Brittney Song Opps I Did It Again Biology Parody

Popular Music In Context 2a Essay

Below is my essay  for the module "Popular Music In Context 2a" where I discuss the civilisation of Heavy Metal and Popular using Children of Bodom's cover of Britney Spears "Opps I did it again" equally a key example.

Oops I did it Again: Genre, Identity, and

Authenticity in Encompass Songs.

            "The discourse of Authenticity is at the heart of the way that we think nearly music and can be seen signified in the dissimilar semiotic modes through which artists communicate, through their sound, await, lyrics, and what they say in interviews." (Machin, 2010, p.14). Discourse dominates the mode in which lodge thinks most music as it influences all aspects of our lives from our tastes in way to personal relationships and experiences. With the vast range of styles now bachelor in modern popular music, order has at present found itself split up into certain groups, within these groups individuals are expected to follow the rules laid down by the discourse of the genre. For instance, a heavy metallic fan should not mind to popular music, merely why not? To understand the values of discourse prepare nosotros must consider the social context, as these discourses only be through audience estimation of the text. Estimation of these conventions in a genre then form a shared understanding which influences the way club plays, listens, and understands music,  as Walser explains, "past approaching musical genres as discourses, information technology is possible to specify non only certain formal characteristics of genres but also a range of understandings shared amid musicians" (Walser, p.28).

Ii genres that have often been at reverse ends of gild in terms of conventions are pop music and heavy metal; both seem to despise each other and what they represent, however, their audiences may have more in common than they think. Pop music is known as being easily accessible to the public and designed for everyone; therefore, it must appeal to private rather than a collective audience. The ideology surrounding pop music is that it is produced commercially for turn a profit rather than creative appeal, the bulk of pop songs are wrote past commercial songwriters and performed past artists created past companies, "Popular is non driven by whatever significant ambition except turn a profit and commercial reward…Pop is about giving people what they already know they want rather than pushing upwardly against technological constraints or aesthetic conventions" (Frith, p.170). Frith goes on to explain how pop music is the music that nosotros heed to without meaning to, and even though nosotros might despise information technology nosotros are still moved by the sounds that have over time come up to create our music noesis that we often take for granted (2001). Even so heavy metal's ideology can be seen equally the consummate reverse, a society that rejects the commercial music manufacture forced upon them, heavy metallic is ofttimes seen as powerful and criticised as incorporating inappropriate themes of violence and sex. Where some of this is true, heavy metallic is now at a indicate where it tin offer its audiences effectually 32 subgenres due to the influence of many other aspects of pop music, "The term 'Heavy Metal' is at present used to designate a slap-up variety of musical practices and ideological stances" (Walser, p.28).

In an try to understand the ideology of these two genres I performed some field research, whilst I was a DJ for a metal/rock night in a guild full of alternative students around the age of eighteen to 25 I decided to play Children of Bodom'southward version of 'Oops I did it Again', the response I received was one of the best of the night, withal if I was to play the original I may have received complaints. Then how is it that a metal cover of a song that is despised gets a crowd to not merely dance but as well sing along. For this essay I shall analysis the hypotext past Britney Spears and the hypertext by Children of Bodom to encounter what comparisons and differences are present to influence a change in audience behaviour.

In society to discover why the hypertext is accepted by this audience but not the hypotext, nosotros need to examine the genre conventions present in both texts and the differences between them. Pop is known as being soothing and family friendly compared to heavy metal, and this can be seen through instrumentation and lyrics. The hypotext features a basic line upward of: bass, synth, drum kit, and vocals, (no guitar is present). The timbre of a popular kit is used which is noticeable on the how-do-you-do-hat and snare, and performs a directly 4/iv beat throughout with some use of stop fourth dimension.

Fig 1. Popular shell

Fig 2. Finish time

Whilst the bass guitar provides the main tune accompanying Britney's vocals which is present during the end time and features a diverseness of techniques including slap bass. The synth yet but provides chords and diverse sound furnishings often using a string ensemble setting. The principal focus of the song, similar many pop songs, is the creative person's vocals, in this case Britney Spears. The atomic number 82 vocals resemble the pop way of the 90s that flooded mainstream radio with additional backing vocals during the chorus. Popular is known for over producing its songs, here this can exist heard with the use of auto melody, compression and reverb present on Britney's voice equally well every bit other furnishings such as, a radio manner event over the words 'oh yeah'. The structure of 'Oops I did it again' follows a typical pop music form of:

• Poesy, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Span, Chorus

1 important ideology of popular music is that the star is usually showcased rather than the ring as a whole; here this can exist seen as Britney is the chief focus of the vocal through the lyrics and performance, and this can also be seen in the music video and live performances.

