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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page analysis of Roy Orbison's hit song "Oh, Pretty Woman" (aka "Pretty Woman). The writer offers a detailed musical analysis looking at such elements as melody, harmony and structure. Bibliography lists 1 source.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khroypw.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
as poignant of loneliness and human suffering as any country western ballad. Arguably, the Roy Orbison song that epitomizes his style and talent is his modern-day ballad of loneliness and
alienation, "Oh, Pretty Woman." The following analysis of "Oh, Pretty Woman" demonstrates how Orbison manipulated the elements of music to formulate the effect of this compelling example of modern song
writing. First of all, as with any song, the first thing that catches the listeners attention is the melody. "Oh, Pretty Woman," which is better known as simply
"Pretty Woman," has a poignant melody that adds to the inherent loneliness conveyed by the lyrics. The words "pretty woman" are in A major, but on the next phrase, "walking
down the street," the melody modulates into a minor key, F sharp minor. The minor quality of the melody with these words give them an added "sadness" that is very
suggestive in the context of the song. As mentioned earlier, this is a ballad, which means that it tells a story. It is a short, uncomplicated story, but a
story, nonetheless. The singer is a young man who is doing what young men have been doing since the race began - watching women. He sees a beautiful woman coming
towards him and is immediately attracted to her. He speaks to her and while his plea is a comment on her beauty, it is also a lament, a longing after
that illusive factor that is so intrinsic to human happiness - intimacy. He sings, "are you lonely just like me" (Orbison, 2001). This feeling is achieved through the switch
from a major key to a minor. Major chords are more consonant, while minor chords have a more dissonant quality. To put this simply, major chords (which are formulated from
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