Society in Goth Music: Siouxie and the Banshees 1978 – 80
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BRITISH SOCIETY IN GOTHIC ROCK: Siouxsie and the Banshees 1978–79 Master’s thesis Sami Hurmerinta University of Jyväskylä Department of Languages English September 2014 JYVÄSKYLÄN YLIOPISTO Tiedekunta – Faculty Laitos – Department Humanistinen tiedekunta Kielten laitos Tekijä – Author Sami Hurmerinta Työn nimi – Title BRITISH SOCIETY IN GOTHIC ROCK: Siouxsie and the Banshees 1978–79 Oppiaine – Subject Työn laji – Level Englannin kieli Pro Gradu -tutkielma Aika – Month and year Sivumäärä – Number of pages Syyskuu 2014 87 sivua + 4 liitettä Tiivistelmä – Abstract Tutkielman tarkoituksena on tarkastella, kuinka 1970-luvun brittiläistä yhteiskuntaa käsitellään Siouxsie and the Banshees -yhtyeen sanoituksissa. Siouxsie and the Banshees perustettiin 1970-luvun lopulla punk-musiikin jälkimainingeissa ja sitä pidetään yhtenä ensimmäisistä goottirock-yhtyeistä. Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan sitä, jatkuuko punk-alakulttuurille ominainen yhteiskuntakritiikki Bansheesin sanoituksissa vai vastaako yhtyeen musiikki nykykäsitystä, jonka mukaan goottirock on enimmäkseen epäpoliittista. Tutkielman teoreettisena viitekehyksenä käytettiin kriittisen diskurssianalyysin (CDA) taustaoletuksia. Kriittinen diskurssianalyysi mahdollistaa useiden eri lähetysmistapojen yhdistämisen, ja tässä tutkielmassa hyödynnettiin lähinnä transitiivisuuden, metaforan ja intertekstuaalisuuden tutkimuksen työkaluja. Tutkielmassa käsitellään neljää Siouxsie and the Bansheesin kappaletta, jotka on valittu yhtyeen kahdelta ensimmäiseltä levyltä The Scream ja Join Hands. Valitut kappaleet Metal Postcard (Mittageisen), Premature Burial, Nicotine Stain ja Suburban Relapse edustavat neljää levyjen kappaleissa esiintyvää vallitsevaa teemaa: 1) auktoriteettien vastustaminen, 2) yksilöllisyys, 3) henkinen ja fyysinen riippuvuus ja 4) ihmisten hämmentyneisyys esimerkiksi oman identiteetin suhteen muuttuvassa yhteiskunnassa. Analysoidut kappaleet sisältävät punk-sanoituksille ominaisia kerronnallisia piirteitä, kuten kerronta ensimmäisessä persoonassa ja tekstin sisäisen kertojaäänen ja vastaanottajan vaihtelu tekstin eri osissa. Punkin tavoin Bansheesin sanoitukset ottavat kantaa yhteiskunnan ilmiöihin, kuten oikeiston suosion kasvuun, median vaikutusvaltaan, tarpeeseen sopeutua yhteiskunnan normeihin, tupakoinnin terveysvaikutuksiin ja tupakkamarkkinoiden leviämiseen sekä perheväkivaltaan. Toisin kuin monien Punk-yhtyeiden sanoitukset, Bansheesin kappaleet eivät kuitenkaan kritisoi asioita suoraan ja korostavasti, vaan kertovat niistä usein yliluonnollisia elementtejä sisältävien tarinoiden kautta ja jättävät moraalisten näkökulmien pohdinnan kuulijoille. critical discourse analysis, music, punk rock, goth rock, British society Säilytyspaikka – Depository Muita tietoja – Additional information CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION (PUNK ROCK, GOTHIC ROCK AND SOCIETY) ...................... 4 2. BRITAIN 1960–1980 ..................................................................................................... 7 2.1 Post-war years.......................................................................................................... 8 2.2 1961–1963 – Financial trouble and new criticism ................................................... 9 2.3 1964–1967 – Towards ‘permissive society’ .......................................................... 10 2.4 1968–1970 – Rising nationalism, student protests and Labour’s defeat ............... 12 2.5 1970–1974 – Conservative rule and increasing violence ...................................... 15 2.6 1974–1976 – Financial crisis and increasing polarisation ..................................... 18 2.7 1977–1979 – The last years of Labour .................................................................. 21 2.8 Late 1979 ............................................................................................................... 24 3. FROM EARLY PUNK ROCK TO THE BANSHEES ............................................... 25 3.1 The rise and fall of Punk Rock .............................................................................. 25 3.2 Post-Punk and Gothic Rock ................................................................................... 34 3.3 Gothic subculture and ideology ............................................................................. 40 3.4 Siouxsie and the Banshees ..................................................................................... 41 4. DATA AND METHODS ............................................................................................. 45 4.1 Data ........................................................................................................................ 