AOS- POP Flashcards
Musical elements in Joni Mitchell’s ‘Blue’
Word-painting: melodies follow trajectory of lyrics e.g. “acid, booze and ass, needles, guns and grass” & “too many sinking” descending vs. “Let me sail away…” ascending; sparse instrumental arrangement (piano & vocals); melismatic vocals, wide range, high register & vibrato= emotive; minor tonality= evokes melancholy, sombre tone & subject of song; message= the detrimental consequences of addictions (drugs) negative effect of “hippie” lifestyle/mentality; home key/tonality= B minor, uses Aeolian mode; harmony: extended & altered chords- Gmaj7, Asus4, Em7(add11); dissonance encapsulates pain; tempo= adagio/slow, emotional (ballad?)
Musical elements in Muse’s ‘Uprising’
From album ‘Resistance,’ message= encouraging protest & resisting government oppression/control; syncopated bassline & drum accented backbeat creates driving rhythm & momentum, sense of urgency/restlessness/impatience; instrumentation & timbres= distorted & electric, reminiscent of science fiction- perhaps reflects dystopian society; D minor tonality/home key= dark mood, reflects dissatisfaction & serious subject matter of song; falsetto vocal motif “come on!” & ascending word-painting in chorus, lyrics “we will be victorious” adds note of optimism & hope , encouraging listeners to engage in political activism/revolution; syllabic vocals, staying on one note creates a tone of persistence/insistence; power chords are key feature of rock music; tonic pedal note
Musical elements in Stevie Wonder’s ‘Sir Duke’
Message= celebrating/tribute to jazz musicians e.g. Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald..; shout chorus section=reminiscent of jazz, extended & altered chords; pentatonic & blues scale, B major home key/tonality & moderately fast tempo= upbeat, lively, chromatic chord changes= jazzy; repetitive chorus lyrics= memorable; instrumentation= trumpet, trombone & sax (mostly brass) have bright timbres, sense of energetic celebratory/triumphant feel, syncopated hi-hats during intro= jazzy; octaves/unison= common jazz texture, virtuosic solo section reminiscent of improvisation
Musical elements in Joni Mitchell’s ‘A Case of You’:
Home key= Db major; melismatic vocals & embellishes melodies with runs during repeats, for example ascending on “(a case of) you, darling,” during chorus; word-painting “just before our love got lost” descending; soft timbres of instrumentation (acoustic guitar, appalacian dulcimer & subtle percussion) translates feeling of ruminating & yearning/loss/grief Joni sings about & compliments meaning behind lyrics; octave leaps- incorporates Canadian national anthem “oh Canada..”
