The Background of The Study

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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. The Background of The Study

Music is the peculiar art in society. It has always been ahead of societal change and a major influence on both the culture and the politics of the day. It is believed so, since a song, a combining of lyrics and harmony may evoke certain feeling of the listeners. As Geoffrey Madell explained “it is the peculiar genius of music to capture and evoke patterns of intentional feeling such as expectations, desires, joyful, sadness even madness 1 ”. Lyric is one of parts of music. For the last two centuries, the lyric, which includes the songs, has been the predominant type of poetry 2 . Lyrics tinged with violent close with punk rock as it is stated that “Loud, hard beat, insistent music and aggressive, often abusive or violent lyrics is called punk rock 3 ”. The lyric of punk rock often contained perspectives of disagreement of the attitude of the authority 4 . The disagreements may occur if the real and the ideal are out of balance. It is when expectation crushes with the reality. In an age, when the real and the ideal are out of balance, O’ Connor said, irony 5 is one of chief instruments of critical intelligence. It plays a central role when 1 Geoffrey Madell, Philosophy, Music and Emotion Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2002, p. 126. 2 Ibid. 3 http:www.exampleessays.comviewpaper93966.html. June,07,2007. 4 Ibid. 12 the society is struggling to conceive its basic premises 6 . It is a general way of thinking that recognizes contradiction and disparities, which express an intellectual expression of freedom. According to John Seery, irony has been applied, not merely to several authors and their different voices, but also in the entire fields of endeavour such as visual art, poetry, novels, music, prayer, and confession 7 . Those endeavours that contained irony help society to express their idea of the out of balance above happened. As one of those endeavors, poetry is defined as a kind of language that says more and says it more intensively than does ordinary language 8 . It is a way for poet to express their inner emotion impliedly. The language of poetry is compact with idea, thoughts and experience either it is a pleasure experience or a mean expression. It can be considered lyric as poetry. As it has been known that lyric is a kind of poetry, generally short, often involves the expression of intense personal 5 Irony is an indirect presentation of a contradiction between an action or expression and the context in which it occurs. The Random House © Random House, Inc., 2006, March 2007, Dictionary.com Unabridged v 1.1, p. 1. 6 WM. Van O’ Connor, Sense and Sensibility in Modern Poetry Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1948, p. 123. 7 John Evan Seery, Political Returns: Irony in Politics and Theory from Plato to the Antinuclear Movement Boulder: Westview Press, 1990, p. 183. 8 Laurence Perrine, Sound and Sense An introduction to Poetry, Eight Edition, Fort Worth: Harcourt, Brace and world, Inc., 1969, p. 3. 13 emotion 9 . Therefore, lyric is a kind of modern poetry harmonized with music. When music is combined with poetry the result can be more memorable 10 . In punk rock lyrics, punk rock musicians express their thoughts in viewing their social and politics circumstances which rather allude certain side. Punk rock is about taking an attitude in order to rebel against the problems of our society 11 . In the year 2004, there were number of movements dislike US President George Walker Bush like Women Against Bush, Bike Against Bush, and Bluetooth Users Against Bush many others. They have even sites to share their perceptions related reasons they dislike their own president and activities they held in expressing their dislike. It was caused by number of Bush administration’s policies and attitudes that led to controversy. One of them is the policy of Bush administration in starting war in Iraq in 2003. The mission based on US suspection to Iraq for having threadful biological weapon which is later unproven. The fact led controvercy in the worldwide. It was recorded that thousand of anti-war protesters have marched up Sixth Avenue in New York, March 20, 2004. Anti-war protests are taking place in many cities around the world on the anniversary of U.S.-led war in Iraq 12 . The disagreement of anti-war was not only expressed by US citizen who are anti-war in Main Streets, but 9 http:www.answers.comtopiclyrics. April,15 2007. 10 X.J. Kennedy, Literature: An Introduction To Fiction, Poetry And Drama, Second Edition Boston: Little, Brown Company, 1979, p. 509. 11 http:punkvoter.comaboutabout_obj.php. March,05,2007. 