Jonathan Shaw
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Song Meaning

Important Questions:
1. HOW DO WE EXTRACT MEANING / UNDERSTANDING FROM MUSIC ?
2. WHAT ARE WE ACTUALLY HEARING IN THE MUSIC THAT WE CAN POINT TO AND SAY "THAT'S WHAT MAKES ME FEEL THIS MESSAGE THIS WAY"

  • Anything we watch / read / listen to has to be relatable to us .  
  • We have to be able to understand some kind of meaning or message from it  -  
  • If we exert the energy of actually doing it than we need some kind of payoff - the meaning / understanding is the payoff - That's where the ENTERTAINMENT occurs 

Lets expand this idea to other forms of media , such as Literature and Film

Books/Articles:
????? If we read and book/article , what is it in the article that expresses the meaning / message  ??????  I.E. How do we know what it's about ?

​What about this article Article ?  Can we get the same meaning from it ?

Film/Movies
If we watch a film, what are the characteristics in the Film that expresses the meaning / message  ????? I.E. How do we know what it's about ?

What about this Film ??  Can we get the same meaning from it ?


We wouldn't put forth the effort because the PAYOFF isn't big enough 


*** The Payoff is based in part on our level of prior knowledge and background about the article/movie/song.... Think about our homework....******

Activity :
You WILL hand this in !

Answer the following Questions for the listening examples : 

1.  Give an Emotion you think the song is expressing -  stick to the overall impression you get from the song.  (See emotion Wheel)
2.  What genre of Film/Story would this song be ? 
3.  Do you think this story has a happy or sad ending ? 
4.  In a couple sentences / bullet points, what is the story this song is telling ? 
5.  What are you hearing MUSICALLY that makes you give these answers? 

Picture
Picture

Example 1 : 

Lyrics 

Example 2:

Example 3:

Glassworks:

Sukiyaki:

Homework :  Song Analysis

Pick a song that is meaningful to you .  You will analyze the meaning of this song and find supporting musical characteristics .  This will take the form of a short paper or article.  for length reference, think 1.5 - 2 pages double spaces size 12 font. Pay attention to these instructions/requirements.  I will look for them when grading !

Introduction: Synopsis
  • Talk about your relationship to this song, and why it is meaningful to you.
  • This should lead into your synopsis of the meaning/message - In a few sentences, say what you think the meaning of the song is

Paragraph 2 : Lyrical Examples
  • Give Lyrical examples from the song that express this meaning to you.  You should have at least 4-5 quotes that you think are important/pivotal to the message of the song, or else hit home with you personally. 

Paragraph 3 : Musical Characteristics
  • Find the exact moment in the song where your important lyrics happened - Go back and listen to these moments, and for each try to find musical characteristics happening at the same time in the song that support the meaning of your lyrics.
  • Think back the list we made in class of musical characteristics convey meaning in music ! You should be able to find a few musical characteristics for each lyrical example
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