Music and Society – Pop artists with social messages

Music is powerful tool in society. It creates and reflects social conditions at the time or from history. Pop songs have often biased to have importance only as entertainer and something light and fun to dance to. However, many of the pop singers, cover important social messages through their songs. Countless pop artists have concerned themselves with creating music with a message (PopCrush).

I decided to select two well known pop artists to strengthen the argument of pop songs and social messages. They both serve a great societal role in their own era and continue to have an influence in many individuals lives.

Thesis: Music Inspires Change in Social Order and Acceptance

Many pop artists create unique social messages with their work and the issues of the time. Madonna bringing out the issues of the time and questions the patriarchy and empowerment of women. Ten years later, Lady Gaga sings about self-acceptance and brings her efforts to recognize the current issue of LGBT movement by trying to normalize it. Both of them, have influenced the change and acceptance of those issues in their own areas nation and even worldwide.

Two pop artists with strong social messages: 

Madonna

Madonna Louise Ciccone (born August 16 in 1958) known as Madonna is American singer, songwriter, actress, and business woman. She has been producing music since 1979 until the present.

She is said to be the “Queen of the pop” since 1980s, as well as, the most influential and iconic female recording artist of all time.  Madonna is pushing boundaries with her work, and she has released several successful albums, since her debut album “Madonna”. After that she has had many hit songs, including “Like a Virgin (1984), “Material Girl” (1985), “Open Your Heart” (1986), “What It Feels Like For a Girl” (2000), “American Life” (2003) to name few. As a social commentary, she has been a role model for many girls since the beginning of her career by showing a strong example fashion trends and feminism. She has had numerous “themes” through her career, but female empowerment and anti-patriarchy have remained main themes throughout the years. For example, in 1993, Madonna had a tour named: A Girlie Show World Tour, in which she dressed as a whip-racking dominatrix surrounded by topless dancers.

According to Thomas Harrison in the book Pop Goes the Decade: The Eighties, Madonna was “an artist who pushed the boundaries” of what a female singer could do, both visually and lyrically. During her career, Madonna has also gained “polarizing” social attention from family organizations, feminist “anti-porn”, and religious groups with protests.

Madonna “What It Feels Like For a Girl” (April 17,2001) by Maverick Records. The song was written by Madonna, Guy Sigsworth, and David Torn, while production was done by the two first ones mentioned and Mark Stent.

• Social message: Female empowerment and anti-patriarchy

Musical Analysis: 

“What It Feels Like For a Girl” is mid-tempo song, with electronic and synthpop influences. As an instruments, bass (strings) plays key role filtering through the song. Bass also makes this song very catchy along the message of female inferiority. Tempo (the speed of the beat) remains stable over the song.

Lyrics express opinion on patriarchy and addresses myths about female inferiority. It brings out the issues of females role-playing in the society. To emphasize the message, the song opens with a spoken word sample of Charlotte Gainsborg from the 1993 film The Cement Garden. 

Part of the lyrics that really describes the issue of female inferiority:

[Verse 3]
Strong inside but you don’t know it
Good little girls they never show it
When you open up your mouth to speak
Could you be a little weak

Context: 

This song is still alive and speaks for the society about women`s rights and the problem of equality in the society. More general, Madonna`s work represents the change in society toward acceptance of difference and encourages people to fight for their dreams and positions in society.

“Madonna is both a counter-hegemonic force and a feminist for two main reasons:
she radically tries to change society by blurring the boundaries that separate
different groups of people in society and she urges all people to gain power in their,
lives and lift themselves out of subordinate positions.” (Gaugler, 2000).

Lady Gaga

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986) better known as Lady Gaga is an American singer, songwriter, and actress.

She started her career at the time, when Madonna`s “What It Feels Like for a Girl” single was released in 2001, and today she continues to be one of the best-selling artist of the time. Her first album The Fame was released in 2008, followed by Born This Way (2011), Artpop (2013), Cheek to Cheek (2014), and Joanne (2016). She has been known of her provocative work and personal clothing style.

As a social commentary Lady Gaga has appeared in many contexts that are important to Americans, including Super Bowl, where she reminded people that we all share the same heart and country, that we should take a break from a competition and practice kindness, and get inspired by music (Berk, 2017). She is also active in promoting the self-acceptance and LGBT community`s rights.

Lady Gaga “Born This Way” (2011) by Abbey Road Studios and Germano Studios. It was written by Gaga and Jeppe Laursen and produced with Paul Blair and Fernando Garibay.

• Social message: Pro- LGBT and self-acceptance

Musical Analysis:  (Song starts at 2:30).

“Born This Way” is electronic pop song with a strong message. The song is constructed around the sounds of bass (strings) and percussion. Chorus is very catchy and gets stuck in the head. Lady Gaga is very talented singer, and her vocal range is impressive. She sings in Mezzo-Soprano, which makes her voice very clear and high.

Lyrics tell about accepting yourself in the way you are and love yourself. Part of the lyrics that spread the social message of acceptance:

Chorus:

I’m beautiful in my way
‘Cause God makes no mistakes
I’m on the right track, baby
I was born this way
Don’t hide yourself in regret
Just love yourself and you’re set
I’m on the right track, baby
I was born this way (born this way)

 

 

Context:

This song has been powerful tool, especially in LGBT community to promote their message of uniqueness and acceptance and become more visible and hoping for acceptance by society.

“Born This Way” is about self-liberation, and loving every part of yourself, no matter your race, gender, or sexuality (Genius, 2017). It also tells about ethnic minorities and recognition of them. Lady Gaga`s voice is strong and her vocal range goes from soft to strong that adds the strength to the message.

Conclusion: 

Personally, I think that both -Madonna and Lady Gaga have shared important messages of equality, self-acceptance, and kindness to the society through their work and powerful ways of presenting the music. Their lyrics have strong social messages that provoke people to take actions and inspire people worldwide to believe in themselves, which I see as the most important messages of these two musicians.

