13 June 2012

Classwork for 6-5

Joni Mitchell




10 Relevant/Interesting Facts
1)    Jun 5, 2012: O'Riley, SF Girl's Chorus sing Joni, San Francisco, June 9/10: Pianist, composer, pop/classical crossover whiz, famed reinterpreter of Radiohead music and popular host of the NPR radio show "From the Top," Christopher O'Riley will be the guest soloist for the San Francisco Girls Chorus' season-closing concerts Friday and Saturday at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He'll be bringing with him arrangements he has recently composed of four Joni Mitchell songs from the "Song to a Seagull" album, which will get their world premiere on the concerts.
2)    May 16, 2012: Katherine Monk's book now available for pre-order in Canada: Joni - The Creative Odyssey of Joni Mitchell, the new book by Katherine Monk, is now available for pre-order in Canada
3)    Apr 20, 2012: New tribute album: A new Joni tribute album by Peter Herbert and The Koehne Quartett has been released.
4)    Apr 20, 2012: Is a Joni Mitchell comeback in the works?: David Geffen is reportedly "wooing" Joni to perform a series of shows at his Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.
5)    Apr 18, 2012: The Artistry of Joni Mitchell, Berklee, Boston,
6)    May 3 Back to the Garden: The Artistry of Joni Mitchell takes place Thursday, May 3, 7:30 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center
7)    Apr 16, 2012: The Music of Joni Mitchell, May 11, Concord, NH: Blue: The Music of Joni Mitchell will be at the Capitol Center for the Arts on Friday, May 11, at 8PM.
8)    Mar 19, 2012: Amber Epp, Jazz takes on Blue. Winnipeg, March 29: Local vocalist Amber Epp has an affinity for jazz and Joni Mitchell and she will perform jazz arrangements of Mitchell’s album Blue on March 29, 8 p.m., at Aqua Books.
9)    Mar 1, 2012: Where Light Falls: Songs about Joni; March 9-11, Liverpool, UK: Where Light Falls: Songs about Joni Mitchell premieres at the Lantern Theatre on Friday March 9
10) Feb 19, 2012: The Joni Show, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz, CA, March 3: 19 of Santa Cruz's most accomplished musical acts pay tribute to songwriter Joni Mitchell on Saturday, March 3 at 8:00 pm at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Timeline:
http://jonimitchell.com/chronology/complete.cfm

