Music has always been a means of expression and a way of describing the conditions of the time in which it was written, as well as the feelings and circumstances of the person by which it was created. This way of expression through music can be found in the poem “Burying blues for Janis” by Marge Piercy; in this poem, Janis Joplin is depicted as pouring out her soul through her music, and the poem presents her in a different light than society generally saw her. The lyrics of the poem portray Janis as a strong voice that speaks of the difficulties women must endure in male-female relationships. Much like Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell is another timeless and unique voice that describes relationships between men and women, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s (Hedley 17). Through their lyrics, Janis Joplin and Joni Mitchell describe the condition of women in the 1960s and 1970s, and more specifically themselves, as having to sacrifice themselves and their own happiness in their romantic relationships. Many of these musicians' songs, including Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart" and "The Last Time" and Joni Mitchell's "I Had a King" and "The Gallery", describe or allude to the sacrificial nature of romantic relationships. In “Burying blues for Janis,” Piercy insightfully describes how Janis’s performances of his music reveal his self-sacrifice. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an Original EssayIn the poem “Burying the Blues for Janis,” Marge Piercy shows her ability to reach readers in an identifiable but also revealing way (Paying 63). Her description of how Janis sings draws on many things that Janis' audience had probably believed about her but were unable to express in words. In the first stanza of the poem, Piercy connects Janis' voice to how she feels in her own life, in terms of being a woman when she says "Your voice always hit me right on the funny bone the suffering dog with a big heart.” a fantasy that ruled me like a huge copper moon with its phases until I could partially free myself. Piercy describes how Janis' music and lyrics evoke a very particular idea or circumstance in her mind, which is that all women must suffer, especially at the hands of men and their relationships. Piercy vividly describes the throaty, soulful sound of Janis's voice when she writes "Your voice would grate right off the marrow-filled bone that cooks this rich stew of masochism in which we swim." The poem blatantly states what was implied earlier when it says, “Woman is born to suffer, mistreated and deceived.” This statement is radical, but constitutes a very common theme in Janis' music (Willet 8). Although Janis Joplin's lyrics may not directly evoke these pessimistic circumstances, her voice, her words and the cadences of the music expressed all the depths of her soul in a way that allowed the listener to know everything what it contained (Willet 12) (Piercy 39). The situation of women described in the first stanza is beautifully summed up by the lines “Never do we feel so alive, so in character, as when we walk the floor with the blues all night long.” » The tone of these lines is subtly sarcastic, because of the words "so much character". These words help to make women's suffering inevitable. Piercy once again demonstrates her great ability to identify with the bleeding and suffering hearts of women around the world when shedescribes the effect a man's absence can have on a woman, writing: "When a man who is not there, it is better that he goes, becomes a swelling lack." into a gas balloon and flattens all our thoughts, feelings and goals. This line is very relatable because most women can relate to the pain and heartbreak caused by the absence of a man they care about, even if he isn't good for them anyway . The "lack" of this man is difficult to deal with, and the essence of the lack acts as a constant pain that the woman remembers, even when she "flattens", and the pain should disappear, but it only presents itself in a different, less immediate form. This stanza deeply and strongly describes the difficulties that women often face because of men. Piercy not only accurately and uniquely describes Janis' music and how it relates to relationships and women's suffering, but she also describes the struggle of women in a way that is undeniably true, even for someone who never listened to Janis Joplin music. (Paying 79) (Piercy 39). In the second stanza of "Burying blues for Janis", Piercy continues with the theme of women being put down by men, but she describes more of the necessary sacrifice that women are subjected to. This stanza ties together all the related but not necessarily coherent parts of the first stanza, and it also unquestionably reveals Piercy's main theme and main conclusion about Janis and her music. The very first line refers to Janis' music as "the downtrodden, juicy female blues", which is powerful and also surprising, because it ties the entire first stanza together to form a bold conclusion about what Janis' music does. For Piercy to describe her music as "downtrodden" is bold and unprecedented, as most audiences and listeners undoubtedly viewed Janis as strong and confident; however, through the lyrics and sounds of his music, there is a certain theme of “downtrodden blues” (Willet 22). Piercy also writes that Janis's life was the fuel for her powerful music, which adds to the depth of feeling in her music, as it is confessional and personal (Willet 15). The theme of Janis's sacrifice becomes particularly evident when Piercy writes, "You play this shapely mom who gives and gives like a fountain of watered chicken soup to a rat race of men." » This line is crucial to the overall theme of the poem, because it describes how Janis sacrificed herself. She “[gave] and [gave]” to men, like a “made” mother; the words made describe her as being used by men, tired and not having much of herself left to give. The phrase “like a fountain of watered chicken soup” represents how she sacrifices herself; it is not in a healthy way that also allows him to derive happiness from it (Willet 25). The word “drunk” indicates that she is giving away a part of herself in an inconsistent and unhealthy way, a way that will ultimately lead to no happiness or personal fulfillment (Piercy 39). Another section that describes this sacrifice and is very crucial. to understand this poem, it is: "You embodied the beautiful eraser of passivity, a woman with her back to the world, offering endlessly, desperately and in tatters, a courageous front to be kissed." Much of the music of Janis Joplin and Joni Mitchell deals with this circumstance; this portrays Janis as willing to do anything to be loved, even to the point of offering herself to men who will not treat her with care. It is in these lines that the distinction