LITERÁRNÍ TEXT V POPULÁRNÍ HUDBĚ Studijní Opora

LITERÁRNÍ TEXT V POPULÁRNÍ HUDBĚ Studijní opora

Opava 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Course Description ...... 2 Course Schedule ...... 3 Course Prerequisites ...... 4 Recommended Literature ...... 5 Communication with Tutor ...... 6

1. John Lennon ...... 8 2. Leonard Cohen ...... 11 3. David Bowie...... 14 4. Patti Smith ...... 18 5. Tom Waits ...... 22 6. Bob Dylan……………...... 25 7. Nick Cave ...... 29 8. P. J. Harvey...... 33 9. Ian Curtis ...... 36 10. Morrisey ...... 40 11. Neil Young ...... 44 12. Nico ...... 47

Exam Requirements...... 50

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course explores the borderline between Anglophone literature and music, its delimitation and possible transgressions. Music lyrics of recognized songwriters will be viewed as poems whose musical renditions add new horizons to them and underscore the essential musicality of poetry. Themes, motifs and distinctive styles of the individual artists coming from various areas of the English-speaking world will also be analyzed.

The aim of the course is to encourage students to have an independent, critical and rational capacity of analysis, to train students in an engaged, informed and perceptive reading of a variety of lyrics in English, to provide students with the ability to compare lyrics of different kinds, and to teach them how to use theoretical tools and secondary sources in an independent and critical fashion. The students will also be encouraged to creatively respond to different kinds of music lyrics in English.

COURSE SCHEDULE

Session Homework Name Date* Due Date*

Unit 1 John Lennon

Unit 2 Leonard Cohen

Unit 3 David Bowie

Unit 4 Patti Smith

Unit 5 Tom Waits

Unit 6 Bob Dylan

Unit 7 Nick Cave

Unit 8 P J Harvey

Unit 9 Ian Curtis

Unit 10 Morrisey

Unit 11 Neil Young

Unit 12 Nico

COURSE PREREQUISITES

The students should have sufficient knowledge of contemporary British, American and Australian pop-music and songwriting. Ideally they will also have passed courses in British and American literature and Criticism.

LIST OF PREREQUISITES

Technical

1) MS Office 2) Internet Access

Non-Technical

• Active knowledge of literary terminology

RECOMMENDED LITERATURE

DeMain, Bill, Behind the Muse, Tiny Ripple Books, 2001.

Tucker, Susan, The Secrets of Songwriting, Allworth Press, 2003.

Zollo, Paul, Songwriters on Songwriting, De Capo Press Inc, 2003. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/series/greatlyricists http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2008/jun/20/whoistheworldsgreatestlyr http://www.nme.com/list/the-greatest-lyricists-in-the-world-today/170878/page/1

COMMUNICATION WITH TUTOR

The students will send the assigned homework to the tutor via e-mail. The students can also consult the tutor during the office hours or arrange a personal consultation.

Channels of Communication

• E-mail: ______• Telephone: ______• WWW:

1. JOHN LENNON (1940-1980)

Learning Objectives

The students will be acquainted with the life and work of John Lennon. The main attention will be paid to Lennon’s political beliefs and social imagination.

Time Required for this Unit

• Theory: 65 minutes • Tasks: 75 minutes

The Theory

John Lennon was born in Liverpool in the autumn of 1940. The Battle of Britain had just ended, but the war with Germany was far from over. It was into this unsound environment that John Lennon emerged. Who would have thought that he would become such a multi talented musical genius?

John’s early years were certainly not easy. His father worked away for long periods on a ship, and essentially he was raised by his aunt. Subsequently his father emigrated to New Zealand, depriving his son of guidance in his formative years. It is perhaps understandable that John Lennon became disruptive at school. The death of his uncle is also said to have had a weighty impact on the adolescent, and he may have become yet another statistic in the grim Merseyside environment. The turning point in his life though came when he developed a strong interest in skiffle, a type of rock and roll music, whilst in his teenage years.

It was while playing for a skiffle band he had formed at school that he met Paul McCartney. The two struck up an immediate friendship, and developed a fine partnership, writing and composing songs. After performing under several band names the pair, along with George Harrison and Pete Best, settled on calling themselves The Beatles. They played eight-hour shifts at various nightclubs in Hamburg, and were popular at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. The drummer, Pete Best, was not particularly good though and held them back. The decision was made to replace him with Ringo Starr, and soon afterwards The Beatles were signed by George Martin for EMI records.

The band began churning out hit after hit, with numerous number ones. Lennon and McCartney were the creative force behind the group, and the amount of quality material they produced was amazing. They began touring the world and were hugely popular, especially in the US. This all changed however, when at a press conference, John Lennon claimed the band were more popular than Jesus, provoking outrage throughout America. Collectively, they all agreed to put an end to the tours and returned home in 1966.

Around this time, Lennon met Yoko Ono. Although the couple were immediately attracted to each other, John was married to Cynthia Powell and they had a child. It soon became clear to her though, where John’s affections lie, and she filed for divorce. John and Yoko subsequently married in 1969. In those early years together, they devoured a fair quantity of psychedelics such as LSD, and stories of violence towards one another were rife in the press.

In 1970, Paul McCartney quit the Beatles, causing tension between himself and John. A year later Lennon released the hugely popular ‘Imagine’ album. Together he and Yoko campaigned for world peace. Calling for an end to the Vietnam War offended the American government deeply, and he nearly lost his green card as a result.

From 1975 to 1979, John Lennon produced no music of any real quality, preferring to stay at home with his young son Sean, whom Yoko had borne. If he had known what was to follow it is highly likely that he would have stuck with that peaceful lifestyle.Unable to repress the musical genius inside himself, he wrote the excellent album ‘Double Fantasy’.

On December 8, 1980, he was accosted by a young man outside his plush apartment in New York and asked to sign a copy of the album. Thinking nothing of it Lennon went about his business. Upon returning to the apartment later that day, that young man, the addled and demented Mark Chapman, shot and killed John Lennon.

Example

Imagine

Imagine there's no Heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people Living for today

Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will live as one

Study Questions

1) What is the message of this song to the world?

2) Which features of the human society do the lyrics gloss over?

3) What changes need to be done in order to better the human lot?

4) How does the song manage to directly address its listener?

