Tracking 3e graad - Craking the pop song code by VAN IN

‘WE LEARNED MORE FROM A THREE-MINUTE RECORD THAN WE EVER LEARNED IN SCHOOL.’

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE In this tracking you will: read texts and watch footage about the birth and evolution of pop music; listen to and analyse song lyrics; learn about poetic devices in pop music; create your own festival concept; present an argument on music. In this tracking you can: carry out literary or linguistic research on song lyrics.

CONTENTS 1

‘I Want To Break Free’

1.1

The rigid rules of our fathers

1.2

The rise of youth culture

1.3

‘The Times They Are A-Changin’’

1.4

‘Here We Are Now, Entertain Us’

Icons or idols?

2.1

Elvis and the birth of rock and roll

2.2

Beatlemania

2.3

The makeable pop star

Festivalitis

3.1

My festival kit

3.2

My favourite concert ever

3.3

Woodstock: ‘Sex, drugs and rock and roll’?

3.4

Jobs of a lifetime

3.4.1

Ready to be a roadie?

3.4.2

A journalist’s report

3.4.3

My own festival

Pop music: art or entertainment?

4.1

Poetry or ‘just a song’?

4.2

Make or break lyrics

4.3

Chords of poetry

4.4

Digging deeper

‘I Beg Your Pardon?’

5.1

‘I don’t know what I’m singing’

5.2

‘They don’t know what he’s singing’

5.3

‘Does your mother know what you’re singing?’

5.4

Anthems of your generation

5.5

Presenting an argument

5.6

Your own song lyrics

Tracking tools

6.1

Poetic devices

6.2

Music genres

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

1 ⁄ ‘I WANT TO BREAK FREE’ 1.1 ⁄ THE RIGID RULES OF OUR FATHERS 1 Y oungsters, especially teenagers, often feel ‘trapped’ by rules and obligations of their parents, SPOKEN INTERACTION of school or of society as a whole. Discuss with a classmate how you feel about this. a Do you feel these rules and expectations are a burden for you? In other words: do you really have reasons to complain about or not? b If so, write down three things that hamper your life as you would like it to be. If not, explain why you are happy with your life as it is. c Then swap books with your classmate and let him/her judge if your complaints are justified. Write down your comment on your classmate’s complaints and discuss them briefly. Then report your findings back to the class. My complaints

Justified or not?

2 Listen to the song lyrics of 'I Want to Break Free'. What does the protagonist in the song want to break free from? Explain.

listening

He wants to break free from a relationship he feels trapped in. He struggles between the joy of being in love and the commitment of a relationship, which limits his freedom.

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

I WANT TO BREAK FREE _ QUEEN I want to break free I want to break free I want to break free from your lies You’re so self satisfied I don’t need you I’ve got to break free God knows, God knows I want to break free I’ve fallen in love I’ve fallen in love for the first time And this time I know it’s for real I’ve fallen in love, yeah God knows, God knows I’ve fallen in love It’s strange but it’s true I can’t get over the way you love me like you do But I have to be sure When I walk out that door Oh how I want to be free, baby Oh how I want to be free Oh how I want to break free But life still goes on I can’t get used to living without, living without Living without you by my side I don’t want to live alone, hey God knows, got to make it on my own So baby can’t you see I’ve got to break free I’ve got to break free I want to break free, yeah I want I want I want I want to break free

ARTIST PROFILE

Queen was formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of the late Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor. They became one of the most influential bands in rock music and were very successful for two decades. The flamboyant, powerful and provocative style of lead singer Freddie Mercury, combined with the unique sound of Brian May’s selfmade guitars, form the core of Queen’s music. The band is considered one of the best live stadium rock acts of all times, their performance of 1985’s Live Aid festival at Wembley being nothing short of legendary. Queen’s lead singer also became an icon for another reason. Mercury was bisexual and his personal life was very unstable and risky. As a result, he became infected with HIV. In 1991, he was the first worldwide celebrity to die of complications from AIDS, thus giving the disease and its victims a face. But his music lives on. Songs like ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘We Are the Champions’, ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ are known all over the world. Adapted from: rollingstone.com

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

3 Watch the video clip and compare the lyrics to what you can see in the clip.

listening

a Does watching the clip change how you understand the song? Why (not)? free answers The video focuses more on gender stereotypes (see b), whereas the lyrics are about feeling emotionally tied in a relationship with its ups and downs. b In your opinion, what does Freddie Mercury mock in the video? The video clearly mocks the classic gender stereotype of the woman as a housewife who does all the chores in the house, like dusting and cleaning, and at the same time has to be attractive to men. Moreover, the role-switching refers to Freddie Mercury’s homosexual/bisexual orientation. c Do videos in general have a big impact on how you perceive a song? Explain. Give some examples if they do. free answers 4 Has music always been the voice of the young generation? free answers a Which music did your parents or your grandparents listen to when they were young?

SPOKEN INTERACTION

b Do you think their music was in any way rebellious? Why (not)? c Can you appreciate their music? Explain.

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

1.2 ⁄ THE RISE OF YOUTH CULTURE Watch the documentary on youth culture in the 1950s and answer the questions. 1 The children of the post World War II-period are called the children of the baby boom. 2 Strange though it may seem to modern day teenagers, white American teenagers of the fifties were the first of their age to have money to spend. What made this possible? The economic boom of the post-war period benefited their parents, but also the teenagers themselves. Parents gave their kids money and kids had

opportunities to make money. They had money from babysitting, mowing lawns and allowances.

3 Which technological evolutions made music accessible to youngsters? With the use of transistors and radios, music became completely portable. Kids could listen to their music without disturbing parents, and they could listen to it anywhere they wanted. They also had access to an automobile and they had radios in their cars. 4 Which instrument became crucial in rock and roll music? the electric guitar 5 Where do the roots of rock and roll come from? They come from a lot of different areas: the biggest one is rhythm and blues, which was very popular among African-Americans and hadn’t crossed over to mainstream America. Also traditional jazz contributed to the sound of rock and roll, with the saxophone and the stand-up bass. Saxophone solos were often heard long before guitar solos became popular. Another influence was American folk music: bluegrass, and tradional country and western (e.g. Hank Williams). Also gospel music is mentioned (earlier in the video, but its specific influence is not explained). 6 What was the new style of music that DJ Alan Freed played on the radio first called? negro music

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

listening

7 Who can be given the credit for inventing rock and roll? Why? Chuck Berry. He mixed all the right ingredients: country and western guitar licks, a rhythm and blues tune, and lyrics about fast cars and good-looking women. 8 What did the first white performers of this new genre tone down? Why? They toned down the sexuality, to reach a mainstream audience. 9 Which song became the unofficial anthem of the first rock and roll generation? Give the title and artist. ‘Rock around the Clock’, by Bill Haley and the Comets 10 Why did many adults protest to the spread of rock and roll? They claimed it was ruining the youth of America by overexciting their libidos with its hard driving rhythms, suggestive lyrics and the wild dancing brought on by the music. 11 ‘If I could find a white man that could sing like a black man, I would make a million dollars,’ Sam Philips said. What did he mean by that? If he could find somebody who could sing with that energy, that amount of sexual tension and the comedic sense that was in rhythm and blues, he would have a winner. That ‘winner’ was Elvis Presley.

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

1.3 ⁄ ‘THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN'’

ARTIST PROFILE

Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan voiced the spirit of the Sixties. Dylan was born as Robert Allen Zimmerman in 1941. With his protest songs, he contributed to the critical attitude of the new generation that wanted a change from the rigid rules of the Fifties. In songs like ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ and ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’’ he voiced the spirit of that new era. Dylan is one of the greatest lyricists in pop music history and his songs supported civil rights and anti-war movements. He wrote many timeless classics, including ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ and ‘Hurricane’. His peculiar style of singing, however, seemed an impediment to real commercial success. As a result, some of his songs were more successful in cover versions by other artists. ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’ and ‘Make You Feel My Love’ for instance, went to the top of the charts for artists Guns N’ Roses and Adele respectively.

The young Bob Dylan

Adapted from: rollingstone.com

Listen to the lyrics of his song ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’’ and answer the questions. 1 Dylan expresses the theme of his song by using many different metaphors. List all the synonymous expressions for ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’’. -

Admit that the waters around you have grown.

The wheel’s still in spin and there’s no tellin’ who that it’s namin’.

