Goodbye. Something you don’t expect fairytales to end with – especially for fictitious romances that are supposed to be a whirlwind and last forever. In this unit, we analyzed the cinematic elements (music, lighting, framing, etc) of two films and compared how they utilized them to further their plot. Both my films, La La Land and Edward Scissorhands, were romance films, but they don’t end with a happily ever after. Instead, elements such as lighting and music were purposefully contrasted to foreshadow the inevitable separation of both relationships.
In this unit, I was grateful to learn the importance of music (or the lack thereof) can influence the atmosphere of a scene. Music is usually thought of as being one-dimensional, such that if there is sad music, the scene is sad; if there is happy music, the scene is happy. However, throughout this unit, I was able to learn that music in films isn’t as clear cut as day and night. first off, there is both non diegetic and diegetic sounds, which can also play at the same time, lead into each other, overlay, etc. Also to factor in, the volume of these sounds and how even silence can be utilized to invoke a message. Repetitions and variations of the songs exist as well and can change the mood of a scene despite having been played before. All these factors of music/sounds contribute to the atmosphere of the scene, but it is rarely thought about when being discussed.
Oh! Well, you’ve stumbled upon a different kind of radish field!
Moos (meaning radish in Korean) is the fandom name for the K-pop group Mamamoo, clearly derived from the band’s name.
Who Are They?
Mamamoo is a 4 member girl group from RBW entertainment. They’re mostly known for their vocal talent as well their varied discography. The blend of their unique voices and perfect harmonies has gotten them far, from starting as an unknown group from a small company, to a popular group that continues to b r e a k stereotypes in the K-pop world.
But it was only around their “Yes I Am”era that Mamamoo started to cement themselves as legitimate artists as well as becoming icons for feminism in the industry.
The music video is comprised of the members acting confident and funny
That song spotlights each member’s unique qualities and teaches the audience to not be so focused on typical beauty standards or expectations by accepting what makes them special.
Through all their music and projects, they’ve established themselves as strong, independent artists who break away from the mold and continue to push the boundaries of music, fashion, and beauty standards!
I think often times, pop music gets a lot of hate that it doesn’t necessarily deserve. Musicians, the general public, and the pretentious music connoisseurs (who are actually just people that think they’re knowledgable on music after listening to Mozart once) all like to complain about how over-generalized and copy-paste the pop industry has become. It always boils down to this:
1. No one who sings pop music has any musical talent
Personally, I feel it’s ignorant to say that pop music takes no talent, because many of these artists are skilled, but their choice of genre (pop) restricts them from breaking out of people’s preconceived image of ‘pop stars’ and becoming something more. You see, the problem with pop music isn’t the people, it’s the fact that it has become a “hit-making machine.” Artists understand that the songs that become popular are the songs that are the most catchy. This has led to an industry filled with the same artists trying to release radio-topping singles all with the same ear worm tune that gets stuck in people’s heads, making them want to keep hearing it.
Artists now believe the only way to earn exposure is by having constant Number 1 hits, prioritizing quantity over quality. When their sole aim is to become famous through radio directed hits, their intentions for being a musician no longer is to produce music for themselves, but for fame.
Pop music is widely hated because it’s created for mass appeal, not bothering to take risks with its musical direction. Pop doesn’t lack quality, it just does not strive to be more than a straightforward tune with catchy lyrics.
Like Broken Record(s)
However, the same artists that are now considered revolutionary and have produced classic hits once started as pop artists too. In actuality, pop music doesn’t lack talented singers or people with the ‘it’ factor. When examined, these ‘timeless artists’ started with pop and were regarded as pop artists until they broke out of the mold.
1. Legendary boy group The Beatles, who broke numerous charts and records were also a pop group until they expanded to songs with more instrumental influence and serious lyrics. “Love Me Do” (one of their earlier songs) is clearly not on the same lyrical level as “Tomorrow Never Knows” (came out 3 years later).
2. Alanis Morisette debuted with her hit song, “Too Hot”. Like most of today’s pop songs, “Too Hot” is a catchy tune with that features surface level lyrics. Eventually, Alanis Morisette became the household name that she is when she transitioned from pop to grunge with classic songs like “You Oughta Know”.
