This is the first piece of a series I’m calling ‘Noughts and Crosses’ which is the result of collaborating with incredibly talented friends :)
The wonderfully talented Ananya and I put together this piece and we hope you have as much fun reading as we did creating! She curates her writing here and you should definitely check it out!
Movement by Hozier is a celebration of various rhythms all around
us. It is filled with metaphors and imagery that capture the imagination of the
listener - from the dance of a willow tree to a bird of paradise. Adding colour
to the lyrics are the allusions to literature and pop-culture. For instance,
You are a call to motion
Like Jonah on the ocean
Jonah is a Biblical figure from the Old Testament who is instructed by God to prophesy disaster to the city of Nineveh. However, he does not want to do so and boards a ship headed in the opposite direction. Presently, a storm strikes and the ship is tossed around at sea. As the crew try to reign it in to no avail, Jonah confesses that the storm is a consequence of his disobedience and suggests they throw him overboard to save themselves.
This tale is captured by a fleeting reference in the song. So is the plight of Atlas, the Greek Titan who is believed to hold aloft the heavens on his shoulders.
You're less Polunin leaping
Or Fred Astair in sequins
Honey, you're Atlas in his sleepin'.
Every art form provides a unique medium of expression. Although we generally tend to think of them in isolation, they can come together wonderfully.
While Movement alludes to these stories that fit its theme, some songs offer a retelling of known narratives. Cassandra by ABBA is about another character from Greek mythology. Apollo falls in love with Cassandra and grants her the gift of prophecy. She accepts it but spurns his love thereby incurring his wrath. Blinded by love and anger, he declares that no one would have faith in Cassandra's abilities. As fate would have it, the curse comes to play during the Trojan war. Her warnings go unheeded and Troy falls.
ABBA's song begins at this point. While she is looking around a city going up in flames she hears someone; a fellow citizen perhaps, apologising for never having believed her. The rest of the song is set in this melancholic tone and culminates in Cassandra departing by setting sail in a ship.
Folklore, history and literature also inspire other aspects of making music. Take a look at the gorgeous album art for Mastadon's Leviathan for a start.
It clearly seems to draw inspiration from Herman Melville's
Moby Dick. Incidentally, the story of Jonah we mentioned earlier also finds a place in the novel when Melville manages to have a character deliver a sermon about it. This seems fitting given the context and setting of a story that takes place entirely at sea.
Lesser known and perhaps forgotten works have been revived by incorporating them into a contemporary context.
Liberty leading the people by Eugene Delacroix has become part of popular consciousness now ever since Coldplay featured it on the cover of their fourth album. The art is a product of its times, created during the French Revolution and reflects the theme of the title track.
Viva la Vida is in the voice of King Louis XVI - stripped of all power, prestige and privilege - as he faces the guillotine.
Not all revolutions birth similar consequences. As opposed to the French Revolution, in
Animal Farm, the anti-establishment movement results in dictatorship. As is common knowledge, George Orwell personifies animals in the story to satirise the era of Soviet Stalinism. Pink Floyd's
Animals takes a leaf out of this book. The songs in the album seem disconnected from each other but nevertheless convey morbid themes of decline and decay in society using animals as narrators.
In contrast to what we've seen so far where music is inspired by other works, music in itself can inspire. It can take on a life of its own and become a character as is the case in Magic strings of Frankie Presto which traces the history of Rock 'n Roll through the story of Frankie, a musical prodigy. Through the course of this journey there are multiple references to works from various genres of music. In fact, the first piece Frankie learns is a Western classical composition.
On a similar note, in Vikram Seth's
A Suitable boy, one of many many characters is an enchanting courtesan who specialises in singing
ghazals. The author describes certain scenes so vividly that the reader is instantly transported to the concert. Having attended a fair share of concerts ourselves, we believe that he truly does justice to the
experience.
Sometimes songs become so popular that we don't really think about their origin.
Bohemian rhapsody was one such case for us! Inspite having visited and revisited it countless times over the past several years, I don't think we ever paused to think about the story its lyrics conveyed. Upon a bit of digging we came across an interpretation that it might have alluded to the eponymous character in Albert Camus'
The Stranger. For more details you might want to check out Sparknotes or Reddit!
Despite the conventional borders we might draw between various media such as literature, art and music, they often interact with each other. Borrowing and blending themes from each into the other always adds an interesting shade to any work.
So go bananasssss!
Galileo, Galileo
Galileo, Galileo
Galileo, Figaro - magnificooooooooooooooooo!
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