, Grandaddy reinforces this by the uses of rhetorical devices such as Juxtaposition, rhetorical question, and
Albert Camus was one of the most renowned authors during the early twentieth century. With writings such as The Stranger, and The Plague, Camus has struck the world of literature with amazing works that are analyzed to a great extent. This amazing success was not just handed to Camus on a silver platter however; Albert endured many hard times and was often encumbered with great illness in his short life. These hardships that Camus had to face, emphasized in his writings and literature. Camus’ work is very closely related to songs written and sung by a band named Queen. Queen’s song, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, is one of few songs, that correlate to Albert Camus views on the Absurd, which
The fact that replicating a seventeen-years-old song can still become a hit in 2017, demonstrates that there is a pre-designed pattern for popular music in which changing a few characteristics to make a new songs sound “unique” can still result in success. For this reason, Adorno argues that the music industry produces music in an “industrial” way--popular music is centralized in its pattern and modifies some characteristics to seem “individualistic.” Though Shape of You and No Scrubs contain different keys, tempo, and of course, lyrics, they both rely on a chord progression of i-ic-VI-VII in a common time (MusicNotes, 1 & FindSongTempo, 1). Shape of you takes advantage that the audience is accustomed to listening to the same pattern and it is modified to fit the current era and thus, result in a significant monetary income.
“Money” by Pink Floyd is a song written by Roger Waters and released in May of 1973. The main focus of the song beyond the obvious (money) is the subtle commentary the singer makes on the capitalist system. At the time of its release, the post World War II Soviet Union’s economy was booming, and massive periods stagflation in America began to force citizens to question the validity of the regulated brand of capitalism made popular in the decades following Roosevelt’s New Deal. The song, a representation of American pop culture at the time, appears at first glance to be a sardonic condemnation of the wealthiest members of society. However, a closer analysis reveals that the true interpretation of the song is a literal one; “Money” is undoudbetdly a praise of capitalism. Waters’ linguistic choices and overall message are unequivocally meant to simultaneously affirm a capitalist system and glorify wealth.