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A Stylistic Appraisal of Ciara Wilson's “Paint It, Black”

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A Stylistic Appraisal of Ciara Wilson's “Paint It, Black” 64 6 A STYLISTIC APPRAISAL OF CIARA WILSON’S “PAINT IT, BLACK” IN THE LIGHT OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC _______________________________________ By Kaan, Aondover Theophilus Department of Languages and Linguistics, Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina State 07069021900 [email protected] & Dr. Chris K. Ukande Department of Languages and Linguistics, Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina State 08029867342 [email protected] Abstract Music is a form of poetry in its own right. However, many scholars have neglected the linguistic study of music. As a form of poetry, the language of music can also be analysed stylistically using linguistic tools. Unfortunately, few studies have been carried out on music and as such, fewer linguistic studies have been carried out on the songs of Ciara Wilson. This paper sets out to identify the unique stylistic features of Ciara’s song, “Paint it, Black”, as a contemporary music. Using the Stylometry analysis as its theoretical framework, the paper employs the quantitative method of analysis and the data is sourced from online lyrics of the song. The style is analysed based on such frames as Graphology, Lexis, Lexico-semantics, among others. The findings of the study reveal that Ciara’s “Paint it, Blackis characterised by deviant linguistic usages of the contemporary era; dominant use of the first person pronoun that echo realism as contemporary as well as the theme of racism and inequality with all its contemporariness among others. All these features are made visible through the aggregation of linguistic tools such as punctuations, lexical repetitions, lexico-semantic dominance of the colour “black” to drive home the theme among others. Keywords: Stylistic appraisal, Contemporary music, racism, realism 65 ANSU Journal of Language and Literary A Stylistic Appraisal of Clara Wilson’s “Paint it Black” in the Light of Studies (AJLLS) Vol.2 No.1 Contemporary Music - Kaan, Aondover Theophilus & Dr. Chris K. Ukande Introduction crossover appeal” (Encyclopaedia Every individual has a style of Britannica). Many linguists and literary language use. “Style reflects the unique scholars do not find it enthusiastic personality and thoughts of the writer,” researching into music. This may be an (Pushpinder & Jindal, 2007). “Style is the intentional avoidance or it may be due to the manner, in which something is presented, fact that many forget that music is also a and this approach concentrates on the form of poetry. Nevertheless, few researches peculiarities of diction and imagery have been carried out on music; especially employed, something relating them to on contemporary music. This is a major literary and social theory,” (Kundan, 2011). factor that informed the choice of the paper. Stylistics sprang up in the second Ciara’s “Paint it, Black” is a half of the twentieth century in Anglo- contemporary music based on the year of American criticism through the work of production. The song uses colour and this is Saussure on the language of Literature. an intentional occurrence in it. Black, which When Roman Jakobson (1960) wrote“ is a hyponym of colour, gives a hint of Closing Statement: Linguistics and Poetics” relativity in the subject matter it revolves which was published in Sebeok, T. around. The paper x-rays the style of the (Ed.),Language and Style, discourse on style song and the interpretation of colour in was developed within the framework of it.The question is: Is it possible for a song or rhetoric. But since then, the study of style literary genre to be interpreted as has taken different dimensions. Stylistics is contemporary or not? Stylistics is one way the application of linguistic frames in the we can know this. study of Literature and Discourse. Stylistics involves bringing about linguistic evidence Statement of the Problem to support conclusions arrived at in literary Prominence has been given to work. It tries to give a scientific backing to literary stylistics more than linguistic the choice of linguistic expression. It is a stylistics. This study is a contribution to bridge between Linguistics and Literature. literature on linguistic stylistics. Obviously, This is because in stylistics, a literary theory a stylistic analysis of music is rarely carried of grammar must be used in analysing a out. This is more or less a problem that the literary work and all the interpretations and paper seeks to address and to draw the analyses must revolve around that linguistic attention of scholars to the fact that music is theory. an advanced form of oral poetry which There are basically two approaches addresses different issues, thoughts and to stylistics: the quantitative stylistics and interpretations and is open for all forms of the qualitative stylistics. This work makes analysis and criticism. This paper therefore, use of the