Monday 25 November 2013

Mama, just killed a man

Songs, another great way of telling stories. The writer of the song puts their words to music or adds words to the music. And, when all goes well, hunderds of people will sing along to your song.

Hopefully most of you will have recognized the title as one of the main lines from the Bohemian Rhapsody (so mama, don't worry, I didn't kill a man).
This song is obviously not based on reality. Since I doubt Freddy Mercury, who wrote the song, actually killed a man. Because I haven't read reports about him being in jail for several years. Something that will happen when you kill a man by putting a gun against his head.

The song is written for fun, amazing lyrics with great rhyme and the some very strange words.

This part is the trail of the "killer"
I see a little silhouetto of a man
Scaramouch, scaramouch will you do the fandango

To be honest, I had to Google Scaramouch (roguish clown character of the Italian commedia dell'arte who wears a black mask and, sometimes, glasses. He entertains the audience by his "grimaces and affected language") and the Fandango I remember from my time in music as a lively dance.

The Bohemian Rhapsody was one of the first songs that had a video clip accompanying the song. A big part of the videoclip is still seeing the band perform. But for instance the trial part does show a silhouet of a man, in a costume that would fit a Scaramouch. And with the rest of that part of the song you see just the heads of the band, looking down, as if in a real trial. Where a very angry jury is looking down upon the man on trial.

In this way the images of the videoclip are adding to the story told by the song. Both telling the same, but enhancing the other. Like a musical used to do before. 


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