An Analysis of Beyoncé's "Freedom" and Janelle Monáe's "Americans"
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Claremont Colleges Scholarship @ Claremont HMC Senior Theses HMC Student Scholarship 2021 Protest Music in Response to the United States’ Oppressive Political Culture: An Analysis of Beyoncé's "Freedom" and Janelle Monáe's "Americans" Jessica Torrey Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/hmc_theses Part of the African American Studies Commons, American Politics Commons, Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, Music Performance Commons, Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Other Music Commons, Political History Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Social History Commons, Social Justice Commons, United States History Commons, Women's History Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Torrey, Jessica, "Protest Music in Response to the United States’ Oppressive Political Culture: An Analysis of Beyoncé's "Freedom" and Janelle Monáe's "Americans"" (2021). HMC Senior Theses. 249. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/hmc_theses/249 This Open Access Senior Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the HMC Student Scholarship at Scholarship @ Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in HMC Senior Theses by an authorized administrator of Scholarship @ Claremont. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PROTEST MUSIC IN RESPONSE TO THE UNITED STATES’ OPPRESSIVE POLITICAL CULTURE: AN ANALYSIS OF BEYONCÉ’S “FREEDOM” AND JANELLE MONÁE’S “AMERICANS” by JESSICA CAROL TORREY SUBMITTED TO SCRIPPS COLLEGE DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE AT HARVEY MUDD COLLEGE PROFESSOR CHARLES W. KAMM PROFESSOR YOUYOUNG KANG MAY 10, 2021 Torrey ii Abstract This paper aims to study a popular musical artist’s responsibility towards the empowerment of marginalized communities in the United States through an analysis of the songs “Freedom” by Beyoncé and “Americans” by Janelle Monáe. These songs will be analyzed in conjunction with the political climate during the time of their fabrication and release as well as the political climates discussed in the songs themselves. This paper presents a thorough analysis of the lyrical and musical components of both songs as well as an analysis of a specific performance of both songs. These analyses will be presented in conversation with many scholars and authors who have studied and written about the effects of music on various social movements. Insights into these components of “Freedom” and “Americans” will exhibit many ways in which both Beyoncé and Janelle Monáe have successfully used their platforms as talented and popular musical artists to address social and political climates that oppress marginalized communities, to take action against oppression and to empower those with marginalized identities. Torrey iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my thesis advisor and first reader, Professor Charles W. Kamm. Thank you for your continuous support throughout this difficult semester. I thoroughly enjoyed all of our thesis meetings and our discussions about my research. I would also like to thank my second reader, Professor YouYoung Kang. Thank you for being flexible with the timeline of my thesis and for reading my work. I would like to thank my partner, Thomas Fleming, for talking through ideas with me, proofreading my thesis and supporting me throughout the writing process. Thank you for being a major source of inspiration and stress relief. I would like to thank my family for exposing me to so much music throughout my life. I would like to thank my parents for allowing me to discover the power of music and social justice at school as well as at home. I would like to thank my sister for being there for me and playing music with me ever since we were kids. I would like to thank New Roads School for giving me the drive and commitment towards creating social change. For 13 years, you let me grow up in a supportive environment that constantly emphasized the importance of activism and art. I would like to thank my dogs, Molly and Lily, for being such a wonderful source of comfort and happiness in my life. Molly, I will miss you forever. Torrey iv Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... iii Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 Methodology ................................................................................................................................ 26 “Freedom” by Beyoncé ................................................................................................................ 35 Lyrical Analysis ............................................................................................................... 38 Musical Analysis .............................................................................................................. 46 Performance Analysis and Social Impact ........................................................................ 48 “Americans” by Janelle Monáe ................................................................................................... 58 Lyrical Analysis ............................................................................................................... 60 Musical Analysis .............................................................................................................. 77 Performance Analysis ...................................................................................................... 82 LGBTQ+ Representation and Social Impact ................................................................... 91 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 97 Appendix .................................................................................................................................... 100 Works Cited ............................................................................................................................... 108 Torrey 1 Introduction Music as a Long-standing Source of Solidarity in Politicized Social Movements and Protests: A Musical Artist’s Responsibility Towards the Empowerment of Marginalized Communities I decided to study the social effects of modern protest music because, as a musician, I wanted to learn about the ways in which I can use my voice to create positive social change. I wanted to equip myself with further information about how musicians have used their sound to address the world around them in a socially conscious and impactful manner. It takes practice, care and an ongoing desire to learn to effectively address important, yet complex topics related to creating real social change. I wanted to learn from artists who have taken the time and energy, used their resources and power and thought critically enough about the world around them to create something beautifully personal and socially impactful. While there are many ways that social change can be implemented and music can be enjoyed, I found the intersection between music and social justice to be particularly intriguing. Growing up in the 21st century, I have lived through countless injustices occurring around me and have been consistently exposed to protest music in response to these injustices. While protest music is and has been a common response to social unrest throughout history, I wanted to study music that specifically addressed the social and political climate I have experienced from a new perspective. I wanted to learn about what artists have accomplished and what artists are still doing today in hopes to better understand my responsibility as an active member of the United States in the 21st century and as a musician. Music is a powerful tool that can be used to combat oppression. It creates change and raises awareness of past and present-day systemic problems in the United States. As we have seen time and time again, there are huge systemic inequalities that go unaddressed, which can be incredibly detrimental to those experiencing injustices in our society. Studying the ways Torrey 2 movements for social change have used music to make a difference is very enlightening because it shows what can be done to help support a movement. Actively becoming involved in the pursuit to create social change is necessary to stopping injustice. Learning about protest music has brought to light the countless ways people can get involved and avoid being complacent towards issues that matter. Music can raise awareness of movements that aim to work towards social change, can drive political protests aimed to create solidarity between those who experience injustices and to raise awareness of the harm done by those injustices. My analysis of the ways in which music is a source of solidarity during politicized social movements and protests as well as an artist’s social responsibility is largely based on the following texts: Music and Social Movements by William Danaher, Black Lives Matter and Music: Protest, Intervention, Reflection by Stephanie Shonekan, Queer: Popular Music, Identity and Queer World-Making by Jodie Taylora, Fighting The Power: The Politics of Music