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Cult of Personality by Living Colour
Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xxgRUyzgs0
The Cult of Personality is a song written by the band Living Colour in 1988. This time period was a time of high tension and great uncertainty. Additionally, the artists experienced the terrifying events of the cold war which increased their disgust for leaders since a great deal of lives and funds were wasted. As illustrated at 4:35 in the piece, it displays the Vietnam War with a quote from Kennedy stating “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”. Furthermore, Kennedy is mentioned at 0:54 when he is compared to Musolini in reference to their control over their followers. These examples illustrate how leaders use the manipulation of their followers beliefs and personality to maintain power. Nevertheless, at 0:12 and at 4:43, the song repeats this message by showing a series of masks representing that although leaders have different appearances and agendas, all leaders are the same in that they use their followers for their own motivations.
The audience of this piece is children. As shown in the start of the video, there is a girl who is watching the television screen and is being exposed to these events. Moreover, at 0:30, the female’s eyes appear on top of an image where everyone is a white male in the same outfit and completing the same activities. Therefore, when there are no dissenting views, it is dangerous to the country because it becomes more radicalized and could possibly become a fasicst state. At the end, the girl is shaking her head to show her disapproval of the events that occurred. As a result, Living Colour desires for children to analyze and oppose these events since they have the ability to prevent them in the future..
The genre of the video is 1980’s rock music. This stylistic choice was made in order to attract many listeners and to demonstrate the turmoil through the music. In the 1980’s rock music was the most popular type of music. Consequently, this artistic decision enticed a larger portion of the population in comparison to if the song was composed by an orchestra or electronically which allowed the band to spread their message to a greater number of people. Additionally, the high tempo and high dynamics of the music forces the listener to internalize the context of the piece and understand the danger of the times.
The purpose is to persuade the listeners that politicians and leaders come in many forms, and they attempt to use their supporters’ view points and personality for their own benefit. At multiple times in the piece, 0:30, 0:43, and 1:15, the video illustrates the extreme similarity of the people, and how it is used to radicalize the country. Furthermore, at 2:46, the song juxtaposes Martin Luther King Jr who wears the same outfit and has the same hair as his constituents with white police officers are dressed in the same manner with the same hats and weapons. Living Colour blends the lines between good and bad, and portrays that both individuals who are considered “good” or “bad” exploit their supporters. Nevertheless, the influence over their followers leads to radical behavior from their opposition demonstrated through the assasinations of both Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy as shown in the song through the quote “When a leader speaks that leader dies” (2:46).
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This post stands out to me because I have never really analyzed music in a thematic fashion. Personally, I have only listened to music just for pleasure and because it sounds good. Consequently, this activity made me realize that music has a deeper meaning and could be used in a political fashion to create change and inspire the lives of its listeners. I liked that the activity obligated me to think critically and analyze a different work in a new manner. Additionally, I am satisfied to how I adapted to the new challenge of analyzing the arts and perceiving it in a critical method.
I didn’t see this post the first time around when we did this assignment, but I am glad I’m seeing it now. I am very impressed by your analysis, especially your use of context to understand the importance of what the artists are trying to convey. I think that your overall analysis using both auditory and visual cues is well done. I also agree with your reasoning for posting it for this assignment. I also had never really looked at music or film in any type of critical or analytical way and looked into the message or meaning, but found the activity and the analysis itself to be massively eye opening and also help me get a better understanding and level of respect for the artists.
I really like how you picked a time in history when we weren’t alive to analyze because it allows us readers to gain perspective about events that occurred and how the people at the time felt about their situation. Furthermore, you also explain the intended audience, underlying messages, and connect it to what’s happening within society at the time. Doing this, personally helped me better understand all the events that are happening and the true purpose of the song by showing the clear audience and the meaning of the music to help influence the listeners. Moreover, I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiment at the end where you talk about how you also don’t really listen to music to analyze it thematically, but to just enjoy and gain pleasure from the music. This activity provided a similar experience for me as well by having to critically analyze every scene, lyric, and overall structure. I believe you had a great analysis because of how you connected all the different details together and that we both learned a lot from this blog topic.