The hypertext is distinctively dissimilar stylistically compared to the hypotext; for instance in that location is a heavy use of electrical guitars as their powerful riffs dominate the song.

Fig 3. Guitar riff

The line upward is typical of heavy metal featuring: distortion guitars, bass, drums, synth, and vocals. Compared to the hypotext, subject is the same; however the entire song has been shifted down a semitone to match COB's tuning and preferred fundamental of C minor. Even so, the timbre of certain instruments is very different, as the drums follow the conventions of heavy metal making use of a double bass pedal and extended toms and cymbals. The bass guitar and synth remain similar to the original subject but the harsh vocals of Alexi Laiho is what gives the metal experience and puts the COB stamp on the song. I important thing to consider is the change in construction as COB have added i of the near important conventions in metal which is a guitar solo after the bridge.

Fig 4. Guitar Solo

Walser notes in his book Running with the Devil that genres are understood with reference to other texts, people develop and sustain genres through their own interpretation and experience. This can be seen here as a C modest chord can have a different discourse dependent on the context and social activity existence either pop or heavy metal. Genre is important in understanding the credo or preferences' of audiences and is key to this analysis as genre creates a set of expectations that listeners are drawn to, equally Shuker explains, "fans volition often place themselves with particular genres, often demonstrating considerable cognition of the complexities of their preferences." (Shuker, p.119).

Lets accept this analysis further and expect at the lyrics of both songs, in comparing the hypotext and the hypertext both offer audiences like subject content which using Lacasse terms leads us to conclude this falls into the category of 'travesty'. The hypertext makes very little change, apart from the bridge department, simply first we demand to understand the themes present in the original pop version. Existence it a popular vocal it is not surprising to see the central theme revolving effectually love, the soapbox schema can exist read as:

Girl leads boy on

Boy falls for her

Daughter shows no interest

Language used is rather basic since information technology is a pop vocal designed to be simple and understood by everyone, the use of personal pro-nouns such every bit: 'I' and 'you' are present throughout as with about popular songs. This allows the artist to direct address the audience as individuals to entreatment to them, whilst 'you' tin be an implied grapheme. The narrator who nosotros associate with Britney tin can be seen as vulnerable upwards until the chorus where we realise that she in fact has ability over other characters, however this tin can requite a representation of women as a 'femme fatal' whilst the male graphic symbol can now be seen equally vulnerable. The typical pop jargon can also be establish throughout for instance: 'oh yeah' and 'baby', which are often repeated to fill up space and add simplicity to the lyrics.

As I have previously mentioned, COB make very niggling changes to the lyrics aside from the bridge department. Originally the span department was a spoken parody of the Titanic love scene, featuring the eye of the sea, by Britney and a male character, nonetheless COB accept decided to parody Britney by performing the department in their native language of Finnish between 2 men, the translation refers to a six pack of beer rather than a piece of jewellery. This thought can be seen as relating to a heavy metal audience as the consumption of alcohol is frequently affiliated with their culture, whilst at the same time insulting pop music's lyrical content.

Peradventure we should put bated the analysis of the text and look towards the audience which the texts are influencing, as to understand the discourses present nosotros must kickoff empathise how they are being created. Musicologists and critics oft refer to how authentic a song is to its musical features, for instance, blues music being from the middle. However actuality is not how truthful a song is compared to another just how it sets up the ideas of truth to an audience, "successful popular music is music which defines its ain aesthetic standard." (Frith, p.261). Every bit I accept already mentioned these discourses surrounding popular music are of societies own cosmos through their own experiences and interpretations, just if everyone's opinion is equal how tin nosotros say one vocal is better than some other, therefore the idea of authenticity is an effect of the discourses surrounding popular music (1987).

