On Musical Revelations Gender, Religion and Place in Popular Music Lisa Katrine Svendsen Master Thesis, Institute of Musicology University of Oslo April 2013 Acknowledgements Thanks to my supervisor professor Stan Hawkins for inspiring me during my work with this thesis and for encouraging me to go to South Africa. Thanks to my mom, Elizabeth Warren, for reading this through and give me some very good advice. 1 Table of Contents 1 On Musical Revelations- Introduction ................................................................................ 5 Popular Music and Religion .................................................................................................... 7 Theorizing Religion in the Contemporary World.................................................................... 9 Theorizing Ideas of Place and Cosmopolitanism .................................................................. 12 Constructing Identities ........................................................................................................... 16 2 Methodological Considerations .......................................................................................... 20 Analyzing Music.................................................................................................................... 20 Hermeneutic Readings ........................................................................................................... 21 Semiotics ............................................................................................................................... 23 Analytical Tools .................................................................................................................... 26 3 Zahara and Dj SBU- Lengoma ........................................................................................... 30 A South African Context ....................................................................................................... 34 A Song of Religious Transcendence ..................................................................................... 36 Two South African Stars ....................................................................................................... 40 A Gendered Remix ................................................................................................................ 43 4 Gorgoroth- Sign of an Open Eye ........................................................................................ 49 Satanism, Nordic Mythology and Black Metal ..................................................................... 50 A Horrorfull Play with Imageries .......................................................................................... 53 Timbre of Transgression and Melodic Horror ....................................................................... 56 Masculinity and Whiteness .................................................................................................... 64 5 Nas- The NYC Don .............................................................................................................. 68 The Five Percent Nation ........................................................................................................ 68 Prayers over NYC .................................................................................................................. 70 Tensions between Two Worlds; Paradise and Earth ............................................................. 75 The Poet, the King, the Don, the God ................................................................................... 77 The Bridge-A Rikers Island ................................................................................................... 81 6 Lady Gaga-Born This Way ................................................................................................. 83 The Cosmic Birth................................................................................................................... 84 The Birth of Evil .................................................................................................................... 89 2 The Mother Monster .............................................................................................................. 92 A Dancing Critique ................................................................................................................ 93 7 Final Reflections on Musical Revelations .............................................................................. 98 References .................................................................................................................................. 103 Bibliography .............................................................................................................................. 103 Videography .............................................................................................................................. 109 Internet Sites: ............................................................................................................................ 110 Music Example: ......................................................................................................................... 111 3 Table of Figures Figure 1: The Sign of An Open Eye- Rhythmic figure ................................................................................ 26 Figure 2: Lengoma-Marimba motive .......................................................................................................... 32 Figure 3: Lengoma-Rhythms ...................................................................................................................... 33 Figure 4: Lengoma-Praying gesture ............................................................................................................ 38 Figure 5: Zahara in music video Loliwe.....................................................................................................42 Figure 6: DJ Sbu in music video Ndenzeni ………………………………………………………......42 Figure 7: Lengoma- Zahara singing ............................................................................................................ 45 Figure 8: Lengoma-Dancing men ............................................................................................................... 47 Figure 9: Lengoma-Car drive ...................................................................................................................... 48 Figure 10: Gorgoroth Clothing…………………………………………………………………………....54 Figure 11: Spitting Flames………………………………………………………………………………..54 Figure 12: Crucifixions…………………….. ............................................................................................. 54 Figure 13: Man and Nature……………………………………………………………………………..…55 Figure 14: Man and Nature……………………………………………………………………………….55 Figure 15: Mystical Mountains ………………………………………………………………………….55 Figure 16: The Sign of an Open Eye- Double power chord ........................................................................ 57 Figure 17: The Sign of an Open Eye- Main triplet pattern .......................................................................... 58 Figure 18: The Sign of an Open Eye- Chromatic bend and tremolo effect ................................................. 59 Figure 19: The Sign of an Open Eye- Half-tempo feel ................................................................................ 60 Figure 20: The Sign of an Open Eye- Background vocals .......................................................................... 60 Figure 21: The Sign of an Open Eye- Chromatic build-up .......................................................................... 62 Figure 22: The Sign of an Open Eye- Peak-moment ................................................................................... 63 Figure 23: The Sign of an Open Eye- 16th pattern in bass drum ................................................................ 63 Figure 24: The Don- Statue of Liberty ........................................................................................................ 70 Figure 25: The Don- Loop A ...................................................................................................................... 72 Figure 26: The Don- Loop B ....................................................................................................................... 72 Figure 27: Nas's golden ring ....................................................................................................................... 73 Figure 28: The Don- Bass-line .................................................................................................................... 75 Figure 29: Nas´s Luxury-life……………………………………………………………………….……..75 Figure 30: Nas in ring of fire………….. .................................................................................................... 76 Figure 31: The Don- Dry drum sounds ....................................................................................................... 77 Figure 32: Nas wearing a white suit and reading Buisness Day in his limousine ....................................... 76 Figure 33: Born This Way - Cm9b5 and Ebm-maj7 triplets in prologue .................................................... 84 Figure 34: Pink upside down triangle………………………………………………………………..……84 Figure 35: Pink upright triangle…………………… .................................................................................. 85 Figure 36: Born This Way- brass entrance in prologue ..............................................................................