I made a few rules for this blog. Firstly, I will always use my knowledge of music and never rely on trawling through iTunes to find a topic. I will only use Wikipedia sparingly. And I will never write an article critiquing how bands have sold-out. Especially since they've become popular. I will try, but I can't promise.
Recently I've been inspired by listening to songs which have an almost an oxymoronic feel to them. It's the film equivalent of a Dolly Zoom. Whilst the camera zooms in, physically it is moving away, giving an eerie effect of zooming on a target, whilst in fact widening the shot. Remember in Jaws when Richard Dreyfuss' character first realises the Shark is in the water. Well, I relate this in music to a song which in tune and melody has a very upbeat complexion and on initial listening can be uplifting. However, as with most music discussed on this blog, I tend to relate and delve into lyrical meaning, at least slightly. I believe anyway. Lyrically these songs have the exact opposite effect, and are depressing and morbid, and after careful listening reveal a complete reversal of meaning. The example I recently encountered which turned me onto this thought was "Unsatified" by The Replacements. To be honest it is a very easy example to pick up on, the tune is noticeably upbeat and lively, however the lead of the Minnesota 1980's band plagues the whole song with the words: "Look me in the eye, and tell me I'm satisfied, I'm Unsatisfied." Not an easy trick to miss. I've been listening to a couple songs by them, and I really like them. They slipped under the radar until on the way back from the USA I saw the film Adventureland. The film is suitably charming, though slightly uninventive, and is based on the Director's own summer experience of working as a carny at a theme park, whilst coping with teen angst, finding time to get high and generally work out what to do with life. All in the space of 90 minutes. Anyway, it opens the credits with their song "Bastards of Young" which until I went on the net after landing, I thought Jesse Malin had written. Apparently The Cribs and Against Me! have both covered it as well. Who knew. Anyway, these two contrasting versions are a perfect example of this Dolly Zoom music. Jesse's version sounds depressing, sad and downbeat, whereas the exact opposite is true of the original.
However, I was thinking and found a couple more popular songs, that may not initially strike the listener as having a darker tone. "Local Boy in the Photograph" (Friend killed by a train), "There She Goes" (A heroin trip, although the jury is still out on whether The La's see this as a negative thing) and the classic "A Town Called Malice" (Hardships of life).
Anyway it got me thinking. I find it interesting how you can hear the same song and feel completely contrasting things. I guess it's like art, do two people ever get the exact feeling from a Monet? I'm no art critic, so I wouldn't have a clue. But I do know that music has very influential impacts on most people in this world. No matter what corner of the globe you travel to, music exists in some form. I think that's why it means so much to me, because no matter how the artist intended it to sound, or with what purpose music has been written, I can take something that, perhaps, no-one can take from the exact same thing, hence sharing a common passion, just interpreted in different ways. Like the new HSBC adverts. Music: the world's local art medium. And I think that's summed up very well by this track:
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