Which form is better
This is a graded discussion: 100 points possible
due Jun 7
Discussion: Form 8 8
Write
Choose one of your favorite songs that you can find two forms for. This
might be reading the lyrics and then listening to the actual song. You might
also listen to the song and then watch the video. Now really investigate and
analyze the impact of the different forms on the reader/listener/viewer.
Questions you might consider include:
Does the meaning stay the same in the different forms?
Which form is better?
Why were certain choices made (such as certain musical
accompaniment or repeating a certain phrase)?
What would YOU have done differently as you developed the song from
written lyrics, to actual song, to video?
Basically have fun with analyzing how (and if) form changes the meaning for
and impact on the reader/listener/viewer.
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and impact on the reader/listener/viewer.
Submission
Your response must be a minimum of 250 words. Please put your response
directly into your discussion reply so that fellow students can easily read it
without needing to open an attachment.
Grading
This assignment is worth 100 points and based on (1) grammar and solid
writing mechanics and (2) depth and accuracy of response.
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Ryan Anderson (https://canvas.fscj.edu/courses/56268/users/86730)
May 11, 2022
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6/3/22, 10:13 PM Page 2 of 16
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I chose the song “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson. I listened to the
song lyrics and then I watched the music video. I don’t think that the
meaning stayed the same for me in the different forms of this song. Let’s
start by analyzing the song lyrics. When I listened to the song lyrics of
“Man in the Mirror”, it made me feel inspired, uplifted and makes me
want to be a better person. When I watched the music video, I felt
sadness watching the starving children and anger watching images of the
KKK and discrimination. The video still makes me want to be a better
person and is a strong reminder to always be a better person.
I feel that watching the video was better than listening to the lyrics. The
video invokes more emotion and desire for change in the world that you
wouldn’t get from just listening to the lyrics. I believe Michael Jackson
chose these particular images to invoke a strong emotion. If the video
“Man in the Mirror” was just a video of him standing on a stage singing
the song, it would not feel as emotional as it does when you see images
of hunger, homelessness, discrimination and war. Michael Jackson
repeats the Phrase, “I’m starting with the man in the mirror.” By repeating
this phrase, he is reminding us, the listener, that it starts with us. We
have to make a choice to be the change and to not ignore the problems
in the world.
I would not do anything different if I was developing this song. If
someone is listening to the song in their car, they might feel inspired and
uplifted. If someone is watching the video, it may anger them or make
them sad, but maybe it will give them a desire to start making changes in
the world. Both forms generate a positive outcome.
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(https://canvas.fscj.edu/courses/56268/users/116442)
Elizabeth Nesbitt (https://canvas.fscj.edu/courses/56268/users/116442)
May 16, 2022
!
SPOILER ALERT FOR THE MOVIE
The song I chose to analyze was “I’ll Never Love Again” by Lady Gaga.
This song was written as part of the movie soundtrack for the 2018
version of A Star Is Born. The two versions I wanted to explore were the
music video and the radio edit by itself.
One of the significant differences between the video and the song is the
video includes clips from the movie. These clips allow the audience to
connect to the characters personally and invoke emotion for the
situations going on in the film. It also puts visuals to the words allowing
the producer to tell the story more effectively.
Another significant difference is the choice of a more repeated ending
chorus and the addition of Bradley Copper signing the last line in the
music video. In the movie, Bradley Cooper’s character does end up dying,
however, he leaves this song for his love, Allie, Lady Gaga’s character.
Taking myself back to the first time watching this movie, when I heard
Bradley sing, knowing what happens, it made me cry. When taken on this
journey with the two main characters, the music video version allowed me
to truly see and feel how Lady Gaga felt.
With that considered, the radio edit allowed more focus to be on the
music and words. In that, you could hear the crescendo and
descrescendo of the piano and orchestra. The subtle queues in the
instrumentation and vocalists allowed for the same emotions to be
stirred musically.
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If I had the opportunity to change anything, I wouldn’t. I believe the
writers, producers, and artists did an amazing job at creating visuals and
putting listeners in the place of the characters. I really do love both
versions but my favorite was the music video, simply because of the
addition of Bradley. When deciding your favorite I believe you should look
at what intrigues you more, visuals or instrumentation & vocals.