Relevant Video Footage:
 http://jonimitchell.com/library/videolib.cfm

5 Noteworthy Songs:
1)    Little Green
2)    Favorite Colour
3)    Nothing Can Be Done
4)    Blue
5)    Tin Angel

16 May 2012

Fiction based on ¡Viva La Gloria!/¿Viva La Gloria? by Green Day

            He found her in the alley next to the Salvation Army. He walks up slowly, checking to see if she has anything valuable with her. Crap, she’s armed! The bum makes his escape, falling over a trash can on his way out of the alley. Gloria’s eyes flicker open in a flash, her hands grabbing the shears and holding them in front of her. Her bloodshot eyes search up and down the alley for trouble. “Damn it,” Gloria mutters under her breath. Her eyes meet the sky as tears fall down her cheeks.
            She is sitting in front of the Word document that lies before her. He comes up behind her, looking over her shoulder. “Christie, this won’t work,” he says, “she’s never coming back.” Christie glares at her husband. “Don’t you dare say that. She may not be your daughter, but she’s still mine and she belongs at home. She’s only fifteen; she’ll realize that she needs me and she’ll come home.” Christie wipes her moist eyes with the back of her hand. “Christian, I need to finish editing this flyer and I want to do it alone,” Christie says, monotone. “Whatever,” Christian grumbles. He leaves the room and Christie lets the tears roll out of her blue eyes. “Gloria,” she whispers, “where are you Gloria?”
            One month earlier, Gloria is sitting on her bed, listening to the familiar shouting. “Christian, how could you!?” “You provoked me, you stupid-” Gloria blasts the music coming from her headphones. She doesn’t need to hear this again. She unzips the Green Day backpack next to her and rifles through it; wallet, Cheese Nips, shears, extra clothes, and shoes. Gloria gets up and reaches under her bed for the fire escape ladder as “Jesus of Suburbia” begins playing. “Thanks for being paranoid, mom,” she whispers. Gloria slips her backpack onto her shoulders and glances at the cell phone plugged into the wall. “No, they would be able to track me,” she mumbles. She opens her window and fastens the ladder to the windowsill. Stealthily, she climbs down. On the grass, she pulls the ladder down and hides it under a rosebush. When she reaches the end of the street, Gloria looks back at her house. “Goodbye, mom,” she says softly. She walks into the night, searching for a bus stop as Billie Joe serenades to her. “You’re leavin’, you’re leavin’, you’re leavin’, ahh you’re leavin’ home.”
            A week has gone by since Gloria left her home by the river. She has made it to Queens, New York. “$3.58. Miss?” “Oh, sorry,” Gloria says to the boy behind the counter. “How much more do I need?” she asks, rifling through her pockets for more money. “Eighteen cents,” the cashier responds. Gloria sets a dime and a nickel on the counter. “Sorry,” she mumbles, trying to find three more cents. “Don’t worry about it,” the boy says, “you’re all set.” “Thank you so much,” Gloria responds, taking her hot chocolate and blueberry muffin. “No problem,” the boy replies as Gloria heads off to an empty table. She makes her choice and sets her backpack down next to her seat. Gloria sighs as she breaks off a piece of muffin. Chewing, she searches through her belongings for the money she thought she had left but comes up empty handed. Gloria scans the bakery for possible threats as she sips her steamy beverage. She has quickly learned that the city is a rough place with heartless, unforgiving people inhabiting it; the cashier was an exception. Gloria feels her heavy eyes drooping, but she cannot drift into slumber in this warm, almost comforting, place. The last time she had fallen asleep in an eatery, she had woken up to a dirty old man trying to walk off with her backpack. Gloria has caused a scene and was kicked out. “At least I got my stuff back,” she had thought. Now, devouring her muffin, she wonders how she can get more money; the only food she has, other than the vanishing muffin, is the bag of Cheese Nips in her backpack. Gloria is also pondering when she will be able to shower. She sighs again and glances out of the large glass window that is before her. All of a sudden, Gloria sees a woman wearing barely any clothing get into the passenger seat of a black Honda. Gloria makes her decision; she will become a prostitute, just like that woman. She stuffs the half-eaten muffin into her backpack and goes of in search of a man who will give her money in exchange for her body.
            “How didn’t we notice sooner?” Christie wails, “she’s my only daughter!” “She’s always up in her room; it’s not surprising we didn’t notice she’s gone,” Christian states matter-of-factly. Christie cries louder and Christian rolls his eyes. “I’m going to New York next week,” he says, “I’ll look for her there.” “How the hell could Gloria make it all the way to New York?” Christie shrieks. “She’s only fifteen!” Christian sighs angrily. “Fine, I won’t look for her.” He stomps out of the room, slamming the door on his way out. Christie curls into a ball and continues to sob.
            He is in a bar in Queens. His eyes scan the room in search of a hooker. He believes that if you’re paying for it, it doesn’t count as cheating. Haphazardly, he zones in on a younger one, breasts hardly covered; her skirt is also very skimpy. He smirks as he walks over. “The younger they are, the cuter they are,” he thinks to himself. “Hey baby,” he coos, “you looking for a good time?” The girl turns to face him and her jaw drops. “Christian!?”
            Gloria can’t believe her eyes. “He found me,” she thinks, panicking, “he’s going to bring me back.” To her surprise, Christian chuckles and puts his large arm around her. “Well well well,” Christian sneers, “fancy seeing you here. I always knew you were a little slut.” “Excuse me?” Gloria questions furiously.  “You heard me,” Christian says, “Come on now, if you’re nice to me I won’t take you home.” Gloria, realizing there is no other alternative, follows her stepfather into his car.
            He can’t believe his luck; he is finally getting what he wants, and there is no way that Christie could find out. He pulls the car into a motel and exits the vehicle. He helps Gloria out of the car, putting his arm around her shoulder. “Your mother is worried about you,” Christian tells Gloria, leading her to his room. “Is she?” Gloria asks, monotone. “Mhmm,” he mumbles in response. “So, what is this going to cost me? You need to be nice to me and I’ll be nice to you.” “I don’t understand,” Gloria says, puzzled. “Oh, you will.” Christian’s face darkens as he tosses his prey onto the bed. Gloria gasps as the two hundred pounds of muscle that is her stepfather tears her clothes off. She tried getting up, but she is overpowered and ties to the bedposts. “Please,” Gloria pleads, tears in her eyes, “Don’t.” “Shut up,” Christian snarls, slapping Gloria across the face. She tries screaming for help but he is on top of her. Gloria’s true nightmare begins with a kiss.
            He falls on top of her, exhausted. It has been twenty four hours of fun for him, the most fun he’s had in years. He kisses his stepdaughter softly. “That was fun, wasn’t it?” he coos into her ear. He gets up, squeezing her one last time. Gloria whimpers and Christian laughs, tossing $1000 onto her stomach. “I hope that covers it,” he whispers cruelly. Gloria turns her head away, sniveling. “I’ll see you next week,” Christian says, smiling ear to ear. He loosens the rope around Gloria’s wrists, and all of a sudden she tosses the money into her backpack and pulls out the hidden shears inside. She stands on the bed blood running down her bare legs. “You whore,” Christian snarls.
            “Get out and I won’t cut your head off,” Gloria growls. “Fine,” Christian remarks, “but I’ll be back for you.” “NOW!” Gloria shrieks. He leaves and Gloria falls onto the bed, exhausted. She examines the rope burns around her wrists disgustedly. “That goddamn…” she trails off. Her eyes scan the room and they land on the bathroom. “Finally,” Gloria says to herself, “a shower.” She stumbles to the door and throws herself into the shower. A squeak of the handle and Gloria is instantly smothered in water.
            After carefully washing her injuries, Gloria exits the calming shower. Eyeliner, mascara, hair brushed and she runs away from the motel, stopping for nothing. Blood still streams from her wounds and blackened tears stream down her face.
            Seven days pass and her husband returns home. “Did you find any trace of Gloria?” Christie asks hopefully. “No,” Christian lies, “nothing.” Christie’s hope shatters.
            She has created a home for herself inside a large cardboard box, sheltered in an alley. The people inside the Salvation Army were kind to her, another rare occurrence in the city. “I’m moving,” she had lied, “do you have any large boxes I could have?” “Now I have a home,” she thinks to herself, curling into a ball. She falls asleep with her shears in a second’s reach.
             One more week passes, and he finds her in the alley next to the Salvation Army. He walks up slowly, checking to see if she has anything valuable with her. Crap, she’s armed! The bum makes his escape, falling over a trash can on his way out of the alley. Gloria’s eyes flicker open in a flash, her hands grabbing the shears and holding them in front of her. Her bloodshot eyes search up and down the alley for trouble. “Damn it,” Gloria mutters under her breath. Her eyes meet the sky as tears fall down her cheeks. “That’s the third one today.”
            Christie is going crazy. “Christian, I haven’t worked in a month. I need to find Gloria!” She runs up to the bedroom. “Where are you going?” Christian yells up the stairs. “To make more flyers,” is the response.
            She is on a bus, deep in thought. An old woman sees her. “Little girl?” she asks. Gloria didn’t hear her, so the woman speaks up. “Little girl, why are you crying?” Gloria looks over at the woman. “I’m just homesick,” Gloria mumbles. “Well,” says the old woman, “there is no place like home.” Both smile at each other, and the old woman goes back to her knitting.
            The bus ride took days, and the walk was even longer. Blisters cover her feet, but she doesn’t care. She needs to get home; her real home, not that moldy box. She knocks on the front door and Christie answers. Neither of them speak; they just let the tears fall. “Gloria?” Christie asks, in shock. “Hi, mom,” Gloria says as she rushes into her mother’s arms.
            Two hours have passed since her return. “So…” Gloria mumbles, “where’s Christian?” Christie’s eyes water, and she pulls her daughter into an embrace. “He told me what he did to you. I called the police. He’ll never be able to hurt you again, Gloria.” Gloria buried her face into her mother’s shoulder. Gloria’s true nightmare ends with her mother’s kiss.