5) Is this an entirely utopian song, or can the ideas propagated by it be really implemented?

2. LEONARD COHEN (B. 1934)

Learning Objectives

The students will be acquainted with the life and work of the Canadian songwriter Leonard Cohen. Special attention will be paid to the distinctive themes of his lyrics.

Time Required for this Unit

• Theory: 70 minutes • Tasks: 80 minutes

The Theory

Leonard Cohen was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1934. His father, died when Leonard was just nine years old. He learned to play guitar while he was in his teens and quickly joined a band called the Buckskin Boys.

He attended McGill University and, while enrolled there, published his first collection of poetry in 1956. It was his second collection, however, in 1961, The Spice-Box of Earth, which catapulted Cohen to some notoriety among poets in Canada. Soon after, he relocated to Greece and continued to spend the rest of the decade writing fiction and poetry there.

By the end of the 1960s, he'd moved to the U.S. to pursue a career as a folksinger. Artists like Judy Collins achieved considerable success with his songs and he eventually signed with Columbia Records. Throughout the 1970s, Cohen rose to cult status with his dark, explicit songs about relationships and sexuality. His experimental approach to contemporary folk music, utilizing world elements and electronic instruments, quickly became hugely influential among other singer-songwriters.

In the 1990s, he moved to the Mount Baldy Zen Center in Los Angeles, where he lived for five years. He was ordained as a Zen Buddhist monk in 1996 and took on the name Jikan, before leaving the Zen Center in 1999.

He released a new album in 2004, and continues to make music. He has been inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and is a Companion of the Order of Canada.

Example

Suzanne

Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river You can hear the boats go by You can spend the night beside her And you know that she's half crazy But that's why you want to be there And she feeds you tea and oranges That come all the way from China And just when you mean to tell her That you have no love to give her Then she gets you on her wavelength And she lets the river answer That you've always been her lover And you want to travel with her And you want to travel blind And you know that she will trust you For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.

And Jesus was a sailor When he walked upon the water And he spent a long time watching From his lonely wooden tower And when he knew for certain Only drowning men could see him He said "All men will be sailors then Until the sea shall free them" But he himself was broken Long before the sky would open Forsaken, almost human He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone And you want to travel with him And you want to travel blind And you think maybe you'll trust him For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.

Now Suzanne takes your hand And she leads you to the river She is wearing rags and feathers From Salvation Army counters And the sun pours down like honey On our lady of the harbour And she shows you where to look Among the garbage and the flowers There are heroes in the seaweed There are children in the morning They are leaning out for love And they will lean that way forever While Suzanne holds the mirror And you want to travel with her And you want to travel blind And you know that you can trust her For she's touched your perfect body with her mind.

Study Questions

1) What kind of landscape is the song set in?

2) How are love and religion connected here?

3) What is the significance of so many sea and water-related images in what is essentially a love song?

4) Describe the interplay between body and mind in this song.

5) Do we get any clues as to who Suzanne is and what she means to the singer?

3. DAVID BOWIE (B. 1947)

Learning Objectives

The students will be acquainted with the work of one of the greatest classics of British pop-music: David Bowie. The main emphasis is laid on the stylistic variety of his songwriting.

Time Required for this Unit

• Theory: 45 minutes • Tasks: 70 minutes

The Theory

David Bowie (born David Robert Jones, 8 January 1947) is an English rock musician, and singer who has also worked as an actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for five decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s, and is known for his distinctive voice and the intellectual depth of his work.

Although he released an album (David Bowie) and several singles earlier, Bowie first caught the eye and ear of the public in July 1969, when the song "Space Oddity" reached the top five of the UK Singles Chart. After a three-year period of experimentation he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era with the flamboyant, androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust, spearheaded by the hit single "Starman" and the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Bowie's impact at that time, as described by biographer David Buckley, "challenged the core belief of the rock music of its day" and "created perhaps the biggest cult in popular culture."[2] The relatively short-lived Ziggy persona proved merely one facet of a career marked by continual reinvention, musical innovation and striking visual presentation.

In 1975, Bowie achieved his first major American crossover success with the number- one single "Fame", co-written with John Lennon, and the hit album Young Americans, which the singer characterised as "plastic soul". The sound constituted a radical shift in style that initially alienated many of his UK devotees. He then confounded the expectations of both his record label and his American audiences by recording the minimalist album Low (1977)—the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno over the next two years. The so-called "Berlin Trilogy" albums all reached the UK top five and garnered lasting critical praise.

After uneven commercial success in the late 1970s, Bowie had UK number ones with the 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes" and its parent album, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). He paired with Queen for the 1981 UK chart-topping single "Under Pressure", then reached a new commercial peak in 1983 with the album Let's Dance, which yielded the hit singles "Let's Dance", "China Girl", and "Modern Love". Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Bowie continued to experiment with musical styles, including blue- eyed soul, industrial, adult contemporary, and jungle. His last recorded album was Reality (2003), which was supported by the 2003–2004 Reality Tour.

Biographer David Buckley says of Bowie: "His influence has been unique in popular culture—he has permeated and altered more lives than any comparable figure."[2] In the BBC's 2002 poll of the 100 Greatest Britons, Bowie was placed at number 29. Throughout his career, he has sold an estimated 136 million albums. In the United Kingdom, he has been awarded 9 Platinum album certifications, 11 Gold and 8 Silver, and in the United States, 5 Platinum and 7 Gold certifications. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him 39th on their list of the "100 Greatest Rock Artists of All Time", and 23rd on their list of the best singers of all-time.

Example

“Heroes”

I, I will be king And you, you will be queen Though nothing will drive them away We can beat them, just for one day We can be heroes, just for one day

And you, you can be mean And I, I'll drink all the time 'Cause we're lovers, and that is a fact Yes we're lovers, and that is that

Though nothing, will keep us together We could steal time, just for one day We can be heroes, for ever and ever What d'you say?

I, I wish you could swim Like the dolphins, like dolphins can swim Though nothing, nothing will keep us together We can beat them, for ever and ever Oh we can be heroes, just for one day

I, I won't be king And you, you won't be queen Though nothing will drive them away We can be heroes, just for one day We can be us, just for one day

I, I can remember (I remember) Standing, by the wall (by the wall) And the guns, shot above our heads (over our heads) And we kissed, as though nothing could fall (nothing could fall) And the shame, was on the other side Oh we can beat them, for ever and ever Then we could be heroes, just for one day

We can be heroes We can be heroes We can be heroes Just for one day We can be heroes

We're nothing, and nothing will help us Maybe we're lying, then you better not stay But we could be safer, just for one day

Study Questions

1) What is the life attitude of the two lovers in this song?

