SMELL Essay- F-R-E-E

The musical "Freecreditreport.com" commercials provide a bit of humor and amusement to an otherwise rather boring subject. The sender, the website freecreditreport.com, wants to get the message of their services and the necessity of using their services to the public. The commercials show what happens if a person does not use freecreditreport.com to monitor their credit scores, while providing absurdidty through the use of hyperbole. The adventures (or misadventures) of the singer appears through several videos, creating a very memorable commercial. These musical commercials use emotions, logic, humor, and pathos to try to persuade the viewer to use the services of the website, or to spread their name.

While the message may advertise "free" credit reports, the company would not be able to continue to thrive without earning money somehow. A short visit to the website shows that "free" can be interrpreted rather loosely. Either way, the commercials seem to be working because the website also claims to be the number one credit report website. The overall message of the commercial is rather simple: go to freecredit report and make sure that one'e credit is all right or they will end up with a bad car or working at a Renaissance fair. In short, going to freecreditreport.com will ensure happiness. People inherently want happiness, and do not want to be a "loser" of society because of something so seemingly trivial.

The emotions of these commercials are mostly used to amuse the viewer while getting their message across. The singer is sarcastically singing about his troubles due to a bad credit score. The viewer may see the consequesnces of not knowing their credit score, and will want to avoid the repercussions. They may laugh because of the absurd images and language. Everyone will remember the song because of the catchy tune and easy to remember words. People will listen to his advice in order to avoid the horrors.The music is always very upbeat to counteract the subject matter. The absurd images of the band playing instruments inside of a tiny, beat up car is rather amusing. They are shown getting laughed at, an event that no one likes, and is always undesirable.

The language of the song is very simple and easy to understand. Songs have to be easy to comprehend if they will effectively get the message across. use of modern language like "cool", "whack" and "phat" appeal to a younger audience, and jsut the kind of people that need to watch their credit score and who could benefit from visisting the website. He remarks that he was too lazy to go visit the website, something that many people can probably relate to, with procrastination being terribly inconvenient sometimes. The singer is sarcastic and seems to be understating the sadness and upset of his situation. The language effectively allows the viewer to understand and want the help from the website.

The logic of this commercial is the same of most of the others- use this product and happiness will ensue. The freecreditreport.com commercials are an original way to get the word out about the website that can help prevent disasters pertaining to cars or jobs. People feel sympathy for someone who can not do something because of a bad credit score, even if it was their own fault for not taking care of it. There are no realy moral decisions here because no matters of life or death are really addressed, but some logic. There is not a lot of room for interpretation, everything is spelled out very clearly for the viewer. These commercials are an amusing way to advertise a website.

"Wine Red", The Hush Sound

"Wine Red" - The Hush Sound

Who shot that arrow in your throat?
Who missed the crimson apple?
It hung heavy on the tree above your head

This chaos, this calamity, this garden once was perfect
Give your immortality to me; I'll set you up against the stars

Gloria,
We lied, we can't go on
This is the time and this is the place to be alive

Who shot that arrow in your throat?
Who missed the crimson apple?
And there is discord in the garden tonight

The sea is wine red
This is the death of beauty
The doves have died
The lovers have lied

I cut the arrow from your neck
Stretched you beneath the tree
Among the roots and baby's breath
I covered us with silver leaves

Gloria,
We lied, we can't go on
This is the time and this is the place to be alive

The sea is wine red
This is the death of beauty
The doves have died
The lovers have lied

The sea is wine red
This is the death of beauty
The doves have died
The lovers have lied

The sea is wine red (Gloria, we lied)
This is the death of beauty (this is the time and place)
The doves have died (Gloria, we lied)
The lovers have lied (this is the time and place)

The song “Wine Red” by The Hush Sound utilizes rich color imagery and symbolism with allusions to create a beautiful song, with a mild satire on human nature. In most of their songs, The Hush Sound uses vivid imagery to paint intense mental pictures. “Wine Red” is a great example of the Hush Sound’s style. Many of the allusions in this song point to the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Along with this comes the turmoil and trouble in the world, and how people continue to destroy the earth today. There are several allusions to Greek mythology or legends. The alliteration, juxtaposition, parallelism, and repetition help contribute to the song’s message. While the song may have religious allusions, it is not necessarily condoning any religion, especially since they blame Adam and Eve for the downfall of humanity. “Wine Red” has two levels- on the surface it is a catchy, fun song, but deeper lies the darker message of humankind.

