Green Day : An Influential Song

The hippie aesthetic era was an important time in rock and roll during the late 60’s and on into the early 80’s. It was a time were rock had a sense of purpose. They sung about the issues that plagued the country. It was also a time where technology would play an important roll in the sound of music, with the advancement in recording and synthesizer technology (Covach, “The Hippie Aesthetic”). The hippie aesthetic was not immune to the advancement of music. This essay will go over three songs that represent the different aspects of this era. It’ll will review a song that is predominately hippie aesthetic, a song that is a little of both, and finally a song that has no trace of hippie aesthetic.

The hippie aesthetic implies a song has a message to convey to the listening audience by any means at their disposal (Covach & Flory, 2015). My interpretation of this would be exemplified in the song “War” by Edwin Starr released in 1970 on his album titled “War and Peace”. Written as a protest against the Vietnam War (War by Edwin Starr), the listener cannot misinterpret the intended message. Most songs are not as direct as to their meaning but are none the less passionate about the topic. “Silent Running” by Mike and the Mechanics is one such song. Other songs are not as ‘global’ in their message but take on a personal connotation and elicit the listener’s emotions, such as “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper.

The appeal he uses most often is pathos, it is found throughout the song. Macklemore uses a word that is very hurtful to homosexuals: “faggots" (Haggerty, Lewis, Lambert, 2102). He uses it to show how people inappropriately use the word, but it is a word that causes a lot of pain to some people. His word choice is effective in bringing out emotion as in the line, “plagued by pain in their heart.” The choice to use the word plague describes just how bad the pain is. When people hear the word plague, we think of a widespread disease that affects hundreds and causes worldwide scare. He is saying that this pain is what they have in their heart every day. By using pathos to appeal to the emotion of love in every chorus, “my love, she keeps me warm,” Macklemore successfully tugs at a listener’s heartstrings because most can relate to the feeling of love in some way or another. Another phrase that he uses that applies to pathos is “some would rather die than be who they are.” In today's society, the topic of suicide is extremely emotional, which is what this lyric refers to. Macklemore uses a great deal of pathos appeal to reach out to his listeners and get his argument across.

Punk rock music has been used for decades to express dissatisfaction with society, government, or any idea common in mainstream media. Yet punk rock is not simply a tangent of the mainstream, it is a dynamic and fluid genre with many distinct songs. Don Letts, a mainstay in the London punk scene during the 70’s and 80’s, went as far to say that hip-hop was essentially “black” punk. While punk and hip-hop music are stylistically different, the fundamental tone of the two genres is the same. Even throughout the decades, hip-hop has sang the same issues as punk, including the plight of the lower class, police brutality, and gang violence.

The style of the song is very crucial in how it comes across to the listener. It is a simple song with a mellow sound and a focus on the lyrics. The song consists of Everlast’s deep, dark voice and use of often graphic words. This song is consistent with the artist’s usual style and combines elements of hip-hop and blues. The sound of the acoustic guitar and the steady beat of the drum highlight the story being told instead of drowning it out, like many songs do. The edgy style of the song lends itself to the message being sent.

While it is widely rumored that many of Bob Dylan’s songs were written while he was under the influence of various drugs, I’m not so sure that those rumors are accurate. Following a 1991 interview conducted by Paul Zollo with Bob Dylan, Zollo stated that “There’s an unmistakable elegance in Dylan’s words, an almost biblical beauty” and that “Dylan’s answers give you a lot to think about while not necessarily revealing much about the man”. (Zollo 2) The same can be said with regard to many of the lyrics of Dylan’s songs. The lyrics to “Mr. Tambourine Man”, for example, are wildly descriptive and sometimes confusing and can leave a listener (or a reader) open to many different interpretations, some more complex than others, with no real meaning ever being clearly stated.

In this song the band uses verses to show violent norms and states about how society still has hatred groups. The verses wrap around hatred groups with terrorism living in the United States. The song was written in the 2003 and states about then 9/11 attacks. “Nations droppin' bombs, Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones, With ongoing' sufferin' as the youth die young, So ask yourself is the lovin'

The song’s character is just a member of the majority, even if the songwriters condemn his way of thinking. The criticism of the average citizen becomes much clearer during the second section of the song.

The subject of God is rarely talked about in modern society compared to traditional times because like in Kanye West’s song, Jesus Walks, “ If I talk about God my record won’t get played.” The unknown in society is scary to people which connects to the denial that God exists. As well as, the continuation of the inner human struggles. It is hard to look down at the world, and believe there is a God with all the evil in the world. In contrast, Kanye West declares that people are constantly at war with their environment, and believes the root of all conflict lies internally. A rap song that talks about God but has references to terrorism and racism which are both conflicts that this modern society deals with. The four-minute music video is a collection of stories of reprehensible characters; crafted into a modern biblical visual to signify the inner and outer conflicts of mankind.

This song implies that individual’s are violating the norms and values of society. They start the song with a verse that expresses

So why would the band choose to illustrate such a serious stage of personal development with the nursery rhyme-like style of the song's chorus? Before we get to that, the song's emotional and psychological message must first be examined.

This song particularly is confusing in its general direction and message, but perhaps that is what makes it so tangible and why Weezer was so successful. It is relatable in that it is not an ethereal, untouchable piece of art, but still art in its’ own right, because Weezer plays it close to the vest by presenting the song more as a stream of consciousness; both jumbled and erratic; as opposed to a finely-tuned, edited entertainment

look and point at gay couples, it is human nature to feel singled out and targeted. This song states that We are beautiful no matter what they say/ Yes, words can't bring us down, oh no. It is trying to help the stereotypes understand that being beautiful is more than the image, it is the inner beauty. Gay people may become ashamed of there orientation because the socially acceptable way to be is straight. This is a double standard of the lyrics, because it states that even if people do act in rude and unkind manners, the gay people will still consider themselves beautiful. But this

The song tells the tale of suburban hero, a working class teen without faith or direction. In telling his story, important issues are encountered with a focus on the working class teen. The shallow and hypocritical nature of mainstream media is also touched upon. The music flows between the five parts like a rock opera, and it works with the lyrics to give us a deeper sense of the challenges “Jesus” faces. The song also features a 14-minute music video including dialogue and a shortened version fitting only the song itself, which can give more indication of the song’s intended meaning. In part one, Jesus of Suburbia, we get a background of Jesus’ character, including the fact that he does cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, and cigarettes; and he doesn’t believe there is anything wrong with that. We see he lives with his divorced mother who is often gone. The music to this first act is standard pop punk, consisting of fast power chords, loud lyrics, and stop time. Lead singer Billie Joe delivers lyrics in his traditional full-of-angst fashion, and this reflects the attitude of Jesus. Additionally, the music video shows Jesus breaking up with a girlfriend and proceeding to have sex with multiple intoxicated girls and do hard drugs in a run-down area. In this section we see into the life of someone we might not want to even think about as well-off students at a good university. Though we don’t necessarily connect with Jesus yet, it is easy to pity his situation. After a few chords and two drum fills, we move on to the second

The relationship between music and society is an exceptionally powerful and crucial one. In some cases, this relationship is viewed as one that is harmonious and beneficial to large communities of people. However, that exact relationship could also be scrutinized as one that is extremely discordant to other communities. Green Day happens to fall precisely in the middle of that musical spectrum, depending on who is asked. Regardless of opinion, songs are much more than just music and are essentially retained as pieces of history. These songs help showcase the trends, behaviors, and even struggles of different time periods. With that being said, one may ask “What all did the musical group Green Day contribute to society?”.