2) Is their attitude a form of escapism or a genuine heroic gesture?

3) How does the war-like vocabulary of the lyrics fit in with the thematic structure of the song as a whole?

4) What do the lyrics reveal about the human condition in the modern world?

5) Why did the author enclose the song title in quotation marks?

4. PATTI SMITH (B. 1946)

Learning Objectives

The students will be acquainted with the work of Patti Smith, who is not only renowned for her qualities as a singer and political activist, but also for her indisputable poetic talents.

Time Required for this Unit

• Theory: 45 minutes • Tasks: 70 minutes

The Theory

Punk rock's poet laureate, Patti Smith (born in Chicago on December 30, 1946) ranks among the most influential female rock & rollers of all time. Ambitious, unconventional, and challenging, Smith's music was hailed as the most exciting fusion of rock and poetry since Bob Dylan's heyday. She never relied on sex appeal for her success -- she was unabashedly intellectual and creatively uncompromising, and her appearance was usually lean, hard, and androgynous. She also never made an issue of her gender, calling attention to herself as an artist, not a woman; she simply dressed and performed in the spirit of her aggressive, male rock role models, as if no alternative had ever occurred to her. In the process, she obliterated the expectations of what was possible for women in rock, and stretched the boundaries of how artists of any gender could express themselves.

In late 1975 she released her debut album, Horses, which was essentially the first art- punk album. Rapturously received by most critics, Horses offered unorthodox covers of party-rock tunes like "Gloria" and "Land of 1000 Dances" (Smith opened the former with the declaration "Jesus died for someone's sins, but not mine"), as well as a mix of original songs and lengthy, improvisation-driven spoken word pieces. Despite nonexistent airplay, it sold well enough to climb into the Top 50.

The 1976 follow-up, Radio Ethiopia, was credited to the Patti Smith Group, and placed some of Smith's most straightforward rock songs ("Ask the Angels," "Pumping [My Heart]") directly alongside some of her most experimental, free-form pieces (the title track). In early 1977, Smith was performing in Tampa, FL, when she twirled herself right off the stage; she broke two vertebrae in her neck and was forced to take some time off to recuperate. During that period, she wrote a book of poetry titled Babel. She returned to recording in 1978 with Easter, a more accessible nod in the direction of album rock radio, which featured Smith's writing collaboration with Bruce Springsteen, "Because the Night." The ballad climbed to number 13 on the pop charts and sent Easter into the Top 20; plus, 10,000 Maniacs' 1993 cover of "Because the Night" became their biggest pop hit and made the song something of a standard for the Lilith Fair generation. Easter also contained Smith's most notorious cut, "Rock n Roll Nigger," which attempted to redefine the term as a badge of honor for anyone who lived outside the establishment. Some critics roasted her for the conceit in the ensuing controversy, but the song achieved a measure of redemption when it was included on the Natural Born Killers soundtrack in 1994.

1979's Wave found Smith's sound becoming increasingly polished, thanks in part to new producer Todd Rundgren; however, many reviewers found it her least developed set of material. Smith had been living with Blue Öyster Cult keyboardist Allen Lanier for some time, but now took up with MC5/Sonic's Rendezvous Band guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith; indeed, Wave's "Dancing Barefoot" and "Frederick" were both dedicated to him. The couple married in 1980, and Smith retired to a life of domesticity near Detroit, raising two children with her husband. In 1988, Smith re-emerged for a one-off album, Dream of Life, on which Fred co-wrote all the material and also played guitar, with backing by Smith Group members Sohl and Daugherty. However, it wasn't

intended to establish a full-fledged comeback, and Smith disappeared from music again following its release. She continued to write, however, completing a poetry collection called Woolgathering (among other projects), and gave occasional readings.

Sadly, in the span of a few years, Smith lost some of her closest associates: longtime friend and album-cover photographer Robert Mapplethorpe died in 1989, followed a year later by pianist Richard Sohl. At the end of 1994, both her husband and her brother Todd died of heart failure, within a month of one another. A grief-stricken Smith returned to performing as a means of therapy, and re-formed the Patti Smith Group -- with Kaye, Daugherty, and new bassist Tony Shanahan -- for a few small-scale tours aimed at reconnecting with her audience and reorienting herself to the concert stage. In 1996, the group entered the studio and recorded Gone Again, which featured a new second guitarist in Oliver Ray and guest spots from Tom Verlaine, John Cale, and Jeff Buckley. Gone Again took a stronger, more optimistic tone than might have been expected, and was well received by many critics. Following closely on its heels, Peace and Noise appeared in 1997 and earned a Grammy nomination for the track "1959"; a much darker affair than its predecessor, it took into account the deaths of two more of Smith's inspirations, Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs. Smith returned in 2000 with Gung Ho, the most aggressive-sounding and socially conscious album of her comeback; the song "Glitter in Their Eyes" also earned her a second Grammy nomination.

Example

In My Blakean Year

In my Blakean year I was so disposed Toward a mission yet unclear Advancing pole by pole Fortune breathed into my ear Mouthed a simple ode One road is paved in gold One road is just a road

In my Blakean year Such a woeful schism The pain of our existence Was not as I envisioned Boots that trudged from track to track Worn down to the sole One road is paved in gold One road is just a road

Boots that tread from track to track Worn down to the sole One road is paved in gold One road is just a road

In my Blakean year Temptation but a hiss Just a shallow spear Robed in cowardice

Brace yourself for bitter flack For a life sublime A labyrinth of riches Never shall unwind The threads that bind the pilgrim's sack Are stitched into the Blakean back So throw off your stupid cloak Embrace all that you fear For joy will conquer all despair In my Blakean year

Study Questions

1) Which two human emotions seem to be at conflict in these lyrics?

2) What kind of journey is being described by the song?

3) How do the references to Blake affect the mood of the song?

4) What is the significance of time within the song’s framework?

5) How do the images of clothing and the lack of thereof bear on the song’s ultimate message?