The imagery of this song is violent and often unhappy. “Wine Red” opens with the line “Who shot that arrow in your throat”, which grabs the listener and causes a reaction. There is a large emphasis of colors, seen in “wine red“, “silver“, and “crimson“. Wine red is obviously a reference to blood, and the line, “the sea is wine red” could symbolize the widespread hatred and unhappiness in the world. It could also bring a sunset reflecting red light onto the sea, symbolizing the end or death of an era. The crimson apple is a reference to the Garden of Eden and the apple that supposedly undid everything. Also the lines “there is discord in the garden tonight” reinforce the Christian creation story. “I’ll set you up against the stars” calls to mind Greek myths where Gods alternately rewarded and punished people by immortalizing them in the night sky. This is ironic because “giving immortality” by being placed in the stars seem to be opposite actions. “The doves have died” symbolizes the death of peace and happiness. “The lovers have lied” reminds listeners of the lies Adam and Eve told when they allowed sin into the world. So many of the images have double meanings that this song has incredible depth and intricate symbolism.

The diction and word choice of The Hush Sound adds a lot to the overall meaning of the song. There is a lot of parallelism in the song, both for the sound’s purposes and to highlight the points the band wants to make. “The doves have died/the lovers have lied”, demonstrates parallelism and the way it can be used to make a point. There is a lot pf repetition, probably mostly for the flow of the song, but the repeating lines are very poignant. “This is the time and this is the place to be alive” also helps the rhythm and meaning. Many of the words themselves are very important to the song. “chaos“, “calamity“, “discord“, and “death” all provide a dark feel to the violent images of an arrow shot in someone’s throat. The sharp “c” sound also is a staccato feel reminiscent of panic or unhappiness found in the events of the beginning of the song.

Sounds are possibly the most important aspect to songs, especially with this song. Some sounds provide a cacophonous sound like “crimson apple”. The sharp “c” sound highlights the unpleasant situation that the world is in. There is a lot of alliteration in the song like “hung heavy,” “chaos, calamity” doves died” and “lovers lied”. These all simply allow the song to flow smoothly. The rhyme scheme is very complicated. Some parts do not rhyme at all, but the refrain has a simple ABAB or ABCC. Rhyming is very important to songs, and the overall sound juxtaposes the sad subject matter. The music is upbeat and not dark or depressing.

The song “Wine Red” has many literary devices to portray the unhappy nature of human kind. Drawing attention to the start of all of our troubles becomes the main topic of the song. The Hush Sound always creates a beautiful song that actually means something, instead of just creating songs to make money. While The Hush Sound is not the best known band, they have a lot of talent both lyrically, vocally, and musically. Their interesting blend of several creation stories allows the listener to form new ideas, or think about things they had never thought of before. That is really the point of art, create ideas or feelings in people previously inexperienced. This catharsis is especially present because this song repeats the important lines and highlights with alliteration and parallelism. The Hush Sound’s song has a deep meaning while being a pleasure to listen to.

Sestina

Back, many years before you were born,
An acorn fell upon the ground.
I began to grow, stretch my way to the sky.
It was quiet then, and peaceful.
My roots ran deep and healthy.
My leaves were green and vibrant.

The sky was always the bluest of blues, vibrant
As the day I remember being born.
The soil was so fresh and untainted, healthy.
I was free to spread out, no shortage of ground.
There was no noise, no rumblings, only peaceful
And restful silence in the sky.

Birds wheeled through the clear sky.
Their feathers shining in the sun vibrantly.
There were no cars or machines to break the peaceful
Quiet. I watched animals be born
As I grew through the clean ground.
I remained tall and strong as I pushed my healthy

Branches to heaven. But the air did not stay healthy.
Too soon the pollution seeped into the sky.
The earth turned toxic as the ground
Was infiltrated with pollution, no longer vibrant
Like it was when I was born.
The noise was deafening, no longer peaceful.

I longed for the past, days that were peaceful.
I was no longer healthy.
Some days I regretted that I was born.
The pollution caused the birds to fall from the sky.
My once vibrant
Leaves had dropped to the ground.

