Pop Music Score

Paper Summary:

Popular music, as demonstrated in the movie "Boogie Nights", can be utilised to generate added meaning for the narrative. Time and place contexts are established and asserted, and connotations brought forth by lyrics inform the narrative, working with the onscreen action to generate new meanings and character motivations. This paper discusses how "Boogie Nights" has a tight synthesis with its music and the way it is arranged and the particular pieces which are chosen, reflect the central themes of change and accepting who you are and what you have to offer, as well as performing a metaphoric or comical purpose. It shows how this effectively demonstrates how popular music, in the (near) absence of a classical score can interact with the film text in a meaningful way.

From the Paper:

"The popular song score operates in a different way from the classical film score, with seemingly more specific purposes based on its lyrical content. Popular Music utilises cultural contexts and linguistic content to create meaning. Coupled with an image the popular song's lyrics can be used as pun, ironic counterpoint or provide commentary or insight into character thought and motivation. The music of Boogie Nights works to fulfil the above functions, denoting, as only popular music could, the trends and transitions of music and fashion over several years, as well as articulating the thematic concerns of the film and acting as guide through the unfamiliar world."

More papers on Pop Music Score:

• Descriptive Essay # 117963 : "Pop Music"
• Essay # 55587 : "Pop" Music Queens"
• Essay # 86528 : "African Music's Influence on Pop Music Culture"

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