The battle outside ragin’ will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls.

Your old road is rapidly aging.

The present now will later be past.

The order is rapidly fadin’.

The first one now will later be last.

2 Which groups in society does Dylan subsequently appeal to in his call for change? List them and try to explain why he refers to these groups. -

writers and critics

senators and congressmen

mothers and fathers

These are the people who have authority to preserve or change values and customs in society.

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

listening

3 Compare Dylan’s complaints to your own grievances in point 1.1 The rigid rules of our fathers. Which similarities and differences can you see? Free answer. A probable similarity is the call for change that every generation voices towards ‘the powers that be’ of their time. 4 The lyrics of this song contain several biblical references which young people in America may recognise. Find the biblical images in the song and look up what they refer to. - ‘The waters around you have grown’, reference to the biblical flood in Genesis: if you

don’t change your behaviour, you will drown.

- Reference to the Sermon of the Mount (Matthew, chapters 5, 6, 7), which says:

‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth’: Dylan appeals to people to be

humble in his song.

- ‘The first one now will later be last’, reference to Mark chapter 10, vers 31: ‘But

many that are first shall be last, and the last first.’

5 Why do you think Dylan made these biblical references? - For the Romans in Palestine, Jesus was also a rebel who wanted to change the

society he lived in.

- Dylan wanted to get back to the Christian basics, to get older people to understand

the message and start thinking about the changes. The Bible is often used as an

argument for status-quo by conservatives, but Dylan does the opposite: he uses the

bible to challenge society to change in a positive way.

DID YOU KNOW?

Interpreting song lyrics is not simply a matter of right or wrong. Like literature, pop songs are subject to different interpretations. This phenomenon is called ‘poly-interpretability’. Artists often consciously insert different possibilities of understanding into their work, or occasionally even forget what they originally meant. Be aware, however, that this does not imply that a song can mean anything: an interpretation should always be supported by proof from the lyrics.

'I think of a hero as someon e who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freed om.' Bob Dylan

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ _ BOB DYLAN Come gather ‘round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You’ll be drenched to the bone If your time to you Is worth savin’ Then you better start swimmin’ Or you’ll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin’ Come writers and critics Who prophesize with your pen And keep your eyes wide The chance won’t come again And don’t speak too soon For the wheel’s still in spin And there’s no tellin’ who That it’s namin’ For the loser now Will be later to win For the times they are a-changin’ to be drenched to the bone: to be compeletely wet to fade: to disappear slowly to heed the call: to participate when asked to rattle: to make an annoying noise, e.g. like something that is broken to roam: to walk around to spin: to turn round

Come senators, congressmen Please heed the call Don’t stand in the doorway Don’t block up the hall For he that gets hurt Will be he who has stalled The battle outside ragin’ Will soon shake your windows And rattle your walls For the times they are a-changin’ Come mothers and fathers Throughout the land And don’t criticize What you can’t understand Your sons and your daughters Are beyond your command Your old road is Rapidly aging Please get out of the new one If you can’t lend your hand For the times they are a-changin’ The line it is drawn The curse it is cast The slow one now Will later be fast As the present now Will later be past The order is Rapidly fadin’ And the first one now Will later be last For the times they are a-changin’

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

1.4 ⁄ ‘HERE WE ARE NOW, ENTERTAIN US’

ARTIST PROFILE

Cobain struggled with the role his music was given. He also suffered from depression, was a heroin addict and had a destructive relationship with his wife Courtney Love. In 1994, at the age of 27, he was found dead in his house in Seattle. The cause of his death has been topic of debate, but police reports say that he committed suicide with a shotgun. Later that same year, Nirvana’s drummer Dave Grohl started the successful rock band Foo Fighters.

Nirvana skyrocketed to fame in 1991 with their second album Nevermind, which included songs like ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, ‘Come As You Are’ and ‘Lithium’. The band consisted of lead singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain, bass player Krist Novoselic and drummer Dave Grohl. The band quickly got branded as the voice of ‘Generation X’, as the youngsters of the 90s were called.

Kurt Cobain

Adapted from: biography.com

1 Listen to ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. Indicate the different parts of a pop song by filling in the correct terms in the empty boxes in the lyrics. Some of them can be used several times.

listening

bridge – chorus – intro – solo – verse

SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT _ NIRVANA Intro

verse 2nd

1st verse

I’m worse at what I do best And for this gift I feel blessed Our little group has always been And always will until the end

Load up on guns, bring your friends It’s fun to lose and to pretend She’s over-bored, self-assured Oh no, I know a dirty word Bridge Hello, hello, hello, how low? Hello, hello, hello, how low? Hello, hello, hello, how low? Hello, hello, hello Chorus With the lights out, it’s less dangerous Here we are now, entertain us I feel stupid and contagious Here we are now, entertain us A mulatto, an albino A mosquito, my libido, yeah

bridge Repeat

and chorus Solo

3rd verse And I forget just why I taste Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile I found it hard, it was hard to find Oh well, whatever, never mind

Repeat bridge chorus and A denial (9x)

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

2 What do you think the song is about? Analyse the meaning of some of the lines of this song.

READING

1 ‘With the lights out, it’s less dangerous Here we are now, entertain us’ Teenagers are insecure and, therefore, don’t want to draw too much attention to themselves; literally, dancing at a party with the lights out is easier than making a fool of yourself when others can watch you. Youngsters are sometimes bored and want to be entertained. Moreover, it is easier (less dangerous) to be in the crowd and be entertained, than to take initiative and get things going yourself. 2 ‘Our little group has always been And always will until the end’ Teenagers find shelter and comfort in their own small group of peers. During this period of their lives, they think these bonds will last forever. Sometimes they do, but often they don’t. It is a song about friendship (also see ex. 3). 3 ‘I found it hard, it’s hard to find Oh, well whatever, never mind’ Teenagers struggle with themselves, sometimes they have a hard time in school or socially. They also make mistakes and sometimes learn the hard way. It is also hard to find the best road to take in order to reach adulthood successfully. Making your own choices can be difficult. But talking about these feelings isn’t easy. Youngsters often avoid opening up and shy away when they occasionally do open up: ‘never mind’. On the other hand, does it make a real difference which choices they make? ‘Whatever’: I don’t care. The point of indifference is raised here. 4 ‘Hello, hello, how low’ Basically, this is just a play on words and sounds; there are several in the song. But ‘low’ also refers to teenage mood swings: teenagers feeling down to various degrees. 3 Compare your interpretation of the song to what Cobain himself had to say about it in an interview in 1991. What is his view on the lyrics?

‘It’s basically just about friends. The friends that I have now, in a way. We still feel as if we’re teenagers because we don’t follow the guidelines of what’s expected of us to be adults. We still screw around and have a good time. It also has a kind of a, like a, teen revolutionary theme to it, too.’ Source: seattletimes.com

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

READING

4 There’s no denying that the song had a big impact on youth culture. How did the song do that? Quote from the lyrics to explain your answer!

READING

The song captures the atmosphere of the time: it expresses the anger and insecurity of young people at the end of the 90s (‘Generation X’). The title ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ refers to the spirit or feeling of youngsters, although Cobain got the idea for the lyrics from a deodorant with the same name. The song is absurd and uses (sarcastic and cynical) humour, and it expresses the lack of ideals or the insecurity of a generation. It raises the question: what is life all about? ‘I found it hard’, ‘It is hard to find’ ,’Whatever, never mind’. What is really important and should we care about that, or can we just have fun (‘It makes me smile’) and make a joke; ‘A mosquito, my libido’ is basically just a play on words.

DID YOU KNOW?

Grunge music originated from Seattle with bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam (their single ‘Alive’ hit the charts around the same time as ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’). The powerful guitar sound and thundering drums set a new sound for recording rock music. It contrasted heavily with the synth sounds of the pop music of the 80s and the softer sound of 80s rock, as well as with the dance and house music that flooded the charts in the 90s. Adapted from: allmusic.com

5 Nirvana and postmodernism: Look at the definitions of postmodernism in the Encyclopaedia Britannica and the Oxford Dictionary. Compare them with your insights into the song lyrics and the extra information from the different sources on Cobain. In what way can Cobain’s song be called postmodern?