Now I can’t live because the ground
Trembles and is never peaceful.
The sky is never vibrant.
Corruption is the only thing that remains healthy.
My soul as dark as the sky.
I feel bad for the recently born.

The vibrant days of my past scattered on the ground.
I remember the days I was born, when everything was peaceful.
I await the day that the earth gets healthy and birds return to the sky.

Found poem

As I gaze at the horizon
A flash of fuchsia lingers from sunset.
Soon the luminous moon will rise
And the night goes on.

Some kind of voo doo envelops me as
I think of the one who is so essential to my every heartbeat.
His very essence is enough
To save me.

Before I experienced this wild thing,
I thought love was a contradiction.
Not believing in this feeling, intoxicating, enveloping.
Now my recovery has been set in motion.

Just one glance of the dark lights in his eyes
Makes my heart do somersaults.
A feeling as rare as a pink diamond,
As everlasting as a sterling silver rose.

Memory Poem

The glare of white light reflecting off the lavender floor. Standing off to one side anxiously awaiting my cue. In the last few minutes before I walk on, everything becomes crystal clear, as if I were dissevered from the world. The faint smell of fresh paint combined with the perfume from my hairspray. The dialogue sounds different somehow, even though it had become perfunctory from hearing it over and over, every day for the last month. I’m not nervous. Auditions, memorizing countless lines, hundreds of hours of practice, costume fittings, hair styling have all lead up to this one moment. I reflect on the other members of the play. Everyone is resplendent in their new costumes. The joy, fear, tears, and fights we have had don’t matter any more. I’m not nervous. Soon I will begin cavorting across the stage in the chimerical show. My mind flicks through my lines, making sure I am prepared, I know I am. The melee is always so much fun! My entrance is getting close. Soon the spoony antics will begin. I am reminded of how much I love this. The adrenaline, the buzzing nerves with the slightest twinge of fear is intoxicating. My chest gets tight with excitement. The audience is good tonight. Opening night is my favorite, the rush is the best. It crosses my mind how I wish the rush could last longer. Five lines away. Final adjustments to my costume, pull the skirt down, smooth my hair. Take a deep breath, excitement permeating ever fiber of my body. Two lines away now. My cue line. I walk onstage and begin my monologue. All of a sudden the nerves hit. NOW I’m nervous. But it is exhilarating.



Dissevered- (v) to separate, to sever
Permeate (v) to pass into or through ever part
Cavorting (v) to bound or prance in a sprightly manner, cavort
Exhilarating (v) to enliven; invigorate; stimulate
Intoxicating (adj) exhilarating, exciting
Resplendent (adj) shining brilliantly; gleaming; splendid
Chimerical (adj)wildly fanciful; highly unrealistic
Spoony (adj) foolish; silly
Melee (n) confusion; turmoil; jumble
Perfunctory (adj) performed merely as a routine duty; hasty and superficial

Evanescence Music Review

Everybody's Fool

perfect by nature
icons of self indulgence
just what we all need
more lies about a world that

never was and never will be
have you no shame don't you see me
you know you've got everybody fooled

look here she comes now
bow down and stare in wonder
oh how we love you
no flaws when you're pretending
but now i know she

never was and never will be
you don't know how you've betrayed me
and somehow you've got everybody fooled

without the mask where will you hide
can't find yourself lost in your lie

i know the truth now
i know who you are
and i don't love you anymore

it never was and never will be
you don't know how you've betrayed me
and somehow you've got everybody fooled

it never was and never will be
you're not real and you can't save me
somehow now you're everybody's fool


