UDC: 78.01:81ʹ373.612.2 78.036.9 COBISS.SR-ID 109589769 _________________
Received: Dec 29, 2022
Reviewed: Jan 15, 2023
Accepted: Jan 26, 2023
Musico-Metaphor:
The Man In The Long Black Coat
Emmanuel Oyetunji Alemede
Music Department,
Federal College of Education, Eha-Amufu, Enugu state
[email protected]
Gbenga Oni
Department of English,
Federal College of Education, Eha-Amufu, Enugu state
[email protected]
Adeyemo Adetayo
Department of English,
Federal College of Education, Eha-Amufu, Enugu state
[email protected]
Music Department,
Federal College of Education, Eha-Amufu, Enugu state
[email protected]
Gbenga Oni
Department of English,
Federal College of Education, Eha-Amufu, Enugu state
[email protected]
Adeyemo Adetayo
Department of English,
Federal College of Education, Eha-Amufu, Enugu state
[email protected]
Citation: Alemede, O. Emmanuel, Gbenga Oni and Adeyemo Adetayo. 2023. "Musico-Metaphor: The Man In The Long Black Coat." Accelerando: Belgrade Journal of Music and Dance. 8:2
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Abstract
The use of figurative speech in a language is often a conscious action that a speaker uses for several reasons, but most importantly to have a desired effect on the sensibility of the listener(s). Metaphor as one of such figurative elements is one of the most employed by language users to convey meaning in an indirect but clear enough manner to appeal to listeners. Language as a medium of human communicative expression is at the very core of all literary work under which music can as well be categorized. This work tends to look at the use of metaphor as a figurative element of language in conveying meanings in music (musico-metaphor) using descriptive analyses. Using Lucky Dube’s "Crazy World", this work analyses how the artist conveys powerful message through metaphoric comparison to his audience, without losing the credence of a song in his desire to discuss prevalent situation of his society with an artistic freedom. It was discovered that the metaphoric statements not only addressed the situation when the song was written and released, but also represent the present situation. Music is more than just entertainment. Moreover, it has been addressing value and giving meaning to human existence. Songs like "Crazy World" of Lucky Dube should be given due or appropriate attention in addressing issues with regards to human activities and life situations.
Keywords: language, music, metaphor, listeners, artistic freedom, song, meaning |
Introduction
Messages can be transmitted directly or indirectly through several sources, from billboards to oral procedures, text messages, etc. The use of music in transmitting information is as old as human, it is a medium to either instruct, appreciate, or express emotions, like sadness, joy, exaltation, and many others. The information may be immediate, futuristic, or coded by the use of a figure of speech. One of the most common figures of speech used by composers is a metaphor. Zbikwoski (2008) opines that one could conceivably trace connections between the phenomenon of metaphor and the cultural practice of music back to the earliest written records. Metaphors cannot be eliminated from the description of music, because they are integral to the intentional object of musical experience. Take this metaphor away, and you take away the experience of music. It can be construed that the combination of the two results in communicative musicality. According to Malloch (2000, 5), quoted in Alemede (2021, 123), communicative musicality consists of the elements pulse, quality, and narrative which are those attributes of human communication, which are particularly exploited in music.
Malloch (quoted in Alemede 2021, 123) further explains that: Narratives of individual experience and of companionship are built from the units of pulse and quality found in the jointly created gestures of vocalizations and bodily movement. Narratives are the very essence of human companionship and communication. Narratives allow two persons to share a sense of passing time. and to create and share the emotional envelopes that evolve through this shared time. They express innate motives for sharing emotion and experience with other persons and for creating meaning in joint activity with others. (Malloch 2000, 18.)
The narratives are usually presented in metaphorical form. Alemede (2021, 122) stated:
Music serves a dual purpose of entertainment and communication of vital messages; we listen to music purposefully and accidentally considering the way that music is normal all the time around us and our listening openings are different. Through music, between basic relations are strengthened, as systems associate and offer regards with neighboring systems. There are motivating factors that are also responsible for music making, as pointed out by Hallam (2002, 212), stating that: “The extent to which an individual is motivated to pursue musical activity will depend on the interactions between their characteristics, self-concept and goals, and the characteristics of the immediate environment, including cultural and historical factors, the educational environment, and the support they receive from family and peers.” Historically, Rentfrow et al. (2011) stated that music has also been used for social bonding, comfort, motivating or coordinating physical labor, the preservation and transmission of oral knowledge, ritual and religion, and the expression of physical or cognitive fitness. (Alemede 2021, 122). Theoretical Framework
The paper is guided by Earl Mac Cormac's (1989) Cognitive Theory of Metaphor, which states that metaphor takes up three levels of explanation; (i) metaphor as expressed in surface language, (ii) the semantics of metaphor, and (iii) metaphor as a cognitive process. He fuses these by interpreting metaphor as an evolutionary knowledge process in which metaphors mediate between minds and cultures.
Literature Review
Metaphors are devices usually used in poetry, novels, movies, and books to make a comparison between two things. Hopkins and Hendricks define metaphor as a type of figurative language that directly compares two seemingly unlike things. They further state that unlike similes that use ''like'' or ''as,'' metaphors are more direct comparisons, using ''is'' or ''are.'' In other words, metaphors essentially say, ''A = B.''
In music, the comparison often connects with themes, popular gossip of the time, or other songs. If the artist or songwriter is comparing or portraying a person, action, feeling, place, or thing as being something else, then they are utilizing a metaphor. Metaphor can be used to compare life to an inanimate object. Carvalho (2020) mentions that as music is an abstract domain, the use of metaphorical processes allows individuals to create structures that enable music learning. Lakoff and Johnson (2003) elucidate that it is only through metaphorical processes that, for instance, we can comprehend how music moves through time and they propose that “most of our normal conceptual system is metaphorically structured; that is, most concepts are partially understood in terms of other concepts”. Language cannot be separated from music, and vice-versa, as the former is used to characterize the latter. Zbikowski (op. cit.) mentioned that in analyses of how language is used to characterize music, the first description is typically characterized as metaphorical, the second as literal. The metaphors in the first description are readily apparent: the “plodding bass” is nothing more than a repeated note plucked by the cellos. Different genres of music have made use of metaphoric phrases in the dissemination of ongoing or would-be actions. Reggae music is one of the rich genres of music in which the artists have made use of the metaphoric statement that either represents the present situations or in the form of a prophetical statement or phrase. The metaphorical phrases allow individuals to compare two seemingly unlike things and create structures that can be used in the transmission of abundance of information. This comparison then creates an image that is associated with the song's central idea. One such artist is the late sensational reggae star, Lucky Dube. Lucky Dube
Lucky Philip Dube was a South African reggae musician and Rastafarian (lived from August 3rd, 1964, to 18 of October 2007). He is considered one of the most important musicians in the history of African dub and reggae. His political songs fought against Apartheid in South Africa. He was South Africa's biggest-selling reggae artist to date, with 22 recorded albums in Zulu, English, and Afrikaans, in 25 years.
Analysis
The apartheid has lasted in South Africa for about 46 years, from 1948-1994 (according to Britannica 2022). It was a period that sanctioned racial segregation and political and economic discrimination against nonwhites.
The Crazy World by Philip Lucky Dube, released in 1991, captures the stream of consciousness, emotions, and activism, filled with social justice in a period when South Africa battled apartheid. Lucky Dube used his song to discuss the political unrest and social tension that characterized the apartheid era, among other issues. A metaphor is a figure of speech that refers to directly comparing one thing with another without the use of ‘as’ or ‘like’. Metaphor presents things as being not just similar, but identical. Lucky Dube uses figures of speech richly in this song as he makes comparisons. “When the man in the black coat knocks on your door,” as written by Lucky Dube (see Example 1), is a vivid example of metaphoric use of language.
Here, Lucky Dube directly compares the man in the black coat who knocks on the door to a crisis or death. The song, written in a period of war and apartheid, captures the essence of uncertainty. The song clearly shows that although lots of people are victims of the war, who will be the next affected remains unknown. The fear of the unknown has overwhelmed people and increased fear. Nobody is certain who will be attacked next, who will be injured next, or whose life is likely to be lost, but the emphasis is on the fact that one day everybody must answer the call of death when the time comes. The man in the long black coat is also a reflection of the COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged the earth, killing both young and old with no regard to gender. No one knows who is next to die or who is infected with the virus, even though some people still did not believe there was such a thing called ‘covid-19’ until the man in the long black coat knocks on their door.
“We are living in this crazy world”, in the Example 2, is used to deliberately emphasize and buttress the above by directly comparing the life of uncertainty, which is a result of the war and racial discrimination, to a ‘crazy world’, a state of zero coordination. The term ‘Crazy World’ is used to describe the world of anarchy, lawlessness, and unpredictability brought about by the war and apartheid, where human life holds no value.
“Come on now, little boy, say your prayer before you sleep” creates perpetual fear in the minds of people who have to pray, as nothing is guaranteed. The life they have, they would rather commit it to the Lord, a supreme being, as they all are helpless with the war, victimization, inequality, segregation, selfishness, and wickedness that the era of apartheid stands for.
Conclusion
The use of metaphor in compositions adds beauty to the lyrics, which in turn attracts the listening audience to the song. Metaphoric texts also describe a high level in the writing of texts or lyrics of songs. Metaphor creates pictures that are clearer and more accurate than exacting language. These are seen in the text or lyrics of Crazy World, when death is referred to as ‘the man in the long black coat.’ Through the use of metaphor, the writer enacts the creative mind, and is more ready to pass feelings and impacts on the listeners. Dube expressed and presented the current situation of things in a way that was easy to understand. The metaphoric words used by Dube not only represent or explain the situation at which time the song was released but are also relevant in describing and explaining the past and present situation.
Finally, the use of metaphor in song text or words adds aesthetics to songs.
Crazy world
So far, so good we are still living today But we don’t know what tomorrow brings In this crazy world People dying like flies every day You read about it in the news, but you don’t believe it You only know about it When the man in the black coat knocks on your door Cause you are his next door victim As you are living in living in This crazy world I tell you we are living in living in This crazy world We are living in living in this crazy world Tell you we are living in living in This crazy world. Leaders start wars every time they want Some for their rights Some for fun and their own glory Letting people die for the wrong that they do Oh it's painful Come on now little boy, say your prayer before you sleep Little boy went down on his knees, and he said Oh Lord Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the Lord my soul to keep, And if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take Cause he is living in this crazy world, Oh Lord |
References
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