My personal journey:

As a result of this course, I have learned many elements of music, and recognize them in different contexts. Most importantly, I have gained knowledge and appreciation to diverse types of music, and found myself enjoying the music, that I did not listen before. For example, I have realized that lighter rock songs are actually very good. I have also learned how much work it requires to produce music. Overall, I think that I will be paying attention to wider range of music than before and I will be no longer stuck on the music of my favorite radio channel, but rather ready to discover music from elsewhere (although I will be still listening it).

Sources: 

Russell, Erica. 2015. 10 Pop Songs with Social Messages. PopCrush. WebBM Sep. 23. 2015. Web Dec. 2. 2017. Retrieved from: http://popcrush.com/pop-songs-social-messages/

Wikipedia Foundation 2017. Madonna (entertainer). WebBM Dec. 2. 2017. Web Dec. 2. 2017. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna_(entertainer)

Wikipedia Foundation 2017. Lady Gaga. WebBM Dec 1. 2017. Web Dec. 2. 2017. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Gaga

Gaugler, Audra. 2000. Madonna, an American pop icon of feminism and
counter-hegemony : blurring the boundries of race, gender, and sexuality by Audra Gaugler. Lehigh University. WebBM. 2000. Web Dec. 2. 2017. Retrieved from: https://preserve.lehigh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1662&context=etd

2017 Genius Media Group Inch. Madonna -What It Feels Like for a Girl. Web Dec. 3. 2017. Retrieved from: https://genius.com/Madonna-what-it-feels-like-for-a-girl-lyrics

Berk, Nancy. 2017. The Powerful Super Bowl Messages of Lady Gaga. Parade. WebBM Feb. 6. 2017. Web Dec. 3. 2017. Retrieved from: https://parade.com/545074/nancyberk/the-powerful-super-bowl-messages-of-lady-gaga/

2017 Genius Media Group Inch. Lady Gaga -Born This Way. Web Dec. 3. 2017. Retrieved from: https://genius.com/Lady-gaga-born-this-way-lyrics

 

Continued Explorations – Music and the Fictive Dream 2: Beauty and the Beast

I love Disney, and Beauty and the Beast is probably my favorite musical; I love the characters, songs, and the story behind it. I chose Beauty and the Beast, because it is a great production of the importance of learning from one`s mistakes. I think that everyone should stop to think once in a while their own behavior to others, and Disney`s Beauty and the Beast gives a great opportunity for that in a form of musical.

It tells a story about a cold-blooded prince, who turns out as an unsightly creature, because of his selfish behavior. To revert back to his real human form, he must earn a love of young beautiful woman, whose heart he is trying to win, before it is too late.

Biographical Information: 

•  Disney musical with music by an American musical theatre and film composer Alan Menken
• Lyrics by American playwright Howard Ashman and an English author Tim Rice
• Book by an American screenwriter, playwright, and novelist Linda Woolverton 
• First tryouts in Houston 1993
• Original Broadway production: at the Palace Theatre on April 18 1994 until September 5 in 1999 (Susan Egan and Terrence Mann as Beauty and the Beast)
• Original London Production: at London`s Dominion Theatre on April 29, 1997 until December 11, 1999
• National Tours: 4 tours in the US , running from November 15, 1995 to July 2016
• International Productions: Melbourne and many other international cities after 1995 (Vienna, Tokyo, Mexico City, London, Beijing, Helsinki)
• Performed more than in 30 countries

Nominations:

-Has been nominated for several awards

• In 1994, Ann Hould-Ward won Best Costume Design Award (Tony Awards)
• In 1998, won Best New Musical (Laurence Olivier Award)

What role does this specific work serve?

It tells a story about Beast learning a lesson, developing trust to others and accept of doing mistakes and learning from them.  This musical deals with important lessons of life : inner beauty, life as endless learning process, looking beyond what you can see, do not the fears to guide you and that love is stronger than hate.

The songs of Menkel and Alan Menkel serve a specific meaning in this musical to bring out the feelings of devotion, love, and trust of characteristics that many can relate to.

New York Times about the musical: “The original Howard Ashman-Alan Menken score is wonderfully stirring and clever, but the new songs are little better than generic. Mr. Menken’s melodies are tuneful but Tim Rice, drafted by Disney to replace the late Mr. Ashman, has provided bland rhymes on subjects like daughterly devotion and the Beast’s yearning for love. Children, wondering why their time is being wasted by such filler, may perk up only during the sparkling “Human Again,” which happens to have lyrics by Mr. Ashman. His barbed, mischievous style was a far cry from the middle-of-the-road Broadwayisms that now pad the show.” 

Social Commentary:

Beauty and the Beast has been highly criticized : “As well it might: “Beauty and the Beast” takes the risk of tampering with perfection, which makes it a very chancy undertaking indeed. In the process, the material has been steered away from those who love it best. It’s not that “Beauty and the Beast” couldn’t have been mounted well on Broadway, only that its style had to be different to approximate the film’s.”(Maslin, Janet, 1994, New York Times).

However, this musical has so many elements, that make it relevant to real life and a skillful score from Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, which makes it more than an average musical. I think that the expertise of Menken, Ashman, and Rice, make the musical work in a way that it has gained popularity in over 30 countries and in 8 different language. The music adds a strong sense of emotions for the musical, it makes the issues of learning from mistakes, trusting, and love more available and open for the audience. It also plays a crucial role in Broadway history by becoming the tenth longest running productions of all times.

“There’s something about this story – and specifically the score, which was written 25 years ago – that is just magical, and I think that’s what still draws people in and is what makes this such a special experience.” (Bill Conton, Director) 

Music: 

This first musical example is from Original Broadway Cast Recording.