READING

‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ is a song full of relativism or skepticism: ‘whatever, never mind’, the disbelief in great ideology. The song gives a voice to a generation that wants to be entertained, all the rest doesn’t seem to matter. Take note of the words ‘a denial’ at the end of the song.

Postmodernism, also spelled postmodernism: in Western philosophy, a late 20th-century movement characterized by broad skepticism, subjectivism, or relativism; a general suspicion of reason; and an acute sensitivity to the role of ideology in asserting and maintaining political and economic power.

Postmodernism: a late 20th-century style and concept in the arts, architecture, and criticism, which represents a departure from modernism and is characterized by the self-conscious use of earlier styles and conventions, a mixing of different artistic styles and media, and a general distrust of theories.

Source: encyclopaediabritannica.com

Source: oxforddictionaries.com

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

DID YOU KNOW?

You may not be the only one having difficulty understanding Kurt Cobain’s lyrics. Many DJs on radio stations were reluctant to play the song, because they couldn’t understand what he was singing. MTV even added subtitles to the video of the song for a while, to make it more accessible. 6 A year after the success of the song, comedian Weird Al Yankovic parodied ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ as ‘Smells Like Nirvana’. Compare the song to the original.

ARTIST PROFILE

Alfred ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic (° October 23, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter, comedian and actor. He is best known for his humorous versions of well known pop songs. He successfully parodied hits by Madonna (‘Like a Surgeon’), Michael Jackson (‘Eat It’, ‘Fat’), Lady Gaga (‘Perform This Way’), Lorde (‘Foil’) and Robin Thicke (‘Word Crimes’).

Source: weirdal.com

a Listen to the lyrics to see how Yankovic parodies Cobain’s original lyrics. Give two examples of how he does that.

listening

‘What is this song all about, can’t figure any lyrics out’, ‘Don’t know, don’t know, don’t know, oh no’, ‘Now I’m mumbling and I’m screaming’ ‘And I don’t know what I’m singing’, the pun in the title: ‘Smells Like Nirvana’, ‘Sayonara’ at the end of the song instead of ‘a denial’ … b Watch how Yankovic parodies Nirvana’s videoclip. Give 2 specific examples of visual jokes in the video.

listening

The drummer with the t-shirt that says ‘drummer’ and the front bass drum head with ‘drum’ written on it. The physical shape of some of the cheerleaders, Yankovic’s imitation of Cobain’s attitude, the midget with the light, the headbanger in the audience losing his head, the burp after the chorus, the flexible guitar, the cow and goat sounds in the song, the gorgling … c Conclusion: what does Weird Al Yankovic ridicule in this way? The unclear lyrics and incomprehensible way of singing, the cliché behaviour and look of rock bands, the typical videoclips, the behaviour of the fans of rock music … 7 Write your own parody on the lyrics of a well-known pop song.

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

WRITING

2 ⁄ ICONS OR IDOLS? 2.1 ⁄ ELVIS AND THE BIRTH OF ROCK AND ROLL The first artist to really spread rock and roll worldwide was Elvis Presley. It may seem strange to us now, but the way Elvis performed live, really broke boundaries. Watch the excerpt of his live performance on the Ed Sullivan Show and find out how. While watching, try to find the answer to these questions.

listening

1 Describe Elvis’ moves during his performance. Elvis moves around a lot, shaking his hips and rolling his head. 2 Explain why he was given the nickname ‘Elvis the Pelvis’. The ‘pelvis’ is ‘the wide curved bones between the spine and the leg bones’ (Webster Dictionary). The reference is made due to the location of these bones at the hips, which Elvis moved emphatically, and the coincidental rhyme with his name. 3 How does the crowd react to Elvis’ moves? By yelling and screaming very loudly, especially the girls. 4 During the show, the camera clearly tries to ‘censor’ Elvis’ performance. How? The longer the performance goes on, the less the cameraman uses a full frontal shot of Elvis. By the end, mostly his head and upper body are filmed. You only seem to see a full shot of the artist when he isn’t shaking his hips.

ARTIST PROFILE

Elvis Aaron Presley (1935-1977) was an American singer and actor. He is nicknamed ‘The King’ for being one of the most popular and influential musicians of the 20th century. Under the guidance of his manager Colonel Tom Parker, he became the key figure in the breakthrough of rock and roll music all over the world. He is the best selling solo artist of all time. His hits include ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, ‘Jailhouse Rock’, ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, ‘Love Me Tender’ and ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’. Presley’s energetic and sexually provocative performance style was controversial, as was his role in bringing African-American music styles such as gospel and blues (out of which rock and roll developed) to ‘white’ audiences. This way, Elvis’ music helped to pave the road to equal rights for people of colour in the U.S. Later in his life Elvis mostly performed in Las Vegas. A drug addiction led to an untimely death at the age of 42. Many fans still go on pilgrimage to his former house, Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, which has been turned into a museum. Adapted from: Wikipedia.org

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

2.2 ⁄ BEATLEMANIA

The Beatles were an English pop and rock band, formed in 1960 in Liverpool. The band consisted of four members: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. ‘The Fab Four’ soon reached unseen heights of popularity and adoration, for which the term ‘Beatlemania’ was devised. Their music was the soundtrack of the socio-cultural evolutions of the Sixties. Albums like The Beatles (also known as The White Album), Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road shaped pop music like no other band has done. Many modern songwriters still regard the Beatles as the example to follow.

ARTIST PROFILE

The Beatles

Conflicts between the band members led to a split in 1970. Lennon, McCartney and Harrison went on to have successful solo careers, but Lennon’s talent was brutally silenced in 1980, when he was shot dead by a crazy fan outside his apartment. Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001. Adapted from: Wikipedia.org

1 Watch the video ‘A rare look at the beginnings of Beatlemania’ and answer the questions. a Describe the behaviour and reactions of The Beatles fans at the airport and during their live performance. Many people came to the airport to welcome these new heroes of English music back from their successful trip to the USA. People pushed to get as close to the band as they could. As a result, they were squashed together against the fence and walls. The fans went absolutely crazy at the sight of their favourite band. Girls, especially, were screaming, crying and fainting. b Why was the arrival of The Beatles back in Britain a big event? Because the Beatles had proven to be the biggest band in the USA as well. It appealed to English pride that the old superpower could win over the new one with their pop culture. c How did Ed Sullivan get to know The Beatles? Sullivan first got to know the Beatles when he was at a London airport in 1963, as there was an enormous crowd of kids gathered around the band. He asked what was going on and they said ‘the Beatles are here’. He hadn’t heard of the band yet, but it made him curious enough to book them for three of his shows. d Which impression did Paul McCartney get of the American fans, compared to the English? ‘We expected them to be very different, but they weren’t at all. The accent was the only thing. That was the only difference.’

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

listening

2 Watch the first part of the video again and try to explain, in your own words, what the reporter means by:

listening

1 ‘This truly is a social document for our time.’ The video clearly shows Beatlemania, which was a new and remarkable phenomenon in Britain in the Sixties. 2 ‘40 young ladies fainted, but authorities feel that some were playing possum.’ The girls were not really losing consciousness, but pretended they did. They hoped to be lifted over the fence to get closer to their idols. 3 ‘Some brave volunteers among the British police elect to act with heroism above and beyond the call of duty …’ The police officers at the scene had a tough job keeping the hysterical fans under control. 4 ‘The Beatles now have no rivals as the king pins of the teenage set.’ The Beatles are now, by far, the most popular band amongst teenagers. 5 ‘They did what the Redcoats couldn’t do in the American revolution: they conquered the colonies.’ The Beatles made it in the USA and dominated the music charts there as well. They succeeded in ‘conquering’ America, which the British army (= ‘the Redcoats’) ’wasn’t able to do during the war of 1776-1783 (the American Independence War) as the British empire lost the war against the newly declared American state. 3 Compare the performance style of The Beatles to that of Elvis Presley. Which similarities or differences do you notice?

listening

The Beatles move a lot less than Elvis. They stand on the same spot throughout the song and don’t make any suggestive movements with their hips. There is less physical expression with the Beatles.

The reaction of the crowd, however, is similar to that of Elvis.

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

Beatle-fans 2 heb ik niet; laat voorlopig gewoon wat plaats open.