5. TOM WAITS (B. 1949)

Learning Objectives

The students will be acquainted with the life and work of one the most original and idependent artists on the contemoporary music scene: Tom Waits.

Time Required for this Unit

• Theory: 45 minutes • Tasks: 180 minutes

The Theory

Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, composer and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."[1] With this trademark growl, his incorporation of pre-rock music styles such as blues, jazz, and vaudeville, and experimental tendencies verging on industrial music,[2] Waits has built up a distinctive musical persona. He has worked as a composer for movies and musical plays and as a supporting actor in films, including Down By Law and Bram Stoker's Dracula. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his soundtrack work on One from the Heart.

Lyrically, Waits' songs frequently present atmospheric portrayals of grotesque, often seedy characters and places – although he has also shown a penchant for more conventional ballads. He has a cult following and has influenced subsequent songwriters despite having little radio or music video support. His songs are best-known to the general public in the form of cover versions by more visible artists: "Jersey Girl", performed by Bruce Springsteen and "Downtown Train", performed by Rod Stewart. Although Waits' albums have met with mixed commercial success in his native United States, they have occasionally achieved gold album sales status in other countries. He has been nominated for a number of major music awards and has won Grammy Awards for two albums, Bone Machine and Mule Variations. In 2010, Waits was chosen to be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.[3][4]

Waits currently lives in Sonoma County, California with his wife, Kathleen Brennan, and three children.

Example

Innocent When You Dream

The bats are in the belfry the dew is on the moor where are the arms that held me and pledged her love before and pledged her love before

It's such a sad old feeling the fields are soft and green it's memories that I'm stealing but you're innocent when you dream when you dream you're innocent when you dream

Running through the graveyard we laughed my friends and I we swore we'd be together until the day we died until the day we died

It's such a sad old feeling the fields are soft and green it's memories that I'm stealing but you're innocent when you dream when you dream you're innocent when you dream

I made a golden promise that we would never part I gave my love a locket and then I broke her heart and then I broke her heart

It's such a sad old feeling the fields are soft and green it's memories that I'm stealing but you're innocent when you dream when you dream you're innocent when you dream

Study Questions

1) In what sense does the setting of the lyrics set the mood of this song?

2) Track the themes of this song.

3) Does the act of ‘stealing memories’ bring comfort to the narrator?

4) What do the images of death stand for?

5) Try to interpret the idea of innocence as presented by the lyrics.

6. BOB DYLAN (B. 1941)

Learning Objectives

The students will be acquainted with perhaps the most famous American songwriter of the last fifty years: Bob Dylan. The students will learn about the poetic innovation used in his lyrics.

Time Required for this Unit

• Theory: 45 minutes • Tasks: 120 minutes

The Theory

Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman; May 24, 1941) is an American singer- songwriter who has been a major figure in music for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler, and an apparently reluctant figurehead, of social unrest. A number of his songs such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'" became anthems for the US civil rights and anti-war movements. His early lyrics incorporated a variety of political, social and philosophical, as well as literary influences. They defied existing pop music conventions and appealed hugely to the then burgeoning counterculture. Initially inspired by the songs of Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson, Hank Williams, and the performance styles of Buddy Holly and Little Richard, Dylan has both amplified and personalized musical genres, exploring numerous distinct traditions in American song—from folk, blues and country to gospel, rock and roll, and rockabilly, to English, Scottish, and Irish folk music, embracing even jazz and swing.

Dylan performs with guitar, keyboards, and harmonica. Backed by a changing line-up of musicians, he has toured steadily since the late 1980s on what has been dubbed the Never Ending Tour. His accomplishments as a recording artist and performer have been central to his career, but his greatest contribution is generally considered to be his songwriting.

Since 1994, Dylan has published three books of drawings and paintings, and his work has been exhibited in major art galleries. As a songwriter and musician, Dylan has received numerous awards over the years including Grammy, Golden Globe, and Academy Awards; he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2008, a Bob Dylan Pathway was opened in the singer's honor in his birthplace of Duluth, Minnesota. The Pulitzer Prize jury in 2008 awarded him a special citation for "his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power."

Example

Like A Rolling Stone

Once upon a time you dressed so fine You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you? People'd call, say, "Beware doll, you're bound to fall" You thought they were all kiddin' you You used to laugh about Everybody that was hangin' out Now you don't talk so loud Now you don't seem so proud

About having to be scrounging for your next meal.

How does it feel How does it feel To be without a home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone?

You've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely But you know you only used to get juiced in it And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street And now you find out you're gonna have to get used to it You said you'd never compromise With the mystery tramp, but now you realize He's not selling any alibis As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes And say do you want to make a deal?

How does it feel How does it feel To be on your own With no direction home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone?

You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns When they all come down and did tricks for you You never understood that it ain't no good You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat Ain't it hard when you discover that He really wasn't where it's at After he took from you everything he could steal.

How does it feel How does it feel To be on your own With no direction home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone?

Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people They're drinkin', thinkin' that they got it made Exchanging all precious gifts But you'd better take your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe You used to be so amused At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse

When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.

How does it feel How does it feel To be on your own With no direction home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone?

Study Questions

1) What would you say are the main themes of this song? Are there any biblical overtones?

2) Do the lyrics have a didactic element to them? If so, describe it.

3) From the perspective of the song, can the situation of the central character be viewed as a liberated one?

4) What are the effects of using direct personal questions in the chorus?

5) What images are used to represent both the affluent and the deprived world that the central character inhabits?

7. NICK CAVE (B. 1957)

Learning Objectives

The students will be acquainted with the musical and poetic innovation of arguably the most famous Australian musician of the present times: Nick Cave. Special attention will be paid to the recurrent themes and motifs in Cave’s lyrics.

Time Required for this Unit

• Theory: 45 minutes • Tasks: 70 minutes

The Theory

Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor. He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and musical styles. Before that, he had fronted the group The Birthday Party in the early 1980s, a band renowned for its highly dark, challenging lyrics and violent sound influenced by free jazz, blues, and post-punk.

