Arachnophonia – MUS 235 Edition: Prince “Purple Rain”

Posted on November 29, 2018 by marmstr3

Editor’s note: Arachnophonia is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

This special edition of Arachnophonia features contributions from students in Dr. Joanna Love‘s MUS 235 class: “I Want My MTV: Music Video and the Transformation of the Music Industry.”

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.
Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by MUS 235 student Conor and features commentary on Prince’s 1984 film soundtrack album, Purple Rain. Thanks, Conor!

Prince: Purple Rain

Prince: Purple Rain – Album Cover art 1984

To understand the importance of Prince’s CD album, or CDs in general, during the 1980s one must take a step back and look at the differences between our modes of listening to music today as opposed to the 1980s. In the 2000s CDs began to be phased out of popularity due to the improved technology that came about to form Itunes. This decade has seen an even bigger change transitioning from the Itunes format of music listening to streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Soundcloud. The concept of paying a monthly fee to gain access to a massive music library had not even come to fruition as a concept back in the 80s.

Created in 1982, CDs were the easiest method to listen to music to during that era. CDs were the most compact and easiest to transport at the time and as long as someone had a CD player or a car stereo then the stage was set. Getting a new CD in the 80s would be comparable to taking a kid to the candy store or getting a new video game in the modern era. I was never able to really experience the true atmosphere of a music store where shelves were lined with records and CDs as seen in movies like Wayne’s World but it appears to be very similar to going to the video store back in the 2000s to get the latest movie that had come out.

Music store in the 1980s

Since CDs were commonplace at the time and hundreds were displayed next to each other on shelves, it was also important that the cover art of the CD case and the design of the CD were eye-catching and could convince someone to purchase the album. Designed by art director Laura LiPuma and photographed by Ed Thrasher and Stuart Douglas Watson, Purple Rain’s album art has since become iconic and has been especially useful in defining an identity for the city of Minneapolis (where Prince was born and raised). The picture of Prince sitting on his purple motorcycle clad in his quintessential purple suit with smoke billowing out behind him is only further emphasized by the words “Purple Rain: Prince and the Revolution” in thick purple letters. This is also symbolic in the sense that this was the first time Prince included his band, “the Revolution,” in the album art. The photo is lined on both sides by beautiful flowers which can be tied back into the perception of androgyny in his music and fashion. The inside flap of the case is made up entirely of these flowers and their petals. The album art breathes mysteriousness and insinuates that seeing this movie will give you the full “Prince experience” in regard to his musical and acting abilities. The effects of this album art can still be felt in popular culture today with the city of Minneapolis “adopting” purple as their color and even blanketing the city in purple during the halftime performance at the Super Bowl last year after Prince passed away in 2016. In addition to this the basketball team located in the city, the Minnesota Timberwolves, have also created Purple Rain-inspired jerseys for this upcoming season.

The city of Minneapolis lit up in purple during the Super Bowl, Feb. 4, 2018

The album art of Purple Rain has also been differently portrayed by other artists using its major themes and elements. In 2016, hip-hop artist Future dropped an appropriately titled mixtape named Purple Reign, where the cover art to the album draws off of Prince’s style with the title of the mixtape in thick purple letters and a near dark background.

Future: Purple Reign mixtape art 2016

As far as relevance I wanted to research a topic for this assignment that was fascinating to me and the success of soundtrack albums in music especially piqued my interest after having watched the movie Purple Rain for class in early October. Overall, this CD album art was useful for the movie because it was an excellent marketing tool for Prince. As discussed previously, the compactness of CDs made it the most popular mode to listen to music with in the 1980s. With over 25 million copies sold worldwide, this can be translated as 25 million advertisements for a movie in marketing terms. The album art not only represented the contents (songs) inside the CD case but also signified the opportunity to see a good movie. The movie Purple Rain cost $7 million to make and achieved box office sales of $70.2 million while Prince took home the Academy Award for best original score. It was Prince’s entrance into the film industry and he went on to further direct, compose, and act in other classics such as Under the Cherry Moon and Graffiti Bridge.