42-16506993 BE061307

2.3 ⁄ THE MAKEABLE POP STAR READING

1 Read 'The Boy-Band Blueprint' on page 19. 2 Looking back, The Beatles can be considered one of the first ‘boybands’, although their impact on music goes far beyond that of a few handsome boys on a stage. Smart managers, however, quickly learned from The Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, how to mould successful bands. a Explain the ‘winning formula’ of a successful boy band in your own words, using the graphic organiser from the article. b Apply the graphic organiser to one of the bands in the article or to another band that you know. How does the composition of the band contribute to its success? various answers possible 3 Manage your own band! a Step into the shoes of Brian Epstein or Simon Cowell and put together the ideal boy or girl band. Think about: the band members, music genre, styling, merchandising, ways to attract press attention, the use of multimedia and YouTube, etc. b Explain the concept of your band to the class. Us Teacher ✓ or ✗ ✓ or ✗

Presentation checklist 1 Content • We have a well worked out band concept. • We can clearly explain the different components of our concept. • We can interest the class in our ideas. 2 Vocabulary and grammar • We use vocabulary suited to the topic. • We use vocabulary adapted to our target audience. • We avoid grammatical errors. 3 Speaking skills • The presentation is fluent. • The pronunciation is good. 4 Structure • Our presentation has a clear structure: introduction, body and conclusion. • We divide the presentation fairly between the two of us. Feedback:

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SPOKEN INTERACTION

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

SHY ONE

IT’S NOT ABOUT SALES. IT’S ABOUT TOURS AND MERCHANDISE.

The Wanted Life on E! drew an audience of 1,7 million viewers.

SPIN-OFF: NICK LACHEY

START HER E

THE BEATLES HEYDAY: 1962-1970

The reunited BACKSTREET BOYS Backstreet Boys sang at a HEYDAY: 1996-2001 2013 Christmas concert in Washington, attended by the Obamas.

BOYZ II MEN HEYDAY: 1991-1997

TOGETHER 5+ CONSECUTIVE YEARS KNOWN TO PLAY OWN INSTRUMENTS HAD NO. 1 HIT SINGLE IN U.S. INCLUDED FAMILY MEMBERS SPAWNED FROM TV MADE CHRISTMAS ALBUM AT LEAST ONE MEMBER ARRESTED FAMOUS SOLO SPIN-OFF HAD A COMEBACK TOUR

KEY

ONE DIRECTION HEYDAY: 2011-

98 DEGREES HEYDAY: 1997-2001

’N SYNC HEYDAY: 1997-2002

HANSON HEYDAY: 1997-2000

BBMAK HEYDAY: 1999-2003

JONAS BROTHERS HEYDAY: 2005-2010

BIG TIME RUSH HEYDAY: 2010-

THE WANTED HEYDAY: 2010-2013

Fans bid $100,00 on eBay for a piece of Vegemite toast that member Niall Horan bit into in Sydney.

Nick Lachey broke into reality TV on MTV’s Newly weds with Jessica Simpson before hosting NBC’s The Sing-Off.

SPIN-OFF: JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

’N Sync fans bought 1,1 million copies of No Strings Attached on its first day in stores, making it the first album to hit seven-figure sales in one day.

BBMak’s breakout song, ‘Back here’ initially made a bigger splash in the U.S. than in the band’s native England.

Their squeakyclean image was ‘sugar-coated’, said Joe Jonas, who recently admitted to drug use.

Additional reporting by Alex Aciman, Molly Martin, Brook Tweeten and Victor Williams

IMAGE IS EVERYTHING

Brian Epstein groomed the Beatles; Maurice Starr created New Kids on the Block; Lou Pearlman invented Backstreet Boys and ’N Sync; Simon Cowell masterminded OneDirection.

THE PUPPET MASTER

HOMELY ONE

CUTE ONE

BAD BOY

+ +

ULTRATALENTED, DREAMY HEARTTHROB

FORMULA THAT KEEPS ON WINNING:

WITH FEW SUBSTITUTIONS, THE

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ arrival in the U.S. and the Fab Four’s legendary appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on Feb. 9, 1964. While the lads quickly distanced themselves from their largely fabricated image as moptopped Beatlemania inspiring dreamboats, their blueprint for a successful boy band – smart one (John Lennon), cute one (Paul McCartney), quiet one (George Harrison) and funny one (Ringo Starr) – lives on. Whether their successors played surf music, suave R&B, novelty songs or sugary ballads, here’s a look at the connections and characteristics that have defined five decades of adorable pop acts.

By Heather Jones and Emily Maltby

From the Beatles to One Direction, all the young dudes are ’N Sync

The Boy-Band Blueprint

Music BEACH BOYS HEYDAY: 1962-1975

The band’s original name was Nynuk.

NEW EDITION HEYDAY: 1983-1988

BAY CITY ROLLERS HEYDAY: 1973-1976

SPIN-OFF: MICHAEL JACKSON

Members cycled out when their voices changed or they got too old; Menudo had more than 30 members total.

SPIN-OFF: RICKY MARTIN

Bobby Brown said his earnings from New Edition tours and records amounted to ‘$500 and a VCR’.

SPIN-OFF: BOBBY BROWN

SPIN-OFF: DONNY OSMOND

In 1963 5-year old Donny Osmond performed on The Andy Williams Show; in 2009 he won Dancing with the Stars.

Michael Jackson outbid Paul McCartney for the publishing rights to some 200 Beatles songs in the mid 80s.

Sources: Billboard.com; Band sites

Named after the New Edition song ‘Boys to Men’.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK HEYDAY: 1988-1992

MENUDO HEYDAY: 1981-1989

SPIN-OFF: BRIAN WILSON

AMERICAN BRITISH BRITISH/IRISH PUERTO RICAN SCOTTISH

Source: Time Magazine

‘Kokomo’ hit No. 1 in November 1988, 24 years after the band’s first chart topper, ‘I Get Around’.

THE OSMONDS HEYDAY: 1971-1976

JACKSON 5 HEYDAY: 1969-1976

THE MONKEES HEYDAY: 1966-1970

Beatlemania set off a merchandising frenzy that included a Flip your Wig Game, lunch boxes, figurines and serving trays.

The Culture

3 ⁄ FESTIVALITIS 3.1 ⁄ MY FESTIVAL KIT When you go to a festival, what do you take with you? Pack your backpack and write down what you really need.

SPOKEN INTERACTION

- A one-day festival: ticket, backpack, raincoat, comfortable shoes and clothes, sandwiches, suncream, sunglasses, hat or cap, blanket or plastic mat, money, earplugs, cell phone, camera, condoms … - A three-day festival: the gear for a one day festival, plus camping gear: tent, mattress, pillow, blanket, clean clothes and underwear, pyjamas, toiletries, pots and pans to cook food, gas cooker, plastic chairs …

3.2 ⁄ MY FAVOURITE CONCERT EVER Which is the best live concert you have ever been to? Tell a classmate about the live performance that you will never forget. He/she will write down the main points. If you haven’t been to a concert yourself yet, ask a classmate about his experience and write it down. FAVOURITE CONCERT FILE

Name classmate: Artist: Date: Venue: Why was it a memorable concert? Music? Setting? Atmosphere? Who were you with? Comments:

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

SPOKEN INTERACTION

3.3 ⁄ WOODSTOCK: ‘SEX, DRUGS AND ROCK AND ROLL’? Listen to the documentary about Woodstock on BBC radio and answer the questions.

listening

1 When and where was the Woodstock festival held?

August 1969, on a (muddy) farm in upstate New York

2 Describe the ‘Woodstock survivor’ who is being interviewed. Who is he? Patrick Colucci. He was a young seminarian studying for the priesthood.

rbis

3 Why doesn’t he fit the cliché image of people who went to Woodstock? Explain. As a seminarian, he hardly fits the cliché that Woodstock was all about ‘drugs, sex and rock and roll’ and counterculture. 4 Why did he go to the festival? He had read about it in the newspaper. The headline said ‘Everybody is going to Woodstock’. It seemed like it was a gathering of peaceful people, so he wanted to go there. 5 Which problems did he encounter at the festival? - The traffic to the festival was chaos: a monster tailback

on the freeway (BE: motorway).

crowd: the gates at the entrance were knocked over

and everybody came flooding in.

- There was no food or shelter and it was raining heavily. -

The terrain turned into a huge pool of mud.

- The organisation went wrong due to the enormous

- Some people were injured and had to be evacuated, e.g.

someone got run over by a tractor.