After goth pioneers the Birthday Party called it quits in 1983, singer/songwriter Nick Cave assembled the Bad Seeds, a post-punk supergroup featuring former Birthday Party guitarist Mick Harvey on drums, ex-Magazine bassist Barry Adamson, and Einstürzende Neubauten guitarist Blixa Bargeld. With the Bad Seeds, Cave continued to explore his obsessions with religion, death, love, America, and violence with a bizarre, sometimes self-consciously eclectic hybrid of blues, gospel, rock, and arty post-punk, although in a more subdued fashion than his work with the Birthday Party. Cave also allowed his literary aspirations to come to the forefront; the lyrics are narrative prose, heavy on literary allusions and myth-making, and take some inspiration from Leonard Cohen. Cave's gloomy lyrics, dark musical arrangements, and deep baritone voice recall the albums of Scott Walker, who also obsessed over death and love with a frightening passion.

Cave released his first album with the Bad Seeds, From Her to Eternity, in 1984, which contained a noteworthy cover of Elvis Presley's "In the Ghetto," foreshadowing much of Cave's style and subject matter on the follow-up The Firstborn Is Dead. Kicking Against the Pricks, an all-covers album, broke the band in England with the help of "The Singer," which hit number one on the U.K. independent charts. The album also strengthened Cave's reputation as an original interpreter and a vocal stylist of note. Following 1986's Your Funeral...My Trial, Cave took a two-year hiatus from recording, partially to appear in Wim Wenders' 1987 film Wings of Desire, and then returned with Tender Prey, which featured Cramps guitarist Kid Congo Powers and Cave's strongest vocals.

Cave's productivity picked up immensely over the next two years after he kicked a heroin habit. He had two books (1988's -King Ink, a collection of lyrics, plays, and prose, and 1989's -And the Ass Saw the Angel, a novel) published; appeared in the 1989 Australian film Ghosts...of the Civil Dead as a prisoner; recorded a soundtrack to the film with Harvey and Bargeld; and released 1990's The Good Son, his most relaxed, quiet album. Cave received his due as one of the leading figures in alternative rock when he was invited to perform on the 1994 edition of the Lollapalooza tour to promote his Let Love In album. Early in 1996, he released Murder Ballads, a collection of songs about murder. Murder Ballads became Cave's most commercially successful album to date, and, with typical perversity, he followed it with the introspective and personal The Boatman's Call in early 1997.

Four years later, a rejuvenated Cave teamed up with the Bad Seeds once again for the piano-laden No More Shall We Part. Nocturama was released in 2003, and the double- album Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus followed by the end of 2004. After touring in support of the album throughout 2005, Cave embarked on a new project called Grinderman with Bad Seeds members Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey, and Jim Sclavunos. The group's self-titled debut was released in 2007, the same year Cave was inducted into Australia's ARIA Hall of Fame. In 2008, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds released Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!

Example

As I Sat Sadly by Her Side

As I sat sadly by her side At the window, through the glass She stroked a kitten in her lap And we watched the world as it fell past Softly she spoke these words to me And with brand new eyes, open wide We pressed our faces to the glass As I sat sadly by her side

She said, "Father, mother, sister, brother, Uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, Soldier, sailor, physician, labourer, Actor, scientist, mechanic, priest Earth and moon and sun and stars Planets and comets with tails blazing All are there forever falling Falling lovely and amazing"

Then she smiled and turned to me And waited for me to reply Her hair was falling down her shoulders As I sat sadly by her side

As I sat sadly by her side The kitten she did gently pass Over to me and again we pressed Our different faces to the glass "That may be very well", I said "But watch the one falling in the street See him gesture to his neighbours See him trampled beneath their feet All outward motion connects to nothing For each is concerned with their immediate need Witness the man reaching up from the gutter See the other one stumbling on who cannot see"

With trembling hand I turned toward her And pushed the hair out of her eyes The kitten jumped back to her lap As I sat sadly by her side

Then she drew the curtains down And said, "When will you ever learn That what happens there beyond the glass Is simply none of your concern? God has given you but one heart You are not a home for the hearts of your brothers

And God does not care for your benevolence Anymore than he cares for the lack of it in others Nor does he care for you to sit At windows in judgement of the world He created While sorrows pile up around you Ugly, useless and over-inflated"

At which she turned her head away Great tears leaping from her eyes I could not wipe the smile from my face As I sat sadly by her side

Study Questions

1) Why does the song have a dialogic structure?

2) Whose arguments are stronger? Who wins the debate?

3) By the evidence of the religious references, is there a moral lesson delivered by the lyrics?

4) What does the woman’s transition from a smile to tears signify?

5) How significant is the presence of the kitten in the text?

8. P. J. HARVEY (B. 1969)

Learning Objectives

The students will be acquainted with the lyrical output of an independent English songwriter P. J. Harvey, considered to be, alongside Janis Joplin and Patti Smith, the greatest female rock star of all times.

Time Required for this Unit

• Theory: 60 minutes • Tasks: 70 minutes

The Theory

Polly Jean Harvey was born in England on October 9th 1969. The daughter of a quarryman father and an artist mother, Polly Jean, or PJ as she is more commonly known, was raised on a sheep farm in Yeovil, Somerset. She learned to play a number of instruments as a child (including guitar, saxophone, and violin) and as a teenager played in several bands. After much procrastination and self-doubt regarding her future profession (she was torn for quite a while between her passion for music and her desire to become either a nurse or a vet) she eventually, at age 21, formed the band dubbed "PJ Harvey" with bassist Steve Vaughn and drummer Robert Ellis. The newly formed trio recorded their debut EP 'Dress' for very little money, but the demos were good enough to get them signed to British indie label Too Pure who released the EP in late 1991 (to enormous acclaim from the British music press.) PJ's first full-length record was released the following Spring, again to lavish praise from the music press. The album was released on the highly credible Island label in the US that same year.

