Musical Binary Thesis: Iron Maiden's "Remember Tomorrow" & The Who's "My Generation".

My Generation is a classic that has withstood the test of time known by nearly everyone in the first world, Remember Tomorrow is a more unknown song by a band with completely opposite style but despite this massive difference of time and genre they still manage to have a great deal in common with both rhyme scheme, ideals of dissatisfaction, and message to the audience yet they do differentiate in tone quite drastically along with method of deliverance for the intended message.

 "My Generation"

People try to put us d-down (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Just because we get around (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Things they do look awful c-c-cold (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I hope I die before I get old (Talkin' 'bout my generation)

This is my generation
This is my generation, baby

Why don't you all f-fade away (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
And don't try to dig what we all s-s-say (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I'm not trying to cause a big s-s-sensation (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I'm just talkin' 'bout my g-g-g-generation (Talkin' 'bout my generation)

This is my generation
This is my generation, baby

Why don't you all f-fade away (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
And don't try to d-dig what we all s-s-say (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I'm not trying to cause a b-big s-s-sensation (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I'm just talkin' 'bout my g-g-generation (Talkin' 'bout my generation)

This is my generation
This is my generation, baby

People try to put us d-down (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Just because we g-g-get around (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Things they do look awful c-c-cold (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Yeah, I hope I die before I get old (Talkin' 'bout my generation)

This is my generation
This is my generation, baby 

"Remember Tomorrow"

Unchain the colours before my eyes,
Yesterday's sorrows, tomorrow's white lies.
Scan the horizon, the clouds take me higher,
I shall return from out of fire.

Tears for rememberance, and tears for joy,
Tears for somebody and this lonely boy.
Out in the madness, the all seeing eye,
Flickers above us, to light up the sky.

Unchain the colours before my eyes,
Yesterday's sorrows, tomorrow's white lies.
Scan the horizon, the clouds take me higher,
I shall return from out of fire.

Jet Set Radio Future: Soundtrack

Music Listings:

1. Humming the Bassline (D.S. Remix) – Hideki Naganuma
2. Aisle 10 (Hello Allison) – Scapegoat Wax
3. The Answer (The Latch Brothers Remix) – Bran Van 3000
4. Baby-T – Guitar Vader
5. Birthday Cake – Cibo Matto
6. Bokfresh – Richard Jacques
7. Latch Brother Bounce – The Latch Brothers
8. Fly Like a Butterfly – Hideki Naganuma
9. The Concept of Love - Hideki Naganuma
10. Funky Dealer – Hideki Naganuma
11. Shape Da Future – Hideki Naganuma
12. Statement of Intent – bis
13. Koto Stomp – The Latch Brothers
14. Count Latchula – The Latch Brothers
15. Let Mom Sleep (No Sleep Remix) – Hideki Naganuma, remixed by Richard Jacques
16. I Love Love You (Love Love Super Dimension Mix) – Guitar Vader
17. Rockin' The Mic (The Latch Brothers Remix) – The Prunes
18. I'm Not A Model – Russell Simins
19. Oldies but Happies – Hideki Naganuma
20. Me Likey the Poom Poom – The Latch Brothers
21. Rock It On (D.S. Mix) – Hideki Naganuma
22. The Scrappy (The Latch Bros Remix) – BS 2000
23. Sneakman (Toronto Mix) – Hideki Naganuma
24. Ill Victory Beat – The Latch Brothers
25. What About the Future – Richard Jacques
26. Teknopathetic – Hideki Naganuma
27. Like It Like This Like That – Hideki Naganuma
28. Sweet Soul Brother (B.B. Rights Mix) - Hideki Naganuma
29. That's Enough (B.B. Rights Mix) – Hideki Naganuma
30. Grace and Glory (B.B. Rights Mix) – Hideki Naganuma
    

Analysis

Starting with the order, given this is a soundtrack for a cult classic videogame this soundtrack is partially listed in order to best compliment surroundings where it will appear but is also intentionally styled like radio line up or mixed tape. Starting with fairly generic songs it surges outward into the strange and unusual items outside the mainstream, from electronic alternative music, to rock, rap, punk, and even pop. In addition like a DJ taking requests or a mix tape of songs it's tone shifts wildly yet it still seems to flow by some unseen connection that stitches the patchwork of genres and styles together into a cohesive whole, in context this makes a lot of sense given the music is supposedly coming from an underground radio station including song transitions and mixes at the end and beginning of each song.

From a thematic standpoint however there is a great amount of connection between the songs mainly non-conformity, dissatisfaction with the world as it is, and resistance of authority. Given much of this music is Japanese in origin and is set in Japan this would have been a very serious standpoint outside the norm when this was released. Japan up until recently had a very conformist and duty/tradition centered culture making this soundtrack distilled dissidence for the youth combined with a focus on skatters (frowned upon) and graffiti (illegal) it shows a very strong tie to the nonconformist ideals of rejecting the past in favor of the future hence the title.

Finally we get to the feel of the album, call it aesthetic sense or whatever fancy name you choose but the most important thing about a song or an album is how it feels to the listener. Personally this album takes me through the range from angry, excited, flamboyant, and cheery to mildly depressive, unhappy, weirded out, and confused. This is an amazing range for any one album to invoke in a listener and though some of my feelings like depressive or unhappy have negative connotations attached to them it is good to feel that way from a song, look at sad songs like “every rose has its thorns” and you'll see that everyone likes to feel the negative feelings sometimes just like the positives. Summed up this is a genuinely special album that's worth listening to and the only unsatisfactory part is that some of the songs from the original list haven't been included on any disk release.

                                                   Full song analysis

BIS began as a scottish indie band in 1994 and producing music on into the early two thousands before breaking up in two thousand and three only to reunit briefly in o'seven and then again in o'nine much more permanently remaining active today. Giving the punk scene an anthem in “Statement of Intent”, BIS used resentful satire, well placed personification, and reoccurring rhyme scheme to convey a message from the disconnected youth to corrupt and out of touch governments. While not widely know this song has found a massive cult fallowing thanks to its involvement in video game culture.

To begin with satire the song makes a point of calling out the current leaders without stating clearly if they mean politicians, parents, or just authority in general. Pointing out the inevitability of the youth that's being rejected ending up in charge and that “the might mountains your building” will eventually fall into the hands of the kids they repress and those so called mountains of society may well be torn down. “Making discos of your castles we are tearing up your plans” the song exclaims excitedly showing that you can't fight your successors and should avoid building resentment in them, comparing the rules to castles and turning them into discos or chaos the youth position is that authority is incorrect.

Personification is prevalent giving the bureaucratic process a human quality. The speakers in the song make claims of refusing to be filed or copied for the bureaucracy, here called bureaucratic man, and claiming that careless children never perish. It speaks volumes about the boundless possibilities of youth to think that something that's so prevalent can simply be refused but also portrays a sort of arrogance that can only be found in people who lack perspective. They go so far as to say that they need no history because “Museums are made to lie. We won’t be xeroxed for the future. Careless children never die” and it's kind of sad because while they reject tyranny they also fail to see the benefits and positives of knowing the past.

Finally we have rhyme scheme. Throughout the piece we have an on and off last word rhyme scheme with assonance as it's primary relation. This doesn't really have much to do with the theme on first glance but inside it relates specific words such as lie and die, always very provocative statements involved. They make a very powerful impact when you start stringing them all together to see the whole picture of the song as less of an assault on authority but more a letter about the pointlessness of fighting against the youth.