10 April 2012

Reflections of Popular Culture in Music

The top three songs in America right now are We Are Young by Fun., Boyfriend by Justin Beiber, and Somebody That I Used To Know by GOTYE. Each of these songs(if you can give them the honor of being called songs) have to do with boyfriends and girlfriends and loving one another. These songs show that American culture, as a whole, is focused on love. It also shows that young girls have a great influence on how popular a single person can be, seeing as Justin Beiber is number two in the whole country. With pathetic excuses for lyrics that carry no poetic merit other than repetition, it is a wonder that Beiber was in school at one point.
Aside from the rant, there isn’t much of a deep meaning in any of these songs. Each song is focused on the feelings of single people, which lets the current generation feel as though their feelings matter, which makes them happy. The music reflects the current generation quite well. In We Are Young, there are drug and alcohol references, which tells the American culture that it is okay to party even though it harms your body. The intended audience must be considered as well. These lyrics are geared to the current generation, full of underage kids. Now, the message of We Are Young must be pondered again. Fun. is sending the message that partying is good and fun to young kids, which is illegal (unless you’re 21, which most of the targeted audience is not) and it is also quite possibly deadly.
These songs also send the message that having a boyfriend/girlfriend is all that matters, and if there is a breakup there is no hope that you and your previous lover can be just friends. Gender roles are also present in these songs. We Are Young depicts girls as “waiting” to have sex with men from across the bar, while Boyfriend conveys the message that there is one perfect guy who can be whatever you want him to be, which depicts females as controlling who the man is.
Success, according to these songs, is partying and having a girlfriend that will be open to having sex with their boyfriends. In the music industry, success is measured by how many records of your music are sold. To do that, songs have to be relatable as well as catchy. So, singing about heartache and partying, musicians can connect with their audience. Considering the top three songs on America’s charts, America’s youth is going to be in trouble.