People were overdosing (OD’ing) or having babies.

- The authorities feared it would turn into a disaster (‘a carnage’). 6 What does he compare the situation at the festival to? to the Vietnam War that he saw on the evening news every night 7 How does he describe the atmosphere at the festival? He didn’t see any incidences of violence. He saw the opposite: people sharing sandwiches, giving each other water and food or blankets. He saw nothing but positivity. Like many others, he tried to help people out. There was a lot of hedonism and there was promiscuous sex.

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

8 Did the festival prove to be the epitome of the era of ‘sex, drugs and rock and roll?’, according to the interviewee? He agreed that there was a lot of hedonism and promiscuous sex, but he didn’t think there was as much as the media would like to portray. There was a lot of marihuana use, some psychedelics, but no real hard drugs that he could see. 9 What was the impact on him personally? - At that moment, he knew for the first time in his life that he had an identity, a

group that he belonged to. He felt like he had locked himself away in an ivory tower,

studying Latin and Greek. He felt like he was out of touch with what was happening

and with the people that he wanted to help. He now felt like he had found his place.

He was reaching a higher spiritual level.

- Things began to shift for him at that moment: he realised that he couldn’t be a clerk

or a priest. He believed that he had to go into the world in a different way.

The 17-year old barefoot girl he met at the festival became his wife.

10 What was, in his view, the importance of Woodstock at the time? The feeling at the festival was about changing the world and about loving each other. Things began to shift. 11 Compare his experience to going to a modern festival. Which differences and similarities can you find? free answer 12 Look up some footage of Woodstock on the internet. Which aspects mentioned here prevail in your video? free answer

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

3.4 ⁄ JOBS OF A LIFETIME 3.4.1 ⁄ READY TO BE A ROADIE? 1 Label the correct items on the poster.

READING

headliner – selling point – support act – tour title – venue

headliner

tour title

support act

venue

selling point

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

2 Who’s who in a band? Label the different jobs on the picture. backing vocalist(s) – bass player – drummer – keyboard player – lead guitarist – lead singer – percussionist – rhythm guitarist drummer

percussionist

bass player backing vocalist(s)

lead guitarist

keyboard player

rhythm guitarist

lead singer

3 Write down the right word or expression for each description. Use your own knowledge of music and the words you have seen in the previous parts of this tracking. airplay – backstage – call and response – catchy – charts – close harmony – composer – groupie – heyday – mosh pit – out of key/out of tune – roadie – track 1 a person employed by a touring band of musicians to set up and maintain equipment

roadie

2 a young woman who regularly follows a pop group or other celebrity, especially in the hope of having a sexual relationship with them

groupie

3 an area in front of the stage at a rock concert, where fans dance rather violently

mosh pit

4 the area at a festival where only bands and crew are allowed

backstage

5 not reaching the right notes when singing

out of key/out of tune

6 different voices singing together, but not using identical notes

close harmony

7 broadcasting time devoted to a particular record, performer, or musical genre

airplay

8 instantly appealing and memorable (said of a tune or phrase)

catchy

9 a person who writes music, especially as a professional occupation

composer

10 the period of a person’s or thing’s greatest success, popularity or activity

heyday

11 a weekly listing of the current bestselling pop records

charts

12 a recording of one song or piece of music

track

13 interaction at a concert between the artist and the audience

call and response

Source: Oxford Dictionary

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

READING

3.4.2 ⁄ A JOURNALIST’S REPORT

is people who can’t ‘Most rock journalism le who can’t talk, write, interviewing peop d.’ (Frank Zappa) for people who can’t rea Source: zappa.com

SPOKEN INTERACTION

Role play: a journalist covering a live gig MTV, the famous music network, sends a journalist out to cover a live performance of a band. The journalist is to do a live interview with a prominent band member, a music critic, a couple of fans eagerly awaiting the start of the show, and give a journalistic impression of the concert. Divide the roles among your classmates and play the scene. Dress up according to your role and try to be convincing. Role play checklist

Me Teacher ✓ or ✗ ✓ or ✗

1 Content • The scene is worked out well. • The scene is realistic. 2 Role play • The scene is convincing. • I play my role convincingly. • The roles are divided fairly. 3 Speaking skills • I participate fluently. • My pronunciation is good. 4 Vocabulary and grammar • I use vocabulary suited to the topic. • I use vocabulary adapted to the role I'm playing • I avoid grammatical errors. 5 Costume and props • I dress up as my character. Feedback:

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

3.4.3 ⁄ MY OWN FESTIVAL Live Nation, one of the world’s largest festival companies, has decided to hire you and your friends to create a new one-day festival. SPOKEN 1 Think about how you would organise your dream festival. In groups discuss the concept, lineINTERACTION up, site, catering, target audience and admission fee for your festival. Try to convince the boss of Live Nation and the festival crowd, both played by your classmates, of the appeal of your festival. Give reasons why they should give your festival concept a chance. 2 In groups design a poster or flyer to promote your festival. Keep in mind that it should appeal to your target audience and that it should show the strengths of your festival.

WRITING

4 ⁄ POP MUSIC: ART OR ENTERTAINMENT? 4.1 ⁄ POETRY OR ‘JUST A SONG’? 1 The following excerpts come from famous English poems and from pop songs. Have a guess: which are poetry and which are good song lyrics?

Your score: /10 A Poetry Pop lyrics

X X

J X

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

READING

and deep ‘ The woods are lovely, dark, p But I have promises to kee ep’ sle I And miles to go before

‘Sheets of empty canvas, untouched sheets of clay Were laid spread out before me, as her body once did All five horizons revolved around her soul, as the earth to the sun Now the air I tasted and breathed has taken a turn’

‘Tolling for the searchin g ones, on their speech less, seeking trail For the lonesome-hea rted lovers with too pe rso nal a tale And for each unharmful , gentle soul misplaced inside a jail And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom fla shing’

‘Your true love’s coming low That can sing both high and ing eet sw tty Trip no further, pre eting’ Journey’s end in lovers’ me

'High up above or down below When you’re too in love to let it go But if you never try you’ll never know Just what you’re worth’

‘Back to back I hear an owl cry From its cold indigo Intolerable vowels enter my heart’

the edge of a room ‘The beautiful are found in needles and silence crumpled into spiders and d why they and we can never understan left, they were so beautiful’

‘Under haunted skies I see you Where love is lost your ghost is found I braved a hundred sto rms to leave you As hard as you try, no, I will never be knocked down’

re the rock ‘I was the match and you we Maybe we started this fire We sat apart and watched e’ All we had burned on the pyr

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

‘There, is a tree swinging And voices are In the wind’s singing More distant and more solemn Than a fading star’

2 What made you think it was poetry or lyrics? Where did you go wrong? Why? Free answers. The presence or absence of poetic devices or clichés, or the level of difficulty can be mentioned here, although they do not differ for poetry or lyrics. Some excerpts might be recognised and, therefore, categorised correctly. 3 What have you learned from this comparative exercise? Free answer.

4.2 ⁄ MAKE OR BREAK LYRICS Look up a verse or song that you think is definitely of a high poetic quality and a verse or a song that you consider cliché or of low quality. Justify your choice. Try to support your arguments with concrete literary terminology. Go beyond the mere ‘it sounds great’ argument.

Poetic song lyrics

Poor quality song lyrics

Song title:

Artist:

Lyrics quote:

Motivation:

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

READING

4.3 ⁄ CHORDS OF POETRY

DID YOU KNOW?

Whether a particular song lyric is considered to be art or not, is always prone to discussion. What is clear, however, is that both poets and songwriters use the same poetic tools to convey their creative message.

1 Watch the video and note down which poetic devices are used in which song. Consult the list of listening poetic devices (6.1). Song title and artist

Poetic device

Lyrics excerpt

‘Moves Like Jagger’ Maroon 5, feat. Christina Aguilera

simile

‘I’ve got the moves like Jagger’

‘Happy’

simile

Pharrell Williams ‘Firework’

metaphor

Katy Perry metaphor

‘Romeo and Juliet’

intertextuality

‘You were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter’

onomatopoeia

Kesha

‘Tik tok on the clock’

alliteration

Louis Armstrong ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ The Proclaimers

‘Love is a temple Love a higher law’

Taylor Swift

‘What a Wonderful World’

‘Baby you’re a firework’

‘One’ U2

‘Tik Tok’

‘If you feel like a room without a roof’

‘What a wonderful world’

hyperbole

‘I will walk 500 miles and I will walk 500 hundred more’

‘Just the Way You Are’

hyperbole

Bruno Mars

‘Her eyes, her eyes, make the stars look like they’re not shining’

‘Home’

personification

Dotan

‘The sound of the wind is whispering in your head Can you feel it coming back?’