Music by Alan Menkel

Lyrics: Howard Ashman and Tim Rice

The song “Belle” starts harmoniously with the instruments of flute (woodwind) and piano (percussion). The song also has great dynamics from soft to loud throughout the song. The woman singer (Belle) has a great variety in her voice (soprano), and thus a big vocal range, which makes the message of song powerful.  Also, her voice accompanied with many other voices, and Belle sings as solo only mostly at the beginning of the song.

Lyrics of “Belle” tell how she would like to live in the world as wonderful and adventurous as books describe, but others found her as an odd, but attractive girl.

Part of the lyrics:

TOWNSFOLK:
Look there she goes that girl is so peculiar
I wonder if she’s feeling well
With a dreamy, far-off look
And her nose stuck in a book
What a puzzle to the rest of us is Belle

BELLE:
Oh, isn’t this amazing?
It’s my fav’rite part because — you’ll see
Here’s where she meets Prince Charming
But she won’t discover that it’s him ’til chapter three!

The second musical example is also from Walt Disney Production and original Broadway Cast Recording by Alan Menken, and lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice.

The song “Be Our Guest” introduces a different approach to the musical by having a male voice in the central focus.  Lyrics tell about, Lumiere “The maître d’ of the castle”, from who Belle gets food and a tour in a castle, and a West Wood, a place that Beast told her not to go. This song is more dramatic and playful than “Belle”, but  tone color remains clear. Drums (percussion) give rhythm for the dramatic parts. Tempo of the music (speed of the beat) is mostly fast through the song.

Chorus of the lyrics:
Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest!
Get your worries off your chest
Let us say for your entree
We’ve an array; may we suggest:
Try the bread! Try the soup!
When the croutons loop de loop
It’s a treat for any dinner
Don’t belive me? Ask the china
Singing pork! Dancing veal!
What an entertaining meal!
How could anyone be gloomy and depressed?
We’ll make you shout “encore!”
And send us out for more
So, be our guest!

Sources:

Wikipedia Foundation. Beauty and the Beast (musical). WebBM Nov. 15. 2017. Web. Nov. 23. 2017. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty_and_the_Beast_(musical)

Broadway Musical Home. 2017.  Beauty and the Beast. Web Nov. 23. 2017. Retrieved from:  http://broadwaymusicalhome.com/shows/beautyandthebeast.htm

Music Theatre International 2017. Disney`s Beauty and the Beast. Original Broadway version 1994. Web. Nov 23. 2017. Retrieved from:  https://www.mtishows.com/disneys-beauty-and-the-beast

The Musical Lyrics 2017. Disney`s Beauty and the Beast: The Broadway Musical. Web. Nov 27. 2017. Retrieved from: http://www.themusicallyrics.com/b/201-beauty-and-the-beast-lyrics.html

Maslin, Janet 1994. Critic`s Notebook: Beauty or a Beast, Contrasting Film and Musical. New York Times. WebBM. Apr. 23. 1994. Web. Nov. 27. 2017. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/23/movies/critic-s-notebook-a-beauty-or-a-beast-contrasting-film-and-musical.html

Krizanovich, Karen. 2017. Why Beauty and the Beast soundtrack is Musical Movie Magic. The Telegraph. WebBM. March. 16. 2017. Web. Nov. 27. 2017. Retrieved from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/beauty-and-the-beast/why-the-soundtrack-is-musical-movie-magic/

 

Music and the Fictive Dream -Mamma Mia!

I chose Mamma Mia!, because I think that it tells a great, funny story and I become familiar with it through the film produced 2008. The musical is based on the story, where 20 year old Sophie gets prepared to marry her fiance Sky. She wants her dad to walk her down to the aisle but she does not know who her dad is. Soon, she discovers her mother`s old diary, where she finds three men described in her mom`s diary that could be possibly her dad. She invites all of them to the Island and starts to solve who is the right one. I love the music accompanied with the musical. ABBA has so many great songs and those songs really look to the favor in this musical.

Biographical Information: 

-A jukebox musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson and composed by Benny Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus.

-Something about a success of this musical tells the fact that it has been played in more than 50 countries and in all 6 continents, and it has been translated into 22 languages

-over 60 million people have seen the show worldwide

• Based on the songs of ABBA, Swedish pop/dance group (1972-1982, one of the most popular international pop groups around the world)
• West End Production: 
• The musical opened in the West End at the Prince Edward  Theatre in April 6, 1999.
• It was transferred to the Prince of Wales Theatre in June 9, 2004 – September 2012
• From September 2012 – present, played in the Novello Theatre
• Broadway Production:
• Opened at Winter Garden Theatre on October 18, 2001-present
• Has become the ninth longest-running Broadway show and the longest running jukebox musical in Broadway history
• In 2008, British-American-Swedish film; Mamma Mia! was made based on the musical

Nominations: 

• Original West End Production: was nominated to several awards and in 2000, Jenny Galloway won the Best Performance in a supporting role in a Musical ( Laurence Olivier Award)
• Original Broadway Production: was nominated to several awards and in 2002 Louise Pitre won Outstanding Debut Stage Performance ( Theatre World Award)
• Original North American Tour: in 2003 Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus won Best Musical Score ( Touring Braodway Award)

What role does this specific work serve?

This musical represents the entire story of family and relationships through the songs of ABBA.  It plots deals with classic themes of growing older and maintaining relationships from the present and past. ABBA`s song give the meaning and feeling of nostalgia. Those songs are one of the most successful pop songs in the history and helps people to draw in to the story.

ABBA`s music leads the story as a whole, from the beginning to the end. Mamma Mia! musical makes easy to the audience to relate every day struggles and relationship patterns through the meaning of failure and success of them in life.

Social Commentary

ABBA`s manager Stig Andersson loved to come up with the titles that would serve a story behind the lyrics.