05 April 2012

"Rock n' Roll Band" VS. "Have a Cigar"


Pink Floyd
 
 


Boston
 
            Though both “Rock n’ Roll Band” by Boston and “Have a Cigar” by Pink Floyd deal with the topic of rising to fame, “Rock n’ Roll Band” incorporates an enthusiastic tone as well as reminiscent imagery in order to anticipate “love and music,” while “Have a Cigar” integrates a cynical tone as well as the symbol of a cigar with the aim of exposing the corruption of recording managers who claim that they know “the name of the game.”
            The differing tones of both “Rock n’ Roll Band” and “Have a Cigar” depict both ways one could feel while rising to the top of “the chart.” In “Rock n’ Roll Band,” Boston repeats the words “play” and “yeah” four times in the chorus, and every time the lines are repeated, they become more and more passionate; however, in “Have a Cigar” when the chorus is repeated, and Pink Floyd’s line “Riding the Gravy Train” recurs, it becomes more pessimistic with each repetition. Therefore, it can be determined that Boston’s rise to fame was an enjoyable one, whereas Pink Floyd’s was filled with more bad times than good.

30 March 2012

"I Just Want You" Ozzy Osbourne Analysis

Utilizing his literary dexterity in “I Just Want You,” Ozzy Osbourne uses odd oxymoron, deep irony, and apparent paradox, in order to enhance the phrase “I just want you.”
Songs are sung poetry, so when Ozzy says “unsingable songs” in his song, he is contradicting himself, as well as being oxymoronic. He is saying that songs are unsingable when he is himself singing a song. Also, when Ozzy talks about “plastic water,” he isn’t even making much sense. Water is a liquid, composed of hydrogen and oxygen; that is not plastic.
In this song, Ozzy articulates his thought that “there are…no legitimate kings or queens.” There are, however kings and queens in existence; they are born into their role. Possibly, Ozzy means that kings and queens are barbaric because princes and princesses sometimes fight for their future role as possible king or queen, making them instead dictators.
 “I’m sick and tired of bein’ sick and tired;” the phrase is like a continuous, paradoxical loop. If someone is sick and tired, they no longer want to be exposed to the thing that is annoying them. But, if the thing making one “sick and tired” is the feeling of being “sick and tired,” there isn’t much someone could do to stop feeling “sick and tired.” Ozzy also states that “there are identical twins.” Identical twins do exist; however, the term describes the features of the two individuals, not their personalities.

14 March 2012

Wake Me Up When September Ends Song Analysis

Losing a loved one is a hard thing to deal with. Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day lost his father, Andrew Armstrong, to esophageal cancer when Billie Joe was ten years old. To depict Billie Joe Armstrong’s pain of losing his father in “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” Green Day employs repetitive allusion, dreary imagery, and simple symbolism in order to show Armstrong “never forgets what [he] lost.”
            According to Green Day, “the innocent can never last.” This is alluding to Andrew Armstrong; Billie Joe believes his father died too soon, so therefore every innocent person will die before their time. Green Day repeats this line three times in “Wake Me Up When September Ends.” The song title also alludes to Billie Joe’s father. Andrew Armstrong died on September 10, 1982. So he doesn’t have to deal with the painful memories of his father during the month he died, Billie Joe wants someone to “wake [him] up when September ends.”
            Images of “rain…falling from the stars” are paired with Billie Joe feeling as though he is “drenched in [his] pain.” Pictures of a funeral are also present; “ring out the bells again/like we did when spring began.” In the live version of “Wake Me Up When September Ends” from the album Bullet in a Bible, Billie Joe chokes over many lines; he begins crying the first time he says the song title. Billie Joe crying enforces the illustration of his grief in the lyric where he states that he feels as though he is “drenched in [his] pain again.”
            Rain does not literally fall “from the stars.” However, this abstract thought simply means that Billie Joe is crying when he thinks of his loss; the rain represents his tears and the stars are symbolic of his eyes. When Billie Joe says: “as my memory rests/but never forgets what I lost,” he is saying that he has learned how to live with the loss of his father; however, he will never forget the father he once had.
            “Summer has come and past,” and Green Day has utilized recurring allusion, bleak imagery, and uncomplicated symbolism to illustrate Billie Joe Armstrong’s ache of losing his father. Andrew Armstrong will never be forgotten by his youngest son; he will always live in loving memory.

