Song Analysis #2- Fight the Power

Public Enemy is a well known American hip-hop group from the mid 80s through the mid 90s, comprised of Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff and his S1W group, DJ Lordand, Terminator X, and Brian Hardgroove. The group was known fortheir skillful lyricism and relevant messages, and since their glory days, have consistently been ranked among the top artists of all time on lists from VH1, Rolling Stone magazine and many others. Of all their songs, "Fight the Power" released in 1989 for the Bruce Lee movie "Do the Right Thing" and later on their 1990 album "Fear of a Black Planet".

Throughtout the song, Public Enemy use allusion and imagery to emphasize the central message of the song - the need for everyday people to fight the abuse of power. The song makes reference to Elvis Presley and John Wayne, calling them both racists. Taking two famous white people and pointing out major flaws in them could make people rethink who they admire and why. The song also says "Don't worry be happy/ Was a number one jam" and goes on to make an incredulous comment about the fact. It is a comment that essentially says "we're sick of waiting around, ignoring all of the problems. Let's do something about it." The song also uses the image "the prides arrive/ we got to pump the stuff to make us tough/ From the heart/ It's a start" to talk about the importance of black pride - though the image could be extended to others in difficult situations as well. Pride is important in fighting the power and revolution because you have to have something intrinsic in order to rebel against such ingrained institutions that most rely on, like the government.

Fight the power was a very popular song in the late 1980s and is still somewhat popular today. Despite what many think, the song isn't about overthrowing the government or anything radical - it's a call to everyday people to fight the abuse of power, as said by bassist Brian Hardgroove. While not as radical as other songs with revolutionary themes, it still definitely fits in that category. This song is about a quieter revolution, one that takes place in the hearts and minds of the populous. Rather than overthrow the government and replace it, the song suggests keeping the current one ( along with anyone else in a position of power) in check.

Fight the Power - Public Enemy

1989 the number another summer (get down)
Sound of the funky drummer
Music hittin' your heart cause I know you got soul
(Brothers and sisters, hey)
Listen if you're missin' y'all
Swingin' while I'm singin'
Givin' whatcha gettin'
Knowin' what I know
While the Black bands sweatin'
And the rhythm rhymes rollin'
Got to give us what we want
Gotta give us what we need
Our freedom of speech is freedom or death
We got to fight the powers that be
Lemme hear you say
Fight the power

Chorus

As the rhythm designed to bounce
What counts is that the rhymes
Designed to fill your mind
Now that you've realized the prides arrived
We got to pump the stuff to make us tough
from the heart
It's a start, a work of art
To revolutionize make a change nothin's strange
People, people we are the same
No we're not the same
Cause we don't know the game
What we need is awareness, we can't get careless
You say what is this?
My beloved lets get down to business
Mental self defensive fitness
(Yo) bumrush the show
You gotta go for what you know
Make everybody see, in order to fight the powers that be
Lemme hear you say...
Fight the Power

Chorus

Elvis was a hero to most
But he never meant shit to me you see
Straight up racist that sucker was
Simple and plain
Mother fuck him and John Wayne
Cause I'm Black and I'm proud
I'm ready and hyped plus I'm amped
Most of my heroes don't appear on no stamps
Sample a look back you look and find
Nothing but rednecks for 400 years if you check
Don't worry be happy
Was a number one jam
Damn if I say it you can slap me right here
(Get it) lets get this party started right
Right on, c'mon
What we got to say
Power to the people no delay
To make everybody see
In order to fight the powers that be
(Fight the Power)

Myth and Legend in Music

Robert Johnson sells his Soul to the Devil
According to legend, at a young age Robert Johnson was afflicted with a burning desire to become a blues musician. Living in Mississippi plantation country in the early 20th century, Johnson was very superstitious, and believed he had received instructions to bring his guitar, and go to a “crossroads” late at night. There he met a “Big Black Man” (supposedly the Devil) who took his guitar, tuned it and played a few songs on it. When he handed the guitar back to Johnson, Johnson had complete mastery of the guitar, and in exchange for this gift he had given his soul to the devil.


