Currently Listening

(Q-Tip, left; Mark Ronson, middle; Amanda Warner of MNDR, right)

“Bang Bang Bang” by Mark Ronson & The Business INTL featuring Q-Tip & MNDR


I have a habit of searching for new music. In fact, it is a hobby of mine. In one of my recent discoveries, I came across the song “Bang Bang Bang” by Mark Ronson & The Business INTL featuring Q-Tip and MNDR.

As soon as the song started, the up-tempo beat drew me in. It was a bit jarring; as Amanda Warner of MNDR started the song with her staccato French counting, “Un, deux, trios," it definitely caught my attention. The song's catchy and head-bopping lyrics, left me more intrigued with the French words I could not quite understand.

The song was inspired by the French-Canadian children’s song, “Alouette.” The trio in this song takes the phrase “Je te plumerai la tête,” from the children’s song which is translated “I shall pluck your head.” The song is taught to small children in Canada to teach them the parts of their body. However, although the song by Mark Ronson, Q-Tip, and MNDR is didactic, it is teaching an entirely different subject. I believe that the lyrics of the song address and denounce the structure of hierarchy and its failures in society.



In the official music video of the song, the listener is exposed to three languages: English, French, and Japanese. This song is a subtle message to the Western and Eastern Hemispheres of the world. The subject matter the song presents a universal issue. In the physical world, gravity keeps us grounded. Consequently, by human nature, we are compelled to adhere to hierarchy and the redundant climbing of societal ladders. Yet, when we make it there, is there room for our humanity? Who is going to catch us when we fall? Gravity? You decide.

--Kerri Byam




Image Sources:
1) http://bit.ly/eIFZOj
2) http://i.ytimg.com/vi/i4kPz6dKsgY/0.jpg

Video Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM6TCGltfHM

Background information source: http://bit.ly/fxHdJB