Scratching the Surface Marit Larsen and Marion Ravn: Popular Music and Gender in a Transcultural Context Jon Mikkel Broch Ålvik A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD Department of Musicology Faculty of Humanities University of Oslo 2014 1 2 Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................5 CHAPTER 1 ........................................................................................................................................9 INTRODUCTION: SCRATCHING THE SURFACE.......................................................................9 BACKGROUND: CRITICAL AND POPULAR MUSICOLOGY............................................................................ 12 ON SINGING (AND WRITING) IN ENGLISH: GLOBAL LANGUAGE AND THE PARADOX OF AUTHENTICITY................................................................................................................................................. 14 AN INTERSECTION OF DISCIPLINES: INTERTEXTUALITY, PHENOMENOLOGY, PERSONA .................... 32 OUTLINE OF THESIS........................................................................................................................................ 35 CHAPTER 2 ..................................................................................................................................... 37 GROWING UP IN PUBLIC: SOCIAL BACKGROUND AND THE EMERGENCE OF SUBJECTIVITIES IN M2M............................................................................................................ 37 CONTEXTUALISING BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................... 38 A SHOWCASING OF TALENTS: MARIT & MARION SYNGER KJENTE BARNESANGER............................... 40 THE THINKING PERSON’S TEEN POP: SHADES OF PURPLE (2000)........................................................ 45 ”Don’t Say You Love Me” .........................................................................................................................47 ”Give A Little Love” ....................................................................................................................................55 M2M IN THE MEDIA....................................................................................................................................... 60 “DANCE TO THE PRETTY NORWEGIANS”: M2M ON DAWSON’S CREEK................................................ 62 UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL: THE BIG ROOM (2002)................................................................................ 66 ”Don’t”.............................................................................................................................................................68 DIFFERENCES: STEREOTYPING LARSEN AND RAVN................................................................................. 71 CHAPTER 3 ..................................................................................................................................... 75 TOUCHING FROM A DISTANCE: FAKE NAIVETY, FEMALE STEREOTYPES AND BANALITY IN MARIT LARSEN’S MUSIC AND PERSONA .................................................... 75 MASKING AMBITION: IMAGE, PRODUCTION, VOICE .................................................................................. 79 THE PRODUCER ............................................................................................................................................... 83 Vocal costume..............................................................................................................................................88 FAKE NAIVETY................................................................................................................................................. 91 ”HAVE YOU SEEN MY CHILDHOOD?”: THE GIRL-CHILD............................................................................ 94 ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE QUIRKY MIND: THE GIRL NEXT DOOR.....................................................106 “SWEETNESS, BEAUTY, AND POISE”: THE HOUSEWIFE..........................................................................114 “WILL YOU TAKE ME AS WHO I SAY I AM?”: THE SINGER-SONGWRITER............................................127 DREAMS OF AMERICA (1): MARIT LARSEN AND ELWOOD CAINE ......................................................136 DREAMS OF AMERICA (2): MARIT LARSEN IN NEW YORK CITY.........................................................144 (UN)SETTLING THE POP SCORE: OF OTHER READINGS..........................................................................150 THE LURE OF BANALITY: “UNDER THE SURFACE”..................................................................................154 CHAPTER 4 ...................................................................................................................................165 “WHO DOES THAT GIRL THINK SHE IS?”: MARION RAV(E)N AND SUBJECTIVITY THROUGH EXCESS......................................................................................................................165 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................165 A REVERSE SUCCESS STORY: HVER GANG VI MØTES ................................................................................167 DISENTANGLING THE DICHOTOMY: RAVN AND LARSEN AS FIXED COUNTERPARTS.........................173 3 “WHO FRAMED MARION RAVN?”: CONSTRUCTING EXCESS.................................................................177 THE EXCESS OF PERSONALITY: HERE I AM (2005) ...............................................................................179 MELODRAMA AND/AS SPECTACLE: ”FOR YOU I’LL DIE” AND “LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF”.....184 EXCESS AND SPECTACLE: “HEADS WILL ROLL” .....................................................................................187 EXCESS AND SOLIDARITY: “HEADS WILL ROLL” – THE VIDEO ............................................................192 PLEASURE IN EXCESS: ”IT’S ALL COMING BACK TO ME NOW” ...........................................................198 EXCESS DISCIPLINED: “CASANOVA”..........................................................................................................204 CHAPTER 5 ...................................................................................................................................207 CONCLUSIONS..............................................................................................................................207 M2M...............................................................................................................................................................207 MARIT LARSEN..............................................................................................................................................208 MARION RAVN...............................................................................................................................................209 WORKS CITED..............................................................................................................................213 DISCOGRAPHY.............................................................................................................................223 4 Acknowledgements This study was made possible by a three-year PhD grant from the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Oslo. I am grateful to the Faculty for this opportunity, and to the Department of Musicology for providing a stimulating and hospitable work environment. During this time I have benefited from being included in the research project PoPular Music and Gender in a Transcultural Context, also at the University of Oslo, and led by Professor Stan Hawkins. I express my gratitude to my colleagues on the project, PhD student Birgitte Sandve, postdoctoral fellow Mats Johansson, and research assistant Mari Paus, for an inspiring and adventurous time together on the project. My research was considerably enhanced by a research visit to Canada in the autumn semester of 2012. I am especially grateful to Professor Susan Fast at McMaster University and Associate Professor Jacqueline Warwick at Dalhousie University for offering feedback to my research, and for allowing me the opportunity to present portions of my work-in-progress to their students in designated seminars. Thanks also go to Professor David Brackett at McGill University for feedback and fruitful discussions. My warmest thanks to Craig Jennex and Alyssa Watt for housing in Hamilton (and an extra cheers to Craig and crew, notably Simon, Matt and Jordan, for memorable evenings), and to Steven Baur, Sophie, and Adam for their hospitality in Halifax. Christina Baade, Lesley Brechin, Mariana Costa, Ryan McNutt and crew, and Laura Wiebe also contributed to making my stay in Canada so enjoyable; thank you all for your generosity. I have also had the opportunity to present my work in seminars and symposiums in Paris, Turku, Berlin, Kristiansand, and aboard the Color Line. I wish to thank Susanne Binas-Preisendörfer, Barbara Bradby, Terence Cave, Tor Dybo, Nina Eidsheim, Steven Feld, Erling E. Guldbrandsen, Karin Gundersen, Thomas Hilder, 5 Jakob Lothe, Susan McClary, Michael Rauhut, John Richardson, Derek B. Scott, Odd Skårberg, Erik Steinskog, Will Straw, Robert Walser, and Peter Wicke for providing feedback and advice in various stages of the project.