‘Hip Hop Is Dead’ Nas

personification

‘Hip hop is dead’; ‘Hip hop just died this morning and she’s dead’

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

Song title and artist

Poetic device

Lyrics excerpt

‘If I Die Young’ The Band Perry

imagery

‘If I die young, bury me in satin, lay me down on a bed of roses, sink me in the river at dawn, send me away with the words of a love song.’

‘Nothing Else to Do’

cliché

Admiral Freebee

‘And I fell in love with you Cause there was nothing else to do And I knew it wouldn’t make me blue’

‘The Sound of Silence’ Simon and Garfunkel

oxymoron

‘The sound of silence’

2 Consult the list of poetic devices (6.1). Try to work out which of these devices occur in the underlined phrases of the following song lyrics.

BRING ME TO LIFE _ EVANESCENCE How can you see into my eyes like open doors (1) Leading you down into my core Where I’ve become so numb Without a soul My spirit’s sleeping somewhere (2) cold Until you find it there and lead it back home Wake me up inside Wake me up inside Call my name and save me from the dark Bid my blood to run (3) Before I come undone Save me from the nothing I’ve become

Now that I know what I’m without You (4) can’t just leave me Breathe into me (5) and make me real Bring me to life Wake me up inside Wake me up inside Call my name and save me from the dark Bid my blood to run Before I come undone Save me from the nothing I’ve become Bring me to life I’ve been living a lie There’s nothing inside Bring me to life Frozen inside without your touch Without your love, darling Only you are the life among the dead (6) (…)

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READING

ONE DAY LIKE THIS _ ELBOW Drinking in the morning sun Blinking in the morning sun (7) Shaking off the heavy one (8) Heavy like a loaded gun What made me behave that way? Using words I never say I can only think it must be love Oh, anyway, it’s looking like a beautiful day Someone tell me how I feel It’s silly wrong but vivid right Oh, kiss me like the final meal Yeah, kiss me like we die tonight ‘Cause holy cow, I love your eyes And only now I see the light Yeah, lying with me half awake

Oh, anyway, it’s looking like a beautiful day When my face is chamois-creased If you think I’ll wink, I did (9) Laugh politely at repeats Yeah, kiss me when my lips are thin (9) ‘Cause holy cow, I love your eyes And only now I see you like Yeah, lying with me half awake Stumbling over what to say (10) Well, anyway, it’s looking like a beautiful day (11) So throw those curtains wide One day like this a year would see me right (…)

LIKE THE WAY I DO _ MELISSA ETHERIDGE Is it so hard to satisfy your senses? You found out to love me You have to climb some fences Scratching and crawling Along the floor to touch you And just when it feels right You say you found someone else to hold you Does she like I do? Tell me does she love you Like the way I love you? Does she stimulate you, attract and captivate you? (12) Tell me does she miss you Existing just to kiss you Like the way I do? Tell me does she want you, infatuate and haunt you (12) Does she know just how to shock you, electrify and rock you (12)

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Does she inject you, seduce you and affect you Like the way I do? Can I survive all the implications Even if I tried Could you be less than an addiction? (13) Don’t you think I know There’s so many others Who would beg, steal and lie, fight, kill and die (14) Just to hold you, hold you like I do (…)

1 comparison 2 (double) alliteration (s), personification 3 alliteration (b), personification 4 enjambment 5 figurative language 6 contrast, antithesis (life vs. dead) 7 repetition, internal rhyme 8 middle rhyme 9 assonance (i), internal rhyme (think, wink) 10 figurative language 11 internal rhyme (anyway, day), alliteration (l), consonance (l) 12 climax, tricolon crescendo (note: 1st and 3rd in a positive way, 2nd in a negative way) 13 comparison 14 climax, tricolon crescendo (in a negative way)

4.4 ⁄ DIGGING DEEPER Work in pairs or groups on a thorough analysis of a song. Your teacher can provide one for you or you can suggest one yourself. You can use dictionaries, the poetic devices list (6.1) and genre-info (6.2). Don’t surf the internet yet for the song meaning. You can work it out yourself. Afterwards use the web to see whether your interpretation makes sense. Focus on these key elements. 1 Analyse the main theme of the song. What is the song about? Support your findings with proof in the lyrics. 2 Find poetic devices and images that support the theme. List examples. 3 How does the music support the theme? Explain by referring to the sound, atmosphere and instruments used in the song.

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

listening READING

5 ⁄ ‘I BEG YOUR PARDON?’ 5.1 ⁄ ‘I DON’T KNOW WHAT I’M SINGING’ 1 You have heard Weird Al Yankovic mock Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. Now it is your turn to listen to these pop songs and complete the lyrics by filling in the gaps. Do you know what they are singing?

listening

_ TOM ODELL LOVE ANOTHER I want to take you somewhere so you

I want to cry and I want to love but all my

know I care

tears have been used up

But it’s so cold and I don’t know where So I brought you , in a daffodils

love On another , another love

pretty string

All my tears have been used up

But they won’t flower like they did © Christian Bertrand / Shutterstock.com

last spring Yeah I want to kiss you, make you feel alright tired But I’m just so

to share my

lines

ENTER SANDMAN _ METALLICA

SEX ON FIRE _ KINGS OF LEON

Say your , little one prayers

Lay where you’re laying

Don’t forget, my son,

Don’t make a sound

To include

I know they ’re watching

everyone

They ’re watching Tuck you in, warm within sin Keep you free from

All the commotion

sandman Till the

the killing Has people talking

Gripping your your pillow tight

Talking

Exit: light Enter: night Take my hand We’re off to never-never land

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Sleep with one eye open

of pain

You sex is on fire Your

he comes

LITTLE TALKS _ OF MONSTERS AND MEN I don’t like walking around this old

Some days I can’t even dress

empty house and

It’s killing

myself

me to see you this way

So hold my hand, I’ll walk with you, my dear creak The stairs

truth ‘Cause though the as I sleep, it’s

vary may

keeping me awake

ship This

It’s the house telling you to close your

bodies

will carry our

shore safe to

eyes

_ YEAH YEAH YEAHS WILL HEADS ROLL on the wet streets

Silver over everything The river’s all wet You’re all cold

Off , off with your head Dance, dance ‘til you’re dead dead Heads

Shiver stop shivering

will roll

The ’s all wet glitter

Heads

The men

cry out, the girls cry out

The men

cry out, the girls cry out

cry out, oh no

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Dripping with alchemy

You’re all chrome

The men

heads will , roll

will roll

on the floor

Looking glass, take the past Shut your eyes, you realise

Glitter

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

SPEAKING

2 Are there any songs that you used to misinterpret? Give a few examples. free answer

READING

3 Search the internet for misinterpreted songs and discuss them with your classmates.

5.2 ⁄ ‘THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT HE’S SINGING’ Even though it might not seem like a tragedy if you don’t understand or miscomprehend song lyrics, some people have made notorious misinterpretations of pop music. An example of this was Ronald Reagan, a former American president. In the election campaign of 1984, Ronald Reagan visited New Jersey and referred to New Jersey-born Bruce Springsteen and his song ‘Born in the USA’, which he thought would fit perfectly into his election campaign.

listening

1 Watch the excerpt of the video from the press conference at the time. a Why does Reagan praise Bruce Springsteen and his song ‘Born in the USA’? Reagan declares that ‘America’s future rests in a thousand dreams inside your hearts. It rests in the message of hope in songs of a man that so many young Americans admire, New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen.’ In other words, he saw the songs of Springsteen as an example of the true American spirit. b What does he hope to achieve by doing so? Winning young voters, by declaring himself a fan of a popular artist.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Vietnam War (1955-1975) was fought between communist North Vietnam (supported by the USSR and China) and South Vietnam together with the USA. The conflict exemplifies how the USSR and the USA tried to establish their influence over countries during the Cold War era.

