Category Archives: RCL

When most people think about classic music videos, they often recall videos that appear to have a loose  plot (if there is one at all) and feature strange imagery and cheap special effects. At first glance, this appears to hold true with the videos for the rock anthems “Land of Confusion” by Genesis and “Holiday” by Green Day, in which  dinosaurs, drag queens, Ronald Reagan, and gorillas all make an appearance. Despite their use of these diverse images, both songs and their respective videos serve a higher rhetorical purpose and attempt to portray world governments, especially that of the United States, as corrupt entities that lie to the public, embrace war, and restrict the rights of their subjects. With “Land of Confusion” released in 1986 and “Holiday” released almost twenty years later in 2005, both artists desire a world of peaceful safety from the overextension of government during times of geopolitical turmoil and chaos. In the late eighties, when “Land of Confusion” was released, the world was plagued by the aftermath of the two World Wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and, most notably, the Cold War, which threatened global safety and caused mass hysteria. Similarly, “Holiday” was released in the midst of the Afghan and Iraq wars, during another time of mass hysteria due to the frequency of terror attacks around the world. Taking advantage of this kairos and taking inspiration from government blunders during current crises, both Genesis and Green Day developed powerful criticisms of war mongering and government control by utilizing over the top satire, compelling juxtaposition, and eye opening diction.

Introduction:

• Start off with some kind of attention grabber.
  • For the attention grabber, reference the weird characteristics of the video, such as the random puppet triceratops, gorillas, etc. Potentially ask the audience what these seemingly diverse objects have in common.
• Introduce Artifact – “Land of Confusion” by Genesis and explain that this song incorporates these strange objects into its strange music video.
• “If you don’t recognize this song by name, chances are you will remember it when I play a clip”
• Play a clip of the song, specifically the chorus, and make sure the scene in the video demonstrates how strange the video is.
• After the clip, say something like “clearly (or as you can see), this song has a bizarre and mildly terrifying music video, featuring severed puppet heads of Mussolini and Gorbachev, dinosaurs with bow-ties, Ronald Reagan in a superman outfit, and other seemingly unrelated images.”
• After discussing how weird the video is, start to transition into how the song/video is actually rhetorically relevant and significant, and how it has hidden meaning behind the unsettling puppets.
• Introduce themes of song/video:
  • Government lies/deception
  • War mongering
• Discuss kairos – cold war, Reagan presidency, ongoing conflicts after WW1, WW2, Korean War, and Vietnam War, ‘actor’ as president
• Transition into body ‘paragraphs’
• THESIS – “In order to accomplish their rhetorical mission, Genesis relied on comedic satire and juxtaposition to vilify world governments and war-mongering.”

 

Body #1

• Discuss comedic satire in “Land of Confusion”
  • Reagan in superhero suit… shows what Reagan tries to portray himself as, which pokes fun at the fact that he is (at least as viewed by Genesis) quite the opposite
  • Crude puppets are ‘silly’ and ‘creepy’ but are caricatures of political leaders to show them as silly and stupid
  • Nuke or nurse button… demonstrates cold war tensions and the carelessness of global leaders and the damage caused by their mistakes
  • Discuss how this is important in convincing the listener/watcher… by creating ironic humor, the video/song succeeds in engaging the viewer and results in them questioning various leaders and their authority

 

Body #2

• Discuss juxtaposition
  •  Juxtaposition of dreams in the video… Reagan has a nightmare of the world where violence runs rampant and is basically a mess, but he wakes up and life is exactly the same
  • The bridge of the song… compares the past to the ‘present’ (’86’), where the past is peaceful and primitive. Then it changes to the present where everything has gone to hell. In addition, musically, the bridge is calmer than the other verses, and isn’t driven by heavy guitar riffs and drum fills.
  • This juxtaposition shows viewers/listeners that life hasn’t always been corrupted by government institutions and war games, and that there truly is hope for ‘our generation to put it right.’

 

Conclusion

• “As you can see, despite being less common than political speeches and advertisements, some songs are riddled with rhetorical undertones and symbolism.”
• “Some songs, such as this track from the album Invisible Touch, are dedicated to trying to convince the audience of defects in global society, in this case, in government policies and war.”
• Discuss once again how music videos are a unique form of rhetoric, as they often appear to have a loose plot and no real purpose. Then conclude by saying that once you look a little further, you can pick apart the ideologies behind such strange media.
• Conclude by discussing the videos relevance today… BLM, police brutality, Trump, etc.
• Finish with thought provoking statement – “So what will you do? Will you be a part of a generation that “will put it right,” or do nothing and give in to the “Land of Confusion.”

Perhaps one of the most politically charged songs of all time, “Land of Confusion” by English progressive rock band Genesis, relies on various kairotic events of the time to achieve its rhetorical goal. Released in 1986 on the album Invisible Touch, “Land of Confusion” tries to spread a message exposing government corruption and lies through it’s meaningful lyrics and satirical music video. This rhetorical message, although accomplished through the means of lyrics and visuals, would not be possible if it weren’t for the kairos that accompanied it.