The album art of Purple Rain also represents the precedent that Prince helped set that a soundtrack album can produce quality music. Until Purple Rain came out there was no real popularity in soundtrack albums besides other classic movies like Grease and Saturday Night Fever in the late 1970s. Since then there has been an explosion in popularity with soundtrack album especially within the last 20 years. Marshall Mathers, aka Eminem or The Real Slim Shady, put together a highly successful soundtrack album for his 2002 biopic 8 Mile. His song “Lose Yourself,” which is played in the ending scene as Eminem walks away down the street after winning the final battle, became a hit sensation and is often seen as one of his best pieces of work if not the best. Recently, “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth from the movie Furious 7 (Fast and Furious movie franchise) set streaming records for most streams in a week and in a day in 2015.

In summation Purple Rain and its album art helped usher in the popularity of soundtrack albums, give an identity to the city of Minneapolis, and promote Prince’s now classic movie Purple Rain.

Arachnophonia – MUS 235 Edition: Sounding Race In Rap Songs

Posted on November 28, 2018 by marmstr3

Editor’s note: Arachnophonia is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

This special edition of Arachnophonia features contributions from students in Dr. Joanna Love‘s MUS 235 class: “I Want My MTV: Music Video and the Transformation of the Music Industry.”

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.
Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by MUS 235 student Rachel and features a chapter from the book Sounding Race In Rap Songs entitled “Let Me Ride: Gangsta Rap’s Drive Into The Popular Mainstream”. Thanks, Rachel!

Sounding Race In Rap Songs by Loren Kajikawa

“‘Let Me Ride’: Gangsta Rap’s Drive into the Popular Mainstream” is the third chapter in Loren Kajikawa’s book Sounding Race in Rap Songs. The chapter focuses on how lyrics, imagery, and sound worked in tandem in LA-based gangsta rap. Kajikawa compares Dr. Dre’s work with gangsta group N.W.A. with singles from his solo career to identify the changes in sound, production, and aesthetic choices that allude to different ideas about race and politics.

Kajikawa beings the chapter by quoting Robin D. G. Kelley’s thoughts on the badass attitude emulated by rappers, especially during the Los Angeles Uprising in 1992. He explains that the purpose of inflating their personalities for being violent trouble makers, rappers were able to stand up to the powers and challenges that were oppressing them. This confidence allowed rappers to comment on issues such as police brutality, racial profiling, poverty, and the criminalization of black youth. With this in mind, Kajikawa hones in specifically on the aesthetic changes in Dr. Dre’s music and videos to see the development of such critiques.

Kajikawa quotes Murray Forman to explain that “rappers often cultivate and aura of authenticity tied to their respective ‘hoods.” N.W.A. does this with Compton, California to reflect the experience of the black community in LA. Kajikawa states that the conditions of the neighborhood N.W.A. identifies with offers insight into the decisions the group made in the making of their music and videos. From factories closing and laying off employees in the 60s, to rapid population increases in the 70s, to deindustrialization, LA was incredibly vulnerable and enabled by the mobility of capital. With the rise of the automobile industry and the construction of the freeway system, the excitement of newly accessible opportunities hid the isolation and dilapidation of poorer LA neighborhoods, like Compton. As a result, gangsta rap drew inspiration form the crime, violence, underground drug trade, and overall chaos in their community. These issues lead to an aggressive response by the LAPD, who sought to control the violence and sale of drugs with tactics such as search-and-seizure round ups and intimidation. N.W.A.’s adoption of the gangsta persona in their music served as an outlet to use the system that was working against them to make money.

NWA: Straight Outta Compton – Album Art (1988)

After establishing the roots and influences of N.W.A. and gangsta rap in general, Kajikawa transitions to more of a musical analysis of Dr. Dre’s work with and without N.W.A. In the song “Straight Outta Compton,” Dr. Dre samples a backbeat from the Winstons’ and includes a syncopated snare and bass loop that sounds similar to the commonly sampled “Funky Drummer” by James Brown. Dre includes numerous repeating sounds, 16-count hi-hats, and various instruments like guitar and a horn drone. Though some of the sounds appear to be sampled, Dr. Dre preferred to have studio musicians recreate preexisting parts of songs to allow him more control over the tracks.

