Anti-War and Pro-Peace Messages in Music Essay PDF

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Essay on anti-war and pro-peace messages in Plastic Ono Band’s “Give Peace a Chance” and the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter”
Professor: Naomi Graber...

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Noah Jones 4/10/2017 2040 MUSI MWF 11:15 Assignment Two - Question Two Both the Plastic Ono Band’s “Give Peace a Chance” and the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” have clearly anti-war and pro-peace messages influenced by the Vietnam War, which can be seen blatantly in the lyrics, but the artists use more than just lyrics to express these ideas. Through the texture, timbre and form of these songs, the musicians illustrate the violence of the times and the peace that they desire to support these messages. Both songs do not shy away from illustrating the violence of the war and the frustration of people during the time these songs were written, and one of the strongest ways these feelings are heard is through timbre. Both can be described as having a harsh, rough timbre. “Gimme Shelter” carries this roughness all the way through the song. It starts out, however, with a smooth timbre of “ooo”s, followed by an also fairly smooth first verse, giving almost a sense of calmness, if it were not for the guiro that is being played in the background. The scratchy timbre of this instrument adds uneasiness to the beginning, easing the listener in to what will build to be an angry, violent sound. This, in a way, reflects the feeling of discomfort that was felt by those who were home during wartime, the constant unease underlying everyday life, the tensions that built up back home with rising protests and the threat of the draft (Candaele). The timbre grows rougher and shriller with the introduction of Merry Clayton’s vocals in the choruses, practically screaming the lyrics. Her voice cracks multiple times, and the shrillness and roughness of the vocals echo the feeling of the time that Jagger describes, in a 1995 “Rolling Stone” interview, as a “very rough, very violent era” (Wenner). Not only the vocals but also the shrill harmonica solo, followed by a buzzy, harsh guitar solo sound like screaming. This grating timbre that takes over the song all the way to

the end, with a fading screeching guitar, not only reflects the pain and violence of the war at the time but also creates a feeling of anger and power that those against the war were expressing. In the same interview, Jagger talks about how the Vietnam War was different than wars before it, that it was “real nasty,” and that “people objected, and … didn't want to fight it” (Wenner). “Gimme Shelter” reflects both the anger that protestors felt at the time and the violent affects the war had, demanding attention, with its rough timbre and unforgiving sound, to its anti-war message. Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance” also plays with a rough timbre with Lennon’s shrill voice, practically screaming the verses of the song, which echoes the yelling of anti-war protestors at the time. His screaming carries throughout the entire song in interjections of encouragement and other phrases, the rough timbre of his voice matching the angry shouting of people during anti-war rallies. However, his screechy vocals take the back seat to the backing vocals’ smooth timbre that repeats the chorus of “All we are saying is give peace a chance/All we are saying is give peace a chance.” The velvety timbre of the backing vocals reflect the pro-peace message Lennon is delivering with this song, mellowing the feel of the song just as peace could ideally take over war. Texture also plays a key role in supporting each of these songs’ anti-war, pro-peace messages. Both songs build up a thick texture of backing vocals and instrumentation that echoes the chaotic nature both of war and anti-war protests. “Gimme Shelter” starts off with a thinner texture, percussion and backing vocals, before slowly adding in guitar, bass, lead vocals, more percussion, a harmonica and a piano. Jagger describes the song as being about “the world closing in on you,” and this buildup of texture reflects that feeling that was

prominent during the time the song was recorded that Jagger says is “a time of war and tension … that’s reflected in this tune” (NPR Staff). “Give Peace a Chance” echoes the sound of anti-war protests and replicates the busy, thick texture one would hear during a protest. It’s thick from the beginning, exploding in layers of percussion including handclapping and tambourine, acoustic guitars and Lennon’s hollering. Throughout the song, there are cheers and shouting from Lennon and others, further developing this image being painted of a protest. The meter of “Give Peace a Chance” also adds to this, mimicking the slow march of such a protest. It makes sense then that the song becomes, as Lennon describes, “an organic part of political protest,” when it is sung at the 1969 Washington DC Vietnam Memorial Day protest by “half a million protesters” (Candaele). Both songs have a thick texture, though they’re utilized in strikingly different ways in order to come to a similar message. While one reflects the dividing chaos of war as the other reflects the unifying chaos of protests, they both drive home messages that oppose war and violence. “Give Peace a Chance” and “Gimme Shelter” both also have similar forms that they use to deliver their anti-war and pro-peace messages. “Give Peace a Chance” has a very simple form, starting out ABABABAB and closing out with B repeating over and over, with B being the “All we are saying is give peace a chance/all we are saying is give peace a chance” chorus as discussed on the previous page. This chorus taking over reflects Lennon’s opposition of violent protest that he’d expressed in previous songs like “Revolution” (Lynsky 132). The repetition of B takes over the latter half of the song, reflecting a chant at a protest, drilling in Lennon’s message of peace into the listener’s head. “Gimme Shelter” has this same kind of repetitive form, starting with ABA’B (the A’ being due to the addition of Clayton’s vocals to the second verse and some instrumental changes) followed by the shrill solos discussed concerning

timbre. The song ends on a repetition of variations of B, the chorus involving the lines “It’s just a shot away” followed by a change to “It’s just a kiss away.” This repetitive form drills these phrases into the listener like a steady stream of bullets during war. The song is used often, too, to “evoke natural disaster,” the barrage of Bs like the beating down of rain during a storm (NPR Staff). In this way, the Rolling Stones use the song’s form to encompass and emphasize the violence of war. Both artists use form to drive home their message, be it the pro-peace message of “Give Peace a Chance” or the anti-war message of “Gimme Shelter.” The Rolling Stones and the Plastic Ono Band address the same message from different sides. “Gimme Shelter” evokes violent images of war to drive home a very anti-war message. “Give Peace a Chance” focuses more on the pro-peace side, evoking images of protests during the Vietnam War. These songs are two sides of the same coin, and both use the same musical qualities of timbre, texture and form to support these messages in a strong, effective manner.

Bibliography

Candaele, Kerry. “The Sixties and Protest Music.” History Now: The Jouranl of the Gilder Lehrman Institute, https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/sixties/essays/protestmusic-1960s. Accessed 7 April 2017.

Lynsky, Dorian. 33 Revolutions Per Minute: A History of Protest Songs from Billie Holiday to Green Day. HarperCollins, 2001.

NPR Staff. “Mick Jagger On The Apocalyptic 'Gimme Shelter.’” NPR, 16 Nov. 2012, http://www.npr.org/2012/11/16/165270769/mick-jagger-on-the-apocalypticgimme-shelter. Accessed 8 April 2017.

Wenner, Jann S. “Jagger Remembers.” Rolling Stone, 14 Dec. 1995, http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/mick-jagger-remembers-19951214. Accessed 7 April 2017....