(https://canvas.fscj.edu/courses/56268/users/118227)
Hope Hardeman (She/Her) (https://canvas.fscj.edu/courses/56268/users/118227)
May 23, 2022
!
6/3/22, 10:13 PM Page 5 of 16
Song: The Rose Song
Artist: Olivia Rodrigo
While reading the requirements I found it hard to pick one form so I
chose all of them. While reading these lyrics I found the artist paints a
rebellious-like picture in the head of the audience. For instance, while
reading the lyric “I won’t be confined by your point of view” it felt similar
to a teenager rebelling against norms. While listening to this song I
thought it was more of an exhilarating feeling. I felt her agony of being in
a one-sided relationship when she sang and repeated the lyric “I am
more than what I am to you”. In this line, I felt she was tired of being
taken advantage of, and when the lyric ” your hiding in the dark but I’m
reaching for the sun” was sung I felt how she did at that moment: being
trapped for so long and finally finding the courage to break free.
In the music video, the line ” Am I something to you and not someone,
cause I feel trapped on this pedestal you put me on” I feel work her up as
she was singing on the piano, you can see her getting emotional which
the viewers would feel as she expressed her emotions. When she sings
“My beauty is from within” each time you can see her slowly start to
believe it which is sure to send goosebumps through the viewer’s bodies.
But the most chilling part of the performance is where she sings “I am
done living my life just for you, you watched me wither and now you’ll
watch me bloom” This Is where her hurt and pain break away and her
freedom is shown on her face. While the meaning does stay the same
during all forms, some are more intense than others.
I prefer to be a listener, when I listen to music, I feel it coursing through
my veins, soothing every atom in my body. The changes I would’ve made
is, the music video form, I would’ve had cut scenes, so she wasn’t sitting
at the piano the whole time. Although it was a powerful performance I
would’ve liked a change of scenery, especially for an official music video.
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Breanna Beck (https://canvas.fscj.edu/courses/56268/users/115445)
May 26, 2022
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6/3/22, 10:13 PM Page 7 of 16
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The song I chose is “How to Save a Life” by The Fray. When looking at
the requirements for the assignment it is the first thing to jump out at
me. The two forms are the lyrics and the song. These two forms work hard
together and separately to convey the real important message of trying
to save someone before it is too late.
Starting at the basic ground-level form is the lyrics as written word. The
verses are like a how-to guide for intervention beginning, middle, and
end. The first line “Step one, you say we need to talk” teaches the reader
how to start the hard conversation. All of the verses go over how this
meeting will be and what to do when such as “Let him know that you
know best ‘cause after all, you do know best” or “Lay down a list of what
is wrong, the things you told him all along, and pray to God, he hears
you”. Both come from the second verse in the middle of the intervention.
The next form is adding music. This is my personal favorite form of the
song; It makes you feel the song rather than just reading the lyrics. When
listening to the song the singer sings it with the emotion that only
someone who has been through this can. This is the form that affects the
chorus to me. The music enhances the lyrics making them almost come
alive in you. Hearing the pain and suffering in the lines “Where did I go
wrong? I lost a friend somewhere along in the bitterness”. The
desperation and despair in the lines “I would have stayed up with you all
night had I known how to save a life.” Truly shows why they wrote the
song in the first place.
I would not do anything to change either form. The lyrics are amazing
and capture the message well, and the music adds another layer and
enhances the whole experience.
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(https://canvas.fscj.edu/courses/56268/users/82840)
Michael Bratz (He/Him) (https://canvas.fscj.edu/courses/56268/users/82840)
Saturday
!
When I read the instructions for this assignment the first song that came
to my mind is title “Hurt”. It was originally written by Trent Reznor and
performed by Nine Inch Nails in the mid-nineties’. In 2001, Johnny Cash
was granted permission to cover and perform his own rendition of the
song. Each of these versions of “Hurt” have accompanying music videos
which reflect the individual artists visions, but it is how they are
performed that really sets them apart to me.
The first time I heard this song it was the version performed by Johnny
Cash. When he performed and recorded his version of this song his
health was fading fast, and it was apparent to him that he did not have
much time left on this earth. The lyrics, tempo, and fragility that you hear
from an aging Cash brings the listener in due to how much he exposes
himself and his vulnerability. When you hear the lyrics, “What have I
become? My sweetest friend. Everyone I know goes away, In the end.” it
brought to Cash’s level and made it apparent how fragile human life can
really be. His performance of the song brings the listener to a level of
realization at how fragile life is and to recognize the things you have
while they our still with you. When Cash closes out with the line “If I could
start again, A million miles away, I would keep myself, I would find a
way.”, hammers home that no matter how sad or hard life has been that
you will realize that you would do anything to keep what you have.
