Last week's class presented an interesting issue associated with poetry; lyrics and song. Though there is a comprehensible connection between lyrics and poetry, and some songs resemble traditional facets of the poetic form such as metre and cadence, many songs and lyrics are distinct from conventional poetry.
As we examined the lyrics of The Smiths' "Ask" before we listened to the song itself, trying to decipher both the meaning behind the words and the music that accompanied them, so do I ask you now to first read the lyrics, and then listen to, Cream's "White Room".
"White Room" lyrics
What do you think of when you read these lyrics? Do they come together to create a comprehensible story or image, or do individual lines create their own images? Alternately, do you think there are no images presented here, and the words are simply arbitrary? Do the lyrics evoke any emotions, or are they simply incomprehensible strings of words?
After listening to the lyrics and the music together, what is your impression of the song as a whole? What does the music lend to the piece?
I feel that music is poetry that has rhythm. Pound mentioned in his essay that rhythm is in poetry and corresponds to emotion which is later expressed. Looking and listening to lyrics in class was a first. I never done that before so it was interesting. When I first read the lyrics to "White Room" I thought the song was about a woman leaving a man, but when I listened to the song I figured out that it was about cocaine. So, in many cases, music can enhance the lyrics giving it a different meaning, interesting song.
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