Music and Politics
Kartal
Gamze Kartal
20802554
ENG 102 / 115
Exploring and Understanding “ The Political” Through Contemporary Music
Marlene Denice Elwell
28th April 2009
Term Paper Final
Essay Prompt: While effectively and originally incorporating selected sources and your own analysis, how can it be argued that “the political” may be (or may not be) understood through contemporary music and/or contemporary music can be (or not be) understood through “the political”?
Perceiving John Lennon as “A Threat”: To Whom?
To provide an understanding of music, politics, as well as their reciprocal relations, a selected case will be discussed in terms of theoretical constructs put forward by Keith Negus. The aim of this paper is to discuss the case of John Lennon, who was a former Beatle, the adored(by some) British musician and iconic advocate for peace, being declared a threat to the United States of America by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in light of the notion put forward by Keith Negus in his book Popular Music in Theory: An Introduction. Moreover, the change in the perception of the song “Imagine” by John Lennon will also be discussed again in terms of of Negus’ concept of “mediation” (190). Negus uses the term “mediation” to
explain how music can be shaped and changed through time and place providing the opportunity of creating multiple meanings. That John Lennon’s song “Imagine,” which was considered a “threat” by the Republican U.S. President Nixon, was sung collectively at a Conservative Party conference in Britain will be discussed in this paper as an example of mediation. This occasion justifies Negus’ thoughts on songs’ gaining different meanings, which claims that any political content of a song has to be understood in terms of processes of mediation during which it can undergo change and be connected to various political agendas. It is such transformative potentials that provide illustrations of how music can be both limited to particular
Gamze Kartal
20802554
ENG 102 / 115
Exploring and Understanding “ The Political” Through Contemporary Music
Marlene Denice Elwell
28th April 2009
Term Paper Final
Essay Prompt: While effectively and originally incorporating selected sources and your own analysis, how can it be argued that “the political” may be (or may not be) understood through contemporary music and/or contemporary music can be (or not be) understood through “the political”?
Perceiving John Lennon as “A Threat”: To Whom?
To provide an understanding of music, politics, as well as their reciprocal relations, a selected case will be discussed in terms of theoretical constructs put forward by Keith Negus. The aim of this paper is to discuss the case of John Lennon, who was a former Beatle, the adored(by some) British musician and iconic advocate for peace, being declared a threat to the United States of America by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in light of the notion put forward by Keith Negus in his book Popular Music in Theory: An Introduction. Moreover, the change in the perception of the song “Imagine” by John Lennon will also be discussed again in terms of of Negus’ concept of “mediation” (190). Negus uses the term “mediation” to
explain how music can be shaped and changed through time and place providing the opportunity of creating multiple meanings. That John Lennon’s song “Imagine,” which was considered a “threat” by the Republican U.S. President Nixon, was sung collectively at a Conservative Party conference in Britain will be discussed in this paper as an example of mediation. This occasion justifies Negus’ thoughts on songs’ gaining different meanings, which claims that any political content of a song has to be understood in terms of processes of mediation during which it can undergo change and be connected to various political agendas. It is such transformative potentials that provide illustrations of how music can be both limited to particular
Cited: Gallo, Phil. "The U.S. vs. John Lennon." Variety. 31 Aug. 2006. 19 Mar. 2009 . Negus, Keith. Popular Music in Theory: An Introduction. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1996. Wiener, Jon. "John Lennon Is Still Bugging the White House." Articles LATimes. 10 Sep. 2006 19 Mar