Unlike both the official style and
plain style, the creative style allows authors to construct literary worlds
through virtually any means necessary.
The use of many different types of language and rhetorical devices gives
the authors the freedom to build their stories with different, layered, and
ambiguous meanings, giving the readers almost endless possibilities for
interpreting the works. One example of
creative style comes from the lyrics of Built to Spill, an influential rock
band from Boise, Idaho, in the song “Carry the Zero.” On the surface level, this song appears to be
about math. However, after a closer
look, the song appears to be about the narrators confrontation with their
significant other and the collapse of their relationship that follows. Through the use of metaphorical and
figurative language, assonance, rhyme, and tone, a song has been constructed
that conveys powerful imagery, deep, complex meaning, and still has catchy and
memorable lyrics.
One of the
first things that a listener notices when listening to this song is the
appearance of mathematical terms. This
might catch their attention, as it did mine, because math is not commonly
associated with music, but the sciences. But the mathematically-based lyrics of
the song are used to communicate something much deeper. Doug Martsch, the band’s singer, uses math
metaphorically to convey the feelings about the end of a relationship. Writing “Found the pieces, We counted them
all alone. Didn’t add up, Forgot to carry a zero,” Martsch compares the couples
relationship to an item that was dropped and broken. When the couple attempts to clean up the
pieces of the item, they notice that not all of the pieces are there, much like
their relationship. The appearance of
mathematical language in this excerpt gives the listener a visual image. Because many people have had experience
counting and doing simple math, the visual image depicted by Martsch allows the
audience to more easily empathize with the emotions of the narrator. Also, because math imagery is not common in
many songs, math imagery helps to make this lyric and the image created by it
more memorable.
Later in
the song, mathematical language appears again, but in a different way. Similar to before, Martsch’s writing shows
the lack of compatibility between the couple, “And you’ve become, What you
thought was dumb, A fraction of the sum.”
This lyric shows that the narrator now feels that their former
significant other is no longer a complete person, possibly from trying please
everyone around himself or herself by changing instead of remaining
unaltered. The use of the term
“fraction” also echoes the previous statements depicting shattering and the
suggestion that this couple is no longer a strong union. However, unlike the previous lyrics which
seem to criticize both people in the relationship, this lyric appears to be a
criticism of only the significant other.
Not only does the narrator use the term “fraction of the sum” to
describe the other person, but also the term “dumb.” The inclusion of “dumb,” which the narrator
aims at his or her former companion, changes the tone of the song from
self-reflective to one that seems more positive and forward-thinking, but still
not totally joyous. And from this point
on, the narrator seems to feel uplifted and positive about his or her future.
Although a
large amount of the imagery comes from the play between the mathematical and
metaphorical language, they do not contribute substantially to the organic flow
of the song. This natural rhythm seems
to come from the heavy use of assonance and limited appearance of rhyme. Martsch uses similar vowel sounds to string
together the stanzas of the song. The
first four lines all end in words that contain a definite [o] sound: “home,”
“broke,” “alone,” and “zero.” Because
all of these lines end by using similar sounds, they appear to be held together
in sound pattern, emphasizing the building of meaning throughout the four
stanzas. Also, by using assonance and
ending with the word “zero,” Martsch is able to emphasize the importance of
this word and the phrase it appears in, guiding the reader to his possible
intended meaning.
Rhyme also
appears in this song, but only in roughly six lines, and is used complementary
to the change in tone to create a climax in the song. Rhyme can be found in the following lines:
And you’ve become
What you thought was dumb
A fraction of the sum
Yeah, you’ve become
Yeah, you have become
A fraction of the sum...
In this song, the only time that Martsch uses rhyme is also
when he chooses to shift the tone of the poem.
The sudden appearance of rhyme invites the listener to listen more
closely to the song at this point and helps to create a message that appears to
flow more quickly and more effectively in terms of communicating the change of
tone.
The change of tone is an powerful
part of this song. Through the use of
tone, Martsch is able to construct strong visual images, such as the broken
object in the first stanza, with the catchy lyrics that he crafts with his use
of rhyme and assonance. Tone allows the
reader to shift emotionally, as the narrator does, throughout the poem and
quickly empathize with the emotions being expressed by the narrator, resulting
in memorable content and meaning.
Because
songs are a form of oral communication, the musicians need to have catchy and
memorable lyrics in order to make a mark on their listeners. This necessity usually results in the
creation of a refrain. Think about all
those bad pop songs on the radio. Most
of the annoying parts that get stuck in your head are the ones that are
repeated once, twice, or maybe three times throughout the course of the
song. Those lyrics make the song
recognizable, whether that is a good or bad thing is another topic entirely.
However, this song, “Carry the Zero,” lacks a true refrain, making the band use
a different technique to create memorable lyrics. Built to Spill uses different, rhetorical
devices to create a lyrical climax. They
emphasize this climax with a change in tone and the use of metaphorical
language.
Ultimately, A song has personal meaning for
both the musicians and the listeners.
Martsch not only captures and enhances this meaning with many different
elements of the creative style, but also builds a song that is catchy and
memorable.
A big thank you goes out to Captainsdead.com for the great
image of Built to Spill!
--Sam Hackworth
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