Sympathy For The Devil's Dance Analysis
Evil is found anywhere: in the hearts of people, in history, and in the word “Devil”. The devil, also known as Satan, originates from Christian and Jewish theology; he is known to represent evil and wickedness. The song “Devil’s Dance”, written by James Alan Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, performed by Metallica, presents an ideal version of the devil. On the other hand, the song “Sympathy for the Devil” written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, performed by The Rolling Stones, introduces its own devil, distinct from the norm. Although, both songs establish the same point of view, they differ in tone and in theme.
Apart from having the word “devil” in both their titles, both songs hint at the identity of a similar speaker, Satan, through biblical …show more content…
“Devil’s dance” takes an informal stand, “Yeah c’mon, c’mon now take the chance” (Hetfield, Ulrich line 10) to provide a genuine take on the devil. The repeated word “c’mon”, emphasizes the devil’s intent on coercion. In addition, the assertiveness of the speaker is made evident when he warns the listener, “One day you will see, and dare to come down to me” (Hetfield, Ulrich line 8-9) as well as when he repeats the phrase “Let’s dance” (Hetfield, Ulrich line 12). “Sympathy for the Devil” however, is sung in a formal tone. At the beginning of the song, as well as in the beginning of a conversation between strangers, Jagger and Richards demonstrate value in formalities by introducing their speaker, “Please allow me to introduce myself, I’m a man of wealth and taste” ,(Jagger, Richards line 1-2) in order to reveal an effort by the devil to partake in a formal interaction. Furthermore politeness, another form of formality, is also found in the song “Sympathy for the Devil”, “Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name” ( ), which reinforces the passive tone taken by Jagger and Richardson’s devil in contrast to the assertive tone taken by Hetfield and Ulrich. The difference in tone suggests there is a different devil in each song, but the different messages behind the songs make the distinction
Apart from having the word “devil” in both their titles, both songs hint at the identity of a similar speaker, Satan, through biblical …show more content…
“Devil’s dance” takes an informal stand, “Yeah c’mon, c’mon now take the chance” (Hetfield, Ulrich line 10) to provide a genuine take on the devil. The repeated word “c’mon”, emphasizes the devil’s intent on coercion. In addition, the assertiveness of the speaker is made evident when he warns the listener, “One day you will see, and dare to come down to me” (Hetfield, Ulrich line 8-9) as well as when he repeats the phrase “Let’s dance” (Hetfield, Ulrich line 12). “Sympathy for the Devil” however, is sung in a formal tone. At the beginning of the song, as well as in the beginning of a conversation between strangers, Jagger and Richards demonstrate value in formalities by introducing their speaker, “Please allow me to introduce myself, I’m a man of wealth and taste” ,(Jagger, Richards line 1-2) in order to reveal an effort by the devil to partake in a formal interaction. Furthermore politeness, another form of formality, is also found in the song “Sympathy for the Devil”, “Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name” ( ), which reinforces the passive tone taken by Jagger and Richardson’s devil in contrast to the assertive tone taken by Hetfield and Ulrich. The difference in tone suggests there is a different devil in each song, but the different messages behind the songs make the distinction