When the blues was first produced, it was grown out of a tradition of sorrow songs from the slavery period; songs that spoke about the African American soul during conflicting times. Several writers have identified the blues as a multifaceted concept that can be defined through the lens of the traditional, black conservative politics; the white liberal ideology; and through the secularization of the traditional religious ideology. The blues created an era when African American could air their grievances, while coming together as a community to object to the American social structure. When defining the blues through the understanding of the traditional, black conservative politics, the blues is said to have derived from the idea of suffering;
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When Paul Oliver in Angela Davis’ writing, says that the blues has very little political protest in it and that the African American community has accepted their fate within the American society, he has misunderstood the codedness of the blues songs. He presents the African American community as a group of people who do not want to change their circumstances because they have a lack of political agency. In this case, the definition of the political can be defined by Chantal Mouffe, who says “‘The political’ refers to this dimension of antagonism which can take many forms and can emerge in diverse social relations. It is a dimension that can never be eradicated” (Mouffe, pg. 2). She goes on to say that the political “is from the outset concerned with collective forms of identification” (Mouffe, pg. 4). Taking this explanation of what it means to be political, it can be seen that Oliver does not see the political world between the lyrics of blues songs because he cannot identify with the codedness of the …show more content…
The song “Waterfalls” by the girl group TLC is an example of a song using codedness and being decoded improperly. It was released in 1995 as an R&B and Hip Hop Soul Ballad; it stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 list as the number one hit for many weeks in row. When the general public thinks of “Waterfalls,” they think of the catchy chorus that says, “Don 't go chasing waterfalls/ Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you 're used to/ I know that you 're gonna have it your way or nothing at all/ But I think you 're moving too fast.” This hook has become so famous, to the point that no one ever listens to the rest of the lyrics. In 2013, “We’re the Millers,” a comedy/crime movie was released where one of the main characters is able to recite word for word the rap portion within “Waterfalls.” The scene occurs right after the family has crossed the Mexican border with an RV full of drugs. Yet if the character or the movie directors had decoded the song properly, they would have understood the message within the
When Paul Oliver in Angela Davis’ writing, says that the blues has very little political protest in it and that the African American community has accepted their fate within the American society, he has misunderstood the codedness of the blues songs. He presents the African American community as a group of people who do not want to change their circumstances because they have a lack of political agency. In this case, the definition of the political can be defined by Chantal Mouffe, who says “‘The political’ refers to this dimension of antagonism which can take many forms and can emerge in diverse social relations. It is a dimension that can never be eradicated” (Mouffe, pg. 2). She goes on to say that the political “is from the outset concerned with collective forms of identification” (Mouffe, pg. 4). Taking this explanation of what it means to be political, it can be seen that Oliver does not see the political world between the lyrics of blues songs because he cannot identify with the codedness of the …show more content…
The song “Waterfalls” by the girl group TLC is an example of a song using codedness and being decoded improperly. It was released in 1995 as an R&B and Hip Hop Soul Ballad; it stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 list as the number one hit for many weeks in row. When the general public thinks of “Waterfalls,” they think of the catchy chorus that says, “Don 't go chasing waterfalls/ Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you 're used to/ I know that you 're gonna have it your way or nothing at all/ But I think you 're moving too fast.” This hook has become so famous, to the point that no one ever listens to the rest of the lyrics. In 2013, “We’re the Millers,” a comedy/crime movie was released where one of the main characters is able to recite word for word the rap portion within “Waterfalls.” The scene occurs right after the family has crossed the Mexican border with an RV full of drugs. Yet if the character or the movie directors had decoded the song properly, they would have understood the message within the