JASON KAPCALA ONLINE
  • North to Lakeville
  • About
    • Appearances
    • Publications

Stacking Stones
​A Creative Craft Blog

From the mind of Jason Kapcala comes an eclectic journal dedicated to the study of creative writing, rock music, tailgating, and other miscellany. The musings, meditations, contemplations, and ruminations expressed here are my own unless otherwise indicated. Please feel free to share your comments, thoughts, and opinions, but do so respectfully and intelligently.
Return to Stacking Stones

Saturday Morning Soundtrack #69: "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" by Pink Floyd (1979)

9/13/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
It's been a busy time here for me with my new job and with my brother's wedding, but I'm excited to be finishing up the 1970s (finally!). This was the year that Video Killed the Radio Star ushering in the 80s and an era of New Wave music, and there were some great songs released by a few of my favorite bands, but the top song of the year for me was also (I believe) the top song of the year on the Billboard charts. It remains Pink Floyd's most iconic song, and was the band's only single to top the charts in the U.S. and U.K. . . . .

Saturday Morning Soundtrack @ Youtube

"Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" by Pink Floyd (1979)

"Another Brick in the Wall" is, at its heart, a protest song. In both the album version and the video, it is paired with "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" and transitions seamlessly with bassist Roger Waters screaming "You! Yes, you! Stand still, laddie!" and a high pitched scream. 

What makes this song so magical to me is the way it manages to layer so many different elements in one space without it turning into some sort of high-production spectacle. You've got the iconic bass and drum lines which for a pseudo-disco beat, the distinctive guitar rhythm and its riffs in-between the chorus vocals (my favorite part!), the moody reverb guitar solo, voice over, and a full children's choir. That a lot for any song to manage. 

Of course, the song wasn't originally supposed to be that long, according to producer Bob Ezrin in a Guitar World interview in 2009:

"I said: 'Man, this is a hit! But it's one minute 20. We need two verses and two choruses.' And they said, 'Well you're not bloody getting them. We don't do singles, so fuck you.' So I said, 'Okay, fine,' and they left. And because of our two [tape recorder] set up, while they weren't around we were able to copy the first verse and chorus, take one of the drum fills, put them in between and extend the chorus. . . .

I said, 'Give me 24 tracks of kids singing this thing. I want Cockney, I want posh, fill 'em up,' and I put them on the song. I called Roger into the room, and when the kids came in on the second verse there was a total softening of his face, and you just knew that he knew it was going to be an important record."

The song (and its trippy video), of course, follows a simple plot: our young hero finds himself being tormented at his bording school by a sadistic teacher who steals the song lyrics he is absently scribbling in his notebook. The cruel teacher reads the lyrics aloud in front of the class, embarrassing the student, who then imagines him and his fellow students marching along in unison like a group of downtrodden workers. They enter a steamy industrial tunnel and emerge from the other end without any facial features. They are exact clones of one another, and they proceed to fall blindly into a giant meat grinder. Eventually, there is an uprising where the students regain their identities and they destroy the school, finally setting it on fire as they chant, "We don't need no education."

There is a steak punk vibe to the whole thing, and also notes of fascist imagery. It is not an optimistic view of the British education system, with its overt commentary on how this approach to education works to beat down individuality and creative thinking, and it remains resonant today with our ongoing teach-to-the-test educational culture that, more often than not, misses the mark when it comes to understanding what tools are actually necessary for future success.

So what do you think? Did I get it right or miss the mark? Please, feel free to weigh in using the comments below. And, if you would like to write a Guest Entry for the "Saturday Morning Soundtrack" series where you creatively respond to one of your favorite rock songs, don't hesitate to contact me with queries.

Subscribe to Stacking Stones

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Jason Kapcala

    Writerly meditations, craft notes, tailgating recipes, musical musings & more.

    RSS Feed

    Subscribe to Stacking Stones


    Categories

    All
    Artist Interviews
    Autobiography Vs. Memoir
    Avoiding Cliche
    Contests
    Course Announcements
    Cover Letters
    Essay Structure
    Ethics
    Featured Student Writing
    Fictive Devices In Creative Nonfiction
    Fictive Devices In Poetry
    Flow
    Foreshadowing
    Form
    Fraudulence
    Free Writing
    Guest Blogger
    History
    Humor
    In Memory
    Journal Reviews
    Kent Haruf
    Metaphor
    MFA Backlash
    Multi-Genre
    Must Read!
    Name That Blog Contest
    Narration
    Narrative Structure
    Nonfiction Vs. Creative Nonfiction
    Novel Writing
    Open Vs. Closed Narratives
    Other
    Planning
    Plot
    Poetic Turn
    Point Of View
    Publishing
    Reading Poetry
    Reflection
    Revision
    Rock & Roll
    Saturday Morning Soundtrack
    Setting Goals
    Sideshadowing
    Strange Bedfellows
    Sunday Afternoon Tailgate
    Teaching Writing
    The Challenger
    The Challenger
    Time In Writing
    Transcribing
    Triggers
    Truth Vs. Truth
    What Makes A Writer?
    Woodworking
    Workshopping
    Writing And Television