Björn Ulvaeus (ABBA musician) for SongFacts: In a great example of lyrical dissonance, this infectiously catchy tune contains very sad lyrics dealing with heartbreak and the pain of letting someone go who you wish you could have back. This attention to lyrics (at least the English ones) was new for ABBA. Bjorn Ulvaeus explained: “In the beginning lyrics were a sort of necessary evil for us, just something you had to have to sing, usually it was about looking out for a hookline and then building something around that. But by the third album, when my grasp of English had got much better because we’d traveled a lot, I began to think that it would be fun to say something as well, and that people would listen to what we sang.” 

I think that the popularity of ABBA songs accompanied with great actors and singers in the musical has increased the popularity of the Mamma Mia! musical and it started to serve a deeper meaning for the people as something that people can easily relate to in their own lives.  It involves elements of making the past right to make something great for the future (Bennett, The San Diego Union-Tribune, 2011).

Music: 

Part of the scenes and songs from the the Broadway hit Mamma Mia!:

This first example serves a example of the Mamma Mia musical as a whole. It includes songs: “Mamma Mia!”, “Money, Money, Money”, “Dancing Queen” and many others.  Main instruments used in this musical are bass (strings), drums (percussion), piano (percussion) and guitar (strings). ABBA`s songs through the musical are very catchy and danceable. Some songs, like “Money, Money, Money” are more repetitive and rhythmic than the others:

“Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man’s world
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In the rich man’s world”.

Quality of a sound (timbre/tone color) through the musical is clear and bright. All the songs are mostly sung accompanied with only few  solos. Many of the songs provide emotions, like excitement, surprise, or constriction.

The most famous song from Mamma Mia! musical:

Part of the Mamma Mia lyrics (ABBA, 1976):

Yes, I’ve been brokenhearted
Blue since the day we parted
Why, why did I ever let you go?
Mamma mia, now I really know
My my, I could never let you go
I’ve been angry and sad about things that you do
I can’t count all the times that I’ve told you “we’re through”
And when you go, when you slam the door
I think you know that you won’t be away too long
You know that I’m not that strong
Just one look and I can hear a bell ring
One more look and I forget everything

This scene starts dramatically with fast tempo accompanied with the rhythm by drums. Lyrics tell a story about being hurt in relationship, but realizing how much it meant and how “one look” can make her forgive everything. It is about looking back to the past and forgiving. The song “Mamma Mia! follows the format: verse 1, pre-chorus 1, chorus 1, verse 2, pre-chorus 2, chorus 2.

I think that it is amazing how this Swedish pop group became even more well known through the musical and how this particular musical with such a simple story got so much attention on Broadway and other productions.

 

Sources:

Wikipedia Foundation. Mamma Mia! Web 7. Nov. 2017. Retrieved from:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamma_Mia!

StageAgent 2017. The Leading Resource for Theatre Artists. Mamma Mia! Web. 18. Nov. 2017. Retrieved from: http://stageagent.com/shows/musical/1583/mamma-mia

Music Theatre International 2017. Mamma Mia! Web. 18. Nov. 2017. Retrieved from: https://www.mtishows.com/mamma-mia

Songfacts 2017. Mamma Mia by ABBA. Web. 20. Nov. 2017 Retrieved from: http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=8276

Bennett, Dan. 2011.  Theater review: Mamma Mia! makes most of themes, nostalgia factor. The San Diego Union-Tribune. WebBM. 2. June 2011. Web. 20. Nov. 2017. Retrieved from: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-theater-review-mamma-mia-makes-most-of-themes-2011jun02-story.html

 

Role of the Performer – Ariana Grande

Bibliography: 

Who: Ariana Grande (Ariana Grande-Butera) is an American singer and actress.

@Billboard.com

• Was born in 1993 in Boca Raton, Florida.
• Career started at 2008
• Actress: Broadway 13 (won the National Youth Theatre Association Award), Victorious
• Singer: Pop, R&B
• Has many hit songs; “Problem”, “Bang Bang”, “Dangerous Woman”
• Musical Awards: 3 American Musical Awards, 3 MTV Europe Musical Awards, an MTV Video Musical Award, 4 Grammy Award nominations.

Grande started her career at the age of 15 in 2008 in the Broadway musical 13, a play focusing on growing up in New York city. Later she had her breakout role in Nickelodeon series Victorious. Her musical career started  in 2011 with the soundtrack Music from Victorious. She become more well known after her second studio album My Everything (2014), being the number one in the US and top 10 in 24 other countries.

Career beginnings: 

As a kid, Grande was already into performing and she attended the Forth Lauderdale Children`s theater. She also performed in couple of musicals including The Wizard of Oz and Beauty and the Beast. At the age of 8, she did her first television appearance singing the Start-Spangled Banner for the Florida Panthers.

Albums

1st. Yours Truly (2013) including singles “The Way”, “Baby I”, “Right Here” by Republic Records.

2nd. My Everything (2014) including hits “Bang Bang” and “One Last Time” (She had three singles from the album on the US Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. ) -Republic Records

3rd Dangerous Woman (2016) . By making it to the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with the single “Dangerous Woman”, she made history, becoming the first artist to have lead singles from her first three albums to debut in the top 10. -Republic Records

-She has also produced some other music, like extended plays of Christmas songs; “Christmas &Chill” and “Christmas Kisses”.

Why Ariana Grande?

I chose Ariana Grande, because I think that she has a strong way of performing her music and she has taken influences from her actress career. She has her personal, strong way of performing and I personally like her music and the energy that she brings her performances and how she does her songs more “real” through strong performance.

I think that we need performers, like her, to interpret the composition of the others and make those songs more alive and facilitate the message behind the song. Performing is important part of the song as the component of visual aid. A lot of her performances are based on skillful presentations of her dancing skills and background dancers, who strengthen the message. Her performances consist of dances that have a synchronized complex choreography.  In my opinion, Ariana Grande shares a role that brings out the reality of the musical world; to be successful, you need skills to stand out and be “different”. She shows strong opinions about stereotypes about how women are seen as a sexual objects and what is expected from attractive women in society  through her performances, but she also wants to express that sexuality is women`s own choice and that it is a right to express themselves as they want.  She has been even criticized about her performances to be too sexual. She answer to the critic: “Expressing sexuality in art is not an invitation for disrespect,” she explains. “Just like wearing a short skirt is not asking for assault.” (RollingStone 2016).