On top of this, many soldiers were traumatised by the type of warfare, as the Viet Cong rarely engaged in full battle, but constantly harrassed American platoons with ambushes and booby traps. Generations of young American men did ‘tours of duty’ in Vietnam, leading to thousands of psychologically troubled war veterans. The disillusioned American army finally fled the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon in 1975. The defeat in Vietnam still lingers on in the American psyche.

Despite their technological superiority, the American troops didn’t succeed in winning the war, due to the tenacity and guerilla tactics of the Viet Cong. During the long conflict, the attitude towards the war changed in America, because of the many civilian casualties and the growing peace movement of the Sixties. Towards the end of the war, returning soldiers were scorned for being war criminals.

Adapted from: news.bbc.co.uk

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2 Now compare the actual lyrics of the song to what Reagan thought that the song was about. a Analyse the original lyrics of the song. Does the content of the lyrics support Reagan’s cause? Why (not)? No, the song is actually an angry song. It criticises the USA and the chorus is very sarcastic, rather than patriotic. b What is the song about? Explain, using examples from the lyrics. It is a song about a man who fought in the Vietnam War. He comes back to the USA, but he is not welcomed with enthusiasm. On the contrary, he struggles to come to terms with the impact the war had on him and the bad reception he had in his homeland (‘I end up like a dog that’s been beat too much, till you spend half your life just covering up’). The USA lost the war, the man’s brother was killed in Vietnam (‘I had a brother at Khe Sahn fighting off the Vietcong. They’re still there, he’s all gone’) and he can’t find a job (‘Hiring man says: ‘son, if it was up to me’) to get his civil life back on track (‘Nowhere to run, I ain’t got nowhere to go’). There’s a suggestion that he will break the law and end up in jail (‘down in the shadow of the penitentiary’).

BORN IN THE USA _ BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN Born down in a dead man’s town The first kick I took was when I hit the ground You end up like a dog that’s been beat too much Till you spend half your life just covering up

Chorus: Born in the USA I was born in the USA I was born in the USA Born in the USA Got in a little hometown jam So they put a rifle in my hands Send me off to a foreign land to go and kill the yellow man

Come back home to the refinery Hiring man said ‘son if it was up to me’ Went down to see my V.A. man He said ‘son don’t you understand now’ Had a brother at Khe Sahn fighting off the Vietcong They’re still there, he’s all gone He had a woman he loved in Saigon I got a picture of him in her arms now Down in the shadow of the penitentiary Out by the gas fires of the refinery I’m ten years burning down the road Nowhere to run ain’t got nowhere to go

Chorus

Chorus to cover up: to hide, to mask jam: trouble, event penitentiary: jail, prison refinery: factory for processing oil rifle: shotgun VA: Veterans Administration, institution of the American government

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READING

c Listen to the music in the song. How does it support the song’s theme?

listening

Springsteen deliberately shouts more than he sings, to express the anger and disappointment of the Vietnam veterans. His harsh voice symbolises the difficult fate of the veteran. The rolling heavy drums express the threatening atmosphere of war and its impact on life, contrasting in the music with the rather optimistic sounding synthesizer tune, which is a reference to the patriotic style of the national anthem. (Note: the Stars and Stripes on the album cover). 3 Look up other anti-war songs and tell your classmates about them.

ARTIST PROFILE

SPEAKING

Bruce Springsteen (° September 23, 1949) started his career as a local artist in his homestate New Jersey. The world got to know ‘The Boss’ in 1975, with his breakthrough album Born To Run. Springsteen became the voice of the common American in rock music, as he wrote in understandable, yet poetic, lyrics about all major concerns in American society during recent decades, ranging from economic crisis (The River), to the Vietnam War (Born in The USA), to immigration (The Ghost of Tom Joad), to 9/11 (The Rising) and to the recent financial crisis (Wrecking Ball, High Hopes). Springsteen’s long live performances, together with his notorious E Street Band, are legendary. The saying goes that there are only two types of people with regard to his music: ‘Springsteen fans’ and ‘those who haven’t seen him play live’.

Adapted from: Peter Ames Carlin: Bruce

5.3 ⁄ ‘DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW WHAT YOU’RE SINGING?’ The parental worry about the music lyrics and pop culture of their children seems to re-emerge with every generation that brings along a new style of music. 1 List the music styles, artists or songs you have come across in this chapter that caused concern for parents and the authorities of the era they originated from. Can you add any of your own?

READING

- free answer - - - - -

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2 Nowadays, record companies add a label of ‘explicit lyrics’ to warn parents about dysphemistic SPEAKING or vile language in song lyrics. Should your mom and dad worry about the lyrics of the music you listen to? Give a few examples of modern song lyrics that are explicit. free answer 3 Do you think they are still acceptable, or have they crossed the bounds of common decency, and should they, therefore, be banned? Explain.

SPOKEN INTERACTION

free answer 4 Read the text ‘Florida teacher suspended after giving Lil Wayne lyrics as homework’ and answer these questions. a Why was the teacher suspended? Because he used the Lil Wayne lyrics in the classroom. b Why did the teacher want to use the lyrics of Lil Wayne? -

He tried to make learning fun by using pop culture.

He wanted to use the song lyrics to introduce literary devices.

c Is the suspension of the teacher justified in your view? Explain why (not). Free answer. Possible arguments in favour of suspension of the teacher: Teacher went too far in distributing the uncensored lyrics. / The teacher is a role model. / Not all language is suitable in every situation (e.g. in the classroom). / Lil Wayne may set the wrong example for kids, both in language use and in attitude. / It was in a ‘middle school’: the pupils are still quite young. Possible arguments denying the need for suspension of the teacher: He teaches in a creative, modern way. / He links the subject matter to the interests and the background of the pupils. / Pupils are to be taught the value and use of different registers in language. d What’s the opinion of the author of the article? How do you know? Even though it is not crystal clear, the author seems to be in favour of the teacher’s suspension. A few phrases hint in that direction: ‘one teacher might have gone too far’, ‘it’s no surprise that some parents weren’t too happy’.

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

READING

Florida Teacher Suspended After Giving Lil Wayne Lyrics as Homework (Ethan Miller)

For years, teachers have been trying to make learning fun by incorporating pop culture touchstones that kids like. But one teacher in South Florida might have gone too far when he assigned Lil Wayne lyrics for homework.

According to WPTV in Florida, an unidentified middle school teacher from a charter school in Boynton Beach, FL was suspended last month after distributing the uncensored lyrics of Wayne’s song ‘Six Foot Seven Foot’ to his students. With lyrics like ‘You full of s***, you close your mouth and let yo’ a** talk’ and ‘Never met the b****, but I f *** her like I missed

her’ it’s no surprise that some parents weren’t too happy with the assignment, which asked kids to underline examples of expressive language in the song. ‘They shouldn’t be teaching this stuff in school for language arts,’ a mom from the school told WPTV. ‘I mean, who in their right mind would give kids something like this?’ In a statement from the school’s headmaster, Wayne Owens, he explains that the teacher was trying to think out of the box, but may have gone too far. ‘The lesson was for students to learn to identify literary devices. The teacher had already introduced Edgar Allen Poe and Shakespeare,’ Owens said. ‘Students were having difficulty grasping the concepts of literary devices such as: pun, simile, metaphor, so the teacher used colloquial material. This material did not meet the school’s standards and was not approved. The teacher recognizes that it was totally inappropriate for a school assignment.’ The teacher, who had a clean record before this incident, was suspended for three days.

Source: newsradio.com

e Look up Lil Wayne’s lyrics on the internet and answer the questions. - Summarise in your own words what the song is about. The song does not have one prevailing theme: the artist tackles several topics: racism, bad and abusive relationships, heartbreak, drive for money … - Give 5 examples of dysphemistic language in the song. free answer - Now that you have read the lyrics, have you changed your mind on the issue? Explain. free answer

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

5.4 ⁄ ANTHEMS OF YOUR GENERATION 1 Are there any recent songs that you consider to be essential songs of your generation? Are there songs or artists that capture the spirit of this era, like Elvis Presley or Kurt Cobain have done? If so, explain to your teacher and classmates why and how the song captures the spirit of your era.

SPEAKING

2 Look up the lyrics and add them to your workbook. Try to find out in detail what the lyrics are about and what makes this song stand out.

