song analysis

Carl Hauck - Windjammer

Carl made the song because it is one of the ways in which he could look back on various childhood memories and also in the area he grew up in which was called “Windjammer Court.”  The song was written by Carl so that and it shows memories from him being in High school and this gives an idea of how it was for him in school and it gives an idea of how it was for Carl moving from his childhood to adulthood.

Summer bells at the crossroad
Charcoal smells in the air
Children scuttle with their claws stretched
Empty pockets, cluttered mouths

Summer bells are flowers and this could mean that on the way to school, he would always see the flowers dancing in the air. This could be what he says on the way to school as there were shops where children were buying, eating and enjoying food. The use of emotions in the lyrics also help the audience define the sort of emotions that people feel every day, relating to him more.

Restless limbs of an ash tree
Swatting every crab apple aimed for the street
Where a scrawny traffic dodger springs
Darting nimbly, dropping leaks

Restless limbs mean that when he was young, he had countless energy and he was climbing on trees. This shows aspects of summer and nature of plants and earth which could signify the artist. The artist is singing slow and it could be because that it makes you imagine the a vivid scene of what he was seeing.

Cinder crackles from the rock bed
As splinters burrow in a hasty step
Coupled drudges in the shade of a pine
Heaving mallets at railroad ties

On the two lines, he shows you the sound that he heard as he was walking and it gives a picture in the audiences’ mind of someone walking in a rocky surface and the sound that the rocks make as you are walking. There were also trains that were passing beside him and he might have been train spotting.

A search at dusk for a shoestring
Or a finger poking out
Cautious whispers from a vantage
In the witch's battered hedge

This stanza is sounds as if he was in class as he said ‘Or a finger poking out’ which might mean that he was being poked by the teacher or class mate. ‘Cautious whispers from a vantage’ could mean that class mates were whispering and it could be about him. The word ‘which’ make you imagine a witch and it bring an idea that it could be his teacher. from this, it seems that school was trouble for him and at bring out the emotions from the song.

Sterile comfort in the wood fort
Earth and scarlet painted joints
Linen spirits in the closet door
Imagined trappings of a boy

The first line seems to be about friends because ‘sterile comfort’ gives you an image of protection, innocence and safety. ‘Linen spirits in the closet door, Imagined trappings of a boy’ means that at the end of the day, he would be scared at the dark and would think that there would be ghosts in the closet, and this gives an image of a boy being tucked in bed but hiding from the close, this gives a feeling of sadness and sympathy but mostly, it also makes you go back to the time when you was a child and was scared of the dark.

Eyes wide, night light on
Blinds and curtains drawn

This stanza gives you an image of a boy in a room and being scared because he has a ‘night light’ but also it makes you think at the time when you was young and had a night light. This makes the audience relate to the artist and connect because the song is about problems that most people would have in their lives. The line ‘blinds and curtains drawn’ gives more of a darkness feeling and it also makes you think about home.

It's a thieves' dream

This ending of the song makes you think more about the past but it also means the memories, dreams and wishes being taken from him and it makes the audience think more deep into the song.

Age

I would say that the song is for all age group because there are many people that could relate to the song and also would like the song. The fact it is about old memories brings in more audience as there would be people that are going through the same situation.

Gender

It could be for both male and female but the song is about a boy so more male audience would be able to relate to it, but the song everyone has gone through what the song is about and that is why I think that it would be for both male and female.

Interest

The genre would be acoustic, folk and experimental but I think that it would be for people that are goring through times of thinking at through their childhood and thinking about life in general.

Location

The location of where the song will be listened to would be world wide

Ethnicity Analysing

I would say that the song is aimed at a specific ethnicity because it is not directed to any specific people but I would say that more white people would listen to it as they listen to more folk song.

Analysing lyrics

The song is about past memories and childhood because it is about a day of a young boy from the beginning of the day to the end. The song shows you the life of how the artist was and from the song, it sounded to be good and safe at time but also sad and scared in other times. most children likes walking on small rocks because it makes a different sound and the artist shows it on the song ‘Cinder crackles from the rock bed, As splinters burrow in a hasty step.’ this makes you think back to your childhood to when you was walking on small rocks and it makes you relate to the song and connect to the artist. In the song, the artist also included friends, ‘Sterile comfort in the wood fort’ and that sounds like comfort, happiness, innocence and protection which makes you think of your old friends from school. ‘Eyes wide, night light on, Blinds and curtains drawn’ reminds the audience of how was for them growing because most children are scared of the dark and because they are young, they have a wild imagination so they think that there is a ghost in the closet or under the bed. This makes the audience imagine a child being in a bed and feeling scared of the darkness and because of that, the song puts you in the shoes of the child and also gives out an emotion.  

Analysing music

The music is fast pace such as the guitar on the background but the singing is slow pace and that makes a good effect to the song because most people would be listening to the song and the guitar in the background calms down the mood. This also makes the song catchy. When it comes to creating the music video, I will have to consider the speed/ pace of the music because I would have to make the video go with the beat of the music.

Analysing tempo

The tempo of the music starts fast and it has the same tempo throughout the music. As the lines ‘It's a thieves' dream' was being sang which was in 02.59, it seemed as if the guitar was becoming quiet and that could be because the artist wants the audience to concentrate more on the song then the music.

How you would visually communicate this song in a video?

I think that having a video that will go well with the song and that relates to the song would be a good idea so I thought of doing a narrative type of video that will because it would go well with this song. Having a music video that goes well with the song is important because then the audience will be entertained and not confused and lost on what the story is about. at the start of the song, the first thing that the audience will hear is a guitar so I thought of using a guitar in the music video and the story could be about a boy who has to go school but not looking forward to it and the mood would be sad and slow. To make the music video more entertaining, the video could be shown as a short story but also there has to be a lot of camera techniques so then the video wouldn’t be boring and dull.