Tony At 10: MUSIC AND THE MESSAGE; BLOG # 2206; FRI SEP 20,2019

THE COMEBACK:

"I AM SO TIRED OF YOU CONSTANTLY CORRECTING ME."

"I AM SO TIRED OF BEING CONSTANTLY REQUIRED TO DO SO."

THE MESSAGE:

Music has long been an excellent source of delivering messages. In the case of classical works, the melody itself often provides the listener with relaxation and genuine enjoyment. For other genres, when listeners analyze the lyrics and make a sincere effort to hear the message, the music becomes a valuable medium. As a high school teacher I had occasion to present topics for discussion and required that small classroom groups needed to include an example of what they were saying by making use of the lyrics of a popular song. I chose five or six topics that would lend themselves to the task of their presentations. I found that that the students enjoyed the presentations and that the follow up class discussions were a valuable learning experience.

THE BLURB:

I have presented 3 songs that were used in the class room topics that were of particular interest. You can click on the images to listen to the songs. I made use of them in my own examples of topic presentation.

IN THE GHETTO 1969 Elvis

The song is about poverty, describing a child who can't overcome his surroundings and turns to crime, which leads to his death. This tragedy can and does apply to a fatherless child growing up in poverty on the streets, influenced by gangs and crime. It was the first song Elvis recorded with a socially conscious message. He was reluctant to do it for that reason but in the end saw the potential of the composition.

THE KEY LYRICS
Society needs to help the fatherless somehow.

"People, don't you understand
The child needs a helping hand
Or he'll grow to be an angry young man some day?
Take a look at you and me
Are we too blind to see
Do we simply turn our heads, and look the other way?"

"Then one night in desperation
A young man breaks away
He buys a gun, steals a car
Tries to run, but he don't get far
And his mama cries."

FATHER AND SON 1970 Cat Stevens

This is a great example of what happens to Fathers and Sons at an age where the son might feel like a man but the father is still treating him like a boy. Fathers can think back to when they were this age and tried to have a conversation with a parent. Many parents don’t listen to the son’s feelings: 'Dad/Mom I’ve been thinking about taking my college money and being a new car.......’ He doesn’t get to finish the sentence.

In the song, whatever the son says, the father interrupts with “it’s not time to make a change, just sit down and take it easy.”

THE KEY LYRICS:

The son shares his frustration.
"How can I try to explain, when I do he turns away again
It's always been the same, same old story
From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen."

"Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away
I know I have to go"
All the times that I cried, keeping all the things I knew inside,
It's hard, but it's harder to ignore it
If they were right, I'd agree, but it's them you know not me
Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away
I know I have to go."

THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE 1964 Simon and Garfunkel

In The Sound of Silence, Simon was expressing his angst toward his, and other's, feelings of alienation. Much of this alienation is viewed as a result of man's inability to communicate effectively with one another and his ready acceptance of thought and opinion as provided by the mass media. He hints that this is a result of our desire for comfort and affluence.

This song was written at a time when there was a great disillusionment in society, and dissatisfaction with the status quo in the USA. Those who were clinging to the values of the 1950s were out of step, yet still a formidable force in government. They were involved in an ever escalating struggle, with no clear objectives, allied to a government that was as evil as the ones that their father's had fought against. It wouldn't be long before an entire generation was ready to reject their parent's middle class values.

THE KEY LYRICS

The song emphasizes the unwillingness or inability to communicate with one another.

"People talking without speaking. People hearing without listening. People writing songs that voices never shared."

Simon writes from the point of view of an observer who sees what is going on, and yet is equally unable to express his views in such a way that is of any effect.

THE QUESTION: