Tonal Analysis

Zachary Freedman

Poetry of Song

Mr. Kefor

10/25/12

Tonal Analysis

Shifting from the relieving experiences of the first verse to the dramatic realization at the end in “Pure Imagination” Richie Cunning uses powerful imagery, prosperous allusion, and struggling tone to portray the tone of struggle in the life of rappers, and people throughout the world.

In “Pure Imagination” Richie cunning uses a dark and defiant tone that radiates his childish and deep lyrics. This tone is immersed with imagery that makes you imagine people with not much but the clothes on their backs and the will to continue. The tone in his voice is very intense, and truly brings out the true emotions in the audience. Richie Cunning does a suburb job of relating to the audience, but that is probably because all the things that he is saying are real conflicts, and issues in his everyday life. One thing I like about this rapper is the way he represents himself, he is the prototypical struggling rapper, yet manages to trump the rest with his lyrically, and emotional domination. Cunning is one of the reasons I continue today to listen to underground rap, because you find rappers that haven’t “made it” but are even better (by a lot) then many that have.

Allusion is a very popular device in many songs, but in this one I feel it is used in such a way that it dramatically adds to the experience. For example “Pure Imagination” the title is an allusion in itself, because it is a direct reference to the movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, I know this because I looked it up, aswell as it is quite obvious because of the instrumental, and the context clues in the lyrics. This brings me back to tone, Cunning uses a unique tone that corresponding with the music, and refences to children, and happiness that has been the staple of the movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory for years. Much different from most rappers, Cunning uses familiar children, and adult pop culture to enhance and give you the unique feel that “this song was wrote for me”. Without the constant use of abstract allusions, imagery, and tone throughout the song, I don’t think his music would be such as fantastic, and purposeful as it is.

Finallly the theme of this analysis, tone. Tone is the main reason that you can listen to a song and identify immediately the authors intensions, and mood without directly looking at the lyrics. Tone gives us our perseption of the author, and his masterpiece, without straying to other indifferent devices. Richie Cunning uses tone in such a dynamic way, this is shown by the amout of emotion he uses, and the way that he distributes it in such an odd, but pleasureable way. “Taking orders from mother******* I'm older than” is such an important line in the song, that I had to share it. This line is really the definition of the use of tone in lyrics. The way Cunning pronounces this line gives you the immediate feeling that he strongly dislikes this particular job, which shows that, that line represents the underlying attitude of the songwriter.

Tone is probably one of the more simple devices, but the different types, and sounds of tone throughout the world, make it one of the most complex. To wrap up, Richie Cunning is on of the greatest rappers to use in an analysis, especially a tonal analysis, because the way he uses devices and tone is so unique, and correct that it is hard not to find an example. I want to personally thank Richie Cunning for making my life so easy in writing this analysis, because I didn’t need to search far for a song of his that represents many devices, including tone, that is easy, and humbling to talk about.

Classwork

1. Fleet Foxes (great band, by the way)

2. Paul Simon 

3.Bob Dylan, John Wesley Harding, Simple Vinyl Records

As evidence of your perusal, post a comment response to the following questions:

[] = Answers [] = from reviews

1. List every adjective from the Fleet Foxes review.beauty, skin-deep, second, gleaming, acoustic, acid-folk, strokes, harmonium, hammered, dulcimer, warming, harmonies, Helplessness, vocalist-songwriter, dazzling, early, spaced-cowboy, romance, dosed, exotica, Underneath, trouble-songs, loaded, blown, battered, impending, mortality, wonder, above, cracks, imagining, chirpy, disarming, young, fighter’s, period-perfect, glow, stubborn, peace, healing, embodied, records, wait, gorgeously, appointed, reduced, rendered, true, young, experienced, holds, and inspiration.

2. For the review of your choice, select a passage ( to paste here and describe the literary and journalistic qualities that make it exemplary. Bob Dylan, John Wesley Harding, Simple Vinyl Records: The music is again a brilliant electronic adaptation of rural blues and country and western sounds. A swaying harp picks out the title track, "John Wesley Harding." A statement is made about the concept of everyday Good and Evil. Harding is Johnny Cash's outlaw figure, "he was never known to hurt an honest man" folk-hero of a different kind, John Wesley Harding." A friend to the poor." Call him Robin Hood if it means more to you. He was offering you "a helping" hand, and was this a man really to be hunted and punished? This passage shows the really intricate parts of the song that would only be identifiable if you heard the song. That makes this a great review, because a review doesn’t need lyrics, especially if it is good. It shows you the facts, and information that you want about the song, and doesn’t clutter you with unwanted info.