When someone pointed out to me that “Hurt” was a cover song, I took it
upon myself to listen to the Nine Inch Nails version. Upon first listen I
was amazed. It was a slow and eerie song that shook me a little bit. It
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was amazed. It was a slow and eerie song that shook me a little bit. It
was amazing to me how the same lyrics affected me so drastically
different. When listening to NIN version, the lyrics “The needle tears a
hole, The old familiar sting, try to kill it all away, But I remember
everything.” The way Trent Reznor performed this song and the
performance from the band, brought me to a reflection point on past
experiences that were not easy to overcome. When that line was chased
with “What have I become? My sweetest friend, Everyone I know goes
away, In the end”, this version of the song drastically separated itself
from the version I heard before by Johnny Cash.
The performance of NIN made me look at this version as a song about
mental health and overcoming other personal demons whereas Jonny
Cash’s version made me look at the fragility of life and how amazing it
can be. These two versions of the songs are perfect the way they are, and
I could never do anything to improve on it. NIN’s song is fantastic, and
Johnny Cash took an amazing song written by someone else and
accidentally took ownership of it.
(https://canvas.fscj.edu/courses/56268/users/105586)
Marisa Rokke (https://canvas.fscj.edu/courses/56268/users/105586)
Sunday
!
Song: What’s Going On
Artist: Marvin Gaye
I chose this song because I have heard it so many times but never really
listened to the lyrics closely. The music has a very feel-good sound to it,
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listened to the lyrics closely. The music has a very feel-good sound to it,
upbeat and jazzy, like a song you’d dance to; however the words have
such a deeper meaning about how dark the world is getting. There is an
older music video and a newer one; both show the disparities going on in
the world. The lyrics use familial words like “mother”, “father”, and
“brother” to unite the people and imply that we are all part of the same
family, which is human kind. The lyrics also state “Picket lines and picket
signs, Don’t punish me with brutality” referring to the peaceful protests
being met with force by the police. This was a massive part of the times
when this song was written, in the 1960’s, and sadly is still a part of
American society. This song is truly timeless.
“Mother, mother
There’s too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There’s far too many of you dying
You know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some lovin’ here today, yeah
Father, father
We don’t need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some lovin’ here today”
These verses talk about how there is so much hate and sadness in the
world, but “love can conquer hate” and there needs to be more love in the
world. The song has a positive message which is probably why Gaye used
a more uplifting beat to emphasize “love” as oppose to a song that
sounded hateful and sad because then the message would focus more on
the bad things going on instead of changing them. I don’t think that one
form of the song is better or worse, I think the combination of the tone of
the music with the message of the lyrics and the music video showing the
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Edited by Marisa Rokke (https://canvas.fscj.edu/courses/56268/users/105586) on May 29 at 2:55pm
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the music with the message of the lyrics and the music video showing the
harsh reality all make for a song that touches hearts on many different
levels. It’s a peaceful song that just wants peace in the world. The lyrics
and the music video fit perfectly with each other. I love the melody, it is
catchy but I probably wouldn’t have thought to put something happy and
upbeat with such a serious message. I am glad Marvin Gaye did though,
because it is pieced together so eloquently.
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Jasmine Brooks (https://canvas.fscj.edu/courses/56268/users/91670)
12:00am
!
I chose a song called “The Bigger Picture” it is performed by an Atlanta,
Georgia rap artist named Lil Baby. I have listened to this song before, on
the radio, on my own shuffling songs music on my Apple Music app and
now a few times for this assignment. Each time I have listened to it, it
has always resonated with me, providing me with a profound sense of
hope.
Reading that I chose a rap artist you may think I cannot be able to pull
anything meaningful from “rap crap.” Moreover, it is known that a vast
majority of rap songs and their artists are notorious for delivering foul,
demeaning, and derogatory lyrics.
