SUU Popular Culture & Communication

Iam Tongi went viral for his initial audition of the cover of "Monsters" and he won the hearts of many. With the story of his father's passing, and his smooth voice, Iam was able to gain a huge following and won American Idol. The Life Illusion Theory as it states in the module is the theory that music contains elements which represents feelings of the listeners. When Iam Tongi won the American Idol competition, some of the comments made by his own people, the Polynesians, pertaining to the win claimed it was not because his voice was anything special. It was because of the emotions he was able to convey in his songs which caused the audience to root for him. Knowing his life story caused people to listen to his songs with not just about the music but what his feelings represent. This made the audience root for him which led him to win. This was theorized by people and it caused some controversy with his supporters saying that this was not true and his win was on his tale...

In the original rendition of “Cruel Summer,” Taylor Swift’s powerful vocals and heartfelt storytelling create a profound connection among women who have experienced the pain of a love gone wrong. The combination of fast beats and an emotionally charged bridge allows listeners to immerse themselves in the lyrics, feeling every word as if it were their own. Sellnow describes this artistic technique as paralanguage. According to Sellnow, paralanguage is “the nonverbal cues that accompany words (e.g., pitch, volume, rate, pauses) to convey the emotional tone of a message.” (page 172) When the paralanguage is changed, it can completely transform the emotional tone of a song, convey a different message, and establish a whole new atmosphere for the song to exist in. However, in Kory Wheeler’s acoustic cover of Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer,” a slower tempo takes hold, accompanied by the intimate strumming of a single guitar. This transformative rendition of the song gives the song new life and...

"Can we please turn that off?" said my father-in-law one Christmas as I was playing Angels We Have Heard on High by Bayside. To me, this was just a different version of a classic song set to punk rock. Nothing too strange about it. However, my father-in-law heard something disrespectful to the original song. This wasn't about the lyrics as they were the same for both, nor was it about style preference as he has enjoyed hearing this particular group sing in the past. It was something more for him, it was as if the band was rebelling against his more conservative view of a classic song.  This is the first example that came to mind as Deanna Sellnow explained about nondiscursive symbols and nondiscursive rhetoric. That there is a realm of symbols that can't be seen with words or numbers. The study of these areas looks into how they persuade people when it comes to already-held beliefs. Understanding how music can be used as a rhetorical tool is just as important as film...

  Photo by genius.com Reflecting on the history of the Hip Hop genre, which traces back to the 1970s, it has consistently served as a platform to express societal injustices such as racial segregation and individual self-expression. It embodies empowerment, expressing absolute determination to overcome obstacles, and is centered around releasing emotions and feelings. Without forgetting that none of the music genres and elements can be reduced to an absolute fixed definition, can we attribute a large part of the Hip Hop music genre to release patterns? As Sellnow explains, release patterns represent feelings of relief from tension, while intensity denotes feelings of tension. For instance, in Eminem's "Superman" (2002), the artist releases his feelings of love by expressing his love and dominance to his lover. The lines 'They call me Superman' and 'I'm here to rescue' serve as perfect examples of how the artist expresses the feelings of release from...

Pop ular Music Hits Explained MUSICAL AESTHETICS V.S. MUSIC COMMUNICATION Author Deanna D. Sellnow discusses the difference between "musical aesthetics" and "music as communication".  Based on my understanding of what I have read I interpreted "musical aesthetics" as appreciating the art of music objectively by genres, patterns, instruments, and tempo. Examples of this can be seen in something like the Opera of Classical Music. "musical aesthetics can also be someone that listens to music just because they enjoy it but do not analyze it in any way.  While "music as communication" is the basis of how most people listen to music, objectively connecting a type of emotional meaning to the art.  These are my interpretations of the two definitions. However, I believe these two definitions can be a hybrid or dynamic of some sort. For example, someone can critically analyze a song and it could be great but they have a deep connection to the art and ...

What do Superman , Schindler’s List , Home Alone , and NBC News have in common? They all have a score or theme song composed by the legendary John Williams. Williams is famous for his iconic film scores, so much so that they have become just as identifiable and popular as the films themselves in the pop culture lexicon. It is difficult to hear the iconic notes of Harry Potter’s “Hedwig’s Theme” or the Star Wars “Main Title” and not immediately identify them as John Williams’ work. The style of his compositions evoke emotion and convey meaning, typically without the use of lyrics. Although Sellnow’s explanation of the illusion of life theory argues that music and lyrics work together to convey messages of conceptual and emotional content, I contend that John Williams’ music is unique in its ability to successfully convey conceptual and emotional content without words. (It should be noted that a few of John Williams’ orchestrations do have lyrics, though he is not typically the writer). ...

Sometimes, the best way to communicate thoughts and feelings is through song. While many people would believe that music can’t be a way to communicate, Sellnow (2018) argues that music can have attached meanings and that “Music as communication refers to the individual and unique meanings each of us might attach to a musical work” (p. 170). The author recommends that thoughts and meanings can be spread through song through “musical rhetoric,” where arguments are conveyed persuasively through song (p. 171).  The first band that came to mind upon reading this was Metallica. In the band's early years, they were highly political and wanted to spread their message through music. They were great at this and developed a deep cult following.  Some of their most famous songs, such as Master of Puppets, Leper Messiah, and One, all have meanings the band wants to convey an argument to their audience. For instance, Master of Puppets, which many consider the best song written by the band, ...