12 http:www.ccmep.org2002_articlesIraq102702_pictures_of_anti.htm 14 also in a lyric tinge with critics as it can be found in lyrics included in Punk Rock Music Album Compilation titled “Rock Against Bush”. The compilation associated with a punk community site namely www.punkvoter.com , which aimed to harness the youth vote to not elect bush in 2004 presidential election. “They unite to raise political awareness and encourage pop-punk fans to vote in the next presidential election — against George Bush” 13 . Their idea can be seen in a compilation punk rock music album titled Rock Against Bush. The effort was initiated by Fat Mike Michael Burkett of the band NOFX. As the producer of the compilation album, he has spirit of change for the nation. His sense of disappointment toward the president’s policies concerning some cases presents in every song in this album as he said in an interview: About a year ago I decided to use my influence to get bands together to speak out about the president, Fat Mike said. I think its our responsibility as citizens and musicians to do so. Hes wrecking the country and the world. Hes starting wars for no reason, our economy is in the toilet, hes ruining the environment, and he does things like cut taxes when we need money. 14 Punk bands include in this compilation album are Descendents, Flogging Molly, The Offspring, Rise Against, the Ataris, Pennywise, Anti-Flag, Against Me, Green Day, Sum 41, The WorldInferno Friendship Society, The Epoxies, Autopilot Off and many others. They contribute their rebel song lyrics to the compilation Rock Against Bush harmonized with rock music in order to approach the listeners, 13 Jon Wiederhorn, Good Charlotte, Green Day, NOFX to Rock Against President Bush: Anti-Bush compilation album due next spring, along with tour, Rock Against Bush. Accessed on April, 2007. http:www.vh1.comnewsarticles147917620030919index.jhtml?headlines=true 14 Ibid. 15 particularly punk fans that most are youths to achieve the goal of the album to vote and to opposed Bush in general election. The compilation punk rock music album Rock Against Bush consist of twenty six lyrics 15 . Punk musicians involved the album; engage the punk rock spirit into political battles against the President Bush. They have seen that the reality is out of balance with what they expect as a citizen. Therefore, they criticize, allude, and even mock the government through lyrics that are full of disappointments. They apply irony in expressing their thoughts, point of views, the spirit of punk rock, and their disappointments in the circumstances of political battle. In this research, the writer would like to analyze irony contained in three song lyrics from this compilation album and elaborate each meaning. The writer would like to know further the irony applied in those three song lyrics as a critical intelligence to the government’s policy. The song lyrics do not only state the feeling and inner emotion of the lyric writer but also provoke the listener particularly youth in that country to use their right to vote and not to vote George Walker Bush as a president in the next general election. It is rarely for the musicians beware of the politics. However, punk rock musicians such us Fat mike, Pennywise, Descendent, the Ataris and other punk musicians include in this compilation album in using their influence urge youth to vote makes them involved in politics. The writer sees that it is an interesting to be analyzed. 15 Emily Beaulac, Rock Against Bush Knocks off Socks, Rock Against Bush. November,19,2007. http:media.www.thetriangle.orgmediastoragepaper689news20041029EntertainmentR ock-Against.Bush.Knocks.Off.Socks-786205.shtml 16 Three out of twenty six song lyrics included in this album, the writer would like to analyze are Heaven is Falling by the Ataris, God Save USA by Pennywise, and Sad State of affairs by Descendent. The lyric of Heaven is Falling by the Ataris is an anti-war protest track from Rock Against Bush: Vol 1 16 . This lyric tells a story of a soldier who speaks to God of his fate of the unexpected situation that happened to him. He is having a dilemma in a complicated situation. The Ataris express his protest to war by giving a horrible experience of a soldier in the middle of the war. God Save USA is a titled contributed by Pennywise tells an inner emotion of the speaker. He thinks that his country has no more freedom-a precious thing that so far has been a proud of this country. The government organization like CIA or NRA has no longer use to replace the wrong condition to be better. And it caused by the president. Even, the people of the country are careless and apathy. Those make the speaker angry and desperate with Bush as the president. The speaker also states that Bush as a president of United States has already failed in leading the country. The speaker wants a change and asks God to save the country from all the unexpected situation happened in his country. A disappointment to the apathy of the society in relation with the impact of government’s policy can be seen in Sad State of Affairs by Descendent. In these lyrics, the lyric writer has repeated the word I dont care for many times. It emphasized impliedly that actually the lyric writer has an opponent idea with what the speaker says in that lyric- that the lyric writer cares much about the case and get 16 http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiThe_Ataris September,13, 2007. 17 mad why every body being so careless. In fact, it is not actually a little case but a big deal for the nation that needs a change.

B. The Focus of the Study