 

Musical Examples: 

This first example is from Grande`s second album My Everything (2014), and it was written by Savan Kotecha, Russian-German music producer Zedd, and Max Martin. The music video itself was directed by Chris Marss Piliero. It is one of her hit songs and “Break free” includes usual elements to Grande; a lot of make up, girly, tight clothing and dance moves. However, compared to many other of her performances, “Break Free” ft. Zedd includes more effects and unreal elements (inspired by space and star wars). Her voice is clear and the song has elements of electro style and thus different from regular genres of hers (R&B and pop). Tempo is fast and it fastens in chorus. I think that through this musical video, it is easy to see some familiar elements of her other performances including the sexual aspect, but there is less the choreography and dance related elements and more effects instead.

 

 

This second example: Side To Side ft. Nicki Minaj is from Grande`s newest album “Dangerous Woman” (2016) has dancehall influences and it was produced by Max Martin and Ilya Salmanzadeh who co-wrote the song with Minaj, Grande, Savan Kotecha, and Alexander Kronlund. It has made as commercial performance and the music video was the official premiere made on American clothing brand Guess. Typically for her, Grande shows a lot of sexual elements like tight clothing, heavy make-up, and dance choreography. As musical elements, beat of the music is relatively fast and drums ( percussion) and bass (strings) give rhythm to the performance. She has a strong voice and performance with Nicki Minaj adds the dynamic of the song. Lyrics seem to be very sexual as well and for me, I do not see deeper meaning behind them. Also, this music video, Grande and Minaj are seen in sauna, surrounded by men.

My Opinion: 

In conclusion, Grande`s performance is very energetic and she uses her voice strongly along the other musical elements to facilitate the message. Although, her music videos include a lot of elements that can be considered as sexual, Grande itself states them as “sexuality in art” which purpose is to bring the message of the right of expressing herself as a woman. I think, that she is an important figure as an performer and she makes performing go for the whole new level with her skillful choreography. In the end, I think that there is an idea of making sexuality more acceptable and not as something that should be hidden. She really brings the song alive through the strong energetic performance and style that she has had through her singing career.

 

 

Sources:

Republic Records. Ariana Grande. Web 29 Oct. 2017. Retrieved from: https://www.arianagrande.com/

Wikipedia Foundation. Ariana Grande. Web 29 Oct. 2017. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariana_Grande

Biography 2017. Ariana Grande -Television actress, singer. Web 6 Nov. 2017. Retrieved from: https://www.biography.com/people/ariana-grande-02152015

Cheoung, Rachel (2017).  Ariana Grande ends world tour with rushed but impressive performance. South China Morning Post. WebMD. 22 Sep. 2017. Web. 6 Nov. 2017. Retrieved from:  http://www.scmp.com/culture/music/article/2112298/ariana-grande-ends-world-tour-rushed-impressive-performance

Spanos, Brittany (2016). Ariana Grande; “Sexuality in Art Not Invitation for Disrespect”. Rolling Stones. WebMD. 28 Dec. 2016. Web 6 Nov. 2017. Retrieved from: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ariana-grande-sexuality-in-art-not-invitation-for-disrespect-w458151

 

Saami Music – Take a Musical Trip

Country of Origin: Saami Countries:  Northern parts of Finland, Norway and Sweden, and Russian Peninsula.

Why I chose this topic: 

I have always been interested about Saami people. They are minor cultural group in my home country Finland, but I do not really have knowledge about them. I thought that it is time to change this in light of music. Music is great way to explore culture, so I decided to take closer look to Saami Music.

Background:

In short, Saami people are indigenous groups that live in Northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russian Peninsula, whose traditional livehood has been based on the cycle of nature and their believe of spiritualism. Also, some of the music that they produce is heavily influenced by spirituality. The most traditional Saami music are joiks/yoiks.

Why Does This Music Sound Different?

Yoik does need to have words, but it can tell a life story in one song. It does not recognize concepts like music and song in the same way we do in Western culture.

Ursula Länsman of the Sami group Angelit defines the yoik:

“A yoik is not merely a description; it attempts to capture its subject in its entirety: it’s like a holographic, multi-dimensional living image, a replica, not just a flat photograph or simple visual memory. It is not about something, it is that something. It does not begin and it does not end. A yoik does not need to have words – its narrative is in its power, it can tell a life story in song. The singer can tell the story through words, melody, rhythm, expressions or gestures.”

Other significant difference from Western music is the sound and structure of the music. Yoik is almost entirely vocal and it is possible to have an increase in pitch of the melodic pattern when the yoik goes on. What is interesting, the use of instruments was not excessive, except the Sami drums (traditionally). However, there is few other instruments that were used in some Saami folk music including the fadno (reedpipe),  the sak-pipe, the wal-pipe, and the harpu. Also, historically, it was not meant to be performed as an art. It was spiritual ritual to connect and facilitate social functions, including calming reindeers or wolves and even connecting between two separate realities. Nowadays Saami music has been increasingly used in performing purposes due to Western influence.

The final difference between the Western and Saami music is the form. Western music has start, middle, and end, but Saami music has propensity to start and end suddenly, which refers their way of seeing the world. Saami people see the world as cycles of nature that has no beginning or end but rather transitions between the cycles.

 Musical Examples:

Date: 2012

Composer: Sofia Jannok

Country of Origin: Sweden

From this first musical example, Yoik of the Wind by Swedish Sofia Jannok in 2012, we can recognize many typical characteristics of Saami music. The song yoik of the wind does not have what Westeners consider as lyrics but it`s purpose is to capture the subject in its living sense. Yoik of the wind does bot have clear end and beginning and only musical instrument used is the drum (percussion instrumental family). When the song goes on her voice raises and achieves a higher pitch and she uses the Sami drums to demonstrate the strength of the message. Jannok`s voice is very strong and she uses it to create “sections in the music” even tho there is no clear beginning or end. There is a strong cultural aspect, because the song expresses how wind has no beginning or end, like cycles of the nature.

