The Beatles – “I’m So Tired”
This clip is backmasking because, although it is nonsensical when played normally, it makes perfect sense when played backwards. Not only this, but the message is too relevant and specific to John Lennon’s death and the band itself to be a coincidence.
Pink Floyd – “Empty Spaces”
This example, I feel, is also legitimate backmasking. Saying “congratulations. You have just discovered the secret message,” is too coincidental to be unintentional in my mind. Also, “old pink” seems to be a reference to the band.
Weird Al – “Nature Trail to Hell”
This is too much like something that Weird Al would come up with and is way to clear to be unintentional. It was definitely done on purpose, it even has a beat to it backwards.
ELO – “Fire on High”
You don’t get much straighter forward then “the music is reversible…” The message is too concise and seemingly rehearsed to be coincidental. Also, it is indistinguishable nonsense words when played forwards, adding credibility to the hypothesis that it was indeed intentional.
Eagles – “Hotel California”
This is not backmasking or reverse speech. This is a bunch of “hogwash” conceived by someone with way too much time on their hands. The message is barely coherent and has no relevance to the band or the song. This guy was just so caught up in finding satanic messages in backwards music that he created his own farfetched example.
Yoko Ono – “Kiss, Kiss, Kiss”
This clip is “hogwash.” If she’s really saying “I shot John Lennon” backwards, then she did so with a full grown lobster hanging from her tongue.
Led Zeppelin – “Stairway to Heaven”
I believe that this is an example of legitimate backmasking. Led Zeppelin is more of a satanic music oriented band and the message is too elaborate to be a coincidence. The backwards message also refers to the “path” mentioned in the forwards playing lyrics.
Pokemon Rap
I feel that this clip is just unintentional reverse speech. The message is clearly there, but I feel that it was not foreseen by the artist and is merely a coincidence.
Eminem – “My Name Is…”
I believe that this clip is backmasking because it is very clear, includes the name of the artist, and makes sense when looking at the song title.
Michael Jackson – “Beat It”
I feel that this is reverse speech and not backmasking. It seems unintentional to me and may be just a coincidence based on the covert language flow.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Song Analysis #2
Bob Dylan is recognized as one of the greatest songwriters of his time. His songs have been highly praised and intensely studied by aspiring songwriters. All of Bob Dylan’s songs are extremely rich in their abundance of poetic devices, and sometimes they even tell a story. “Hurricane” by Bob Dylan is one such narrative song that focuses on the false imprisonment of a famous black boxer.
This song is clearly a narrative as its lyrics tell a complete story. The story is based on how Rubin Carter, a famous black boxer, was “falsely tried” for the shooting of three men. The lyrics tell how he was “obviously framed” but how “the newspapers…went along for the ride” and Rubin was thrown in prison: “an innocent man in a living hell.” The entire song is a series of events that flow in chronological order and as thus is a narrative.
Bob Dylan also uses irony, which can be seen at several points throughout the song. That Bello claims that he didn’t kill the three men, when he clearly did, and says to Patty that “one of [them] had better call the cops,” is ironic. That Bello, the murderer, is suggesting that they call the cops is the opposite of the expected outcome. The last two lines of the fourth verse, “and although this man could hardly see/ they told him that he could identify the guilty men,” also displays irony. It is ironic in this case that although this man has been mortally wounded and can barely see is to be the witness who identifies the guilty men. It is also ironic when, in the second line of the seventh verse, the “cops said, a poor boy like you could use a break,” to Arthur Dexter Bradley. That the cops are calling the murderer a “poor boy” and are saying that he could “use a break” is not what one would expect given the circumstances.
Bob Dylan also incorporates a fair deal of alliteration into the lyrics. The fourth line of the ninth verse, “to the white folks who watched he was…,” is an example of consonance. In this case the “w” sound is being repeated. The third line of the tenth verse, “Bello and Bradley and they both baldly lied,” is also an example of consonance repeating the “b” sound. The second line of the fourth verse, “...Arthur Dexter Bradley were just out prowlin around,” is a good example of assonance. In this example it is the “r” sound within the words that is being repeated.
