Cultural identity and expression
Will you love me tomorrow?
Also referred to as “will you still love me tomorrow” the authors of the song were Carole King and Gerry Goffin. The Shirelles recorded this song in 1960 and went on to become the number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This song is easily notable for being the first piece of music by an all-female group to reach the first position in the U.S.
First of all, what inspires me most in the message of the song (Wall, 2003). It speaks about romance. In my culture, romance is a very crucial part of any given relationship. I come from central Asia whereby romantic relations are highly sanctioned and only acceptable between married couples. For marriages to last, both partners need to form strong bonds with each other. They need to have unconditional love and affection.
Another reason I chose the song, is that it is empowering to womenfolk. The Shirelles was an all-girl group performing at a time when matters relating to music were reserved for males. All bands and instrumentalists at the time were all male. Therefore, the fact that they were able to break the glass ceiling and make it to position one in the Billboard top 100 was a very big milestone. Another fact they proved was that women can also get together and work on something important rather than gossip.
In my culture, although romance is an important aspect of marriages, men still have a lot of authority over women. At times, this authority goes overboard and becomes oppression. Women are still viewed as the property of their husbands. They are supposed to stay at home and take care of children. Furthermore, they are required to meet the husband’s demands unconditionally. Women cannot work outside the home, and even undertake some activates such as driving. Therefore, this song, even though it mainly speaks about romance, its singers are an inspiration to young girls all over in this patriarchal society.
Political identity
You got to fight for your rights
This song can also be shortened as “Fight for Your Right”. The beasty boys released it as their fourth single in their first album Licensed to III in 1986. “You got to fight for your rights is one of their best-known songs. It reached number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. Furthermore, it got named among The Rock and Roll hall of fame’s 500 songs that defined rock and roll.
The comical yet communicative nature of this song really intrigues me. In its lyrics, it talks about a school boy waking up late and not wanting to go to school. His mother laments about his laziness. At school the teacher rebukes him. His father, on the other hand, is a heavy smoker yet does not want him to do the same. He feels that this is hypocrisy.
Generally, the song encourages freedom and liberation. I relate to this song politically, because most dictatorial governments impose strict rules on citizens that interfere with personal freedom. This situation is very common particular in Central Asian countries. One major belief I uphold is that every individual should have the right to live the way they like. As long as they do not interfere with the freedom or life of another person, I do not see any reason why such rights should get denies.
These liberations include the freedom to maintain your lifestyle choices, freedom of religion, and freedom of association. When such basic rights get granted to all citizens, the society becomes happier, and chances of rebellions and uprisings become minimal. Furthermore, when citizens feel free in their country, they get motivated to work harder and contribute to the building of the nation. In some countries it is illegal to even smoke cigarettes, practice a certain religion or even dress in a certain manner. This condition is very oppressive.
Social identity
What’s going on?
This is the eleventh studio album by Marvin Gaye, a soul musician. He released this song on 21st may 1971 on the label Tamla Records, a Motown-subsidiary. What’s going on was an instant success upon its release, both critically and commercially. In fact, according to most lovers of music, this song is one of the landmark recordings in the history of pop music and one of the twentieth century’s greatest albums.
The lyrics to this song mainly speak about family unity and other social issues such as war and oppression of lower social classes. The artists speak about mothers crying due to the pain and anguish caused by the death of their children. Siblings are also weeping at the loss of their fellow brothers to wars. The main theme in this song is a war scenario. In war-torn countries, there is no happiness. People are always sad and worried about the uncertainty of the future. It is the young men who normally go to the battlefield. They leave behind old women, wives and children. In the event that they get killed in the war, the family experiences untold anguish and suffering. Children grow up without fathers and lack economic support because, in some areas such as the middle-east, the men are the primary providers.
When fighting occurs within the community, all the brotherly love ceases to exist. This situation leads to unnecessary hatred. There is less cohesion and people simply start hating each other because they come from different clans and communities. In the case of governments trying to suppress its citizens to avoid uprisings, uncouth and barbaric tactics get applied to achieve this objective. This song also talks about brutal punishments during times of war for the prisoners and other captives. In conclusion, this song is a clear reflection of what is happening in Central Asian countries, therefore, has a strong social relevance to me.
References
Wall, T. (2003). Studying popular music culture. London: Hodder & Stoughton Educational.
