Relationships in Pop and HipHop
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Monday, April 28, 2014
Devices
1.
Imagery is used in literature to refer to
descriptive language that evokes sensory experience
·
Jimi Hendrix’s “Castles Made Of Sand”; “As she
slams the door in his drunken face”
·
Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well”
2.
Hyperbole is a figure in speech in which
statements are exaggerated to evoke strong feelings
·
Ray Charles’ “Drown In My Own Tears”; “I’m
drowning in my own tears”
·
Beyoncé’s “End of Time”
3.
Allegory is a figurative mode of representation
conveying a meaning other than the literal
·
Rush’s “The Trees”; “And they wonder why the
maples/Can’t be happy in their shade”
·
Ed Sheeran’s “Lego House”
4.
Alliteration is the repeating of the same
consonant sound at the beginning of several words
·
CSNY’s “Helplessly Hoping”; “Heartlessly helping
himself to her bad dreams”
·
Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me”
5.
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds
·
Wu-Tang Clan’s “Iron Flag”; “One boot off he
Rudolph”
·
Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”
6.
Consonance is the repetition of the same
consonant two or more times in short succession
·
Jack Johnson’s “Sleep Through The Static”;
“Because it’s a battle when you dabble in war”
·
Ed Sheeran’s “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You”
7.
Local Color is imagery that focuses on specific
features
·
The Byrds’ “Lover of the Bayou”; “I drank the
blood from a rusty can”
·
Chris Brown’s “Forever”
8.
Double Entendre is a phrase that could be
interpreted two ways
·
Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”; “Last
dance with Mary Jane/One more time to kill the pain”
·
Kelly Clarkson’s “Because Of You”
9.
Oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines two
normally contradicted terms
·
Govt. Mule’s “Beautifully Broken”; “She’s so
beautifully broken”
·
Taylor Swift’s “Sad Beautiful Tragic”
10.
Irony is a situation in which there is an
incongruity that goes beyond the most evident meaning
·
Soundgarden’s “Burden in My Hand”; “kill
everything you love”
·
Ed Sheeran’s “Kiss Me”
11.
Paradox is a statement that leads to a
contradiction
·
Ozzy Osbourne’s “I Just Want You”; “There are no
identical twins”
·
Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold”
12.
Tone is the underlying attitude of the
songwriter
·
Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar”; arrogant
·
MKTO’s “Classic” nostalgic
13.
Point of View is determined by who the speaker
is talking to
·
Billy Joel’s “Allentown”; First person narrative
·
Chris Brown’s “Should’ve Kissed You” First
Person Narrative
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Tonal Analysis Final Draft
Creating
a tone of admiration in “Classic,” MKTO uses a first person point of view, nostalgic
symbolism, and affectionate similes to prove that a girl is “one of a kind.”
Throughout
“Classic,” MKTO uses a first person point of view to express their feelings. In
the song it says, “Who can blame me / When I just wanna make you smile?” They
are saying that it would make them happy to make this girl smile. Thinking that
this girl might be too good for them, MKTO explains that, “You’re over my head
/ I’m out of my league.” They are saying that since this girl is viewed so
highly, they are not good enough for her. This girl is viewed as timeless,
making MKTO “[Think they were] born in the wrong time.” She is said to be
classic and the newer generation is “plastic.” Using a first person point of
view, they are persuading her by stating their feelings and opinions.
MKTO
uses nostalgic symbolism to show how she is valued. In the song, the girl is
compared to different decades, “A star in the 40’s / centerfold in the 50’s.”
The band chose these decades to symbolize her personality. She is also compared
to, “Hepburn, Beyoncé, Marilyn.” These are all well known “classic” women.
Being compared to these women also symbolize that “Girl you’re timeless, just
so classic.” This girl is compared to modern day stars, and stars from the 50’s
to symbolize being timeless and classic since these women are considered
classic. Symbolizing timelessness, MKTO states that she seems too classic to be
from modern times.
Admiring
similes are used to compare this girl to finer things in life. She is first
compared to a diamond, “girl you’re shining / Like a 5th avenue
diamond.” By comparing her to a diamond, they are saying she is beautiful and
bright. Later in the song, this girl is
again compared to something great, “Old school chic / Like a movie star / From
a silver screen.” Now, the girl is being compared to fame. MKTO also compares
her to more fame, “I wanna thrill you like Michael / I wanna kiss you like
Prince.” MKTO chooses songs by famous musicians to define their relationship
goals. Comparing her to fame proves that she is a star or diamond.
Displaying
a tone of emulation, MKTO’s “Classic” uses a first person point of view,
sentimental symbolism, and glorifying similes to explain how this girl is
unique.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Tonal Analysis Rough Draft
Creating
a persuasive tone in “Classic,” MKTO uses a first person point of view, nostalgic
symbolism, and affectionate similes to influence a girl into having the same
feelings as them.
Throughout
“Classic,” MKTO uses a first person point of view to express their feelings. In
the song it says, “Who can blame me / When I just wanna make you smile?” They are
saying that it would make them happy to make this girl smile. Thinking that
this girl might be too good for them, MKTO explains that, “You’re over my head
/ I’m out of my league.” They are saying that since this girl is viewed so
highly, they are not good enough for her. This girl is viewed as timeless,
making MKTO “[Think they were] born in the wrong time.” She is said to be
classic and the newer generation is “plastic.” Using a first person point of
view, they are persuading her by stating their feelings and opinions.
MKTO
uses nostalgic symbolism to show how she is valued. In the song, the girl is
compared to different decades, “A star in the 40’s / centerfold in the 50’s.”
The band chose these decades to symbolize her personality. She is also compared
to “Hepburn, Beyoncé, Marilyn.” These are all well known “classic” women. Being
compared to these women also symbolize that “Girl you’re timeless, just so
classic.” This girl is compared to modern day stars, and stars from the 50’s to
symbolize being timeless and classic. Symbolizing timelessness, MKTO states
that she seems too classic to be from modern times.
Admiring
similes are used to compare this girl to finer things in life. She is first
compared to a diamond, “girl you’re shining / Like a 5th avenue
diamond.” By comparing her to a diamond, they are saying she is beautiful, and
she “shines.” Later in the song, this
girl is again compared to something great, “Old school chic / Like a movie star
/ From a silver screen.” Now, the girl is being compared to fame. MKTO also
compares her to more fame, “I wanna thrill you like Michael / I wanna kiss you
like Prince.” MKTO chooses songs by famous musicians to define their
relationship goals. Comparing her to fame proves that she is a star or diamond.
Displaying
a persuasive tone, MKTO’s “Classic” uses a first person point of view, nostalgic
symbolism, and glorifying similes to influence a girls feelings.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Binary Thesis for Boston and Pink Floyd
Though both "Rock n' Roll Band" by Boston and "Have a Cigar" by Pink Floyd convey a theme of fame, Pink Floyd uses an arrogant tone to say the music industry is about making money while Boston uses an appreciative tone to display the love in music.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Binary Thesis
Though
both Beyoncé’s “End of Time” and Chris Brown’s “With You” convey the idea of
the speaker’s undying love, Beyoncé utilizes loving personification to show her
willingness to love this boy, “until the end of time” while Chris Brown uses
the excessive cliché, “with you” to prove he will be with this girl forever.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Album Review - Prism
Katheryn Hudson, otherwise known as
Katy Perry is often referred to as “The Queen of Pop.” Her newest album Prism is the singer’s fourth
studio album. It became a success after the release of her first single “Roar.”
The following two singles, “Dark Horse” and “Unconditionally” added to this
success. The album contains very positive material that pertains to the themes
of relationships and independency.
“Roar” is one of
the many upbeat songs on this album. “Roar” is about not being afraid to say what
you are feeling. Katy Perry’s lyrics allude to a past relationship where she
was afraid to state her opinion. She says, “I used to bite my tongue and hold
my breath.” Katy is saying that she could never say how she feels, but now she
has changed that. Another successful upbeat song is “Dark Horse.” The more upbeat songs of Prism convey positive
feelings about relationships and being independent. The album also has its share of slow songs.
“Unconditionally” is a slower song that uses reassuring repetition to show her
undying love.
The
album’s success caused it to be the second best-selling album released by a
woman in the United States in 2013. Prism became Katy Perry’s fastest-selling
album. Katy is now nominated for Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for “Roar” at the first ever
iHeart Radio Music Awards. The album was also Katy’s best opening week.
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