To analyze the kairos behind “Land of Confusion,” we need to understand when the song was released, 1986. At this point in history, the world was still recovering from decades of war. World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War plagued many nations, who were left with the negative consequences of war, mainly death, destruction, and a battered economy. With so much emphasis on war in the 20th century, many people began to grow weary of war, and began to question the authority and trustworthiness of their governments. This  was clearly shown in the protests that accompanied the Vietnam War, and the dozens of peace/anti-war movements.

In addition to the public’s growing disdain and distaste in government, the ongoing Cold War rose global tensions and resulted in even more criticisms of various national governments, especially that of the United States and the Soviet Union. In ’86, Cold War tensions were higher than ever before, as highlighted by the music video’s depiction of President Reagan accidentally pressing a ‘Nuke’ button.

Taking advantage of the kairotic situation of war and government distrust, “Land of Confusion” was released at the perfect time to rhetorically convince listeners of the dark secrets behind most global governments. Released right after the exposure of the Iran-Contra Affair  and the subsequent decline in President Reagan’s approval rating, the song is more relevant than ever, and hits home with viewers who are growing tired of government deception and wartime hysteria. If the song were released at a more peaceful time, where the President and other national leaders were well-received, the song would seem strange, and perhaps even offensive. Fortunately for the popularity of the song, Genesis carefully considered the kairos of the 1980s in order to compose a politically relevant anthem for government critics everywhere.

1. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ZgeAYdEC2ZNX7oKU0Cq8GpOR-6PUD7gBbhZuUcO3EX6VdP3EH8A_T2Mq13SPrJ8S18kXGPE=s90
2. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2g4ZoQiArOMNZ2KOY2CcRVlTx4OKbCuD_udkZvtJeQ0bnJjHXYj_CIJU93BscU9IPIYznA=s113
3. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/o0-IIaT1famjGsxL454s3CuBMlzk3dABMTTvRp8-WESpLrZENRXXnLtgID653Jrqou-E5Fk=s85

After breaking out into the punk rock scene in the mid-1970s, the English rock band The Clash has produced some of the most politically charged records of all time. Many of their lyrics remain especially relevant today. For instance, the lines: “You have the right not to be killed / Murder is a crime /Unless it was done / By a policeman” [1], from the song “Know Your Rights,” seems hauntingly similar to modern police brutality towards black men and women. Their most highly regarded album, London Calling, features countless similar criticisms of war and weapons of mass destruction through various techniques such as strong imagery and specific musical choices.

In the apocalyptic title track “London Calling,” lyricist Mick Jones and Joe Strummer ultilize a very unique musical style  coupled with strong imagery to promote an anti-war message. Throughout the entirety of this powerful tune, the drums and guitar line up on the downbeat, creating a powerful, ominous style that drives the verses like a dagger into the ear of the listener. This musical choice is not common in rock music, but helps create a dreadful mood that amplifies the rhetorical ability of the song’s lyrics.

On top of the foreboding central riff of this song, Joe Strummer delivers a powerful message about war. By utilizing strong imagery in lines such as “Come out of the cupboard, you boys and girls,” “…zombies of death,” and “meltdown expected” [2], Strummer is able to paint a vivid picture of an apocalyptic world in which children hide from nuclear waste and radiation, and where chaos engulfs the entire planet. With such chilling lyrics, the song forces viewers to imagine a world where the “wheat is growing thin” and “engines stop running” as a consequence of mass mobilization of nuclear weapons and energy. Combined with a haunting groove, the song succeeds in convincing listeners to be wary of the nuclear advances that grip national militaries. Although songs are less effective in getting people to take action than other forms of propaganda, the song is able to subtly equate nuclearization with death and horror. Finally, to reinforce their message, an audible S.O.S. morse code can be heard as the song concludes, further solidifying The Clash’s criticism of nuclear weapons and war.

Along with their criticisms of war and various weapons, The Clash heavily criticizes police brutality, crime, and civic violence throughout the hour long London Calling. These further criticisms and their rhetorical power will be further discussed in future posts or essays, but this micro-analysis of the opening track is a strong introduction to the power of rhetoric and it’s prevalence in the music industry.

1. https://genius.com/The-clash-know-your-rights-lyrics

2. https://genius.com/The-clash-london-calling-lyrics

3. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nme.com%2Fnews%2Fmusic%2Flondon-calling-inside-clashs-new-brilliant-exhibition-2574622&psig=AOvVaw1BARK2j8rvLyLQkJCV26Oc&ust=1599182124560000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCPjq0ubny-sCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

4. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FLondon_Calling&psig=AOvVaw3ywkl4I4l1CYIG0G_L0sdI&ust=1599181795354000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCPD8osnmy-sCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD