“When You Have to Say ‘I Do’”: Orientalism in Michael Jackson's “Liberian Girl”
2012; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 35; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/03007766.2011.618051
ISSN1740-1712
Autores Tópico(s)Race, History, and American Society
ResumoAbstract In the song "Liberian Girl" (Bad, 1987), Michael Jackson deploys the textual and musical semiotic clichés of Orientalism as a primary storytelling device. Through detailed music and textual analyses of this and other songs written by Jackson, this study demonstrates that Jackson's Orientalism transcends mere reiteration of the Western male desire to enhance a sense of supremacy through artistic representation of the feminine exotic "other"; rather, Jackson co-opts Orientalism towards implying a place for himself within the mainstream of dominant American society and social culture. Acknowledgments I would like to thank Julian Onderdonk and Michael McGrade for inspiring this study, W. Anthony Sheppard for helpful comments, Michael Winetsky and Brad Wells for inviting me to adapt this study into lecture format, Clara Latham for editing. Notes [1] By this I do not mean that his music was accepted by the mainstream, which is self-evident. Although "it was a big deal when he—or Quincy Jones—got stadium-rock god Eddie Van Halen to do a 'hard rock' guitar solo on 'Beat It.' Does that show how wounded the culture was back in 1983, or how innocent? Should that be a cause for nostalgia, or horrified self-recognition?" (Junod Junod, Tom. "Michael Jackson: The First Punk, the King at Last." Esquire, 26 Jun 2009. Web. 5 Aug. 2010 [Google Scholar]). Things have changed, as Junod noted: "Michael Jackson was the last great crossover star of the modern era. His stardom was sufficient to ensure that there would never be another like him—that there didn't need to be. He was a category killer, the category being performers energized by the very racial and sexual boundaries they transcended." While Duke Ellington once charged Quincy Jones with the task of killing all the categories, his protégé, Michael, certainly shared in the deed. [2] See Margo Jefferson's Jefferson, Margo. 2007. On Michael Jackson, Toronto: Vintage. Print [Google Scholar] thoughtful exploration of the surreal nature of Jackson's persona. [3] "Naku penda piya …" translates from Swahili as "I love you, and I want you, my dear!" [4] Why Jackson chose Liberia, a country founded in 1822 by freed American slaves and whose flag, currency, capital, and official language are reminders of its American past, I will leave untouched, but Jackson had options for four-syllable African nationalities rhyming with "Liberian." [5] In the "Voice-over Intro Quincy Jones Interview" to Bad, Jones refers to this as "Zulu." [6] Similar famous examples in Western opera are abundant (see Locke). [7] All musical examples are author's own transcriptions. [8] To be complete, they sing parallel thirds for five syllables in the song. [9] See Corbett.
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