28 February 2012

Green Day - Wake Me Up When September Ends Lyrics

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends

Like my father's come to pass
Seven years has gone so fast
Wake me up when September ends

Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are

As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost
Wake me up when September ends

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends

Ring out the bells again
Like we did when spring began
Wake me up when September ends

Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are

As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost
Wake me up when September ends

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends

Like my father's come to pass
Twenty years has gone so fast
Wake me up when September ends
Wake me up when September ends
Wake me up when September ends

10 February 2012

"Little Green" Joni Mitchell song analysis

            Mothers have always had their children’s best interests at heart. Some mothers feel capable of giving their children the lives they deserve; however, other mothers believe that another family would be better suited to raise their child. Joni Mitchell was faced with this decision after the birth of her daughter. Mitchell believed that giving her baby girl up for adoption would give the child the best life possible. Living with the bittersweet decision to give her baby up for adoption in “Little Green,” Joni Mitchell uses chromatic imagery, multidimensional characterization, and seasonal personification in order to show that “sometimes there’ll be sorrow” for a young mother.
            Mitchell’s imagery focuses on nature. The colors found in nature depict hope, like “when the spring is born.”  Spring is a hopeful season, and “there’ll be crocuses” within the first few weeks of the season. Crocuses are one of the first flowers to bloom during spring, and “just a little green” sprouting from beneath the soil is a sign that beautiful things are to come. Beauty is what Mitchell hopes will be the life of her daughter, even though there is no denying the fact that “sometimes there’ll be sorrow.” Mitchell wants her daughter to be happy, and do whatever she wants, like being “a gypsy dancer.”
In “Little Green,” there are three characters that Mitchell focuses on: the father, the mother (herself), and the daughter (Mitchell’s baby). The father and Mitchell’s daughter could be considered “flat” characters. The father is characterized as uninterested, selfish, and a “non-conformer,” while Mitchell’s daughter is portrayed as innocent, pure, and a fledgling. Mitchell, the mother, is characterized more than her daughter and the father. She is sad and confused, while at the same time being hopeful and "unashamed.” Mitchell is conflicted with the decision to put her little green up for adoption because she loves her daughter and doesn’t want to lose her; however, she wants her daughter to have a happy life, so, in Mitchell’s mind, she had to let her go. Mitchell was quoted in 1998 saying that she “was dirt poor and that “an unhappy mother does not raise a happy child.” Mitchell said “it was difficult” to give her child up for adoption, but she “had to let her go.”
Mitchell’s seasonal impact also has an immense effect in the telling of the song. “When the Northern lights perform,” there is beauty within the sky; this is what Mitchell wants for her little green. Mitchell hopes that her daughter’s life will be wonderful, like “the color when spring is born.”  Mitchell hopes that her daughter will be strong, so “the winters cannot fade her.” Overall, Mitchell is wishing her daughter the best by utilizing personification.
Mitchell’s use of literary devices such as vibrant imagery, multidimensional characterization, and cyclical personification is used to send a message out to her daughter. Joni Mitchell made a sacrifice so that her baby could grow up happy. Deciding to give up a child to adoption or not is a hard decision, and Mitchell used these feelings in her song “Little Green” so that she could depict how hard this situation was on her, and to show that there is hope no matter what the outcome may be.

07 February 2012

Why I chose my theme-genre...

I chose my theme-genre, sadness in modern music, because my taste in music is quite diverse. Also, I find there is quite a bit of sadness in the music I listen to. Another reason I chose this theme-genre is because my favorite band is Green Day, which falls under the genre of punk. I don't know of any other artists I listen to that could fall under the punk genre of music, so I chose modern music because Green Day's music, old and new, falls under the genre of modern music, as does the rest of the music I enjoy.


Viva la Gloria.