She also also uses pop and beat influences in her music and sings in Saami, Swedish, and English. She is twice Grammy-nominated artist and Jannok is doing tours worldwide. If you are interested to see her tour click the link below:

http://sofiajannok.com/

Date: 2010

Composer: Maddji

Country of Origin: Norway

The second musical example of Saami music is example of Sami folk music. Dawn Light by Norwegian Saami singer Maddji (from the album Beyond 2010) is presented in her native language Northern Sami. She brings some influences of Jazz and Rock music to the traditional Saami music. Lyrics are gloomy and her voice is mysterious throughout the song. I think the melody of this song is very harmonic, because both beat and rhythm are relatively slow. Melody is accompanied with the harpu, which is a musical instrument consisting of a flat wooden sound box with strings (strings instrumental family). Musical pattern of Dawn light follows the melody created by harpu. I really like the harmony of this song, even when I read the English translation to the lyrics, I realized how “dark” this song is. Also, I think that this song has a clearer starting and ending point compared to Yoik of the Wind, possibly due to the Western music influences that many Saami performers have adapted nowadays. Lyrics in Sami and translation in English below:

Sami  version:                                                                                   

Iđitguovssu

Iđitguovssus girdilit

Hávski lei go iđistit

Vilges dolggiid geigestit

Várrogasat salastit

Njukča, njuvččažan

Buokčal, ligge varan

Njukča, njuvččažan

Ovdal iđitroađi

Iđitguovssus girdilit

Hávski lei go iđistit

Jaskatvuođain savkalit

Nuorravuođain njávkalit

Njukča, njuvččažan

Buokčal, ligge varan

Njukča, njuvččažan

Ovdal iđitroađi

Riegádahte áibbašeami

Oktovuođa váillaheami

English translation: Dawn Light

You flew in from the dawn

Such a sight when you came into view

You stretched your white wings

Careful embrace

Swan, my swan

Dive, heat my blood

Swan, my swan

Before dawn breaks

You flew in from the dawn

Such a sight when you came into view

You whispered softly

Youthful caress

Swan, my swan

Dive, heat my blood

Swan, my swan

Before dawn breaks

Bring out my yearning

The longing of the lonely

My Opinion about Saami Music: 

I think that Saami Yoik is unique form of music and it has many cool features, like its way of using only very few instruments and how majority of the songs reveal cultural aspects through the message of the nature. Also, singers voice alone is very big element of the music and I think that it is impressive how strong impact it can have without necessarily having lyrics.

 

Sources:

Wikipedia Foundation. Sami music. WebMD 27 Sep. 2017. Web Oct. 23rd 2017. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_music

Wikipedia Foundation. Joik. WebMD 10 Oct. 2017.  Web 0ct. 23rd 2017. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joik

Burke. Kathryn. The Sami Yoik. Sami Culture. Web 23 Oct. 2017. Retrieved from: http://www.laits.utexas.edu/sami/diehtu/giella/music/yoiksunna.htm

CBS Interactive 2017. Last FM. Maddji. WebDm 2017. Web 23 Oct. 2017. Retrieved from: https://www.last.fm/music/M%C3%A1ddji

2017 Sofia Jannok. Sofia Jannok. WebDM 2017. Web 23 Oct. 2017. Retrieved from: http://sofiajannok.com/

2008-2017 Lyricstranslate.com. Maddji Iditguovssu. WebMD 12 Feb. 2013. Web. 23 Oct. 2017.  Retrieved from: http://lyricstranslate.com/en/i%C4%91itguovssu-dawn-light.html

 

Innovations and Evolutions – History of Sound Recording in Music – Digital Audio

Background of the interest

I was thinking that recording a music is very important way to make the music available for the big audience, and I realized that we have come a long way to the devices that we use nowadays. I have seen turntable at my grandparents house, and the difference is huge compared to small mp3 or ipod that I was used to have 5 years ago to listen a music and, especially compared to the fact that now you can play a music from your phone through Spotify and you can attach your little speakers to it where ever you go. For these reasons, I wanted to know the story behind the sound recording and especially what steps led to the modern digital audio sound recording.

Introduction to the earliest history of sound recording  

Sound recording is the process and a form of storing a sound that it can be reproduced at any time.  In 1857, Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville from Paris, France, invented phonautograph, a device that tracked sound waves but could not produce them back. The real first tracking device for music was produced in July 1877 by Thomas Edison who was an American inventor and business man. Originally, he was working on telephone transmitter and the keyboard telephone, when he got inspired to draw sketches for the device that both produces sound and plays it back. One of his workers John Kruesi created the first tinfoil phonograph based on Edison`s drafts.  However, it took almost another 50 years to invent sounds in a digital format.

Beginning of the digital audio era

In 1938, British Alec Reeves invents PCM; pulse code modulation, which opened up the whole new world with sound recording what comes to speed and effectiveness. PCM is a method that can be used in computers, compact discs, and digital telephony to reproduce sounds and analog signals. It was faster, easier to produce and sell, and expand the coverage of sound recording in different fields and around the world. PCM was first used in World War 2, in a system called SIGSALY to facilitate voice communications. The system was still under investigation and the sampling of a signal was done by hundreds of vacuum tubes. This system represented the first digital transition of a speed.  By mid 1960s, pulse code modulation was used to transfer civilian phone calls. However, the quality of the sound was not enough to produce music. In 1962, Philips company in Netherlands produced the first cassette using higher quality polyester to reduce noise and hiss. The first portable tape cassette player was available two years later in the US by the Norelco company, which enabled it to be carried from one place to another.

