Mass Communications 102
Research Activity
“Make lists or note lyrics of favorite songs, rock videos, TV shows or other media and explain why you like them”
Music is a very powerful form of communication. Music is not just a creative outlet or just a from of entertainment; it's a message. A very powerful message that has the power to persuade and change the views of millions of people or receivers. The message can be anything as simple as "Mmmbop," by Hansen, or as complex as "Sunday, Bloody, Sunday," by U2.
I pay close attention to the message in all of the songs that I listen to, acting almost like a gate keeper, to really get a feel for what the artist is trying to say. One of the songs that has truly spoken to me in my life is "The Streets of Philadelphia." It is by far one of my favorite songs of all time. Not only is it my favorite song due to it's beauty musically but due to it's graphic message about AID's and gay rights. The underlying message in the song being that we all come in and leave this world the same way and should be treated the same way while we are living in this world. It was written for the major motion picture, "Philadelphia." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107818/
The movie Philadelphia is about a gay attorney who works for a conservative law firm and is fired shortly after the law firm finds about his newly contracted AID's virus. Andrew Beckett (the gay attorney,) then sues the law firm with a help of a homophobic attorney who eventually looses his discrimination against gays when he sees that they are truly just like all of us. This movie is inspired by the true storey of Geoffrey Bowers.
The song was written by the great Bruce Springsteen. The lyrics in the song are the following...
I was bruised and battered and I couldn't tell what I felt
I was unrecognizable to myself
I saw my reflection in a window I didn't know my own face
Oh brother are you gonna leave me
Wastin' away
On the streets of Philadelphia
I walked the avenue till my legs felt like stone
I heard voices of friends vanished and gone
At night I could hear the blood in my veins
Just as black and whispering as the rain
On the streets of Philadelphia
Ain't no angel gonna greet me
It's just you and I my friend
And my clothes don't fit me no more
I walked a thousand miles
Just to slip this skin
The night has fallen, I'm lyin' awake
I can feel myself fading away
So receive me brother with your faithless kiss
Or will we leave each other alone like this
On the streets of Philadelphia
http://artists.letssingit.com/bruce-springsteen-lyrics-streets-of-philadelphia-b46vwbt
Why I love this song is because the message at the time (1993) was pretty controversial. I love songs that start a movement and really speak honestly about an issue. The lyrics speak of "Wasting away," these two words speak volumes of how that not only is AID's a devastating disease, but that it is even more devastating when fought alone. "Ain't no angel gonna greet me," speaking to the long held believe that homosexuals are sinners who will never be accepted by any God. "Receive me brother with your faithless kiss," speaks to the uncertainty in our world about faith and what is right and what is wrong. I love the message in these lyrics that regardless of everything this guy did to fight for his rights as an American he was still dying of an illness that he could never win. In the end he was just like everyone else on the streets of Philadelphia but he didn't get the respect he deserved before he passed on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L9_8vwx2w8
No comments:
Post a Comment