Post Written By: Chris Stein
Quotations have a place our lives more than just in literature we read for fun or for class. Quotes can also be found in music whether they are a "quote" of the melody, such as a remade song or a remix, or actual words taken from another song. Regardless of whether we find these quotes in literature or in music there are complications to both applications. In literature, the author must make an intuitive decision on the type of integration used in these quotes. In music, the producer must make sure they stay within the "fair use" policy if they don't want to run into copyright infringement and other legal issues. Plagiarism is also a relatively big issue within the world of music. Producers copy other songs and claim to take credit for the brilliance of the original artist. This is made blatantly obvious through songs that sound almost identical. For example, in 1963, Brian Wilson composed a song for the Beach Boys called "Surfin' U.S.A." claiming it to be an original work when in fact, five years earlier in 1958, a song called "Sweet Little Sixteen" was written and performed by African American singer/songwriter Chuck Berry. The two songs are identical.
Besides people stealing melodies from previous artists and composers, quotes in music can also be found in the form of lyrics. For example, in Giacomo Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" he quotes the United States National Anthem in the very beginning. Quotations can be used in almost any media, from operas to hip-top to classic literature. Regardless of the application, when used correctly, quotations add diversity and support to a work. If a quote is powerful, moving and thought provoking, it will often catch the eye of an artist or writer looking to add depth to their otherwise dull work. Quotations are an extremely useful tool that are used by authors and artists alike.
More examples of songs that sound the same:
The Police- "Message In A Bottle" vs. Rihanna- "Love Without Tragedy"
Steely Dan- "Reelin' In The Years" vs. The Strokes- "Gratification"
I think the art of sampling well and tastefully is an art, just like blending quotations in English. It can be so difficult to do, but when done right, a piece of music (or a sentence) can flow so well while being informative, creative, and lyrical all at the same time. Its unfortunate that for me, blending music is much harder, since I've always wanted to try composition by varying other pieces of music, but can never seem to grasp it as easily as blending quotes on a piece of paper.
ReplyDeleteGood start, but go further... the ethics of quoting? reflect on our tendency to steal/sample? What makes the listener/reader appreciate the familiarity?
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