Backmasking Assignment

Backmasking, or backwards/reverse speech, is the reversing of records or sound files of songs and lyrics in order to obtain different, or sometimes even demonic, words in the song. Many people believe that reverse speech is a real world psychological phenomenon, while others dismiss the idea. In my opinion, the allegedly perceived "alternate" lyrics are simply the result of the human brain making connections to actual words through meaningless gibberish, the same way that a cloud in the sky may resemble a human face if a person were to look at it (although the shape was not formed intentionally). This type of phenomenon is known as pareidolia. Although the theories and conceptions behind backmasking may be interesting, the "overt and covert speech" phenomenon just seems to implausible to be anything other than a cult-like belief or pseudo science.

In the early 1990's, there was a prevalent hysteria that surrounded backmasking, with many believing that certain songs were "cursed" or "demonic." Around that time, comedian/musician Weird Al Yankovic made a song that served as satire for the hysteria, titled "Nature Trail To Hell." In the song, there is a line where speech is audible, but the words have been reversed. When played backwards, you can hear, unmistakably, Weird Al say "Satan eats Cheez Whiz." Knowing that there would be people who would reverse the track, Weird Al intentionally inserted these words for a comedic value.

"Nature Trail to Hell" is also parodying the Led Zeppelin song "Stairway to Heaven," which contains one of the most notorious examples of backmasking of all time. When reversed at a specific point in the song, the following lyrics can be heard: "Oh here's to my sweet Satan. The one whose little path would make me sad, whose power is satan. He'll give those with him 666, there was a little toolshed where he made us suffer, sad Satan." This specific example became famous because the reversed lyrics could be understood easier than many other backtracked songs. When asked about this in an interview, Robert Plant (vocalist and tambourine man of the band) completely refuted the accusations and expressed disappointment with the listeners. Although convincing, I do not believe that the demonic references were intentional or occurred as a result of any kind of "psychological phenomenon."

Soundtrack to my Life Feedback

Tonal Analysis

Lyrics can be found here.

Describing his emotions of graduating high school and "staying 18 forever" in the song "Soco Amaretto Lime", Jesse Lacey of Brand New incorporates constant metaphors/similes, satire, and multiple narratives to express the somber tone of forcing himself to put his painful past behind him.

To illustrate the emotions he felt when finishing high school, Jesse uses multiple of examples simile and metaphor. "Broken down from the bikes and bars / Suspended like spirits over speeding cars... You and me were kings over the parkway tonight..." Usage of this device in the song creates a sense of imagery and illustrates Jesse's feelings of invincibility at eighteen. "The low-fuel lights been on for days, it doesn't mean anything / I've got another 500 nother 500 miles before we shut this engine down..." Although he knows his days of being young and having fun are winding down, Jesse plans on riding out and making the best out of his last years.

Another device Jesse Lacey uses to convey the tone of the piece is satire. "I'm gonna stay eighteen forever... And we'll never have to listen to anyone about anything... We're the coolest kids..." On the surface these lyrics sound dry and mediocre, but this is used intentionally to give the listener insight on the naive, carefree teenage mentality that Jesse had back then. "And we'll never miss a party... cause we keep them going constantly." Throughout all of the youth angst and themes of loss that are prevalent in this album, "Soco Amaretto Lime" is used as a sort of finale. It shows the artist's will to move on from the heartbreak and loss he presumably had throughout his high schools years by the incorporation of satire that seems to mocks his previous self.

Finally, in this song we hear multiple different speakers in the background. As the lines "I'm gonna stay eighteen forever..." are spoken toward the end, we hear another voice in the background saying "You're just jealous cause I'm young and in love... You're spending all your nights growing old in your bed / And you're tearing up your photos cause you want to forget it's over..." The incorporation of another speaker adds to the idea that Jesse is getting over his past relationships and heartaches. The second speaker can be perceived as the indictment of one of his ex-girlfriends who has mentally held him back for a long time, but as her words are spoken, Jesse's voice trumps over them. In addition to this secondary voice, another barely audible one fades in and out in the background. "Cut me open. Sun poisoned. This offer stands forever. New haircut. New bracelet. Eyeliner. Wait forever. First kisses. New stitches..." This voice talks about past momentos and memories that seem to run through his head. The tone of "Soco Amaretto Lime" is used to convey the speaker's difficulty of getting over his past and moving on toward the future.