These artists didn’t get magically better out of nowhere, but it was a matter of them gaining more credibility as an artist as their material became more serious. Perhaps when the older generation reminisce about “classic artists” like The Beatles, they only remember these people through rose tinted glasses and sing their praises like a broken record. The same things they complain about now are the things their parents complained about when they were younger and listening to the younger versions of classic artists.
“Modernity Has Failed Us”
The lyrics of pop songs sound very superficial and lazily written because pop music is overgeneralized and because the lyrics are played over simple, radio-directed tracks. The song lyrics to certain popular songs especially proves that musicians (like The 1975) can produce deep and meaningful song lyrics.
A state of the union address for a fractured planet – Tom Connick (NME, 2018)
You want deep song lyrics? The 1975 will hit you with a whole song about everything wrong with our world.
Every sentence is loaded with cultural references. Even if it’s not heard in the song, it’s shown in the video.
Everything from selling melanin to Eric Garner to our flawed the prison system. The 1975 was not afraid to lay out humanity’s wrongdoings plain and simple in the form of a 4:25 minute song.
“Selling melanin and then suffocate the black men Start with misdemeanours and we’ll make a business out of them”
Melanin: Matty (lead singer) references to “selling melanin” – a recent phenomenon that ironically sees the rich and white purchasing melanin to purposefully make their skin darker. It exposes the irony and hypocrisy that is white people darkening their skin, amidst ongoing racism.
Eric Garner: The second reference “…and then suffocate the black men,” follows up white people’s idolisation of darker skin, with the phone-shot video of the death of Eric Garner, a African American man choked to death in New York by a police officer. The killing broke NYPD codes of conduct, which sparked nationwide protests, but also goes to show how ironic it is that white people somewhat fetishize the idea of darker skin when, for centuries, it has been the target of racism and discrimination.
Prison: In “Start with misdemeanours and we’ll make a business out of them,” Matty references to the increasing privatisation of the prison system, which had controversy not properly rehabilitating the prisoners, but instead, was a way for the rich to get richer off the private sectors.
These 3 topics alone were covered all in a 9 second span of time from 0:34-0:43, but is only a brief microcosm of the whole song.
Funny how a call to action for the world to admit its wrongs is being delivered in the form of a 4 minute pop song when the president of a first world country doesn’t even recognize global warming…And pop songs are the ones usually being trashed
In a sense, that’s what lyrics are for; Giving you hope when you’ve lost yours.
Like the song says: “Modernity has failed us, and I’d love it if we made it” the lyrics symbolize the hope we hold in our society and as individuals that we will be able to learn from our mistakes and continue to live.
I know lyrics are just words, but words are power.
Music is about changing society by inspiring individuals – Matty Healy (The Guardian, 2018).
MLA Citations:
– The 1975. “Modernity Has Failed Us.” Genius, Genius Media Group Inc., 19 July 2018, genius.com/15014723.
– Connick, Tom. “A State-of-the-Planet Address: Every Reference in The 1975’s Powerful ‘Love It If We Made It’ Video.” NME, NME, 16 Oct. 2018, www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/1975-love-it-if-we-made-it-video-explained-2390473.
– Theodosion, Constantine. “Why does pop music get so much hate?” Quora. 2 Aug. 2017, https://www.quora.com/Why-does-pop-music-get-so-much-hate
– Snapes, Laura. “Matt Healy of the 1975: ‘I’m Not Scared of Myself Any More’.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 20 July 2018, www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jul/20/matt-healy-of-the-1975-im-not-scared-of-myself-any-more.
In this assignment, we’re trying to find the many different types of literary devices that artists usually use in song in order to enhance their message or to make things sound better. Poetic devices is often used in modern day music, but we often don’t realize it because it is so engrained into our understanding and expectations of music. The lyrics of these songs can sometimes sound like a poem because of the use of poetic devices. We made a video in which you will be able to see examples of different poetic devices in modern music.
My concert appreciation report is based on the KAS Middle School concert that we went to around mid April. This document includes what I thought about the concert as a whole and some of my favorite pieces from the concert.