1972, Denon System for digital stereo recorder that allowed PCM signal recording(HighFidelity 2017.)

In 1969, NHK, Japanese public broadcaster developed 13 bit/ 32kHz digital stereo recorder. Its dynamic range was 78dB and frequence response 16kHz, which is not that far from the capacity of the cd:s (96dB and 20kHz). Japanese company DENON took an advantage of that and developed their own audio machine. Due to these improvements, first PCM LP was released in 1971 by Steve Marcus and Jiro Inagaki. I think that it is pretty impressive how well they were able to produce sound in back 1970s! The quality of the sound is good if we think about the fact that it was produced almost 50 years ago. The jazz cover itself is such a sad and melancholic to me. Harmonic texture of this cover seems to be vocal polyphony, which is often used in jazz music. The rhythm of this cover is mellow and saxophone (woodwind instrumental family) and drums (percussion instrumental family) give the tempo for it. It is rhythmic and I think that an elaborate use of those instruments really make “Something” work.

The next step from this was the multi-track digital system (3M digital system) released in 1978. It has 32 tracks and each of them with a resolution of 16 bit/50kHz. It was the only device at that time to be able to store so much data.

To come back few years, sound was produced by digital recording and analogue mixing, because digital recording was not either available or it was too expensive. The solution for that came from Soundstream in 1976 (US sound recording) by University of Utah professor Stockham. Soundstream  was called the world first digital audio workstation. It was comprised with mini computer and attached to a washing machine, which was a hard disc for the storage. Finally, in 1982 first CDs were released in Japan and the following year in the US and Australia with compact disc. CDs gained popularity within a public when Sony started to manufacture it in a commercial basis.

The first CD for commercial release was Bruce Springsteen`s 1984 album: “Born in the USA” He is American singer and song writer. Personally, this song does not match with my music taste, because I feel that it is too much rock influenced. The lyrics of the song are going back to the Vietnam war and chorus “Born in the USA” illustrates what it means to be an American and then suffer through different problems when the war is ended. In my opinion there is a balance between the chorus and verse, but what I have on the top of my mind, when I hear this song are the lyrics behind the song.

Also, more compact to the audience was the release of DAT, digital audio tape by Sony in 1987. by mid 1990s we had more powerful PCs and the first generation of CDs. MP3 was invented in 1989 by German Fraunhofer. It took ten years to release the first portable MP3. Couple of years later, in 2001, Apple released the first Ipod. Since Internet has become more and more popular since 21st century, the availability of recorded music has expanded tremendously. Music lovers can choose from music that is available for free through many channels, but CDs and vinyls still remain popular among collectors.

Conclusion

In the end, it took around hundred years from the first produced sound that was recorded to invent something that is able to reproduce sounds and analog signals. Also, the quality of a sound recording has improved as well as expanded for the most people to reach.

If you are interested to learn more about the devices and sound recording of digital audio this video below provides great summary about it:

Sources:

Library of Congress. National Recording Preservation Plan, Timeline. WebMD. 2017. Web Oct. 15. 2017. Retrieved from:  https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/history/timeline/

Timetoast Timelines 2007-2017. The history of recorded music. WebMD. 2017. Web Oct. 15. 2017. Retrieved from:  https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/51727

“Pulse-code modulation” Wikipedia. Wikipedia Foundation. 5 Oct. 2017. Web Oct. 15. 2017. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse-code_modulation

Fine, Thomas. 2005. ARSC Journal. The Dawn of commercial digital recording. Vol.39 (1). Web Oct.15. 2017. Retrieved from: http://www.aes.org/aeshc/pdf/fine_dawn-of-digital.pdf

HighFidelity 2009. Digital Technology in the World of Analogue Trojan Horse or a Necessity? WebMD Apr. 1. 2017 (155). Web Oct. 15. 2017. Retrieved from: http://www.highfidelity.pl/@numer–98&lang=en

 

 

Musical Analysis #2 Sleeping with Sirens Legends

I heard this song for the first time in August, when I was doing gym workout 7am with my team. It got me immediately, it was super motivating and I absolutely love the pre-chorus:

“We can be wild, we can be free
We can be anything in life we wanna be
We can move mountains
We can break walls
We can stand tall enough to fight and never fall”

This makes me work harder in those mornings when I wonder if waking up 6am is worth to become a better athlete. I also learned that it is official song of US team for winter Olympics; how cool is that!

Basic Information

Legends from the rock band Sleeping with Sirens was released 14th of July 2017 and it is one of the hits from Gossip album. The song was written by Kellin Quinn and it was selected for US team official winter Olympic games song in Pyeoncghan, Korea this coming winter 2018. Gossip Album was produced on Warner Bros. by David Bendeth. Current members of the band are Kellin Quinn (lead vocals, keyboards), Gabe Barham (drums, percussion), Justin Hills (bass guitar, backing vocals), Jack Fowler (lead guitar, programming), Nick Martin (rhythm guitar, vocals), and touring member Alex Howard (backing vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards) (Wikipedia. Sleeping with Sirens).

5 musical elements

Lyrics:

According to the New Noise Magazine background of the Legends video is from their #wecanbelegends campaign, which empowered fans to share their obstacles.

Quinn states the meaning of the song: “We could be legends after all’ is something that makes a lot of sense because nothing’s guaranteed in life but if you put forth the work and the effort and you try as hard as you can and you follow your dreams then maybe you can make something really awesome happen with your life.” (Radio.com)

The lyrics are at the same time dark but it also gives hope. It tells about either working hard or giving up, and what we can get. It is something inspiring, because it says that “we can be anything in life we wanna be”. The message is to try and achieve something big.

For me this song is so powerful because the singer has great tenor vocal range and because their newest songs, like Legends have some influence from pop music that I really enjoy.

