Imagine for a moment that books came with soundtracks - just like movies.
What kind of music would we find on the soundtrack for your senior read book? For this blog, please pick one song and convince your blog readers that it would be idea for your book. Why does this song fit the characters, setting, scene, situation, or plot of your story? Pick one line from the song and explain it in the context of your book. Convince your reader that it fits!
Please include the title and artist of your song. If possible - also include the video URL to the song!
Who Shot Ya by Biggie Smalls; I feel like this song fits Bigger more than the story. It's aggression and toughness reminds me of how Bigger acts.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the angst of the song definitely reflects Bigger's personality.
Delete"This is America" by Childish Gambino would be a modern-day representation of Bigger's life. The song touches base on multiple topics surrounding racism, one of them including police brutality. Some notable lyrics would be: "Grandma told me
ReplyDeleteGet your money, black man,"
"This is America
Don't catch you slippin' up
Look at how I'm livin' now
Police be trippin' now
Yeah, this is America
Guns in my area
I got the strap
I gotta carry 'em," and "You just a black man in this world
You just a barcode."
Yes~ ugh, great choice! I mean, it's so loaded and confusing...it's perfect. There's so much to analyze, and it seems like every conclusion might be perfectly plausible! I honestly think that the reason why Glover left so many aspects open-ended for interpretation is because he wanted his message to resonate...because we become so desensitized and inevitably fall back into our comatose-like state (If it bleeds, it leads kind of media//"This is selling, that's a tool") The issue (media profiting off the criminalization and death of minorities, gun violence, the role of social media, and in some ways, unfair police practices, and I think he might be giving an "F.U" to certain aspects of Hip Hop culture) remains and needs to be addressed. He achieves all of this through the genius music and film aspects.
DeleteThis song would an excellent choice. The message the song presents is exactly the way the book presents the world.
DeleteThe Song I would choose would be "Ride the Lightning" by Metallica. The song is about being "Strapped in the electric chair" and being afraid to die. I would say that this applies to Bigger considering the ending of the book. Throughout the book, Biggers main goal is to not die. He is driven by his fear of death. The song might not fit the time period, but the song lyrics fit well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0mp2VVC7lE&ibss=1
ReplyDeleteMETALLICA. YES, haha. You know, it would be amazing if this was actually turned into a movie, and it was covered! Would be sick to hear this amazing song translated into another genre.
DeleteI love this song, I think it's very suitable.
DeleteOh, honey...you know that if were talking 1930s Chicago, we have to play some blues! I mean, it would truly be fitting, as this genre of music is the very product of the time period! It screams the emotions of "being down" and "blue" (We're talking delta blues, nearly Chicago Blues--bluesmen like Muddy Water and Howlin' Wolf integrated the newly introduced , post-war gift of the electric guitar) For instance, High Water Everywhere Everywhere by Charley Patton:
ReplyDelete"The back water done rolled lord, and tumbled, drove me down the line
The back water done rolled and tumbled, drove poor Charley down the line
Lord, i'll tell the world the water done struck Drew's town
Lord the whole round country, lord creek water is overflowed
Lord the whole round country, man, is overflowed
(spoken: you know, i can't stay here, i'm bound to go where it's high boy.)
I would go to the hill country, but they got me barred
Now looky now, in Leland, Lord, river is rising high
Looky here, boys around Leland tell me river is raging high
(spoken: boy, it's rising over there, yeah.)
I'm going over to Greenville, bought our tickets, good bye."
While the obvious interpretation is the Great Mississippi flood of 1927, the deeper meaning resonates with the great migration, or when african americans were under so much pressure in the Jim Crow south, that they were nearly forced to move north. Patton's amazing vocal and guitar picking convey the emotions of desperation and struggle, the sense of having your back against the wall.
I may not have ever have read the song, but based on the lyrics, I would say it would definitely fit. Then time period of the song also helps it represent the book.
DeleteI'll never smile again by Tommy Dorsey is a good song for Native son.I picked a hit song from the 1940's. I feel as though it relates good. It may be about love but it talks about being lonely and never being happy. I feel as though BIgger doesn't allow happiness anymore and is determined to stay the negative person he is.
ReplyDeleteI would choose the song "Paint it Black", by the Rolling Stones. This song is telling of someone wanting their whole world painted black and want no colors at all. see a line of cars and they're all painted black. The lyrics "With flowers and my love both never to come back.
ReplyDeleteI see people turn their heads and quickly look away.
Like a newborn baby, it just happens every day,"represents Bigger and how sees the world. He wants the whole world to be black so he can not feel powerless anymore. White people turn away from Bigger because he is a "big" black man.