Overall, Dre’s production of the song results in a punchy and staccato sound with a noisy beat. The instrumentation, combined with the inclusion of nonmusical sounds like gunshots, sirens, and screeching tires. reflects the lyrics extremely well, as the group raps about the violence and injustices they have experienced in Compton. The music video adds another layer of intensity to the song, matching the beat with jump cuts and shocking imagery. The video depicts the daily struggles of the members of N.W.A. and the black community in Compton in general, highlighting the LAPD’s harsh tactics. Shortly after the release of N.W.A.’s second album in 1991, Dr. Dre split from the group to focus on his solo career, which lead to a change in his sound.

Dr. Dre’s solo album, The Chronic, was released in 1992. Kajikawa notes the harsh shift (and dismissal) of Dre’s past music with N.W.A. Dre openly critiques his former partners in a way to prove his authenticity over theirs. Kajikawa uses “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang” and “Let Me Ride” to illustrate the changes in sound and production that Dr. Dre implemented. When considering the musical style and visuals of the accompanying videos, there is an obvious shift away from the violent struggles of life in Compton and a focus on the lifestyle and celebration of freedom and mobility. However, Kajikawa notes that the change in tone are found primarily in the music and imagery, as the lyrics still touch on a lot of the same themes. Ultimately, Dr. Dre’s solo album illustrates his success and momentum in society in a way that allowed listeners/viewers to identify with it.

Dr. Dre: The Chronic – Album Cover (1992)

Musically, Dr. Dre’s solo work took on the style of G-Funk, a term adopted from George Clinton’s P-Funk collective. This “freaky” sound drew inspiration from Leon Haywood’s “I Wanna Do Something Freaky To You,” which included a chiller groove and distorted guitar. Dr. Dre recreated (not sampled) the relaxed groove to loop in “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang.” By adding more percussion, the song lends itself to a danceable feel, which may have helped widen Dr. Dre’s audience. Additionally, Dre often used a Minimoog synthesizer (see photo). Since the use of synthesizers was huge in New Wave and pop music at the time, his music was likely able to transcend demographic lines. The delivery of the vocals in both “Let Me Ride” and “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang” are also drastically different, departing from the shouting of lyrics heard in N.W.A.’s music to a more conversational and sensual type of rapping. By adapting gangsta rap into “gangsta cool,” Dr. Dre also opened the door to radio play for his music.

Minimoog synthesizer

Visually, Dr. Dre presents himself to be in a much different position than he was when he released music with N.W.A. In “Let Me Ride,” he illustrates his success by cruising around LA in a convertible, as opposed to being on foot. Instead of tense jump cuts, the video features fades in and out, matching the relaxed nature of the beat. Though some critics claim that The Chronic depoliticized gangsta rap in some ways, Dre definitely knew how to produce music that audiences would want to listen to.

In both eras, it is clear that Dr. Dre signifies different musicians and relevant cultural topics in his music via sampling and his lyrics. I found this source extremely helpful in gaining a better understanding of the regional history of rap, as well as the influences that shaped the nature of the lyrics and style heard in much of the rap music during the 80s and 90s. My paper aims to compare the ways in which different rappers have used music and videos to comment on issues surrounding racism, and this chapter offered a musical analysis that will help me better analyze the musical elements of other rap songs. Additionally, learning more about how Dr. Dre recreated songs as opposed to sampling straight from the track furthered my knowledge regarding how new artists pull from older artists to create something with a deeper meaning. Sampling continues to be a huge part of rap music today, so knowing more about the process and intentionality of it all is significant in understanding why certain samples are included in songs. Ultimately, I believe this source could help students looking to establish a deeper understanding of the musical styles and aesthetic choices of gangsta rap, as well as help students learn more about the significance of these deliberate choices.

Arachnophonia – MUS 235 Edition: “We Are The World: The Story Behind The Song”

Posted on November 27, 2018 by marmstr3

Editor’s note: Arachnophonia is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

This special edition of Arachnophonia features contributions from students in Dr. Joanna Love‘s MUS 235 class: “I Want My MTV: Music Video and the Transformation of the Music Industry.”

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.
Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by MUS 235 student Elena and features a documentary about the making of the 1985 song “We Are The World.” Thanks, Elena!

