Exam 3 - Musical Examples

"Yeh Dil Tumpe Aa Gaya" by Aitraaz (2004)

Background: Used in lecture to discuss sexuality and censorship in Indian cinema; female character portrayed as a villain

Musical Features: Club beat, Western-influenced dance style, sexualized performance

Social Significance: Western aesthetic used to signal moral degeneracy; "club" style codes the female character as evil and corrupting; illustrates how Bollywood used Western influences to mark characters as immoral

Bangalore Nagaratnamma performance by Bangalore Nagaratnamma

Background: 20th century vocalist; proudly proclaimed herself a devadasi; gave 1,235 concerts in 116 cities between 1905 and 1934; published Muddupalani's censored work

Musical Features: Bright vocal timbre, elaborate melody, Karnatak classical tradition

Social Significance: Reclaimed devadasi identity at a time when female performance was stigmatized; commercial success gave her platform to preserve suppressed cultural heritage; connects to colonial censorship of female performance

"Satyam Shivam Sundaram" by Lata Mangeshkar

Background: Certified by film board but went to Supreme Court over depictions of female sexuality; adapted from a bhajan (devotional song); film centers on woman with disfigured face but beautiful voice

Musical Features: Bright vocal timbre, devotional melody, temple setting, elaborate ornamentation, playback singing

Social Significance: Mangeshkar's voice associated with purity and morality; connects to history of devadasis and colonial censorship; illustrates playback singing system and "voice casting"

"Kaanta Laga" (original) by Lata Mangeshkar/Asha Parekh

Background: Classic Bollywood "evergreen" song; later became subject of remix controversy

Musical Features: Melodic focus, roots in Urdu poetic traditions, bright vocal timbre, traditional instrumentation

Social Significance: Evergreen songs emphasize melody and cultural heritage; 1985 film songs were 80% of total record sales in India; "In India film is an excuse for music" (Lata Mangeshkar)

"Kaanta Laga" (remix) by DJ Doll feat. Shefali Jariwala, T-Series

Background: Part of Bollywood remix culture; controversy began changing with Billy Sagoo's Bollywood Flashback (1994)

Musical Features: Dance music production, increased drum and bass, alternating Hindi and English lyrics, original melody preserved and recognizable

Social Significance: Debate over remixes debasing musical heritage vs. exposing younger audiences to tradition; Lata Mangeshkar called for complete ban on reinterpretations; connects to intellectual property debates

"Hungama Ho Gaya" (original) by Asha Bhosle

Background: Sung by Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar's younger sister, typically cast as voice of "sensual" or morally ambiguous characters

Musical Features: Upbeat party atmosphere, playback singing style, Hindi lyrics

Social Significance: Used to depict morally corrupted female character; Bhosle's voice versus Mangeshkar's voice illustrates how vocal timbre constructed moral categories of women in Indian cinema

"Hungama Ho Gaya" (remix, from Queen, 2013) From Queen (2013)

Background: Remix of 1973 original used in film Queen; film follows a woman who travels alone to Europe after being left at the altar

Musical Features: Updated production, dance music elements, original melody preserved and recognizable

Social Significance: Remix used as cultural commentary rather than simply debasing heritage; song reclaimed to celebrate female independence rather than moral corruption; represents shift toward women-centered narratives in Bollywood

"London Thumakda" From Queen (2013)

Background: From the same film; represents the heroine's liberation and independence in Europe

Musical Features: Uptempo folk-influenced pop, celebratory brass instrumentation, energetic rhythm, Hindi lyrics

Social Significance: Western setting used positively rather than as corrupting influence; represents Bollywood's shift toward women-centered narratives; heroine's independence contrasts with traditional gender dynamics in earlier Indian cinema

"Lo Siento" feat. Leslie Grace by Super Junior

Background: K-pop group; example of kaleidoscopic nature of K-pop; video used to illustrate "concept"-driven K-pop

Musical Features: Latin pop guitar riff and dance style, hip hop rapping and dance, jazz scatting, R&B vocal timbre and melismas, Korean/Spanish/English lyrics

Social Significance: Illustrates how K-pop blends global genres; example of transcultural fandom; "concept"-driven rather than sound-driven; demonstrates kaleidoscopic nature of K-pop

"Idol" (official version) by BTS

Background: Major K-pop hit; example of kaleidoscopic K-pop style incorporating traditional Korean elements

Musical Features: Blend of hip hop, EDM, traditional Korean elements, high-energy choreography, English and Korean lyrics, references to pungmul and talchum traditions

Social Significance: Demonstrates connection between K-pop and Korean traditional culture; fan-driven viral spread; constructs Korean national identity for global audiences; illustrates all five K's of K-pop

"Idol" (Korean traditional version) by BTS

Background: Traditional version of their pop song; incorporates Korean traditional musical elements more explicitly

Musical Features: Traditional Korean instrumentation, pungmul rhythm traditions, sangmo hat dance elements, traditional vocal style layered with pop structure

Social Significance: Deeper assertion of Korean cultural identity; use of talchum and pungmul traditions connects K-pop to intangible Korean cultural heritage; illustrates how Korean musicians navigate between tradition and global commercial music