Beat and Tempo:

Pulse of the Legends follows 4 beat grouping (meter 1) and drumming sets the pace to movement from one group to the next group. Time is common 4/4 and the speed of the beat alias tempo is slower in verse and pre-chorus and it fastens in chorus.

Timbre/Tone color:

Timbre or tone color illustrates a quality of a sound. Sleeping with Sirens uses guitar (strings) as their main instrument along with drums (percussion). Singer Kellin Quinn has amazing tenor vocal range, which is the highest male voice in vocal classifications.

In my opinion part of this song`s charm is Quinn`s voice, it is really intensive and strong. Also the combination of guitar and drums is something that I like.

Form: 

Form illustrates sections of music. Legends goes from intro to verse to pre-chorus to chorus. Then from verse 2 to pre-chorus, chorus and bridge. Finally it finishes from pre-chorus to chorus to outro.  Thus, this song follows the popular verse-chorus form.

 

Dynamics: 

Dynamics describe the softness or loudness of the music. In this song the pattern of dynamics goes from medium to softer just before pre-chorus and becomes louder when chorus appears.

I think that this song is a great workout song and it also has meaning for so many people. Whatever is the obstacle of someone`s life, this song can bring some motivation and inspire to try and do the best possible in every stage of life. Below the link for their Fall Tour if someone is interested!

http://www.sleepingwithsirens.net/gossip?ref=Typed/Bookmarked

Sources:

2017 Genius Media Group Inc. Legends Sleeping with Sirens. WebMD. 2017. Web 3 Oct. 2017. Retrieved from: https://genius.com/Sleeping-with-sirens-legends-lyrics 

Radio.com. Sleeping with Sirens Drop New Anthem Legends , Reveal Album Details. 14 July 2017. Web 3 Oct. 2017. Retrieved from:  http://news.radio.com/2017/07/14/sleeping-with-sirens-legend-and-gossip-album-details/

Bliss, Karen. Sleeping with Sirens, Legends: The Story Behind Team USA`s  Olympics Song. 23 July 2017. Web  3 Oct. 2017. Retrieved from:  http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7874086/sleeping-with-sirens-olympics-song-legends-story 

“Sleeping with Sirens” Wikipedia. Wikipedia Foundation, 3 Oct. 2017. Web 3 Oct. 2017.  Retrieved from:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_with_Sirens

Chordify – Sleeping with Sirens – Legends (Official Lyric Video) WebMD. 2017. Web 3 Oct. 2017. Retrieved from:  https://chordify.net/chords/sleeping-with-sirens-legends-official-lyric-video-sleeping-with-sirens

 

Musical Analysis #1

Sometimes you hear a song once and it gets stucked on your head. That is what happened to me when I was doing road trip in California. I was exploring music related to California theme and I found this great song:

Hotel California by Eagles

General background:

Hotel California was written by Don Henley, Don Felder and Glenn Frey for the American Rock band the Eagles.  It was recorded and released 1976.  The song Hotel California was the first song written for the album and it became the theme for the entire album. It is categorized as classic rock and the song itself was number one around the world at that time.

Lyrics:

Lyrics are mysterious and highly speculated during the years. Don Henley told for Daily Mail in 2007: “Some of the wilder interpretations of that song have been amazing. It was really about the excesses of American culture and certain girls we knew. But it was also about the uneasy balance between art and commerce.” ( Genius Media Group Inc.) Thus, the meaning of the song takes listeners to the real life of American culture, its excesses and hopes from American dream. I think that lyrics were something that many could relate at that time and still nowadays. Lyrics go nicely along with the melody and it gives strong sense of reality to the listener; “This could be Heaven or this could be Hell”.

Chord and Arrangement Elements:

Hotel California has interesting chord patterns and chord form. The main chord pattern is not widely used in popular music, although the intro, solos, and lead lines are played over same chord pattern (OnStagemedia LLC). I think that it makes the song easy to follow and lyrics combined with it makes it sticking in your head. According to OnStagemedia LLC, Hotel California is composed as following: the foundation by bass and drums, the rhythm goes by 12 string guitar line, the lead is lead vocal, lead guitar, lead guitar lines at the end and the fills also lead guitar, and counterpoint guitar lines.

Sound:

In this song the guitar solo plays very important role. Hotel California starts by acoustic guitar along bass (both are part of strings instrumental family) which illustrates the chord changes.  Instruments are added as the song goes on, making it more engaging. The second intro adds guitar strum and cymbal in the middle and when the song goes on drums and bass join later to lead and emphasize the changes in rhythm and notes.

Overall the song starts with dramatic guitar solo and softens when lyrics start. It gets more intense when the music goes on. I think that one point what makes this song so great, is a detailed and elaborate guitar playing. In my opinion Hotel California`s vocal timbre is very clear and pleasant along with lyrics with meaning that many can relate. I am not used to be a huge fan of rock music but this one really sticks on my head!

 

Sources:

Genius Media Group Inc, https://genius.com/Eagles-hotel-california-lyrics

OnStagemedia LLC, http://onstagemagazine.com/eagles-hotel-california-song-analysis/

 

 

 

Introduction

Hi, I am Kati, 23 years old college student from Finland. I studied one year in University of Eastern Finland before coming to US. Prior UAF, I spent two years studying and skiing in New Mexico. I am passionate about skiing and I love training. I enjoy surrounding myself with positive people and exploring new places. Nature is close to my heart and I often find all kind of art work related to the nature appealing.

I love to listen a music when I workout, especially in the morning gym, when little energy boost is needed to keep me awake and motivated. Music is also important part of my warm up routines before the races to get the right mood on.

I process my emotions through music, and usually the type of music that I am listening is related to the current emotion or mood. I do not have a favorite band or a song and I listen almost everything from rap to pop. However, I mostly listen pop and I would love to expand my knowledge about music and find new songs to listen. I have been attending one of the biggest music festivals in Finland almost every summer since I was 15. I enjoy the atmosphere there, because music can bring together so different people.