Shortly after touring in support of the record PJ suffered what was very nearly a total nervous breakdown (due to the pressure of her new found acclaim, success, and the strains of touring.) Nevertheless, she recorded her second album 'Rid Of Me' with notorious alternative producer Steve Albini later that year. The record was released in 1993 and was her biggest success to date. After the tour for the album Polly Jean parted ways with the two other members of the band and ventured out alone for her next album, 1995's 'To Bring You My Love'. Yet another critical success upon its February 1995 release, Polly toured the album for the next year, then took 1996 off. She recorded her next album 'Is This Desire?' in late 1997. Its release in 1998 prompted speculation in the music press about her mental state, the album being a deeply disturbing, dark, and confusing work. Ever stoical about her private life, PJ refused (for the most part) to comment. Two years later, after living in New York City for much of 1999, she reunited with her former bandmates and recorded her fifth album 'Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea'. The record was released in 2000 and recieved, as per usual, much acclaim. It was a slightly more mainstream effort than her previous "difficult" works, but nevertheless was well recieved by both old fans and newcomers to her distinctive musical sound. She toured the album for most of 2001 and received the Mercury Music Prize (one of the highest honours in the British music industry) for it on September 12th. She accepted the award by telephone from Washington DC (where she was on tour at the time) and called recieving the award "a very strange end to a very strange 24 hours." (in reference to the terrorist attacks of the previous morning in Washington and New York.) In December 2001 PJ was named the Number 1 female rock star in history by Q magazine.

Example

White Chalk

White chalk hills are all I've known White chalk hills will rot my bones White chalk sticking to my shoes White chalk playing as a child with you

White chalk sat against time White chalk cutting down the sea line I know Mary's by the surf On a path cut 1500 years ago

And I know these chalk hills will rot my bones

Dorset's cliffs meet at the sea Where I walked (Our unborn child in me) White chalk (Poor scattered land)

Scratch my palms There's blood on my hands

Study Questions

1) What does ‘white chalk’ represent in the text?

2) Describe the landscape in which the lyrics are set.

3) How does ‘white chalk’ relate to time?

4) What kind of transcending identity does the poetic voice seem to be aspiring to?

5) How would you interpret the reference to an ‘unborn child’ and ‘blood on my hands’ towards the end of the song?

9. IAN CURTIS (1956-1980)

Learning Objectives

The students will be acquainted with the lyrical legacy as well as the tragic fate of the Manchester based songwriter Ian Curtis whose work with Joy Divison in the late 1970s has been quoted by the followoing generations of British artists as crucial and decisive for the whole music industry.

Time Required for this Unit

• Theory: 55 minutes • Tasks: 120 minutes

The Theory

Ian Kevin Curtis was born in Manchester on the 15th July 1956, the son of Kevin and Doreen Curtis. The Curtis family then lived at Hurdsfield, just outside Macclesfield, where Ian attended the local primary school. Later the family moved to a flat at Victoria Park, near Macclesfield town centre, which was Ian’s home until 1973.

At the age of 11 Ian won a scholarship to the King’s School in Macclesfield. Although he was reasonably successful at school, Ian had little interest in academic advancement, and his ambition was to get a job in the music industry. His love of music had developed from an early age, his teenage heroes including David Bowie, Iggy Pop and the Velvet Underground. The first step on his musical career was a job at Rare Records, a shop in Manchester city centre. This helped to expand his musical interests.

Ian Curtis had met Deborah Woodruffe while they were both still at school in Macclesfield. They were married on 23rd August 1975, at St Thomas’s church in Henbury, a few miles west of Macclesfield. Ian and Deborah lived first in Hulme and then in Chadderton, and in May 1977 moved into 77 Barton Street in Macclesfield. Their life together is described in detail in Deborah’s book Touching From A Distance. Their only child, daughter Natalie, was born on 16th April 1979.

Seeing the Sex Pistols perform in Manchester in 1976 had convinced Ian that he too could make it on stage. Ian had made abortive attempts to form a band with his friends in Macclesfield. His break came when he got to know Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook, who were trying to do the same in Salford but lacked a singer. When Ian contacted them to enquire about the vacancy, they were happy to join forces with him. The band history page tells the story of how things developed from there.

As well as being Joy Division’s vocalist, Ian Curtis also wrote the song lyrics. Lyrically he was inspired by, among others, W S Burroughs, J G Ballard and David Bowie. Many of Joy Division’s songs were written in the house in Barton Street, and Ian had a stock of notebooks into which he jotted ideas as they came to him. Many people assume that his lyrics must reflect his own feelings and problems, but perhaps they just reflect his talent for writing a meaningful song.

Ian’s first (and last) “proper” job was as a civil servant for the Manpower Services Commission, initially in Manchester and later in Macclesfield. His job required him to work closely with disabled people He tried to juggle a full-time job with his life in the band until his musical commitments became too great for him to manage both.

While working in Manchester, Ian was a frequent visitor to the nearby office of the RCA record company. It was mainly Ian’s persistency which led to Joy Division being given a contract to record their first album, although this was never officially released. Ian is also famous for haranguing Granada TV’s Tony Wilson in order to get Joy Division an appearance on his TV show.

Ian had a volatile personality, and could show different sides at different times and with different people. He could sometimes be angry and spiteful, but more often was easy- going and generous. Although his health, his career and his personal life all brought many pressures, Ian is usually recalled by those who knew him as a fun-loving person, albeit a slightly eccentric one, with a good sense of humour.

In January 1979 Ian was diagnosed as epileptic. Although his fits varied in frequency and intensity, epilepsy was an ever-present concern from then on. Not only did Ian have to take regular medication, which seemed to make his mood swings more extreme, but fits could be brought on by strobe lighting in some of the clubs. His frenetic stage style mirrored the epileptic fits he suffered. Ian’s experience of epilepsy in himself and others inspired him to write She’s Lost Control. Ian was also a heavy smoker, possibly another sign of the stress he was under.

The pressures of working in a touring band played havoc with Ian’s health and his marriage. A number of Joy Division concerts were curtailed or cancelled when Ian was taken ill. Once he was hopitalised for a few days following an epileptic fit. His involvement with a Belgian girl named Annik Honoré further undermined his already fragile relationship with his wife Deborah. After Ian gave up his full-time job, he and Deborah had little money, so Deborah was forced to work herself despite having a baby to look after.

On May 18th 1980 Ian Curtis killed himself at his home in Macclesfield His suicide came as a great shock to those who knew him. With the benefit of hindsight, many apparent clues to his frame of mind can be found, but no one really knows what drove Ian to take his own life.

Example

Love Will Tear Us Apart

When the routine bites hard And ambitions are low And the resentment rides high But emotions won't grow And we're changing our ways Taking different roads Then love, love will tear us apart again

Why is the bedroom so cold Turned away on your side? Is my timing that flawed Our feelings run dry? Yet there's still this appeal That we've kept through our lives Love, love will tear us apart again

Do you cry out in your sleep All my failings exposed

Get a taste in my mouth As desperation takes hold Is it something so good Just can't function no more? When love, love will tear us apart again

Study Questions

1) How would you describe the speaker’s state of mind?

