Helen Mildish COMM211X Spring2013 - Keeping it real - ish

Have you ever listened to a metal song that made you feel angry and powerful enough to take on the world? I have. Heck I know a few guys who prefer to work our to metal because it creates an emotional sense of focus and helps their determination. Was my anger real?  Of course not, it was a false emotion triggered by the music. That is one of musics amazing super powers. Culture and communication thrive through many facets of media, primarily the music we are listening to everyday.  Interpretive definition of culture uses analysis of verbal and nonverbal activities that have symbolic significance for the members of cultural groups to understand the rules and patterns followed by the groups(Martin & Nakayama, p. 90). To give you an idea of how ingrained our stereotypes of cultural groups are in our minds: If someone wearing a cowboy hat were to ask us to guess what type of music he likes most of us would think country, metal heads have piercings, EMO lovers have their goth makeup or clothing; we all have a set of expectations associated with certain music genres.

I chose Puscifier Rev 22:20 and The Undertaker to analyze because they are an alternative band, whose lyrics and music style differ from main stream music. I chose these two songs because the lyrics are written and played in a such a way to maximize emotional impact.   The two particular songs that I chose to analyze were ones probably heard on radio, and played in movies.  In The Undertaker, is about of a person who’s spouses actions have caused them to lose faith and abandon their relationship. He uses words like “Thank you for making me feel like I’m guilty. Making it easier to murder your sweet memory.” Clearly he cared deeply for this person until recently. All of the positive experiences that they had together were “murdered” by his disdain for her now. It is much more than just the words though, the way he sings this line lets you know there is no second chance for their love. In Rev 22:20 the singer speaks of a woman who uses and abuses her lovers; still her lovers return to her willing and ready to suffer the same punishment as long as they also receive the same please. Lines like “I’ll sell my soul to be back in her bosom” and “Pray I can stay in her arms until I can die a little bit longer” give the song a very dark but sensuous tone. The way the entire song is sang it sounds as if it is a warning, but there is also such pleasure in his voice you don’t want to stay away.

Interpretive communication is a direct reflection of many arts including music. Each genre of music represents a general feeling or emotion, and as human beings we make strong connections between music and memories. For me, Puscifier songs are comprised on verbal and non verbal symbolic references that connected to my behavoir. If I am listening to upbeat music, I am more likely to be in an upbeat mood. In a way, music is an international communication language that causes similar feelings throughout a large population despite different cultural groups within that population. The perfect example, Gangnam Style by Psy, as a non-Korean speaking citizen the music, and the feeling that it creates transcends Korean culture. Knowing the definition of Interpretive culture further solidifies what I have always felt; music is a gateway to communicating emotion.

      Soul Music

Works Cited

Martin & Nakayama, (2013).  Intercultural Communication in Contexts 6th edition, McGraw-Hill.

Puscifier, (2007). Rev 22:20, V is for Vagina [CD], Sony BMG and Puscifer Entertainment.

Puscifier, (2007). The Undertaker, V is for Vagina [CD], Sony BMG and Puscifer Entertainment.

Psy, 2012 Gangnam Style, Gangnam Style [CD or Digital Download], Label YG, Unviversal Republic, School Boy.