Ozzy Osbourne’s Taste for Bats and Doves
In 1981, after signing a contract for his first solo record deal during a meeting in L.A. with some record company executives, Ozzy bit off the head of a dead. Supposedly, he had originally intended to release the dove as a sign of peace, but due to intoxication at the time he instead drunkenly bit off the dove’s head. A few short months later in January of 1982, Osbourne bit off the head of what he thought was a rubber bat, while performing in Des Moines, Iowa. Whether or not the bat was alive is contested; both the woman who brought the bat to the show and Osbourne claim the bat was dead, though Ozzy said the bat bit him, and he had to get rabies shots because of this.


Mythology surrounding the Abbey Road Cover
The Abbey Road cover is at the center of the “Paul is Dead” myth of 1969. Mid-way through ’69 American college students began publishing articles that said that Paul McCartney had died in 1966and had been replaced with a look-a-like. Many fans speculated that evidence of Paul’s death could be found in the lyrics of the Beatles’ music and in some of their cover artwork. The evidence supposedly contained in the Abbey Road cover is that it is a mock funeral procession for Paul. Lennon, dressed in white, is the clergyman; Starr dressed in a black suit is the undertaker, Harrison in blue jeans symbolizes a gravedigger, and McCartney is barefoot and out of step with the other Beatles, which is supposedly the way a corpse would walk. The origin of the myth is unclear, though a car accident in 1967 in which Paul was involved may have contributed, as the myth holds that Paul got into a fight with band mates during a recording session, stormed out to his car, drove off angrily, and smashed into a tree. The reason for the supposed replacement of Paul was to spare fans the grief of losing one of the Beatles.

Dylan goes Electric
“Dylan goes Electric” is a legend that began on Sunday July 25th, 1965 at the Newport Music Folk Festival. After years of playing acoustic folk songs exclusively, Dylan decided on the third night of the festival to play with an electric blues band as backup. This caused much controversy, as Dylan had a reputation as a leading and influential young folk musician. So his fans were very upset.

Elvis is Still in the Building
The myth of Elvis being alive is pretty straight forward – many people claim Elvis is still alive. Because of the myth, there many Elvis impersonators who make good money off the myth, though most fans know they’re not Elvis so it’s all in good fun. Many people have claimed to have seen Elvis over the years, and even a few websites dedicated to proving that Elvis is alive have popped up.

Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
The three people on the cover I knew of were Marilyn Monroe, Edgar Allen Poe and Bob Dylan. Marilyn Monroe was a model and sex symbol of the 40s who still has a lot of influence today, despite her premature death. Edgar Allen Poe is a famous American writer of short stories. He lived in the nineteenth century and was famous for his stories’ macabre overtones. Bob Dylan became popular in the late 50s as a skillful folk musician and is still producing music today. Three people I had never heard of were Lewis Caroll, Stuart Sutcliffe and H.G. Wells. Lewis Caroll was a famous British writer and poet, known for his whimsical writings and most known for Alice in Wonderland. Stuart Sutcliffe played bass for the Beatles and actually bought the Hofner bass with money originally intended for art supplies. Turned out that old Sutty was better with a paintbrush, because after a few short years he gave the bass to Paul and went back to painting. H.G. Wells was a famous nineteenth century British writer most famous for his apocalyptic tale War of the Worlds.

Works Cited (in order)

Scotese, David W. Did Robert Johnson sell his soul at the crossroads?Mudcat Cafe,1997.Web. 31 Oct. 2010.

"Ozzy Osbourne The Rest of the Story." Dial-the-Truth Ministries a Christian Resource and Tract Ministry. Web. 31 Oct. 2010.

Polidoro, By Massimo. "A Myth That Rocks: The Premature Death of Paul McCartney | LiveScience." LiveScience | Science, Technology, Health & Environmental News. Web. 31 Oct. 2010.

Corbett, By Ben. "Bob Dylan Goes Electric - Bob Dylan Goes Electric at 1965 Newport Folk Festival." American Folk Music - All About American Folk Music and Americana. Web. 31 Oct. 2010. Oxford.

White, Dave. “Top 10 Rock Music Myths.” About.com. New York Times Company. n.d, Web. 31 Oct. 2010.


"Oxford DNB: Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Web. 31 Oct. 2010.