2) What hints are there of a collapsing relationship?

3) If there is a note of hope, where in the text would you find it?

4) Why do you think so many people have identified with these lyrics?

5) What is noticeable about the language of the text?

10. MORRISSEY (B. 1959)

Learning Objectives

The students will be acquainted with the widely popular figure of Morrisey whose distinctive style of self-presentation and songwriting has won him a legendary status with his fans and among colleagues in the music industry.

Time Required for this Unit

• Theory: 55 minutes • Tasks: 60 minutes

The Theory

Stephen Patrick Morrissey was born May 22, 1959, in Manchester, England; not surprisingly a shy, awkward youth, he became obsessed with music and film as a teenager and devoted his writing talents to penning a New York Dolls fanzine (he was the president of their U.K. fan club), as well as a tribute to James Dean and numerous opinionated letters to the weekly music paper Melody Maker. During the explosion of punk in the late '70s, Morrissey unsuccessfully auditioned for Slaughter & the Dogs and sang for a brief period with a band called the Nosebleeds. He met guitarist Johnny Marr in 1982 and the two began writing songs together, forging one of the most productive partnerships British pop had seen in quite some time. The Smiths' 1983 debut single, "Hand in Glove," a love song filled with oblique references to homosexuality, made them an underground sensation in the U.K. and as Morrissey attracted more attention, he demonstrated a flair for manipulating the media. His interviews were filled with blunt, unpredictable opinions and intentionally outrageous statements and his notoriety wasn't hurt by his stage presence (he performed wearing a hearing aid with flowers sticking out of his back pockets) or his self-proclaimed celibacy in the wake of much speculation about his sexuality. Possessed of a darkly cynical bent as a lyricist, he was often misinterpreted as advocating some of the more disturbing things he sang about, which only added to the furor surrounding the band. The Smiths' eponymous 1984 debut was a smash in the U.K. and in its wake, Morrissey began promoting his political views, heavily criticizing Margaret Thatcher, and advocating vegetarianism (hence the title of the follow-up LP, Meat Is Murder). The Queen Is Dead (1986) was acclaimed as a masterpiece, but friction between Morrissey and Marr was growing. Marr departed after 1987's Strangeways, Here We Come and Morrissey broke up the rest of the band to begin a solo career.

Feeling betrayed by Marr's defection, Morrissey channeled his frustration into creating new material with producer Stephen Street. His first two solo singles, "Suedehead" and the gorgeous "Everyday Is Like Sunday," were significant British hits in 1988 and his first album, Viva Hate (its title a reference to the Smiths' breakup), was commercially and critically well-received. He released several more high-quality singles, including "The Last of the International Playboys" and "Interesting Drug," but spent an inordinate amount of time laboring on the follow-up album, issuing the stopgap compilation Bona Drag in 1990. In the meantime, the Madchester fad was sweeping British indie music and when the lackluster Kill Uncle was finally released in 1991, it only magnified the disappointment. U.K. reviewers took Morrissey to task, suggesting that the record marked the end of his glory days and that he would never be able to match the songs he'd written in tandem with Marr. A misperceived flirtation with British nationalism (not helped by a couple of seemingly racial caricatures in recent songs) tarnished his image even more in the U.K. press during 1992, this coming amid even more frequent reports of feuds with his managers, business associates, and ex-bandmates. All the controversy overshadowed the fact that 1992's Mick Ronson-produced Your Arsenal was a smashing return to form; Morrissey used his new guitar tandem of Alain Whyte (who co-wrote much of the material) and Boz Boorer (formerly of rockabilly revivalists the Polecats) to full advantage in crafting a crunchy, glammed-up record.

His confidence renewed by his American success (to the point where he permanently moved to Los Angeles ), Morrissey delivered an equally strong follow-up in 1994's calmer Vauxhall and I, which even got him his first Top 50 singles-chart entry in the

U.S. with the MTV-supported "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get." A hit-and- miss compilation, The World of Morrissey, followed in 1995, after which he switched labels (from Sire to RCA) for the first time since the Smiths' debut album. Also issued in 1995 was the prog rock-informed Southpaw Grammar which confounded many and perhaps prevented him from expanding his American audience past a now-sizable group of longtime listeners. In 1996, he moved to another new label, this time Island, and released Maladjusted the following year. It failed to sell well outside of his most fanatical followers and his relationship with Island ended in 1998. In the years that followed, Morrissey remained a massively popular touring attraction on the strength of his singular identity.

Example

Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now

I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour But heaven knows I'm miserable now I was looking for a job, and then I found a job And heaven knows I'm miserable now

In my life Why do I give valuable time To people who don't care if I live or die?

Two lovers entwined pass me by And heaven knows I'm miserable now I was looking for a job, and then I found a job And heaven knows I'm miserable now

In my life Oh, why do I give valuable time To people who don't care if I live or die?

What she asked of me at the end of the day Caligula would have blushed "You've been in the house too long" she said And I (naturally) fled

In my life Why do I smile At people who I'd much rather kick in the eye?

I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour But heaven knows I'm miserable now "You've been in the house too long" she said And I (naturally) fled

In my life Why do I give valuable time To people who don't care if I live or die?

Study Questions

1) What is the central emotion evoked by these lyrics?

2) Which part of a young man’s life do the lyrics trace?

3) Describe the personality of the narrator.

4) Do the lyrics tell us anything about the social setting and the social position of the narrator?

5) What part does irony play in the text?

11. NEIL YOUNG (B. 1945)

Learning Objectives

The students will be acquainted with the main features of the unique and innovative sonwriting techniques of the Canadian bard Neil Young.

Time Required for this Unit

• Theory: 50 minutes • Tasks: 60 minutes

The Theory

Despite the fact that he hails from Canada, Neil Young has managed to become one of the most memorable, distinctive, prolific, and influential artists in American folk-rock.

Born in Toronto in 1945, Neil's musical skills were encouraged from the time he was quite young. When he was just a boy, Neil's father gave him a ukelele for Christmas.

Soon after, his parents divorced, and Neil moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, with his mother. Soon he developed an affinity for guitar and banjo, which would stick with him throughout his adolescence. Eventually, he dropped out of high school to concentrate more on his band - Neil Young and the Squires.

