So *That’s* Why I Bought That Yacht

It’s a bit thick, but good to my eyes:

Music is the discourse that passes itself off as nature; it participates in the construction of meaning, but disguises its meanings as effects.  Here is the source of its singular efficacy as a hidden persuader.

Teaching a week on ads for my music video course, and thus had to assign this Nicholas Cook jawn from ‘94.  He uses commercials–their tunes, specifically–as a jumping off point for a terse but brief sparring session with the “what does music mean?” question.

He ends on the idea that music alone is connotation, while what’s associated with music (ads, music videos, album art, liners, arguments, concerts, he even–as a classically-trained guy–throws lyrics in there) adds the denotative elements.  There’s certainly some arguments to be made pro and con, especially once you leave the advertising realm (film and video people might quarrel with their contributions being purely literal), but it’s good stuff to think with.

I know it’s gauche to some, but I’m a sucker for a well-used tune in an arty ad.  But then again music videos are themselves foundationally commercials to sell CDs and mp3s.  Ads sell soap and cars and beer with the same music (and the musicians get paid more too).

Let’s not also forget that the ad realm is often a springboard for work in that other glamorous short-form world.  To wit: This happens to be one of my favorite music videos of the ’90s (though truth be told, I’m a Toyota man).  And that hazy teenage nostalgia was certainly a common theme for those two.

Related: let’s not forget about this.

Filed under: academia  Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris  music theory  music videos  Nicholas Cook  R.E.M.  selling culture  Smashing Pumpkins