Analysis: Take Foster The People's Pumped Up Kicks
A song’s cheerful and upbeat structure can greatly contrast the message a song attempts to convey. Take Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks” for example. “Variations on a Cloud” shares the same makeup. Both songs portray a disaster hidden behind a façade of well-being, usually hiding right under our noses. ミラクルミュージカル (Miracle Musical) has done just that, only more head-on. Through the abstract use of stylistic elements such as imagery, language, and diction, Hawley and Cantor elaborate on the dynamic psychology and the need for political leaders to have “counterfeit complaisance” in regards to disasters such as 9/11.
“Variations on a Cloud” makes use of metaphorical imagery to represent the “sociopathic” mentality of powerful people who can use manipulation during a tragedy. It opens with the line “Both of us see a cloud, or whatever we may believe” (Hawley and Cantor 1) with images of the 9/11 attacks flashing on screen. The implication is that this is stated by 2 governors (played by puppets) who see the smoke from the towers (referred to as “clouds”) as nothing more than an everyday phenomena we pay little attention to. The song also uses stacked lyrics that create a “double message” that still has the intent to criticize the integrity of a person with the responsibility of …show more content…
leadership. The 2nd verse in the song makes the most prominent use of these stacked lyrics. For example, the lines “Cirrus in light you lie” and “Cumulus dark you vow” (6) are played simultaneously. This line displays the methodology of a corrupt politican, where, in light, they lie to the public and make questionable arrangements in the dark. These factors help to construct a basis for a conentious explanation of how we trust.
As well as that, Hawley and Cantor also use an amalgam of language to change the tone of different segments to highlight certain points. At first, many people may assume that this song was created to make light of the 9/11 attacks because of the calm, colloquial language. The controversial aspects of the piece were stirred up from assumption, most likely intently done by the artists to connect it to the capricious behaviour of people following the attacks. The true explanation can be found when you dig deeper and analyze the somewhat obscure language. Under the mask of phlegmatism lies a theme of the character behind the blase nature of political figures. The song also exploits esoteric language by alluding to previous songs made by the same artists with different messages. 1 song in particular makes a particularly conspicuous cameo: “Ruler of Everything” by Joe and Rob’s previous band “Tally Hall.” The theme of that song revolves around the fact that everything has almost no significance, because nothing will matter “in the end” (Hawley 15) while still having a positive tone. Carefully combining the components has helped to establish an elaboration on existentialism.
Finally, Joe Hawley and Rob Cantor utilize connotative and euphonious diction to derive a casual tone from a calamitous event.
There are no particular words that stand out, which can support the previous use of everyday language to blow past a true meaning. Connotative diction is also used to refer to words based on their description, such as in the line “Cumulus dark you vow” (Hawley and Cantor 6) used to represent a foreboding omen for a storm. Euphonious language is also used to give the song a calm semblance. The very first line “Both of us see a cloud” (1) can be soft spoken easily. This is continued throughout the piece to give it dulcet tone that is pleasing to hear, like
poetry.
Overall, the ingenius utilization of these various components helps to mold a bigger image that sheds light of the influence that disastrous situations hold. Presenting itself in a relaxed and pleasant manner, it could be thought that this song was meant to poke fun at the 9/11 attacks. This can support that the authors wanted to stir up controversy; it proves that people are fickle when they have assumption. This is not the case, however, as the hidden messages that lie underneath reveal a totally different objective. With that being said, the catchy tune helps to pull the listener to hopefully coerce them into understanding the song on a more analytical viewpoint.
“Variations on a Cloud” makes use of metaphorical imagery to represent the “sociopathic” mentality of powerful people who can use manipulation during a tragedy. It opens with the line “Both of us see a cloud, or whatever we may believe” (Hawley and Cantor 1) with images of the 9/11 attacks flashing on screen. The implication is that this is stated by 2 governors (played by puppets) who see the smoke from the towers (referred to as “clouds”) as nothing more than an everyday phenomena we pay little attention to. The song also uses stacked lyrics that create a “double message” that still has the intent to criticize the integrity of a person with the responsibility of …show more content…
leadership. The 2nd verse in the song makes the most prominent use of these stacked lyrics. For example, the lines “Cirrus in light you lie” and “Cumulus dark you vow” (6) are played simultaneously. This line displays the methodology of a corrupt politican, where, in light, they lie to the public and make questionable arrangements in the dark. These factors help to construct a basis for a conentious explanation of how we trust.
As well as that, Hawley and Cantor also use an amalgam of language to change the tone of different segments to highlight certain points. At first, many people may assume that this song was created to make light of the 9/11 attacks because of the calm, colloquial language. The controversial aspects of the piece were stirred up from assumption, most likely intently done by the artists to connect it to the capricious behaviour of people following the attacks. The true explanation can be found when you dig deeper and analyze the somewhat obscure language. Under the mask of phlegmatism lies a theme of the character behind the blase nature of political figures. The song also exploits esoteric language by alluding to previous songs made by the same artists with different messages. 1 song in particular makes a particularly conspicuous cameo: “Ruler of Everything” by Joe and Rob’s previous band “Tally Hall.” The theme of that song revolves around the fact that everything has almost no significance, because nothing will matter “in the end” (Hawley 15) while still having a positive tone. Carefully combining the components has helped to establish an elaboration on existentialism.
Finally, Joe Hawley and Rob Cantor utilize connotative and euphonious diction to derive a casual tone from a calamitous event.
There are no particular words that stand out, which can support the previous use of everyday language to blow past a true meaning. Connotative diction is also used to refer to words based on their description, such as in the line “Cumulus dark you vow” (Hawley and Cantor 6) used to represent a foreboding omen for a storm. Euphonious language is also used to give the song a calm semblance. The very first line “Both of us see a cloud” (1) can be soft spoken easily. This is continued throughout the piece to give it dulcet tone that is pleasing to hear, like
poetry.
Overall, the ingenius utilization of these various components helps to mold a bigger image that sheds light of the influence that disastrous situations hold. Presenting itself in a relaxed and pleasant manner, it could be thought that this song was meant to poke fun at the 9/11 attacks. This can support that the authors wanted to stir up controversy; it proves that people are fickle when they have assumption. This is not the case, however, as the hidden messages that lie underneath reveal a totally different objective. With that being said, the catchy tune helps to pull the listener to hopefully coerce them into understanding the song on a more analytical viewpoint.