Robin Thicke Song Versus Porgy and Bess Song Essay

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Songs from completely different eras, historical contexts, and musical genres can often share point of comparison and remarkable musical similarities. Gershwin’s “Oh, I Can’t Sit Down,” is from the colloquial English-language opera Porgy and Bess with lyrics/libretto by DuBose Heyward. Conductor John DeMain reworked the original Gershwin compositions with Houston Grand Opera, staging Porgy and Bess to win both a Tony and a Grammy Award, thereby anchoring the production firmly within the realm of pop culture. Being from an opera, the song “Oh, I Can’t Sit Down” is lyrically driven, and the vocals remain the cornerstone of the piece. “Oh, I Can’t Sit Down” occurs about halfway through the opera, and is a light, whimsical piece sung by a chorus as opposed to any musical lead. The DeMain arrangement includes a range of instruments including tubas serving as bass lines and a full horn section as accompaniment. Although Porgy and Bess is an opera, it is a folk opera, one that distances itself from the high-brow connotations that classical European opera conveys. Therefore, “Oh, I Can’t Sit Down” is as akin to pop music as it is to opera. Porgy and Bess has been performed in its entirety on stage and in film productions. The song “Oh, I Can’t Sit Down” is unlikely to appear independently or taken out of context.



Robin Thicke’s song “Blurred Lines” is not part of an opera, a stage musical, or a film. It has an accompanying music video, but is not part of any significant overarching narrative, and does not need to be understood within the context of a film, play, television production, or even an album. However, the song is accompanied by a polished music video depicting the artists and a team of models and dancers wearing all white. Like “Oh, I Can’t Sit Down,” the song “Blurred Lines” represents popular culture, albeit from a totally different era and genre. While Robin Thicke’s song “Blurred Lines shares nothing in common with any type of opera, it is certainly exemplary of modern pop music. The original Gershwin production of Porgy and Bess was on Broadway in the 1930s, and the DeMain production took place in the 1970s. Robin Thicke released “Blurred Lines” in 2013. The different eras in which these two songs were composed and performed accounts for many of their differences in terms of musicality and production.

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For example, the hip-hop interludes by T.I. and Pharell do distinguish the Thicke song from that of the Porgy and Bess musical. Likewise, Thicke’s production takes place solely within a studio, whereas the DeMain production is recorded live.

Like “Oh, I Can’t Sit Down,” the Thicke song is sung entirely in English. The song, which features T.I. and Pharell, combines elements of hip-hop and electronic music with a catchy bass line. Like “Oh, I Can’t Sit Down,” “Blurred Lines” is lighthearted and lacking in musical challenge or complexity, in keeping with the conventions of popular music. “Blurred Lines” may not be as lyrically driven as the operatic “Oh, I Can’t Sit Down,” but Thicke’s falsetto is one of the most remarkable features of the song and in some small way does link itself with the conventions of the folk opera Porgy and Bess, which also employs a falsetto. Interestingly, the opening line of “Blurred Lines” is “Everybody get up,” which has a thematic similarity with the theme of “Oh, I Can’t Sit Down.” Both songs have lyrics that are almost purposely simple, with “Blurred Lines” about flirtation and “Oh, I Can’t Sit Down” an expression of pure simple joy of being alive. “Oh, I Can’t Sit Down” refers in part to the romance central to the Porgy and Bess story, whereas “Blurred Lines” is about more impersonal sexual encounters.



Whereas “Oh, I Can’t Sit Down” is one song from a cohesive musical story, and cannot be rightfully taken out of its context, the Thicke song can stand on its own and does not play a role in any larger narrative. Also, the song from Porgy and Bess is choral in nature, with no solo singer. “Blurred Lines” has a few instances of vocal layering but….....

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References

DeMain and the Houston Grand Opera, 1976, Porgy and Bess. https://masterworksbroadway.com/music/porgy-and-bess-houston-grand-opera-1976/

Thicke, Robin, feat. T.I. & Pharrell. “Blurred Lines.” https://www.vevo.com/watch/robin-thicke/blurred-lines/USUV71300454
 

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