“We Are The World”: The Story Behind The Song

Michael Jackson. Lionel Richie. Quincy Jones. The trifecta of musical genius that came together in 1985 to write and produce the song “We Are the World,” a collaboration of Jackson, Richie, and 43 other popular artists at the time. This feat was accomplished within a short period of time, only six days of recording in total, much to the surprise of almost everyone in the music industry. Brought together for the sake of raising awareness to the famine in Africa and support the humanitarian efforts going on to aid those affected by the famine. The musicians brought together to perform this song spanned all different ages, and all different genres of music, ranging from the King of Pop himself, to Cindy Lauper, to Bruce Springsteen. All already with successful careers and star status, and all worked with each other to help create a song that would go on to win four Grammys (1986), two MTV Video Music Awards (1985), one People’s Choice award (1986) and one American Music Award (1986). A song- and music video- of this caliber drew the attention of millions, so it comes as no surprise that there was a behind the scenes DVD documentary showing what went on during the making of the song.

Willie Nelson’s signed sheet music and poster with all of the other artists’ autographs

Directed by Tom Trbovich, with the help of producers Craig B. Golin and Howard G. Malley and distributed by Image Entertainment in Chatsworth, CA, “We Are the World: The Story Behind the Song” is a DVD documentary that shows what happened the night of January 28, 1985 on the last recording session of the song. Tom Trbovich was known at the time for his directing work on “The Bette Midler Show” and “Laverne and Shirley,” but the documentary happens to be his best known work. In a two disk, 54 minute long DVD set, Trbovich set out to help the audience understand the amount of effort and work put into the creation of the now iconic song. Narrated by Jane Fonda, the documentary takes the viewer step by step through the final day of recording, from the group all together recording the chorus, to the solos (i.e. Michael Jackson, Diana Ross), to Stevie Wonder bringing in two Ethiopian women to tell the artists what the song and the fundraising meant to them and for their country. Next, it jumps to a segment focusing on the introduction of Ray Charles (to add some soul to the song) and then to the individual interviews of some artists involved. The documentary ends with a message from Lionel Richie to the viewers, giving them the information on where the funds from the song will go to in terms of helping the humanitarian efforts in Africa, and then cuts to the music video.

Artists(from left to right) Paul Simon, Kim Carnes, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross arm-in-arm

In my music class (Music 235 I Want My MTV with Dr. Love), our final paper for class is to connect two music videos of the past and present and how the interwoven meanings in the two videos transcend the time between them (the political and/or social meaning within both songs and videos). The past video that I chose to use is the music video shown at the end of the documentary, ‘We Are the World’ by USA for Africa. This documentary is one of my main sources, because not only does it give me all the information on the music itself (instrumentals, production) but also explains the meaning behind the song, why it was written and the circumstances under which the song was written and shows all the artists that were a part of the effort to create the song and the purpose of the song.

The biggest portion(s) of the documentary that I am going to focus on is the segment with the two Ethiopian women and the ending segment of Lionel Richie reaching out and talking to the viewers about the need for the support for the humanitarian efforts going on in Africa at the time. The underlying message of the song and the music video that I want to focus on is the way the coming together of so many successful, house-hold names was for the purpose of raising awareness for a cause that was close to the heart of the writers (and performers). These two segments will be the most helpful as they show the impact the two women had on all the people and the gravity of the success behind the song and what the impact of the song could be on the people affected by the famine all over Africa. Lionel Richie’s short segment of the individual interviews is a plea for help, for people to help their fellow people, until their fellow people stop dying of hunger. He closes the documentary before the music video starts with,

“Anything you can do, if you have any feeling in your heart at all about human life and the celebration of life… give of yourselves…give what you can.”

Besides being a source for all things musical (videos included) this can also be helpful for other topics, for example, global consumer culture, as music can connect people from across the globe, and from a statistical and monetary standpoint, the sales coming from the song can show how relevant the song was in different countries all around the world and how people bought the track once it came out, and how those sales can be tracked from when the song was released up until this very day. This might be labeled as a music documentary and might be housed in a music library, but the uses of the video spread far out from just the topics of music.

“We Are the World: The Story Behind the Song” is a music documentary. But it’s so much more than that. It’s a behind the scenes look at what happens when people come together to try to make a difference in the world. And no, this is not a pitiful attempt to get people to feel bad about what they may be doing to make a difference. This is showing people the proof of what happens when people of all different backgrounds, with talents of all kinds come together and create something they can only hope can make a difference to the people who need it.