GEEN 1101 Music & Art

Aug-Dec 2018

INFLUENTIAL MUSIC ARTISTS

RESEARCH
Activity 1: Read the following biographical information about one influential music artist. Keep
this information in mind as you work on Activity 2. (http://www.queenonline.com/queen)

Queen is considered one of the most influential bands of all time. Formed by lead
singer Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bass-guitarist John
Deacon, they made their debut in 1973 with their first album, Queen. Their music was
successful but it wasn’t until 1975 when A Night At The Opera was released, containing the
famous Bohemian Rhapsody, that their popularity skyrocketed. Running for a length of 6
minutes, it should have been too long to play on the radio successfully but it became one of the
greatest singles of all time. The success of A Night At The Opera was equally stunning, giving
the band their first platinum album. By the end of 1980, Queen had sold over 45,000,000
albums worldwide. Among their most known songs are We Will Rock You, We Are The
Champions, Another One Bites The Dust, and Radio Ga Ga. They again made history on 1985
with the show-stealing performance at Live Aid from Wembley Stadium, which was a benefit
concert organized to raise funds for the Ethiopian famine. Their performance here is considered
one of the best in rock history.

In 1991 Freddie Mercury died after a battle with AIDS. He remains the most high profile
loss from the disease in the entertainment world and the news shocked fans throughout the
world. As a tribute Bohemian Rhapsody / These Are The Days Of Our Lives was released again. It
entered the UK chart at No. 1, where it stayed for five weeks, raising over £1,000,000 in charity
funds and Queen became the first band to have the same single top the UK charts twice.
October 2002 saw Queen receive their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Los Angeles,
joining The Beatles as only one of a handful of non-US bands to receive the much coveted
honor. In 2004 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Walk of Fame, and in the UK were
voted by the public into the first UK Music Hall of Fame.

Queen has been known for their innovative contributions to the rock genre, as well as Freddie
Mercury’s impressive vocals, gaining them fans from all ages. With the release of the movie
Bohemian Rhapsody, a biopic which depicts the band’s journey with Freddie Mercury, the band
has managed to achieve even more popularity.

ANALYSIS
Activity 2: After reading the artist’s biography, listen to the following song. Read the lyrics
provided below, and try to analyze their meaning. What do you think the artist meant to say?
GEEN 1101 Music & Art
Aug-Dec 2018

Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality

Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see

I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy

Because I'm easy come, easy go, little high, little low

Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to me

Mama, just killed a man

Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he's dead

Mama, life had just begun

But now I've gone and thrown it all away

Mama, ooh, didn't mean to make you cry

If I'm not back again this time tomorrow

Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters

Too late, my time has come

Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all the time

Goodbye, everybody, I've got to go

Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth

Mama, ooh, (Any way the wind blows)

I don't want to die

I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all

GEEN 1101 Music & Art
Aug-Dec 2018

I see a little silhouetto of a man

Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?

Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very fright'ning me

(Galileo) Galileo, (Galileo) Galileo, Galileo Figaro magnifico

I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me

He's just a poor boy from a poor family

Spare him his life from this monstrosity

Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?

Bismillah! No, we will not let you go

(Let him go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go

(Let him go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go

(Let me go) Will not let you go

(Let me go) Will not let you go

(Let me go) Ah No, no, no, no, no, no, no

(Oh mamma mia, mamma mia) Mamma mia, let me go

Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me!

So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?

So you think you can love me and leave me to die?

Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby!

Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here!

Nothing really matters, anyone can see

Nothing really matters, Nothing really matters to me

Any way the wind blows

GEEN 1101 Music & Art
Aug-Dec 2018

FINAL PRESENTATION

ORAL PRESENTATION III (50 points)

Activity 3: Using Activities 1 and 2 as an example, you will do your own research about
an influential music artist. Look into the most important biographical facts and their
specific contributions to music (for example, if they started a new genre, or broke any
records, etc.) Then, you will pick one song and do an analysis of the lyrics, discussing
what you think the artist meant to say as well as your thoughts about the song. This is
where the research you’ve done about the artist can be useful. Finally, you will create a
PowerPoint presentation that organizes the information you find and you will present it
to the rest of the class.

Note: The professor will provide the artist and song. If you are not satisfied with your
assigned artist or have any suggestions, don’t hesitate to contact the professor.