The Bigger Picture is an exception to the perception of what rap music
represents. This song was released in June of 2020, meant to be what I
think of as a lyrical protest regarding the police killings and brutal
mistreatment of black people. At the time of the song’s release, George
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mistreatment of black people. At the time of the song’s release, George
Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis by local police officers.
This song is powerful, motivational, inspiring, and so much more. Lil Baby
is one of the few rappers who took a very intellectual approach and used
his fame and talent to deliver a song, with the purpose of raising
awareness for this issue and making people understand the importance
of it and why it should end.
“Every colored person ain’t dumb and all whites not racist
I be judging by the mind and heart, I ain’t really into faces”
“It’s bigger than black and white
It’s a problem with the whole way of life
It can’t change overnight
But we gotta start somewhere
Might as well gon’ ‘head start here
We done had a hell of a year
I’ma make it count while I’m here
God is the only man I fear”
Lil Baby, “The Bigger Picture” My Turn. Quality Control/Motown LLC.
2020.
For this assignment I followed along with the lyrics online while listening
to the song, I then listened to the song again with my eyes closed,
afterwards I watched the video. With my eyes closed I imagined this like
any other rap video: extravagant; filled with fancy cars and jewelry,
flashing substantial amounts of money etc. To my surprise the video was
anything but that, this man is riding a bicycle, no jewelry, nothing
materialistic shown & he is marching in the streets and in the paint with
protestors.
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protestors.
In the song he raps about being the kind of person who judges people by
their mind and heart, rather than their faces. In the past, humans have
been grouped into racial types. I found this interesting because that is
like what we do today. Not only are we grouped based on our race, but we
are judged and seen differently. This song expressed how huge of a
problem it is and why it needs to stop.
I have never given much thought to which form of this song I like more, if
a choice must be made, I prefer to listen to the song. By listening I am
able allow myself to get lost in the words and let them take me away! No
matter how many times I listen to it I hear a verse I may not have
noticed before. The song in general brings an overall uplifting feeling. A
feeling that hopefully corrupt things and people in our world change.
I can listen to this song every day, even though it is a rap song I do find
it uplifting! There isn’t anything else I would do differently for this song.
“The Bigger Picture” shows sincerity as well as a desire to be the change
you want to see in the world.
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Christy Gooden (https://canvas.fscj.edu/courses/56268/users/71950)
1:43pm
!
The song I have chosen to discuss is “Die From A Broken Heart” by
Maddie & Tae. After the countless times I have listened to this song on
the radio I never actually considered taking the time to read the lyrics or
watch the music video. I did both for this assignment. I watched the
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watch the music video. I did both for this assignment. I watched the
video three times to grasp the concept that this song was not actually
about one young lady being broken hearted, but two ladies being broken
hearted because they both fell in love with the same man and he ended
up breaking their hearts.
When listening to the lyrics you hear a young woman asking her mamma
how she will pull through such a heartache. She repeats “Mamma, can
you die from a broken heart”. She mentions real life events that most
women can relate to if they have ever been in love and then broken up
with. A few things she mentions is how to remove red wine from her
favorite dress, how to remove mascara from a pillowcase, and how he left
and slammed the door really hard. The lyrics truly demonstrate what a
person may experience when they have had their heart broken.
While she is singing and asking her mamma these questions, the video
shows her ex moving on with another lady. The video shows the ex and
his new girl friend hugging, kissing, and enjoying each others company.
The video also has a twist to where it shows you the new girlfriend crying
when she is alone in a room or soaking in a tub. It is clear she is not as
happy as she would be expected to be since she is wearing a ring on her
finger. At the end of the video the couple is arguing, the man throws red
wine on her at the dinner table, and then they ultimately break up.
I feel like the video portrays a much clearer picture as to how a listener
should interpret the song. Without the visuals of the video one may never
realize this song is about two ladies and not just one. While singing she
keeps a soft and low tone throughout the song. The only time I could
hear her raise her tone just slightly is when she is asking her mama if she
can die from a broken heart. Had there been a verse added that
mentioned the other lady it would have been more clear for the listeners.
If I was able to change one thing about this song I would have added a
verse towards the end that said:
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How does she sleep at night,
The nerve she’s got,
Doesn’t she know he left me,
I have cried all night
Adding this verse would have made the song more clear. Over all this
songs is still one of my favorites and I am glad I was able to see the true
meaning of the words.
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