Music
English Essay
I have chosen the following 3 songs to analyse for the essay. The first one is Dr Mr. President by Pink (2007 written in 2005), the second one is Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday (1939) and the last song I’m analysing is Minutes to midnight by Midnight Oil (1984).
Pink- Dear Mr. President (2007)
Pink wrote ‘Dear Mr. President’ in 2005 on Martin Luther King Day. The song is direct criticism towards President George W. Bush with his policies and administration. In this Pink focuses on the major concerns that most Americans had. The song starts off with Pink singing “Dear Mr. President come take a walk with me. Let’s pretend we’re just two people and you’re not better than me” with this she’s inviting the president to listen to her opinions. Through equalizing social standings, she is weakening the respect that the President demands, Pink is stating that she will be truthful with him and not sugar coat her opinions, she’s saying she will tell him what everyone is thinking but will not directing tell him. She sings, “You have come along way from whiskey and cocaine,” focusing on Mr. Bush’s tainted past, which the media seems to ignore. Pink asks Mr. Bush who he prays for at night. She also asks how he feels when he looks in the mirror and if he is proud of himself. These statements address that Mr. Bush forgot to make his promises come true to help people. He had the power to change society and be a positive force for society but failed to do so.
Billie Holiday- Strange Fruit (1939)
Strange Fruit is a haunting song about the lynching that happened in America. “Strange Fruit” has been called the original protest song. It is simple but effective poetry. A time when political protest was not often expressed in musical form, the song depicted lynching in all of its brutality. The three short verses are all the more powerful for their understated and ironic language. The smell of magnolias with that of burning flesh, the blossoms more
I have chosen the following 3 songs to analyse for the essay. The first one is Dr Mr. President by Pink (2007 written in 2005), the second one is Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday (1939) and the last song I’m analysing is Minutes to midnight by Midnight Oil (1984).
Pink- Dear Mr. President (2007)
Pink wrote ‘Dear Mr. President’ in 2005 on Martin Luther King Day. The song is direct criticism towards President George W. Bush with his policies and administration. In this Pink focuses on the major concerns that most Americans had. The song starts off with Pink singing “Dear Mr. President come take a walk with me. Let’s pretend we’re just two people and you’re not better than me” with this she’s inviting the president to listen to her opinions. Through equalizing social standings, she is weakening the respect that the President demands, Pink is stating that she will be truthful with him and not sugar coat her opinions, she’s saying she will tell him what everyone is thinking but will not directing tell him. She sings, “You have come along way from whiskey and cocaine,” focusing on Mr. Bush’s tainted past, which the media seems to ignore. Pink asks Mr. Bush who he prays for at night. She also asks how he feels when he looks in the mirror and if he is proud of himself. These statements address that Mr. Bush forgot to make his promises come true to help people. He had the power to change society and be a positive force for society but failed to do so.
Billie Holiday- Strange Fruit (1939)
Strange Fruit is a haunting song about the lynching that happened in America. “Strange Fruit” has been called the original protest song. It is simple but effective poetry. A time when political protest was not often expressed in musical form, the song depicted lynching in all of its brutality. The three short verses are all the more powerful for their understated and ironic language. The smell of magnolias with that of burning flesh, the blossoms more