Cy Ray
Student ID #: 7064 9104
GSI: Kristen Clough
Sec. 8, Tuesdays 1-2pm
Pop Song Analysis of Gorillaz, “Feel Good Inc” (2005) Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett stumbled upon the concept of Gorillaz while they were watching MTV in their apartment; the duo found themselves growing weary of the formulaic, commercialized, uncreative, and empty format of the pop music that they were listening to. In the words of Albarn and Hewlett, “if you watch MTV for too long, it's a bit like hell - there's nothing of substance there...We're the generation whose stars come from Pop Idol and celebrity-wrestling shows. And it's all a bit like a cartoon, really…So we got this idea for a cartoon band, something that would be a comment on that.” Gorillaz’ music
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This technique builds a sense of intensity and excitement in the listener as we approach the climax of his verse. When De La Soul would perform this song live with Gorillaz, he would act as the hype-man (someone who tries to increase the audience’s excitement with raps, exclamations, interjections, and call/response chants); the style of rapping and lyricism in this verse fits perfectly with the way De La Soul liked to perform. The syncopation in his verses and his gruffer, more sinister tone helps De La Soul to stand out from the rest of the song (which is absent of any kind of new, complex, or unexpected rhythms). His verse is littered with maniacal laughter, which reinforce his dark tone and overwhelming, disorienting style. All of these features make De La Soul stand out as the “star of the show” here, in a song that feels otherwise plain in …show more content…
[Refrain]
Windmill, windmill for the land
Turn forever hand in hand
Take it all in on your stride
It is ticking, falling down
Love forever, love is free
Let's turn forever, you and me
Windmill, windmill for the land
Is everybody in?
[Verse 2: De La Soul]
Laughing gas these hazmats, fast cats
Lining 'em up like ass cracks
Ladies, ponies at the track
It's my chocolate attack
Shit, I'm steppin' in heart of this shit (here)
Care bear reppin' in heart of this shit (here)
Watch me as I gravitate
Ha ha ha ha
Yo, we gonna ghost town this Mo-town
With your sound, you in the blink
Gonna bite the dust, can't fight with us
With yo' sound you kill the Inc.
So don't stop, get it, get it
Until you jet ahead
Yo, watch the way I navigate
Ha ha ha
The song called “Hotline Bling” is sung by Drake because his phone is constantly ringing like a “hotline.” The phone will forever ring because of fame and fans. In this song alliteration, nonstandard, and rhyme are being used. This song interest people just because of what he is saying and the way he is putting it.
In the third stanza, the diction of “heaven” and “noble” allows the speaker to craft an image of an almost godlike juggler. This view of the juggler creates the tone of amazement and ardent which breaks through the previous gloomy description of the earth in the first stanza which “falls/ So in our hearts from brilliance” (lines 3-4). This reveals that the world the juggler has made, unlike the earth which the speaker doesn’t appear to have fond feelings of, is a joyful and light-hearted place that the speaker is easily captivated by. As the juggler “reels that heaven in” (line 16), creates an atmosphere of an almost unearthly experience. This description of the juggler as a master of spiritual elements allows readers to view how the speaker's attitude is uplifted and enlightened.
This is when they created a new unique tune that has stuck with the band ever since. Their music seems to be addicting, once you start listening you can’t stop. “When we jam we feel as if there is a mutual energy between the fans and our band” (Trey Anastasio). This is the feeling that you get while at a concert, as Trey said the energy is unexplainable you feel totally alive!
The music and lyrics of the song simultaneously start, creating a feeling of hurriedness, and not leaving any time for the listener to think about the music and the feeling it creates on its own. This reflects the lifestyle teenage boys were thrown into upon the entrance of high school and their rushed, and somewhat forced, decision to join the Panther football team. Halfway through the song, the music becomes
The concept of being hyped up is a huge must in the hip hop world, people love the feeling of being hype and being motivated and drake takes that and molds it into his album. Drake is known for his singing and using his vocals even though being a rapper, that aspect of drake really separates drake from other rappers to point where rappers are becoming like drake. Drake manages to make you feel emotional using lyrics and diction that are amazingly great. In the song Hotline Bling drake sings about how he left his city and his love to come back to see that she has moved on. Drake says “ever since I left the city you got a reputation for yourself now everybody knows it I feel left out.” saying that everyone knows her except drake who should know her better. Drake also makes us dance, in a tropical vibe song called one dance drake uses drums and his majestic vocals to make a song your body cannot refuse. The song took the nation by storm and really elevated the album to another level and it gained respect from his peers. Another song on views called controlla had the same vibes as one dance, but has more of a romantic feeling to it that also attracts to the youth. Most people like to music that involves being loyal and that has a good tempo to it that can be danced to, drake takes that into perspective and
The words are definite rhymes so they’re appealing to listen to and the stresses at the end of the words add power to the lyrics. This series of rhymes is one internal rhyme followed by two end rhymes. In line 9 he raps ‘You vandalize my perception but can’t take style from me’ then line 10 ‘and this is more than a confession’ with the last line of the series, line 11 ‘I mean I might press the button just so you know my discretion’. The three rhymed words are ‘perception-confession-discretion’. This series of a perfect rhyme is easy to recognize as a rhyme series while listening. My next favorite series of lyrics involve two lines with polysyllabic rhymes and an end rhyme. In line 12 he provides a line that is a polysyllabic rhyme ‘Institutionalize manipulation and lies’ followed by line 13 ‘reciprocation of freedom only live in your eyes’. Line 12 rhymes twice in one line using ‘manipulation and lies’ to rhyme with ‘institutionalize’ and then following it with an end rhyme in line 13. The next use of polysyllabic rhyme involves anaphora. According to Adam Bradley, anaphora is a rhetorical scheme establishing a pattern of repeated words (Bradley, 114). The sequence of rhymes in lines 16-18 reveal Kendrick’s creative poetic abilities and interesting mixture of parts of speech. The anaphora of a phrase is present in all 3 lines and he uses end rhyme in the last 2 lines. Line 16 says ‘You hate my people, I can tell
The song has an irregular rhyme scheme but still, holds a musical effect. It doesn’t take away from the song but adds depth to it allowing you to see that what's important are the words and the meaning behind them not how pretty it would sound. The rhythm allows for the tone to shine through as with certain parts, it takes a longer time to read and the other times it is much faster. The pace changes with the moods.
