Pressure by Billy Joel-Tone and Mood-Media Literacy

I was driving home today listening to my tunes.  I have been on an 80's kick as of late.  Billy Joel has been my fascination.  "You cannot handle pressure!" These words reverberated inside me.  I could definitely remember this song from my teen years. I loved it back then! Still do.  Now I get the lyrics.  I live the lyrics! At the same time, thinking about mood and tone.  Mood and tone.  Tone and mood.  Doesn't it sound so enticing!  Billy Joel sets great tone in this song with the words but also with the music that accompanies it!  I could definitely feel his tone through out.  I had all kinds of mental images stored up in my mind and little videos playing all over the place.He tried to create a pressured situation with his words and the constant rhythmic pounding of the synthesizer--pressure and paranoia-genius!  I thought of the video from way back when that reminds me the rock and roll musical Tommy by the Who, which featured Tina Turner.  Remember that?  I thought about how I could use this in the classroom with the mood he wanted to set with the music and rhythm and then the tone he set with the words.  I then thought of media literacy and how someone would have taken the interpretation of this and created a video of this song.   It also occurred to me that the person listening to the music and studying the lyrics could infer like crazy and make their own presentation based on their own background knowledge and then present it in such a way for the reader or audience.  I know you have to infer to get the nuances of tone and mood, for sure.  The funniest things pop into my head as I drive home.  The teacher in me never rests!  Where there is an opportunity, there is tomorrow.  I just thought I would get the idea down instead of letting it get away from me.  I guess this blog, for me, is a way to ferment my ideas.  Some I may throw away and others may actually turn into the finest wine.  As the commercial says, "We will sell no wine until it's time."  I am hoping these ideas will lead me to places I knew even considered and thus turn into a  Chardonnay 1982....no pressure really.  It was really a great year!

Okay then I thought of theme too!  I'll go on another time.....all your life is pressure!

                                                                 Pressure
                                                             By Billy Joel


                                             You have to learn to pace yourself
                                             Pressure
                                             You're just like everybody else
                                             Pressure
                                             You've only had to run so far
                                             So good
                                             But you will come to a place
                                            Where the only thing you feel
                                            Are loaded guns in your face
                                            And you'll have to deal with
                                            Pressure
                                            You used to call me paranoid
                                            Pressure
                                            But even you cannot avoid
                                            Pressure
                                           You turned the tap dance
                                           Now here you are with your faith
                                           And your Peter Pan advice
                                           You have no scars on your face
                                           And you cannot handle pressure
                                           All grown up and no place to go
                                           Psyche 1, Psyche 2
                                           What do you know?
                                           All your life is Channel 13
                                           Sesame Street
                                          What does it mean?
                                          Pressure
                                          Pressure
                                          Don't ask for help
                                          You're all alone
                                          Pressure
                                          You'll have to answer
                                          To your own
                                          Pressure
                                          I'm sure you'll have some cosmic rationale
                                          But here you are in the ninth
                                          Two men out and three men on
                                          Nowhere to look but inside
                                          Where we all respond to
                                         Pressure
                                         Pressure
                                        All your life is Time magazine
                                         I read it too
                                        What does it mean?
                                         Pressure
                                         I'm sure you'll have some cosmic rationale
                                         But here you are with your fait
                                         And your Peter Pan advice
                                        You have no scars on your face
                                        And you cannot handle pressure
                                        Pressure, pressure
                                        One, two, three, four
                                        Pressure