The band Evanescence is composed of main vocalist/pianist Amy Lee, Terry Balsamo on guitar and Tim McCork on bass guitar. This multiple Grammy winning band was formed in Little Rock, Arkansas and quickly rose to fame across both the United States and Europe, going multi platinum and staying a year on Billboard's Top 50 with their album "Fallen". Although the band has had several changes in members, Amy Lee (the only original member)has stayed true to her original intentions and style.
The subject matter for this band is often very dark and extremely emotional, creating a cathartic feeling in some songs, ranging from heartbreak to death to fantastic images. The song "Everybody's Fool" is a good example of both the sound and subject of this band. The video has a sarcastic and satirical sense about everything that seems perfect and mainstream, saying that "nothing is as good as a lie" and showing that someone who seems so happy and perfect actually could be extremely tormented. This shows how the band is trying to go against norms and stereotypes of society. The sound is an interesting mix of rich piano and loud guitar riffs and drums with Lee's haunting and powerful voice.
This band's style is contested and everyone seems to have a different opinion. While it is often defined as "Metal" many die hard metal fans call it too "watered down" or "commercial" to be true metal. Others, including Rolling Stone call it "Gothic rock" yet some other bands deny that Evanescence is gothic rock. There is even some controversy involving their inclusion in the Christian music boards, although Amy Lee denies ever trying to be that genre. It almost seems like Evanescence is a band that does not belong to one genre. In an interview, Lee says that they intentionally cross boundaries but seem to have "gothic electronica" sounds. Still others classify it as nu metal, symphonic metal, or pop goth. The intense lyrics lend the gothic feel, especially songs like "Tourniquet" or "Haunted" which deal with suicide and dark imagery. The metal comes through the guitar and drums. While some may argue that they are too mainstream, Evanescence still has a metal background with gothic undertones.
Amy Lee and the other original member, Ben Moody, both wrote and performed the songs and shared equal credit for their work. Amy Lee is classically trained in piano, and she says she has been influenced by Mozart as well as other rock or metal bands like Nine Inch Nails, Sarah McLachlan,Sting, Enigma, Michael Jackson, Portishead, Plumb, Toni Amos, and Danny Elfman, the genius behind The Nightmare Before Christmas. All of these could influence different aspects, from sound to lyrics. Amy Lee managed to combine all these aspects into something unique. It may sound strange to combine classical piano with metal, but I think it creates an intriguing sound with songs on albums reaching from haunting ballads to gothic rock. As to who this band could have influenced, any metal or rock band could have picked up on certain aspects of Evanescence that they liked. Avec, Ethereal, Jael, Last Minute, Opaque, and Ruby Bullet all have sounds similar to Evanescence and even have similar aesthetics.
The songs from this band all seem to have a different message, from moving on after heartbreak to wanting to give up. The song "Everybody's Fool" has an especially potent message. It speaks clearly to everyone who believes that perfection looks a certain way. In the video, Lee portrays a seemingly successful and happy person who is really in inner turmoil and hates her life. She has betrayed herself and hates who she has become. This message of going against society is very fitting for the band who does not necessarily appeal to everyone, and they are fine with that. The line "I don't love you anymore" is directed towards Lee herself in the video, an especially evocative phrase that portrays the anguish and turmoil. Major themes in their songs include love, pain, and daring to be different.
Co- founder Ben Moody once stated that the message of the band is that "God is love". Since God never once crossed my mind by listening to this music, I would be willing to bet that they did not acheive this message completely, although it was popular in Christian music for a while. Amy Lee recently said that she does not consider this a Christian band and that she was tired of being asked about it. Contradictorily, one member said that they wanted to express that "Christianity is not a rigid list of rules to follow". This one makes a bit more sense, although religion is not clearly spoken of in any of the songs. Music like this is often open to interpretation, and whatever the listener feels from the music. The band members have said that they are tired of neat categories, people should think for themselves about this music. Therefore, they acheive their goal of making people think about the music they are listening to. In a way, not having a particular message is their message, for people to decide for themselves instead of following blindly.
By challenging the world to actually think for themselves for once, this band could create some danger. Any time people think outside the box there is a possibility for danger to the accepted system. While the group is not encouraging people to violently take things into their own hands, they do want independence and individuality, unlike the girl in "Everybody's Fool" who followed and found things to be not as she wanted.
Evanescense has one of the most powerful voices in music right now with Amy Lee and combines it with instruments for a phenomenal sound. Even if you do not think that this band is appealing, at least give it a chance because the deeply personal songs can speak to everyone and decide for yourself what the songs mean.

Hypnopaedia.

Imagination is power is a statement that goes compeltely against everything in Brave New World, where anything creative or free thinking is quickly suppressed. This video uses images of brightly colored and moving images to grab attention and help inspire a person's creativity. The pictures can seem strange but with the power of a mind, anything is possible. The music is "Imaginary" by Evanescence and it talks about letting imagination take you to amzing places and away from any unhappy moments in your life. Imagination can let skies be purple, animals can fly, and clouds can be made of candy. The Hypnopaedia comes through the combination of music and images that could almost hypnotize a person into wanting and thirsting for new images and creativeness.