3. Students tend to have difficulty integrating fluid quotations into their own writing. Copy and paste at least 3 excerpts from the 3 reviews that incorporate quoted song lyrics. After each sentence, create a grammatical map of the sentence structure. Example: David Fricke writes, "I wonder if I'll see/Any faces above me/Or just cracks in the ceiling," Pecknold sings in "Montezuma," imagining his deathbed.= Quote+Subject+Predicate+Preposition+Song Title+Participial Phrase. No, you can't use this one. 1.) So, there is this semi-recognizable cat on the front of the album out there in the woods, looking like some friend of Baudelaire, way back in 1844 in "Le Vieux Quartier" of Paris with a few friends from inside the walls. You might well ask, "What's it all about?" = Predicate+Subject+Preposition+Quote. 2.) "It seems like our fate/To suffer and wait for the knowledge we seek," Simon sings amid a sharply syncopated groove and heavenly electric riffs. = Quote+Subject+Predicate. 3.) "If I had an orchard, I'd work till I'm raw . . . and you would wait tables and soon run the store," he sings in the gorgeously appointed title song. = Quote+Subject+Preposition.

4. Copy and paste Will Hermes' thesis statement here. Which of his sentences encapsulates his most profound analysis of the album? Where did you find it? On "The Afterlife," an African-pop-flavored standout from his 12th solo album, Paul Simon describes the wait at the Pearly Gates like it's a trip to traffic court, all long lines, mumbled excuses and jokey asides. (The narrator even tries to pick up a woman while killing time.) But underneath the mischief are serious concerns. "It seems like our fate/To suffer and wait for the knowledge we seek," Simon sings amid a sharply syncopated groove and heavenly electric riffs. "The Afterlife" resolves darkness and light with a tossed-off charm — a specialty of New York poets from Frank O'Hara to Biggie Smalls, including Paul Simon. Simon's first album in five years is full of heavy business: life's meaning, beauty, brutality and brevity. Simon is pushing 70; it's appropriate that he's got mortality on his mind. But the songs rarely feel heavy. Instead, they combine the freewheeling folk of 1972's Paul Simon with the brilliant studio sculpting of Graceland. It's his best album since 1990's The Rhythm of the Saints, and it also sums up much of what makes Simon great.  "The Afterlife" resolves darkness and light with a tossed-off charm -- specialty of New York poets from Frank O'Hara to Biggie Smalls, including Paul Simon. Simon's first album in five years is full of heavy business: life's meaning, beauty, brutality and brevity.” This sentence is his most profound analysis of the album. It’s found in the 5^th sentence of the passage.

5. If you finish early, proofread your work. Use any remaining time to complete make up work or finish your homework for Thursday.

Lyrics - “Do You Remember?” - The Last Emperor

At times, I feel old like I'm going out of style
So I turn down the music on my FM dial
I beg of you to come and listen for a while
And look at this wonderful world through the eyes of a child
This is my chance to escape today
And I don't want to see my dreams chased away
Inside the palace gates is where I stay
'Cause the world is no longer a safe place to play
Its like the story of the little wooden boy
Who wanted to live the life that every child should enjoy
I heard it once of twice before
The world is yours for you to explore
I heard my calling as a child and I answered it
When I grow up and finally get my chance to fit
I'll be the sort of man you can't forget
I used to stair up at the sky on my camping trips
In this quiet night of quiet stars
Of quiet chords on my guitar
Kids out there, I know it might be hard
But I realize how alive you are

[CHORUS]
One day I'll travel from the East to the West
And tap into the hidden strength that all men possess
I'll always be young, see a young mind is fresh
And its clear my memories will one day disappear unless
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
Do you remember?
Yes I remember
Do you remember?

Some say the price of life has a costly amount
When it comes to fights, I might've lost me a bout
But I've never lost my head 'cause that would cost me a scalp
So when my heart became cold like the Austrian Alps
I used to use my aggression, just to hurt mics
In '86 my whole crew was in to dirt bikes
Like the GT Predator or a Mongoose
Listen as I ride the rhythm and let the rhymes loose
This is what makes my life so real
I'll take my chances and spin the wheel
I can't wait to grow up so I'll know the deal
But right now I'm a child and this is how I feel
My younger days were sort of tragic despite

I learned to unify the pen and pad with the mic
I might need a little magic tonight
'Cause to me imagination is the fabric of life
My rhymes helped me many times grow'n up
Before keep'n it real, all the days are blow'n up
I put on shows in my room- nobody show'n up
I'm just a little guy now, but when I'm old enough

[CHORUS]

“Do You Remember” Song Analysis

Shifting from the toying tone at the start to the reminiscing rhyme in the end, in “Do You Remember” The Last Emperor uses playful mood, a powerful motif, and relatable narratives to portray his empathy for the decline of youthfulness in children in our world today.