    Featured Links

    Amy Correia 

    Canyon Voices

    Cleaver Magazine

    Cubicle Struggles

    The East Bay Review

    Eccentric Chai

    Fletcher's Grove

    Four Way Review

    The Good Men Project

    Green Chamber Studio

    Justin Wants to Feed You

    Long Story, Short

    ​Main Street Rag
    ​
    Masque & Spectacle

    ​Outrider Press

    Prime Number

    Recommended Reading

    Renée K. Nicholson

    Saturday Morning Soundtrack 
    (@ Youtube)

    Saw Palm

    Sling Magazine

    Souvenir

    SummerBooks

    The Summerset Review

    TypeWell

    ​Urban Farmhouse Press
Write to live.
© 2020 Jason Kapcala. All Rights Reserved.
Photos used under Creative Commons from kirstyhall, Keith Allison, haxney, kirstyhall, xoque, Keith Allison, Wouter Verhelst, Joe Bielawa, Keith Allison, Sister72, marc.cappelletti, bionicteaching, bluesbby, Jon's pics, Wouter Verhelst, ViaggioRoutard, xoque, Beverly & Pack, cwwycoff1, K.M. Klemencic, DOCHKAS, Justin Block, Anuj Biyani, aprilandrandy, Ron Cogswell, 4nnakin, Tom Pumphret, tenpixels, billsoPHOTO, Navin75, kozumel, Berto Garcia, dgoomany, Gerry Dincher, AJ Guel Photography, Eric Kilby, Picturepest, Keith Allison, rattler97, Cabe6403, bionicteaching, KatVitulano Photos, garryknight, Keith Allison, MHS Touchdown Club, Zengame, supermattzor, trekkyandy, phill.lister, marcen27, twosheffs, daniel spils, kla4067, sydneyduhh, Marcus Q, slgckgc, J McSporran, jasonmurphyphotography, nflravens, Keith Allison, Keith Allison, bob stephan, CraigInDenver, dbecher, Moe_, amseaman, Js473, weeklydig, Keith Allison, Môsieur J. [version 9.1], dluders, DoD News Features, uyht, zzkt, billsoPHOTO, Keith Allison, Edvill, Edvill, SteelCityHobbies, Mobilus In Mobili, fantasyfootballswami, Bob Jagendorf, tedeytan, waferboard, Rev Stan, andymag, dluders, George Vnoucek, Keith Allison, aprilandrandy, Mike Morbeck, Piano Piano!, Jim Larrison, Erik Daniel Drost, CraigInDenver, VaMedia, Kool Cats Photography over 2 Million Views, Jo Naylor, vixyao, deege@fermentarium.com, kirstyhall, sara biljana (vacation), AllenCisneros, greenchartreuse, swanksalot, Daquella manera, takomabibelot, kla4067, kk+, tnarik, New Deal Lions Sports and then some, herrkloeppel, emdot, Nirazilla, MIKI Yoshihito (´・ω・), Patrick Feller, brian.gratwicke, ToGa Wanderings, fpharpua2002, dustpuppy, kirstyhall, kirstyhall, HelloImNik, sergis blog, sergis blog, kirstyhall, kirstyhall, MvanM, Erik Daniel Drost, kirstyhall, ArranET, David Guo's Master, M.Pastor, Michael Fleshman, Matthias Murphy, michaela.raquel, Quasic, Sh4rp_i, Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing - Northern VA, D Simmonds, Fadzly's eyes, Dano, jvc, Bright Adventures, kirstyhall, PhilipRobertson, jasonmurphyphotography, Alan Cleaver, 96dpi, left-hand, bixentro, kirstyhall, mrkumm, StockMonkeys.com, lucianvenutian, jacilluch, roland, Moe_, kirstyhall, JohnSeb, Bari D, laogooli, Joybot, projectnada, Phil Roeder, rick, Cappellmeister, akeg, h.koppdelaney, mikecogh, Alison's Eyes, weegeebored, suvodeb, jakuza, SnowViolent, KJGarbutt, striatic, kozumel, DeFries, katerha, Chandler Abraham, Brandon Grasley, the_gman, kevin dooley, dno1967b, JohnSeb, kirstyhall, Moe_, Javier Kohen, OakleyOriginals, craigemorsels, TschiAe, Jeff Kubina, jDevaun, modomatic, Linking Paths, Tulane Public Relations, PDA.PHOTO, Moe_, Tiger Girl, Will Folsom, alvarolg, kirstyhall, hectorir, Editor B, rust.bucket, bert23.com, DeeAshley, kirstyhall, Patrick Hoesly, bibendum84, kirstyhall, kirstyhall, madaise, breahn, Rusty Clark, Gamma-Ray Productions, Dougtone, Visual Artist Frank Bonilla, HowardLake, Francis Storr, goingslo, ewan traveler, KJGarbutt, CarbonNYC, flakeparadigm, C.Y.R.I.L., James Willamor, legalizefreedom, tnarik, h.koppdelaney, basheertome, Nicholas_T, BrownGuacamole, gnomonic, afroboof, Global X, Martin Cathrae, Lorenzo Sernicola, kirstyhall, hoyasmeg, Hollingsworth, jameskadamson, Jennie Faber, this lyre lark, The Nothing Corporation, kirstyhall, LTHWRK, MHS Touchdown Club, JSam76, Matthew Straubmuller, kirstyhall, John-Morgan, Canned Muffins, Dennis Vu Photography for Unleashed Media, rbrwr, kirstyhall
  • North to Lakeville
  • About
    • Appearances
    • Publications