Billboard Top 100

The three songs I picked were “Fancy” by Drake featuring T.I. and Swizz Beatz, “Like A G6” by Far East Movement and “F*ck You” by Cee Lo Green. “Fancy” is basically about gold diggers and imposters who try to use others for their money. The chorus line “Nails done/Hair done/Everything did” is an example of local color, but other than that poetic devices seem to be scarce.
“Like a G6” is about incredibly rich people partying hard, focusing on a man who likes to dink, get high, and drive nice cars. The lines “Poppin’ bottles in the ice like a blizzard/ When we drink we do it right gettin’ slizzard” are an example of rhyme. The rhyme adds to the suave feeling the audience is supposed to get from the man in the song.
“F*ck You” is about a gold digger who left the narrator for a richer man. The line “I guess he’s an Xbox and I’m more Atari” are a metaphor used to explain how the woman thinks of the two men; as property or assets, an Xbox being newer and more valuable while an Atari is obsolete.
All three of these songs have to do with materialism and vanity in different ways. “Like a G6” is the only one that really embraces money and the good life, while the other two songs blast those with money, those trying to cheat others out of it, and those who build their lives on the attainment of wealth. These songs seem to reflect America’s struggles with its changing views of money. Americans are inclined to hold on to the idea of a powerful rich person portrayed in “like a G6”, but at the same time many can relate to and embrace the frustrations caused by money that are expressed in “Fancy” and “F*ck You”. These two songs also slam those who attempt to use others for their money. These songs illustrate America’s changing relationship with money- the love as well as the hate.

Song Analysis #1 - Revolution

Revolution is a B-side single (opposite Hey Jude) credited to John Lennon and Paul McCartney and released by The Beatles in 1968. The Beatles started off as a skiffle band founded in 1957 by John Lennon and a school friend; the band’s original name was The Quarry Men. The band went through many members in its early years as part of John Lennon’s somewhat ruthless quest to find evermore talented musicians and become famous. For roughly five years the band mostly did covers, with a few Lennon/McCartney originals including Love Me Do. Two tenures at clubs in Hamburg provided a jumping off point for the band to get signed. In the early 60s, The Beatles focused mainly on love songs, but as the decade progressed and the counter-culture movement took center stage, the focus of the band’s music shifted toward revolution. The aptly named Revolution was used to illustrate John Lennon’s personal views of the movement, both positive and negative.

The song is a dialogue between an extremist and one of the band mates, most likely Lennon. Though the extremist never speaks, their identity can be deduced from the lines “But when you talk about destruction/Don’t you know that you can count me out”. In the song, Lennon counters a series of arguments made by the extremist in a moderate easy-going tone; until the extremist talks of violent change, at which point Lennon becomes a bit more aggressive in his rebuttals. The song utilizes second person point of view for an interesting effect. Lennon refers to the extremist as “you” throughout the song, giving it more depth and suggesting that anyone can become the extremist.

The song deftly incorporates rhyme only in the lines that state the extremists’ arguments, in order to introduce the idea that they’re all talk. The lines “You say you want a revolution/You tell me that it’s evolution” start off the rhyme in a more mellow way, but as the song progresses the rhymed lines get more aggressive. The rhyme suggests that the extremist has a language used to gather weak-minded followers, and tries to subtly warn the masses of the dangers of letting your thoughts slowly pick up the extremist’s diction.

For a song of such simplistic lyricism, Revolution has a surprisingly deep and poignant message hidden beneath its beats. This message will carry through time, reminding future generations in the midst of their own revolutions that all is lost when the individual loses his independent thought. The instrumentals in the song are fantastic, though the first couple of listens may feel a bit anti-climatic (I know there’s a nice long guitar solo in there somewhere!) The repetitive nature of the music eventually comes around to back up the “dead-end extremism” ideas expressed in the song.

Revolution Lyrics

Revolution - The Beatles


You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it's evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right

You say you got a real solution
Well, you know
We'd all love to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well, you know
We're doing what we can
But when you want money
for people with minds that hate
All I can tell is brother you have to wait
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right
Ah

ah, ah, ah, ah, ah...

You say you'll change the constitution
Well, you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it's the institution
Well, you know
You better free you mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao
You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right
all right, all right, all right
all right, all right, all right