Binary Thesis (Classwork 4/7/14)

Though both “Rock ‘n’ Roll Band” by Boston and “Have a Cigar” by Pink Floyd both highlight the process that they went through to achieve a record deal, “Have a Cigar” uses mockery to convey the haughty and condescendingly greedy qualities of the record label while “Rock ‘n’ Roll Band” expresses the band’s elatedness and eagerness to sign the record contract from the guy who’s “got great expectations.”

Binary Thesis

Though Knuckle Puck's "Stateside" and Real Friends' "I've Given Up On You" both convey the speaker's sorrow of losing the person they once loved and their decision to give up on her, Knuckle Puck utilizes confident, reassuring repetition to emphasize that he "could care less" and will move on from the situation while Real Friends incorporates a first person perspective with desperate and powerful tonal qualities to express his inability to forget the person he once had feeling for.

Knuckle Puck "Stateside"

Real Friends "I've Given Up On You"

Album Review

Serving as a companion to the Philadelphia band’s previous album Sports, Modern Baseball hits it out of the park with You’re Gonna Miss It All, a 12-song LP that chronicles front man Brenden Lukens’ experience with his relationships and friends while away at college. Two mutually exclusive attitudes are present within these songs—some are laughable and satirical, while the rest profoundly evoke a sense of sadness—all while having a theme of self-introspection and external social awareness.

Brenden isn’t your typical pop-punk lyricist or vocalist, either—in just about every song he sets the attitude of the music by masking his feelings with an almost sarcastic, geeky tone and emotionally conscious lyrics. Through his words, you can practically figure out who Brenden is as a person; your typical college kid who finds his way into short-lived relationships because of girls he unfortunately meets at parties. Once he’s sober and acquainted, he ends up bearing the weight of the girl’s issues, something just about anyone can relate with if they’ve gone through a college experience. These quaint and humorously relatable ideas are the foundation for every song on the album.

The genre of the band isn’t easy to define, either. A listen to either Sports or You’re Gonna Miss It All and one could come to the conclusion of “folk punk”, but regardless, every song has a unique taste to it. The tracks “Rock Bottom” and “Your Graduation” embody the classic pop-punk vibe with catchy choruses and descriptive verses, while the slower-paced songs “Timmy Bowers” and “Pothole” possess an organic acoustic melody with poetic, desperate and brutally honest lyrics to match.

You’re Gonna Miss It All is better enjoyed when the listener can relate to its themes of comical mistakes and regrets, but nevertheless deserves attention from anyone who fancies mellow-minded rock music or is looking for an alternative, distinctive side of punk rock.

Thesis

Lyrics can be found here.

Dan Campbell of The Wonder Years incorporates consistent imagery, frequent alliteration/consonance, and structured repetition in the song "Passing Through a Screen Door" to portray his emotions of fear and incompetence in a world where "it's all a lie, what they say about stability."

One factor that plays a substantial role in conveying the lyrical value of this song is its consistent use of imagery. "Cigarette smoke dances back in the window / And I can see the haze on the dome light / I’m conjuring ghosts on a forty hour ride home / And they keep asking me what I'm doing with my life," Campbell describes, discussing the incessant pressure set by society for him to grow up and do "what you're supposed to" by personifying his fears and portraying them as real-life entities. "I'm terrified / Like a kid in the sixties / Staring at the sky / Waiting for the bomb to fall." This lines uses imagery to provide a simile for the uncertainty of life, and how Campbell is afraid that one day his stable world will be taken away from him in an instant, and he is unsure how he will continue on without a solid ground to walk on.

Another literary aspect of this song that can be evaluated is its frequent alliteration/consonance. "An escape artist's son / Sun-drenched pavement in my blood...What they say about stability / It scares me sometimes / The emptiness I see in my eyes." The abundant "s" and "a" sounds give the song a poetic vibe that feels less like a spoken narrative and more like an original piece. Use of this literary device also weaves the verses together in a smooth-sounding fashion, staying true to the rich lyrical substance that is prevalent throughout his writing.

Lastly, Dan Campbell incorporates a structured repetition. "I’ve been looking for tears in the screen door (tears in the screen door) / I’ve been waiting for another disaster (another disaster)...  And I was kinda hoping you'd stay [3x]" In doing this, Campbell reinforces his emotions and assures the reader that, though he is afraid of moving on and starting a new life, he will get there eventually, but he needs the faith of others in order to do that. Through repetition, Campbell expresses the idea that you should go through life at your own pace, but either way, the world will turn with or without you, and you will inevitably need to outgrow that place where you feel safe.