Bob Dylan’s use of poetic devices is prominently displayed in his plethora of protest songs, and is one of his major trademarks. Dylan’s use of poetic devices in songs such as “hurricane” lend depth and character to the lyrics, making the songs more complex and interesting. It is this factor which allows Dylan and other protest song writers to convey a powerful message in a way that is effective. When it comes to writing, poetry is power.
This song is clearly a narrative as its lyrics tell a complete story. The story is based on how Rubin Carter, a famous black boxer, was “falsely tried” for the shooting of three men. The lyrics tell how he was “obviously framed” but how “the newspapers…went along for the ride” and Rubin was thrown in prison: “an innocent man in a living hell.” The entire song is a series of events that flow in chronological order and as thus is a narrative.
Bob Dylan also uses irony, which can be seen at several points throughout the song. That Bello claims that he didn’t kill the three men, when he clearly did, and says to Patty that “one of [them] had better call the cops,” is ironic. That Bello, the murderer, is suggesting that they call the cops is the opposite of the expected outcome. The last two lines of the fourth verse, “and although this man could hardly see/ they told him that he could identify the guilty men,” also displays irony. It is ironic in this case that although this man has been mortally wounded and can barely see is to be the witness who identifies the guilty men. It is also ironic when, in the second line of the seventh verse, the “cops said, a poor boy like you could use a break,” to Arthur Dexter Bradley. That the cops are calling the murderer a “poor boy” and are saying that he could “use a break” is not what one would expect given the circumstances.
Bob Dylan also incorporates a fair deal of alliteration into the lyrics. The fourth line of the ninth verse, “to the white folks who watched he was…,” is an example of consonance. In this case the “w” sound is being repeated. The third line of the tenth verse, “Bello and Bradley and they both baldly lied,” is also an example of consonance repeating the “b” sound. The second line of the fourth verse, “...Arthur Dexter Bradley were just out prowlin around,” is a good example of assonance. In this example it is the “r” sound within the words that is being repeated.
Bob Dylan’s use of poetic devices is prominently displayed in his plethora of protest songs, and is one of his major trademarks. Dylan’s use of poetic devices in songs such as “hurricane” lend depth and character to the lyrics, making the songs more complex and interesting. It is this factor which allows Dylan and other protest song writers to convey a powerful message in a way that is effective. When it comes to writing, poetry is power.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Today's Popular Music: A Reflection Of Our Culture
“Down” by Jay Sean may be the number one song in America today because it is a song that a lot of people can relate to. The song talks about getting away from all of the problems in life and just leaving it all behind. This says that American teen society feels too overwhelmed with all of the pressure being thrust upon them to do good in school, go on to college, grow up too fast, and just all of the problems in life that they need to deal with everyday along with just about a million other things. It also shows how teens just want to have fun and not worry about all of the demands that the world is thrusting upon them. The song also includes a successful love story. Love is something that American teenagers are experiencing for the first time, and it often seems very complicated; this song relates to those feelings and confusion and gives the impression that everything will work out in the end.
"Watcha Say" by Jason DeRulo is a song about how a man messed up a good relationship by cheating on his girlfriend. He is trying to get her back by appologizing for all that he did and saying that soon he'll "become a star...be livin so large" that he'll do anything for her. This line really digs at the materialism present in today's society. A lot of teens nowadays are experiencing difficulty with relationships and can relate to this aspect of the song.
"Watcha Say" by Jason DeRulo is a song about how a man messed up a good relationship by cheating on his girlfriend. He is trying to get her back by appologizing for all that he did and saying that soon he'll "become a star...be livin so large" that he'll do anything for her. This line really digs at the materialism present in today's society. A lot of teens nowadays are experiencing difficulty with relationships and can relate to this aspect of the song.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
