Rock music and its development

Introduction

Even while rock music had been around for at least ten years, it only really started to gain popularity in the middle of the 1950s. During the Second World War, a significant portion of the American population moved, blending rural, holy, and secular traditions with urban music and audiences. Rock began to emerge in Los Angeles, Memphis, Shreveport, Detroit, Baltimore, and thousands of other places thanks to the different local record labels and musical communities. Rock drew on many different styles that combined the boogie rhythms of rap and blues, hillbilly twang of the nation, and the groans of the blues that excited the entire world of listeners, while upsetting established cultural, social, and musical authorities. Therefore, this paper seeks to analyze and discuss the three videos namely Viva la Vida, Hymn for the Weekend and Paradise, all composed by the British rock band Coldplay. This analysis is based on historical and critical scholarship of rock music.

Discussion

“Paradise” is a song by Coldplay that utilizes the feature of hyperbole to express ideas. The visual for the song depicts the character of a presumably innocent girl that ventures into the cruel world to seek out a perfect paradise to protect her. The following line in the second verse, “…she expected the world,” shows that the character had big expectations for her life, and the line, “and the bullets catch in her teeth,” represents her brushes with fate as she narrowly escapes serious peril. The song serves a critical purpose of guiding a listener’s attention to the nature of life and how fate can be both brutal and caring. This song carries with it a message that one should be wary of life, and the reality it carries with it. Much like the lonely girl is depicted in the accompanying music video, we go through life’s journey essentially as individuals, and it is upon us to choose our fates and to prepare ourselves for what fate brings our way.

Another one of the band Coldplay’s greatest hit songs is “Hymn for the Weekend,” performed in collaboration with world-renowned songstress Beyoncé Knowles. As described by the band members themselves, the song is about having an angelic figure in your life who pulls you back up when you are down. In the first verse, lead singer Chris Martin croons; “Oh angels sent from up above, you know you make my world light up.” In the chorus, Beyoncé joins the rest of the band in singing, “So drink from me, drink from me/ We’re on a symphony, Put your wings on me, wings on me.” The use of these words creates an imagery of co-dependency between the two parties with the aim of lifting one of them to a higher status. This sort of lyric manipulation is present from the beginning to the end of the song. The song is largely characterized by the enticing vocals used by Chris Martin and Beyoncé to create an aura of adventure and soul in the song. These creative vocals, aided by sublime lyrics create a tone of fleeting sadness, with the lyrics carrying with it rays of hope, as the song speaks of seeing the sky and enjoying the sunlight while we have it.

The final rock song by Coldplay in this analysis is “Viva la Vida,” which is widely regarded as one of the British outfit’s best songs. The song is made particularly more interesting using historical and religious references in the lyrics to the song. The lead guitarist in the band disclosed that the song speaks of a leader who has fallen off his throne, and that the artwork that accompanies the song revolves around rebels and militant revolutionary characters. The beginning of the song is characterized using a catchy rhyme scheme used throughout the song. The critical aspect in this song is delivered in the lyrics which have a lot more cultural and historical depths than other rock songs. For instance, the first line of the song goes, “I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing,” Another line states, “Roman Calvary choirs are singing.”

Conclusion

The above analysis based on three songs from the band Coldplay, detailing the aspects of writing styles employed to deliver the key message in the lyrics. It is evident that rhythm plays a large role in ensuring that listeners are keen to hear what more the song has in store. It is also worth noting that the tempo of any song in question is key to delivering the tone that was intended by the respective composers.

Bibliography

"Coldplay - Hymn For The Weekend (Official Video)." YouTube. January 29, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YykjpeuMNEk.

"Coldplay - Paradise (Official Video)." YouTube. October 18, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G4isv_Fylg.

"Coldplay - Viva La Vida." YouTube. August 4, 2008. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvgZkm1xWPE.