Through the help of his mother, Neil and the Squires developed a decent following in the area during the early 1960s. After the band split up in 1965, Neil made a solo pitch to Elektra records. He was unsuccessful in signing with Elektra, and turned instead to the local coffeehouse circuit, where he played both solo and with a band called the Mynah Birds, which featured then undiscovered Rick James.

After the Mynah Birds split, Neil and the drummer formed Buffalo Springfield. During their two years as a band, they recorded three very successful records.

Following the demise of Buffalo Springfield, Neil made two solo records. It was the second one that sprung him and his backup band, Crazy Horse, into fame. He joined his friend Steven Stills in 1969, and with David Crosby and Graham Nash, the quartet of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young recorded three records.

During the next thirty years, Neil released numerous solo records, becoming one of the most prolific members of his genre.

Example

After the Gold Rush

Well, I dreamed I saw the knights in armor coming Sayin' something about a queen There were peasants singin' and drummers drumming And the archer split the tree There was a fanfare blowin' to the sun That floated on the breeze Look at mother nature on the run in the nineteen seventies Look at mother nature on the run in the nineteen seventies

I was lyin' in a burned out basement

With a full moon in my eyes I was hopin' for a replacement When the sun burst through the skies There was a band playin' in my head And I felt like getting high Thinkin' about what a friend had said, I was hopin' it was a lie Thinkin' about what a friend had said, I was hopin' it was a lie

Well, I dreamed I saw the silver spaceships flying In the yellow haze of the sun There were children crying and colors flying All around the chosen ones All in a dream, all in a dream The loading had begun Flyin' mother nature's silver seed To a new home in the sun Flyin' mother nature's silver seed To a new home in the sun.

Study Questions

1) How does the three-fold structure of the song shape its overall atmosphere?

2) What effect does the constant switching of perspectives produce?

3) On a purely personal level, what might the narrator actually be describing?

4) Attempt an environmentalist interpretation of the lyrics.

5) Consider the frequent use of sonic images. What do they have in common and what is their function in the text?

12. NICO (1938-1988)

Learning Objectives

The students will be acquainted with the haunting presence of New York’s femme fatale Nico, whose musical and lyrical output represents the best that has ever been produced in the field of ‘goth’ music.

Time Required for this Unit

• Theory: 45 minutes • Tasks: 370 minutes

The Theory

Nico was one of the most fascinating and mysterious women of the multimedia revolution of The Sixties, and long after that till the present day. She was born on October 16th, 1938, in Cologne, in Nazi-controlled Germany. At the age of two she was taken to the little town of Spreewald on the outskirts of Berlin where she lived together with her mother and grandfather, a railway man, through the end of World War II. Her father died in a concentration camp.

In 1960 Nico went to New York to model and enrolled in Lee Strassberg's Method School, joining the same class as Marilyn Monroe, in preparation for a career as a serious actress. Returning to New York later in 1964, Nico went back to work as a model and landed a job singing at the Blue Angel Lounge on 55th Street (all drinks 85¢). She had an affair with French actor Alain Delon, whom she had met in Italy in 1962, and had a child. Nico called the boy Ari. In that period everybody wanted to know that mysterious blonde girl, and gave her short but complete adoration.

Afterwards in Paris, Nico met Bob Dylan who urged her to pursue her career as singer and gave her a song: I'll Keep It with Mine, later recorded on the solo debut-album Chelsea Girl. Dylan wrote her a tribute on his album Blonde on Blonde called Visions of Johanna, later he introduced her to Andy Warhol who began to feature her in his and Paul Morrisey's experimental films.

Legend has it that Nico told Andy: 'I want to sing' and he introduced her to his latest protégés, The Velvet Underground, a part of Warhol's mixed-media Exploding Plastic Inevitable troupe until 1967. At that point Nico gave up modeling and spent a year touring with them. She joined then to sing in long improvisations as well as the classic Lou Reed compositions Femme Fatale, All Tomorrow's Parties and I'll Be Your Mirror. Even before the legendary Banana album was released she went her own way; the band worried about being eclipsed by her haunting, charismatic presence and forced her out of the line-up. The main reason was trouble between her, Lou and John Cale, jealously in love and hate, something Andy loved to witness.

For a while she lived with the young songwriter and recorded several of his early compositions in 1967 along with the song Dylan gave her, unrecorded Velvet Underground tunes like Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams and new Reed/Cale compositions for her solo-album Chelsea Girl.

The tone was set: her deep narcotic monotone voice became one of her trade-marks, as well as her low moans, high cheekbones and heavy make-up, a style resurrected by the goths, who anticipated the 'Nico From The Grave Look'. With John Cale as her producer she made three albums full of mysteries, loaded with strange sounds and feelings and she started touring in a small scale, mostly in France and Spain, sometimes in the early Seventies in New York's CBGB'S. Her performances in those times were unforgettable experiences; her singing, her playing on the old Indian pump organ, almost in a mystical intensity, echoing around the mind of the listener.

On 18 July 1988, she went for a bike-ride on the isle of Ibiza, she was visiting again, a bike rider of a healthy-living woman, almost clean of her narcotic past. people found her

unconscious by the side of her bike, and took her to the Cannes Nisto Hospital, where she died at 8 pm of a brain hemorrhage.

Example

Janitor of Lunacy

Janitor of lunacy Paralyse my infancy Petrify the empty cradle Bring hope to them and me

Janitor of tyranny Testify my vanity Mortalize my memory Deceive the Devil's deed

Tolerate my jealousy Recognize the desperate need

Janitor of lunacy Identify my destiny Revive the living dream Forgive their begging scream

Seal the giving of their seed Disease the breathing grief

Study Questions

1) Nico’s lyrics have often been described as ‘goth’. How does this song support the claim?

2) Describe the imagery of the song. What emotions does it evoke?

3) To what effect are images of motion and paralysis juxtaposed in the text?

4) How does Nico achieve the effect of ritual incantation?

5) The text often refers to ‘them’. Within the context of the lyrics, who may ‘they’ be?

EXAM REQUIREMENTS

The students will write a one-page critical essay analyzing one of the lyrics covered in the classes. They will also create a portfolio representing their creative response to at least five more lyrics presented and discussed in the classes.