P'ansori "Portrait of the Rabbit" from Sugungga by Traditional Korean p'ansori

Background: One of five remaining p'ansori stories; tale of the Dragon King, softshell turtle, and wily rabbit; each full performance lasts several hours

Musical Features: Single singer with fan for gesture, drummer, audience participation through chuimsae (vocal exclamations), storytelling through aniri (narration/dialogue) and singing

Social Significance: Traditional Korean performance form popular in 18th and 19th centuries; basis for LEENALCHI's contemporary interpretation; illustrates how traditional forms are adapted in Korean indie and experimental music

"Tiger is Coming" (범 내려온다) by LEENALCHI

Background: P'ansori band from Seoul; named for 18th century Korean singer; verses from folk tale Sugungga; performed at KMDF 2020

Musical Features: P'ansori singing style, drummer, two bassists, four vocalists, mix of traditional singing, rap, and contemporary dance

Social Significance: Example of Korean musical experimentation outside mainstream K-pop; blends traditional and contemporary forms; illustrates indigenous modernity in Korean context; lumped under "K-pop" despite stylistic differences, raising questions about marketing categories

Theme from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly by Ennio Morricone

Background: Iconic spaghetti western score; Italian-made film about the American West; used in lecture to show influence on Cowboy Bebop; Kurosawa's Japanese films inspired American westerns which became spaghetti westerns which influenced Cowboy Bebop

Musical Features: Minor scale minus one note, electric guitar twang, wordless singing, jaw harp, whistled melody, wah-wah guitar effects

Social Significance: Spaghetti western genre itself a transnational form; Cowboy Bebop borrows these elements back completing a cycle of transnational genre exchange; illustrates how genres travel across cultures

"Go Go Cactus Man" by Yōko Kanno (Cowboy Bebop soundtrack)

Background: From Cowboy Bebop (1998); references spaghetti western film music; Kanno worked collaboratively with director Shinichiro Watanabe

Musical Features: Minor scale minus one note, twanging jaw harp, whistled melody similar to Morricone's style, electric guitar twang

Social Significance: Genre parody of spaghetti western within a Japanese anime; illustrates transnational flow of genres across cultures; part of Kanno's eclectic compositional style that creates a new genre from many influences

"Tank!" by Yōko Kanno and the Seatbelts (Cowboy Bebop opening theme)

Background: Opening theme for Cowboy Bebop (1998); bebop jazz style chosen by director Watanabe to mirror the free experimental process of making the series

Musical Features: Big band jazz style, fast swing tempo, brass section prominent, bebop-influenced improvisation, energetic and dynamic, complex chord progressions

Social Significance: Establishes bebop jazz as sonic identity of the series; reflects transnational travel of jazz from US to Japan via luxury ships and post-WWII American troops; jazzu kissa culture in Japan; musical style as metaphor for the artistic process

"Refrain" by Lys Assia (Switzerland, Eurovision 1956)

Background: Winner of the very first Eurovision Song Contest, 1956; seven participating countries; secret judging; 4 million TV viewers

Musical Features: Live singing, solo and backup vocals, live orchestra, French language, elements of classical vocal technique, not explicitly classical

Social Significance: Establishes Eurovision's original format and postwar European unity values; French language requirement reflects early nationalism; foundation for understanding Eurovision's evolution

"La La La" by Massiel (Spain, Eurovision 1968)

Background: Won Eurovision 1968; language rule debates led songwriters to believe simple/nonsensical lyrics would win because judges couldn't understand them

Musical Features: Repetitive simple "la la la" lyrics, upbeat pop style, sung in Spanish

Social Significance: Illustrates how Eurovision's language rules shaped musical content; resulted in intentionally simple lyrics like "Boom Bang-a-Bang" and "La La La"; language rules changed multiple times — banned 1977, allowed 1999

"Party for Everybody" by Buranovskiye Babushki (Russia, Eurovision 2012)

Background: Group of elderly women from Udmurtia, Russia; became beloved Eurovision act

Musical Features: Folk elements blended with pop production, multilingual lyrics including English, live singing, baking on stage

Social Significance: Example of Eurovision's folkloric element and kitsch/camp aesthetic; represents local ethnic tradition on pan-European stage; illustrates how Eurovision creates space for multiple narratives of Europeanness

“Love Love Peace Peace" by Måns Zelmerlöw and Petra Mede (Eurovision 2015 interval act)

Background: Comedic performance by Swedish hosts; deliberate parody of Eurovision conventions

Musical Features: Deliberately incorporates every Eurovision cliché — key change, wind machine, LED staging, ethnic instrument, fireworks, violinist, dramatic pause

Social Significance: Self-aware parody illustrating Eurovision's camp aesthetic and kitsch conventions; demonstrates how Eurovision has developed its own recognizable performance language; camp defined as "love of the unnatural, artifice and exaggeration" (Sontag)

"Rise Like a Phoenix" by Conchita Wurst (Austria, Eurovision 2014)

Background: Performer is drag persona created by Thomas Neuwirth; won Eurovision 2014; became symbol of LGBTQIA+ visibility in Europe