quantitative analysis which deals uses both linguistic and literary tools in with classifying features which are counted stylistically analysing the lyrics of Ciara’s based on their frequency of occurrence. The “Paint it, Black” and in examining the qualitative or determinate stylistics is not unique style employed by the artist to prove interested in the frequency of occurrence. that Urban contemporary music is a “Paint it, Black” is a contemporary music. “musical genre from the 1970s to present date which is defined by recordings, rhythm and blues or soul artists with broad 66 ANSU Journal of Language and Literary A Stylistic Appraisal of Clara Wilson’s “Paint it Black” in the Light of Studies (AJLLS) Vol.2 No.1 Contemporary Music - Kaan, Aondover Theophilus & Dr. Chris K. Ukande Review of Related Scholarship emotions from the music. Though a stylistic Albert Oikelome (2009) in his study study, the approach of the study differs from titled “Highlife Jazz: A Stylistic Analysis of the present one in methodology and song the Music of Fela Anikulapo Kuti,” looks at selection. the stylistic elements in Fela’s highlife songs Ferdows Agha-Golzadeh & Amir such as: “Lagos Baby” and “Ako pe” The Ghorban (2016) in their work titled “We research findings indicate that stylistic Don’t Need No Education: Analysis of Pink elements in Fela’s highlife songs include: Floyd’s Song Lyrics”, study the stylistic short simple, repetitive melody, harmonic devices in the verses of Pink Floyd’s song pattern, dominant chord, subdominant, lyrics, “Another Brick in the Wall” both its syncopation rhythm which were all present parts 1 and 2; and the interlude between in the work and inline with western tonal them, “The Happiest Days of Our Lives”. system and harmonic form. He also observes They convey the main theme of the lyrics by the use of native language and Pidgin studying the phonetics/phonology, lexico- English as in “Ako pe” and identifies the grammar, and semantics, and also look into use of foreign element as a style used by how all these stylistic features interact to Fela Kuti with a fusion of western idioms make the lyrics mean what they do. Their like Jazz, blues, soul, funk and Afro-Latin study concludes with the finding that the music which he believes occur as a result of verses make use of a variety of stylistic Fela’s exposure to Europe in his earlier techniques to communicate the main theme years. The approach of that study is however of the lyrics, which is centred on the sense different from the present study. of isolation and abandonment, and to fit into Christopher Endrinal (2008) the musical rhythm and feeling connected to investigates form and style in the music of it. The methodological concern and song U2. Although his research focuses on music selection differ from the current study. and not linguistics, he observes that the A group of authors by the pen name, styles used include the use of an active bass. The Rolling Stones, published an article He examines elements such as harmony, titled “Paint it, Black”, in which they melody, lyrics, instrumentation, timbre, investigate some connotative meanings the recording and production techniques, song “Paint it, Black” could possibly be rhythm and meter to be present in the music interpreted to mean. First of all, they note of U2.The research finds out that U2 has that the song is written from the point of used these elements to give his music a view of a depressed person who wants formal design. everything to turn black so as to match his Daniel Johnson (1979) in a study mood. The study shows three connotative titled “A Stylistic Analysis of the Early and meanings of the song and also calls to mind Late Songs of Modest Petrovich that the words and title were first used in a Mussorgsky (1939-1881)” tries to examine song which was first released in 1966 in a the style used in the early, middle and late U.S music album titled “Aftermath” by period songs of Mussorgsky and Mick Jagger before Ciara released hers. This differentiate the styles that define his various study can better be situated within the periods of songs. The result shows that the context of a Semantic study and so contrasts later songs had a dramatic recitative style with the current study and Mussorgsky invented new ways of Alexander Eiter (2017) in his study achieving effects and wringing new on “‘Haters Gonna Hate’: A Corpus 67 ANSU Journal of Language and Literary A Stylistic Appraisal of Clara Wilson’s “Paint it Black” in the Light of Studies (AJLLS) Vol.2 No.1 Contemporary Music - Kaan, Aondover Theophilus & Dr. Chris K. Ukande Linguistic Analysis of the Use of Non- Ogwuche, 2016). Stylometry uses stylistic Standard English in Pop Songs,” analysis to investigate stylistic patterns, investigates nonstandard features of English authorship or idiolect of a text. It examines using some words in Ciara’s Song “Haters word length, sentence length connectives, gonna Hate” and other words from other collocations which have been used songs that contain successful Pop songs unconsciously.
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