In the song “Do You Remember” The Last Emperor has a very light and happy mood that is constantly used throughout the song. Theirs an immersing aura of joy, and peace within the lyrics, this is one of my favorite parts and one of the most influential parts of the song. When we were told to choose a song, this was the first to come into my mind because it is my favorite song ever made. It includes so many different pieces, which stick out to me, so much emotion and truthful story telling that I respect. The playful mood and the lullaby like music, enhance the powerful lyrics. The whole story is about mood, from how the author speaks, to what mood you feel when you listen to it. It is honestly impossible to escape feeling great when listening to this song, and that’s what makes me love it.

The use of a motif in this song is what defines it as a story. “And look at this wonderful world through the eyes of a child” is just one of the recurring lines referring to children. “Its like the story of the little wooden boy who wanted to live the life that every child should enjoy” as well as “I heard my calling as a child and I answered it”. If you haven’t noticed yet this song is very oriented around the young, this is because the author thrives in this song to respect children’s minds and how pure and untouched they are, or seem. Being a child it gives me even more reason to respect The Last Emperor, and what he stands for. “I'll always be young, see a young mind is fresh and its clear my memories will one day disappear unless” this really sums up the main motif of the song that children’s minds are fresh. To me this is a song that shows we need more free expression, and children like minds running our world.

“Do You Remember” by The Last Emperor is the “definition” of a narrative because it is an ongoing story that gets a point across. “So I turn down the music on my FM dial I beg of you to come and listen for a while and look at this wonderful world through the eyes of a child” by saying “I beg of you “ he is telling you what he is doing, which is the purpose of a story; to show something that is happening. The use of a story is an excellent way to get your point across and that’s what he does very well. To me no rap artist compares to the elegance, and dedication to wordplay and narrating that The Last Emperor does. This may be surprising, but this is one of his least complex worded songs, he has many more that grasp more towards wordplay and less towards narrating. But all and all In “Do You Remember” he uses great relatable narratives that show he is a child inside, but an adult in the world.

The interior of The Last Emperor’s songs are filled with as much emotion, and pride that you will find in rap music. He represents himself through his raps in such a unique and meaningful way, unlike many rappers in our world today. If someone gave me a task to find an underground rapper that plays with words with such ease, and linguistic complexity I would turn them down because it’s a virtually impossible feat. So on that note I leave you with the comment that The Last Emperor is a must if you love music, English, and what words truly show in lyrics.

Zachary Freedman

"Little Green" Song Analysis

Shifting from the soothing tone at the start of the song, to the sorrow filled aspirations towards the end in “Little Green”, Joni Mitchell separates hyperbolic imagery, “weary” allusions, loose characterization, and brave confessions to portray her lonesome love for her fatherless child.

In the song “Little Green” Joni Mitchell does a fantastic job of hiding the universal meaning behind her voice, and the dramatic lyrics. In her lyrics it is fairly hard to define the idea without former knowledge of Joni’s life. Her Hyperbolic dreams of meeting her child (when she is an adult) where almost unheard of at the time. But with her real life perseverance she made it possible.  Joni also uses many different devices in the song such as allusion to portray her love, and respect for her child. One example of allusion was when Joni said “Her eyes are blue” referring to her child. These devices allow the reader/listener to be immersed in the entire experience of “Little Green”.

There are many defiant confessions that the author releases to the world, and her child in the song. She basically announces (between the lines) that she gave her daughter away when she was younger. This is a very personal situation that would take a lot of bravery to form into a song. That allows the theme of revealing dramatic events from her past to continue, such as how her “baby father” left after the baby was born. Joni doesn’t cease to amaze me as she releases information that most would want private. I envy her bravery and persistence in her writing that allows people to be saturated into her life.

The use of characterization in the song has a very broad span. She uses it loosely, meaning she alternates repeatedly, and incorporates multiple “people” inside the song. This helps Imply that there are more than one characters being portrayed within the lyrics. There is three easily noticeable characters in the story a him, her, and child. These characters are what make the integrity of the song, which is why characterization is so important. Without these defined characters you wouldn’t understand or be able to decipher the universal idea. It seems much more difficult to write a song with distinct characterization then without and for that I praise Joni Mitchell.

Joni Mitchell really grasps the way in which to allow her readers/listeners to understand her lyrics with full and intellectual insight. The song’s underlying meaning is clearly there, it is just hidden under the rough, variety of mosaic tones, in her voice, as well as the complex devices in the lyrics. The word brave would with hind-sight be an understatement of the immense will it would take to write a song with this much personal feelings, and heart portrayed within the lyrics of “Little Green”.