Musical Features: Dramatic power ballad, operatic vocal style, orchestral backing, slow build to powerful chorus

Social Significance: Example of queer and camp aesthetics at Eurovision; sparked political controversy in several Eastern European countries; illustrates how Eurovision creates space for LGBTQIA+ representation and pan-European liberal values

"Toy" by Netta (Israel, Eurovision 2018)

Background: Israeli Eurovision winner 2018; Israel's win meant they hosted Eurovision 2019

Musical Features: Electronic production, loop pedal used live, vocal layering, chicken clucking sounds, uptempo dance pop, empowerment lyrics

Social Significance: Example of modern Eurovision characteristics — excessive visuals, camp aesthetic, empowerment message; Israel's participation illustrates how Eurovision extends beyond strict European geography; illustrates kitsch and camp conventions

"Wild Dances" by Ruslana (Ukraine, Eurovision 2004)

Background: Won Eurovision 2004; performer is an ethnomusicologist; performed two years before Orange Revolution protests in Ukraine

Musical Features: Samples trembitas (alpine horns from Western Ukraine), English and Ukrainian languages, dance movements from traditional Arkan dance, energetic uptempo production

Social Significance: Constructs Ukrainian identity in opposition to Russian cultural dominance; use of indigenous instruments asserts Ukrainian cultural heritage; Ukrainian language choice contests Russian as imposed national language; folk revival in practice

"1944" by Jamala (Ukraine, Eurovision 2016)

Background: Won Eurovision 2016; Ukrainian singer of Crimean Tatar descent; performed two years after Russian annexation of Crimea; Russia protested the song; Jamala later placed on Russia's wanted list

Musical Features: Blend of Crimean Tatar folk music and contemporary pop production; sung in Crimean Tatar and English; emotionally intense vocal delivery; sparse instrumentation building to powerful chorus

Social Significance: Political expression within a space that formally bans political content; references Soviet deportation of Crimean Tatars in 1944; Eurovision as "seismograph" of European political tensions; demonstrates how cultural specificity carries political meaning

"Shum" by Go_A (Ukraine, Eurovision 2021)

Background: Ukraine's 2021 Eurovision entry; draws on spring ritual imagery from Chernobyl region; performed at Ukraine's 30th Independence Day concert

Musical Features: Techno beat layered over traditional spring ritual song, electronic production blended with folk vocal style, repetitive chant-like structure

Social Significance: Commemorates Chernobyl disaster and fears of losing archival recordings; green imagery references Pentecost ritual of hanging tree branches; folk revival as assertion of Ukrainian cultural identity; example of fusion of traditional and contemporary forms

"Rebel Girl" by Bikini Kill

Background: Riot Grrrl band; Riot Grrrl founded late 1980s/early 1990s as feminist punk movement; created space for women in punk scenes; used zines and DIY aesthetics; major influence on Pussy Riot

Musical Features: Fast punk tempo, distorted guitar, aggressive female vocals, simple chord structure, DIY recording aesthetic

Social Significance: Foundational Riot Grrrl text; juxtaposes hyperfeminine and hyperaggressive aesthetics; DIY ethic challenges commercial music industry; direct influence on Pussy Riot's aesthetic and political approach

"Punk Prayer" / "Bogooditsa, Putina Progoni" by Pussy Riot

Background: 2012 protest performance at Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior; members Nadya Tolokonnikova, Masha Alyokhina, Kat Samusevich arrested and sentenced to 2 years for "criminal hooliganism"; led to introduction of blasphemy law known as the "Pussy Riot Act"

Musical Features: Punk style, distorted guitars, repeated chant structure, bright colored balaclavas, hyperfeminine and hyperaggressive aesthetic combined; later edited into music video with Rachmaninov's Vespers

Social Significance: Feminist protest against Putin and Russian Orthodox Church's political influence; critique of LGBTQIA+ policies; inspired by Moscow actionism and Riot Grrrl; international media response demonstrated how aesthetic choices translate political messages across cultural boundaries

"Putin's Ashes" by Pussy Riot

Background: Burned large portrait of Vladimir Putin in the desert; took ashes to art exhibit; now facing criminal charges under the "Pussy Riot Act"; Nadya Tolokonnikova placed on Russia's Most Wanted List — same list as Jamala

Musical Features: Art action/performance art format; combines visual and musical elements; short film format

Social Significance: Continuation of Moscow actionism tradition; demonstrates how Russian government treats art and music as genuinely dangerous; connects to broader Ukraine conflict narrative — both Jamala and Pussy Riot on Russia's wanted list for artistic/political expression; illustrates how governments use legal systems to suppress artistic dissent

"Free Pussy Riot" campaign / solidarity performances by Various (Peaches, Madonna, others)

Background: International solidarity campaign following Pussy Riot's arrest; statements from Paul McCartney, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, U2; shirts sold on Amazon; spoofed in Spring Breakers (2012)

Musical Features: Various — solidarity performances adapted Pussy Riot's aesthetic

Social Significance: Demonstrates how Pussy Riot's punk aesthetic was legible to international media in ways that other Russian political dissent was not; raises question of why Pussy Riot received bigger media response than murdered investigative journalists; shows global reach of music as political tool