READING

5.5 ⁄ PRESENTING AN ARGUMENT 1 Build up an oral argument and present it to your classmates. Choose one of these topics:

SPEAKING

a ‘Is it just a matter of taste?’ Bring the lyrics and explain: - the greatness or not of a song; - the greatness or not of an artist; - the greatness or not of a genre. b Is classical music more important than pop music? c The need for censorship in music - How far should freedom of speech go in music lyrics? - Should rude or offensive language in pop songs be censored? - Is a warning label saying ‘explicit lyrics’ a good idea? d The commercial impact on music - Are managers, producers and marketeers keeping us away from really good music? - The (non-) sense of an artist’s image. - The (non-) sense of pop music charts. e Are festivals becoming too expensive? - Do festivals give you value for money? - Do youngsters go to festivals because they follow a hype? - Are festivals for well-known artists only?

Picture/Corbis

2 Your classmates will vote on whether you convinced them or not. A short discussion can take place afterwards to give reactions and exchange ideas.

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

SPOKEN INTERACTION

Presenting an argument checklist

Me Teacher ✓ or ✗ ✓ or ✗

1 Content • I use well worked out arguments. 2 Vocabulary and grammar • I use vocabulary suited to the topic. • I use vocabulary adapted to my target audience. • I avoid grammatical errors. 3 Speaking skills • I am a fluent speaker. • I pay attention to my pronunciation. • My intonation varies. • I have convinced my audience. 4 Structure • My presentation has a clear structure: introduction, body and conclusion. • I have a strong opening. • I have a clear conclusion. Feedback:

4.6 ⁄ YOUR OWN SONG LYRICS

writing don’t really go to song ‘For a songwriter, you try to tening to tunes. And you school; you learn by lis at wh e se d take them apart an understand them and too.’ e, on nder if you can make they’re made of, and wo Tom Waits

Write your own song lyrics.

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

WRITING

6 ⁄ TRACKING TOOLS 6.1 ⁄ POETIC DEVICES

Alliteration

a special case of consonance where the repeated consonant sound is at the stressed syllable

Assonance

repeating identical or similar vowels (especially in stressed syllables) in nearby words

Cliché

a predictable, too often used way of expression

Climax

a series of words in rising order of meaning or intensity

Contrast

words or ideas that oppose each other

Consonance

the repetition of the same consonant two or more times in short succession at the end or in the middle of words

Dysphemism

using a harsh or unpleasant expression instead of a more neutral one

Ellipsis

the deliberate omission of a word or phrase necessary for a complete syntactical construction, but not necessary for understanding

Enjamb(e)ment

the continuation of a sentence beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza

Euphony

a series of sounds placed together that sound well

Euphemism

substituting a mild, indirect, or vague term for one considered harsh, blunt or offensive.

Figurative language

suggestive, non-literal use of the meaning of words

Hyperbole

a deliberate exaggeration for poetic or dramatic effect

Idiom

an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words, but that has a separate meaning of its own

Imagery

visually descriptive or figurative language

Intertextuality

implicit or explicit references to other great works of art, including novels, poems or songs

Irony

a type of humour in which you say the opposite of what you mean

Metaphor

comparison between essentially unlikely things without using words or application of a name or description to something to which it is not literally applicable

Metonymy

a closely related term substituted for an object or idea

Metre

the rhythmic arrangement of syllables in verse, usually according to the number and kind of feet in a line

Neologism

a newly created word

Onomatopoeia

the use of words to imitate the sounds they describe

Oxymoron

a combination of two words that appear to contradict each other

Paradox

a situation or phrase that appears to be contradictory, but which contains a truth worth considering

Personification

the practices of representing a thing or idea as a person in art or literature

Pun

play on words or a humorous use of a single word or sound with two or more implied meanings

Repetition

deliberately repeating words or phrases for an effect

Rhyme

words that share similar sounds

Rhythm

a regular pattern in speech, based on the stress in the words

Simile

comparison between two things, using words such as ‘like’, ‘as’, ‘as though’

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

Symbol

something that represents or stands for something else, usually by convention or association, especially a material object used to represent something abstract

Synesthesia

an atttempt to fuse different senses by describing one in terms of another

Understatement

a statement that makes something seem smaller, less important than it really is

Sources: poets.org thefreeonlinedictionary.com Collins English Dictionary The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, online version learnersdictionary.com

6.2 ⁄ MUSIC GENRES Bluegrass

a kind of country music characterised by virtuoso playing of banjos and guitars and high-pitched, close-harmony vocals. It only uses string instruments. e.g. Bill Monroe, The Broken Circle Breakdown Band

Classical

music composed during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, characterised by the development of the sonata. In popular use the term is used to mean any serious art music as distinct from jazz, pop, or folk. e.g. W.A. Mozart, Ludwig von Beethoven, J.S. Bach, Pjotr Tsjaikovski, Henryk Gorecki

Country (and Western)

a form of popular music originating in the rural southern US. It is a mixture of ballads and dance tunes played characteristically on fiddle, banjo, guitar, and pedal steel guitar. e.g. Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Shania Twain, Dixie Chicks

Dance

a type of popular music intended for dancing to in clubs, typically having a repetitive beat and a synthesized backing track that features sound samples. e.g. The Chemical Brothers, Faithless, Milk Inc., Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Avicii

Folk

music that originates in traditional popular culture or that is written in such a style. Folk music is typically of unknown authorship and is transmitted orally from generation to generation. e.g. Woodie Guthrie, Joan Boaz, Bob Dylan, The Pogues, Mumford and Sons

Gospel

a fervent style of African-American evangelical religious singing, developed from spirituals sung in Southern churches. e.g. Mahalia Jackson, Al Green

Grunge

a style of rock music characterised by a rough guitar sound and lazy style of singing. e.g. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Foo Fighters

Hiphop/rap

a type of popular music of African-American origin, in which words are recited rapidly and rhythmically over an instrumental backing. e.g. Run-DMC, LL Cool J, Eminem, Kanye West, Jay Z, Missy Elliot

House

a style of electronic dance music typically having sparse, repetitive vocals and a fast beat. e.g. Armand Van Helden, Roger Sanchez, Felix da Housecat, Swedish House Maffia

Indie

a genre of alternative rock music originating in the UK in the 1980s. Nowadays it also refers to alternative bands that produce their own albums ‘independently’, without help from major record labels. e.g. The Smiths, Arctic Monkeys, Arcade Fire, The Strokes

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE

Jazz

a type of music of African-American origin which emerged at the beginning of the 20th century, characterised by improvisation and a regular or forceful rhythm. Brass and woodwind instruments and piano are particularly associated with jazz, although guitar is also used. e.g. Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Toots Thielemans, Philip Catherine

(Heavy) metal

loud and harsh sounding rock music with a strong beat. Lyrics usually involve violent or fantastic imagery. e.g. Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Metallica

Pop

short for popular music, referring to any style of music that is enormously popular in a certain time. The term came into use in the 1950s. In its contemporary meaning it usually refers to commercially oriented music that does well in the music charts. e.g. The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga

Punk

a loud, fast-moving, and aggressive form of rock music, especially popular in the late 1970s. e.g. The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Ramones, Green Day

(Contemporary) a contemporary genre that combines elements of different styles of music, including rhythm and blues, soul, hip hop, pop and dance. R&B e.g. R. Kelly, Lauryn Hill, Rihanna, Beyoncé Rhythm and blues

a form of popular music of African-American origin, which arose during the 1940s from blues, with the addition of driving rhythms taken from jazz. It was an immediate precursor of rock and roll. e.g. Fats Domino, Ray Charles

Rock and roll

a type of popular dance music originating in the 1950s, characterised by a heavy beat and simple melodies. Rock and roll was an amalgam of African-American rhythm and blues and country music, usually based around a twelve-bar structure and an instrumentation of guitar, bass and drums. e.g. Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis

Rock

a form of popular music which evolved from rock and roll and pop music during the mid and late 1960s. Later it became harsher and more serious, with musical experimentation and anti-establishment lyrics. e.g. The Rolling Stones, Queen, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Coldplay, Editors

Soul

a kind of music incorporating elements of rhythm and blues and gospel music, popularised by African-American people. Characterised by an emphasis on vocals and and improvisation. e.g. Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Macy Gray, Alicia Keys

Adapted from: Oxford Dictionary, Free Online Dictionary

TRACKING: CRACKING THE POP SONG CODE