45 4.2 Theoretical framework and analytical tools .......................................................... 46 4.3 Critical discourse analysis ..................................................................................... 47 4.4 Analytical tools ...................................................................................................... 51 4.2.1 Metaphor ................................................................................................................ 51 4.2.2 Systemic-functional grammar and transitivity ...................................................... 54 4.2.3 Intertextuality and interdiscursivity ....................................................................... 57 5. ANALYSIS .................................................................................................................. 58 5.1 Anti-authoritarianism – Metal postcard (mittageisen)........................................... 58 5.2 Individualism – Premature burial .......................................................................... 64 5.3 Addiction and dependence – Nicotine stain .......................................................... 69 5.4 Human confusion – Suburban relapse ................................................................... 73 6. DISCUSSION .............................................................................................................. 77 6.1 The Banshees in relation to Punk and Goth Rock ...................................................... 77 6.2 The methodology and results in a wider context........................................................ 80 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................ 83 APPENDIX 1: Metal Postcard (Mittageisen) ...................................................................... 88 APPENDIX 2: Premature Burial .......................................................................................... 89 APPENDIX 3: Nicotine Stain .............................................................................................. 90 APPENDIX 4: Suburban Relapse ........................................................................................ 91 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figure 1. Fairclough’s three-dimensional model of discourse ............................................. 46 Table 1. Types and modes of relation .................................................................................. 57 4 1. INTRODUCTION (PUNK ROCK, GOTHIC ROCK AND SOCIETY) The Goth movement is often more disinterested in social and political values than many other subcultures, focusing largely on personal beliefs and often disregarding wider culture; although like any generalization this does not always stand. (Tutorgig Encyclopedia, 2004) A general conception of Goth music seems to be that the lyrics mostly describe the inner world of the songwriter(s). While this might be the case in some songs, Goth music essentially originated from punk, which was a socio-political movement as well as a musical and a fashion movement. Would it then seem likely that that some of the social or political awareness of punk could also be seen in Goth music? In this study want to examine how and to what extent the ideologies of Punk Rock are expressed in the early work of Siouxsie and the Banshees by examining lyrics from their first two albums, The Scream (1978) and Join Hands (1979). According to Hebdige (1979: 40), Punk was born out of youth’s boredom and alienation, and as a result of influences of black culture on the working class youth. While this might not be true for all Punk rockers, bands such as The Clash, seemed to identify themselves with the black culture. The Clash, for example wrote the song White Riot about the Notting Hill Carnival riot where black (and some white) youths clashed with the Police in 1976. In their eyes, black people had the ‘guts’ to riot for their rights while the white youth did nothing. Pop culture and popular music have been capable of influencing consumers’ opinions long before the emergence of music television or Internet, and from early on they have also been used to express political opinions. Garofalo (1992: 2) suggests that popular culture and especially popular music provide an “arena where ideological struggle – the struggle over the power to define – takes place”, and adds that popular music can challenge hegemonic power. As Bennett (2000: 41) points out, as early as in the 60s, artists started expressing their views on a variety of socio-political issues, such as the Vietnam War, through their music – reaching millions of listeners. The growing influence of popular culture on cultural production and reproduction has also made rock music an interesting subject of sociological and anthropological study. If Goth music is considered introverted, a very common