All he does throughout the track is provide reasoning as to why he is feeling the emotions he has been forced to feel. Lamar is facing inner demons and confusion, he states, “I feel like I’m boxing demons, monsters, false prophets, scheming sponsors … church, religion.” At no point in this track is this shown more than towards the end of Lamar’s second verse. Though the beat remains the same, Lamar’s rapping style speeds up so he can say more in the same amount of time. He speaks of losing family and friends, people in his immediate circle being more focused on making money on the street than helping their community, and he is tired of this sentiment which so many people from his hometown seem to
Kendrick Lamar is famous for his unique West Coast style and dynamic rhymes that unapologetically discuss “political issues”. In his song, “The Blacker The Berry”, Lamar uses a striking amount of end rhyme and metaphors to deliver his message to listeners. As Lamar begins to tell how others view him, or the black body, he maintains a flow using multiple lines with end rhyme. Areas in the song, such as lines 13 and 14, provide an example of keeping the flow throughout the song by using
As thorough and rewarding as Bradley’s close reading can be, it is this sole focus that becomes problematic in Book of Rhymes. He stays on the surface, privileging the discussion of linguistic elements over cultural impact. He begins his wordplay chapter with an anecdote about a friend who disapproves of the misogynistic and violent elements of the Notorious B.I.G.’s lyrics, a qualm addressed by Bradley in a customary manner: “It’s not what he’s saying, it’s how he’s saying it” (86). Bradley is partially correct; how he’s saying it is the aesthetically appealing aspect of hip hop, the reason millions of people around the world enjoy the music. But what he’s saying is the more compelling aspect. The environment that produced the attitudes reflected in hip hop, the source of Biggie’s misogyny and violent imagery, must be given its proper treatment in order to understand rap music on deeper levels than the beauty and complexity of its poetic structures.
The chorus is very forte and it has quick volume increases by a synthesizer sounding instrument that accents the downbeats in the chorus. The use of the softness of the piano harmony complements this hardness perfectly in his three verses as you can hear it lingering in the back. The use of his fading in and out with the symbolic piano sound uses dynamics very effectively – especially his opening, which starts by only a unique piano melody creating that feeling of mystery, nostalgia, and adrenaline. Timbre plays a vital role in the layering of this track. The three main instruments come in at different times and add its own unique place in the song contributing to the overall mood of the song. First, it’s the light high pitched piano, which is unusual in a rap song. Then the dark low pitched guitar comes in when he starts asking the question and it’s soon followed by the heavy sounding drums as he starts to rap. The interesting use of timbre gives an acoustic and classical feel versus the drums and synthesizer of hip hop giving the song its diversity and originality.
Artists tend to showcase a slower tempo for the song if it dealt with negative views of drugs because it is important to raise the awareness. Kanye tries to usher the ideas that money and education shouldn’t be the only objectives of life, so it shouldn’t be so important. Because it is unimportant, why express it with such detail in a slower pace? The music and lyrics therefore are contrasted with a purpose. The tempo is created with a bass guitar and drums. Add these to the already established acoustic guitar and female vocals and the beat sounds very complex. This suggests that the issues are also complex; they cannot be easily understood and solved.
After this experience all of his friends and family told him that his opportunity is over, and to give up his dreams of becoming a successful rapper. He knew he has his chance and he blew it, but he never gave up. A few months later he gets another opportunity to rap in front of a crowd. He knew he had to seize the chance, and to prove everyone wrong. The song comes on, and it describes how he’s feeling before he goes on stage. He uses sentences like, “his palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy. He’s nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready to drop bombs…” He is telling himself that if he blows this, his dream is over, and that “you only get one shot so do not miss your chance to blow, because this opportunity once in a lifetime”. When he finally goes on stage, he’s feeling nervous, but he’s so ambitious to get what he wants, that he starts to rap like no one has ever heard. The crowd was astonished, and knew that his rap was the best they’ve ever listened to, which kick started his career as a rapper. The song starts out with a piano playing, and then the piano stops, and very fast music comes in, and the rap starts right away. The rapping is intense, because when you’re hungry to achieve something you have to act intense about it.
He explains on how violent his life was and how he had to survive. In the song he mentions “ The projects is full of bullets, the bodies is droppin” showing that where he
The song "The message" by Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five depicts the struggle of young black adults growing up in society. The struggle to make it out of poverty can be compared to survival of the fittest in a jungle. Only the strong would survive and adapt to the changes to fit in. Trying their best to make a betterment with whatever little society offers. Being a young black African American in the early 1980's was not easy. It was easier to live the fast life and gain fast money by being part of the drug community. Drugs, guns, and money was glamorized and this is what the young adults looked at as a means of getting rich. In the songs, a young man talks about how he is trying hard to hold on to the little bit of sanity he has left in his soul. He talks about the struggle he endures while trying not to get pushed over the edge. He was born an innocent child who's blind to the ways of mind kind. Growing up he faced many challenges and had to fight