Dave Dudley’s song, “What We’re Fighting For”, uses many
aural elements to convey Dudley’s message.
The song starts in a minor key.
The minor key conveys Dudley’s melancholy feelings on the subject. While
the song is in a minor key, Dudley describes the anti-war protests and opposing
viewpoints. This makes the anti-war
supporters seem to be in the wrong. As
he shifts his argument to why the war is good, he also shifts the key to
major. This transition occurs when he
sings, “Tell them that we're fighting for…” at 1:06 in the video. The major key helps reinforce his own
arguments. The key of the song
significantly impacts the opinions the audience. Minor impacts things negatively and makes the
argument seem weak; while major has the opposite effect, impacting things
positively and making the argument seem strong.
Kyle Strouth
You did a good job at starting to explain how major and minor keys effected the meaning of the song but, I feel as if you could explain more thoroughly how these impact the meaning of the song. Specifically when you say "the minor key conveys...melancholy feelings on the subject," you could elaborate more on the subject because as a reader I am unclear on what it is unless I listen to the whole song. You could also talk about other musical aspects of this song because not only is it in minor and major keys but, it is also a country song and this could effect the "aura" the song displays.
ReplyDeleteI could be wrong, I'm not 100% sure, but I don't believe this song is written in a minor key at all. I think what you're thinking of is just a key change from a lower key to a higher key, which has the same uplifting effect as changing from minor to major that I think you're trying to describe. I also don't think that the lower key in the beginning of the song immediately evokes negative feelings in the audience, but that the key change evokes positive feelings because it is being compared to the lower key. In other words, instead of saying that the beginning of the song is negative while the end of the song is positive, would say that the feelings associated with the end of the song are more positive than those associated with the beginning, only because they are being compared to each other. In the future, it might also be helpful to discuss the tempo of the song and the instruments used.
ReplyDeletePerhaps this is something to explore in the group's presentation?
DeleteNice job picking up on the key shifts in the song! I absolutely agree that the key in which a song was written can affect the listeners mood and opinion on any subject. One comment about your writing style. You say: "The song starts in a minor key. The minor key conveys Dudley’s melancholy feelings on the subject." Instead of having two slightly choppy sentences, why not add the word "which" in between the two clauses? I feel like that would make the entire post flow a little more. Also, maybe you want to focus on the lyrics of the song within aural elements. They are just as, if not more, important as the key of the song. You start to mention them but then go back to ignoring them.
ReplyDeleteI, like Madi, don't think the song is in a minor key at all throughout the song, although the same effect is reached, regardless. In addition to the key, I thought you could have also talked about the instrumentation and the way in which Dudley sings. Different instruments portray different moods. Strings can be solemn, while trumpets are grand. Similarly, the manner in which a singer sings shows a lot about the song. The underlying rhythm of the song also can give indication to what sort of feel its giving off.
ReplyDelete-Amrita Mitra
I, like Madi, don't think the song is in a minor key at all throughout the song, although the same effect is reached, regardless. In addition to the key, I thought you could have also talked about the instrumentation and the way in which Dudley sings. Different instruments portray different moods. Strings can be solemn, while trumpets are grand. Similarly, the manner in which a singer sings shows a lot about the song. The underlying rhythm of the song also can give indication to what sort of feel its giving off.
ReplyDelete-Amrita Mitra
I like that you analyzed how the key the song is performed in affects the listeners mood and opinions. This was a new approach to analyzing a song. However, it would
ReplyDeletehave been helpful if you mentioned how the lyrics and instrumental play a part in the affect on the audience's mood and opinion. Certain words can evoke different emotions in different people. For example, "war" and "peace". Other than that, this a very well thought out post.