In this example the statement of 'art vs. Commerce' is relevant every bit we have a social grouping reacting to the conventions of their genre despite the hypotext representing everything they do not correspond. The only difference present with these two texts is the style as the subject field is the same, just peoples tastes in music are a result of social manipulation causing these genre boundaries to exist because collective societies chose for them to (Walser, 1993), as far every bit the audience is concerned the COB version meets the requirements of the codes prepare. However, this does not explain why listeners accept sub-consciously memorized the lyrics to the original Britney Spears version. In order to understand this we must refer dorsum to the ideology of pop music, "nosotros all grow upwards into musical cultures, collections of songs and tunes and styles that become our taken-for-granted musical knowledge" (Frith, p.179). Here Frith explains how we grow up hearing songs in a musical civilization, in the case of these xviii to 25 twelvemonth old students pop songs such every bit 'Oops I did information technology once more' would accept been present on the radio every bit family unit friendly commercial music which nosotros so respond to when heard. So whilst this club of metalheads and rockers are singing away to COB they are in fact reciting the Britney Spears version they sub-consciously learnt when younger.

Information technology is also important to look at the identity of this audience as identity is created from the understanding of the discourses surrounding popular music, every bit Frith explains, "the issue is not how a particular piece of music or a performance reflects the people, but how it produces them, how it creates and constructs an experience" (Frith, p.294), music volition so construct our identity through these experiences. Here the experience is a heavy metal version of a pop vocal, and to experience heavy metal is to experience power due to the codes put in place relating to instrumentation, but if the audience goes against this identity by knowing and singing the original then identity is something that nosotros put on and tin can change, which can pb us to question what is a true identity of an individual?

To perform a cover is to perform a product that audiences can relate to because of a generation entreatment, covers can be authentic and creative in this instance equally it is using the codes and conventions of a dissimilar genre, but does however question the authenticity and identity of the audience rather than the song. Covers are a good promotional tool in the sense that they achieve a fresh generation of listeners whilst reliving memories of previous, "a proven product that audiences tin can identify with" (Shuker, p.62). Withal, this hypertext is classed as a travesty rather than a cover due to the allosonic transtylisation of the hypotext, which has allowed a well-known archetype to exist enjoyed in one case again in a new style. Lacasse brings up a question that should be considered here, "to what extent does our 'reading' of a given hypertext influence our perception of the corresponding revisited hypotext?" (Lacasse, p.52).

Genre may be seen as a marketing tool but is to its listeners a style of life, songs do give meanings however it is the listeners that give meanings to these songs through individual experience and estimation. Which tin can mean that actuality is but a myth equally we cannot value ane persons stance more than another, as Melt explains, "the values wrapped up in the idea of actuality, for instance, are not simply there in the music, they are there because the way nosotros think about music puts them there" (Cook, 1998, p.17). In the instance of this audience they have put on the identity relating to heavy metal only will willingly listen, sing, and trip the light fantastic toe to the genre conventions of pop music. Therefore can discourses of societies estimation of music arrive the way of understanding what music is, for instance, if we are all ready on post-obit the collective understanding of society and so how can we have a true musical experience, "to footstep outside soapbox, nosotros can escape those effects to actually know the music and take an 'authentic' feel of information technology" (Horner, p.23).

Bibliography

Frith, S., 1987. "Pop Music". In: Frith, S. 2007. Taking Popular Music Seriously. Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Limited, pp.167-182.

Frith, S., 1987. "Towards an Artful of Popular Music". In: Frith, S. 2007. Taking Pop Music Seriously. Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Limited, pp.257-274.

Frith, S., 1987. "Music and Identity". In: Frith, S. 2007. Taking Popular Music Seriously. Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Limited, pp.293-312.

Green, L., "Ideology". In: Honer, B, and Swiss, T. 1999. Key Terms in Popular Music and Culture. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, pp.5-17.

Horner, B., "Discourse". In: Honer, B, and Swiss, T. 1999. Key Terms in Popular Music and Culture. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, pp.eighteen-34.

Lacasse, Southward., 2000. "Intertextuality and Hypertextuality in Recorded Popular Music". In: The musical work: reality or invention? Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, pp.35-58.

Machin, D., 2010. Analysing Popular Music. London: Sage Publications Ltd.

Middleton, R., "Pop, Rock and Interpretation". In: Frith, Southward. 2001. The Cambridge Companion to Popular and Stone. Cambridge: Cambridge Univeristy Press.

Shuker, R., 2005. Popular Music: The Cardinal Concepts. London: Routledge.

Shuker, R., 2008. Understanding Pop Music Culture. London: Routledge.

Walser, R., 1993. Running With the Devil. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press.

Discography

Martin, M., 2000. Oop'south I did it Once more. [CD] Jive Records

Martin, M., Laiho, A., 2005. Oop'south I did it Once again. [CD] Century Media.

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