is made between Janis's rage as a form of rebellion and her rage as a form of courage and theresult of his sacrifice. The final lines of the poem are the rawest and most descriptive in their depiction of Janis' music and inherent sacrifice when they say "This willingness to hang on to the hook and call it love, this need to love like a screaming hollow in the soul, it's the drug that hangs us and drags us mortally like the icy sleet of skag that froze your blood. Janis' music is very much about “the will to hang on. hook and call it love" in different ways, but all share the common theme. It's obvious that the theme of much of Janis Joplin's music is about how relationships lead women through. the way the need to love "like a screaming hollow in the soul" drags people down Piercy then makes a comparison of the need for love being "the drug that hangs us and drags us down." and "the icy sleet of skag that froze [Janis's] blood", which shows that she attributes Janis' death in part to her own sacrifice, her "need for love" and her "will to 'hang on the hook'. Here, Piercy implies that Janis' sacrifice, which was well-intentioned and simply intended to fulfill her need for love, is what ultimately led to her death. The poem also implies that all women are subject to such sacrifices necessary to be loved by men and that Janis Joplin is. simply representative of this sad truth (Piercy 39). Much of Janis Joplin and Joni Mitchell's music is about how women are dragged down by relationships and how they sacrifice themselves. Janis Joplin has a unique and powerful way of connecting. an audience of listeners feels her pain through her music and feels everything she says as if they were experiencing it themselves. Therefore, it is easy to hear her music, feel personally connected, and identify with the words she sings (Friedman 72). . When Janis sings about relationships, the intensity of emotion is very evident, and the feelings of being "finished" and giving more and more of herself are also very evident (Willet 25). The song "Piece of My Heart" is about how her relationship with a man depresses her and how she sacrifices her own happiness in the relationship. The fact that “woman is born to suffer, abused and deceived” is particularly evident in the poem “Bury the Blues for Janis” in the song “Piece of My Heart” and also in the situation of “the woman with her back to the world” . endlessly, desperately and raggedly offering a brave front to get fucked. The song begins with Janis asking the question "Haven't I given you almost everything a woman can?" (Janis Joplin). This shows that she feels that even though she gave everything, he didn't 's still not happy with her The chorus of this song is very confessional and gets to the main point of the song, when Janis sings "Take another little piece of my heart now, baby/Break another little piece of my heart. now darling" (Janis Joplin). From the way Janis sings these words, the listener can tell the depth of her feelings regarding the words she is singing, and the lyrics show that she feels like a man is a part of her, and it breaks her heart This song is particularly about Janis's feelings of emotional and mental suffering and abuse, which is especially clear when she sings "And every time I tell myself that. I, well, I can't stand the pain, But when you hold me in your arms, I'll sing it again" (Janis Joplin). These lyrics show Janis's frustrations with her inability to let go of the relationship, even though she knows it's not good for her, which webrings us back to the “rich stew of masochism in which we swim” that Piercy spoke of (Willet 70). Janis' lyrics often indirectly refer to her masochism or self-destruction, which often took the form of drugs and emotionally abusive or sacrificial relationships, which were problems perpetuated by men (Friedman 38). The lyrics of "The Last Time" by Janis Joplin also show a form of sacrifice and hardship that Janis faces in the same way, which is that of a man who is fickle and does not keep his word, but she "gives and gives like a fountain of alcohol ". chicken soup." The song begins with Janis's raspy, soulful vocals pleading to "Make this the last time, make this the last time" and the listener can already relate to her pleading, desperate voice. The lyrics of this song describe how Janis sacrifices her own happiness to love this man, whose love is inconsistent and ultimately leaves her only unhappy and unfulfilled. The lyrics: "And every time you leave, I make the same wish That when you come back, I won't love you how. But when you come back, you seem so good to me that I can't take it anymore, my darling. , it just has to be Janis Joplin and the way she sings them tells the reader how this relationship leaves her depressed and feeling taken advantage of (Janis Joplin It's clear from the lyrics that Janis wants to stop herself from loving). this man and he takes advantage of her weakness and love for him, in a way that causes her to sacrifice her own feelings This song ends with Janis displaying her sensitivity and vulnerability as she sings "Hang on." you to my heart, I'll believe it until you leave, then I'll cry, yeah” (Janis Joplin) When juxtaposed with most people's image of what kind of musician he was. Janis Joplin, who represents strength, toughness and rebellion, these lyrics make people see her in a completely different light, especially because of the emotion and pain she brings. her voice as she sings them (Willet 72). As "Burying Blues for Janis" describes, Janis Joplin sings about her own personal suffering related to sacrifices on the part of relationships and men, and she is the voice of women's suffering in relationships in general. Joni Mitchell is another world musician. The era of Janis Joplin singing about personal sacrifice in relationships and the suffering women must endure. Although Joni Mitchell's style is different, many of her overall themes are very similar to those of Janis Joplin. Joni's song "I Had A King" describes in a very insightful and metaphorical way how her marriage to a man she did not love led her to sacrifice a large part of herself for a period of time (Joni Mitchell). The lyrics in this song that most directly relate to sacrifice in the relationship are: "I had a king in a salt-rusted carriage Who took me to his country too soon to marry." Beware of the power of the moons There is no one to blame No, there is no one to call a traitor here. sacrificed his happiness and part of his youth. However, the lines "Beware the power of the moons, there's no one to blame, no, there's no one to mark as a traitor here" demonstrate that although she feels like she's sacrificed herself, she doesn't blame the man. She attributes the suffering and the mistake she made to the "power of the moons" and believes that there was no deliberate betrayal (Joni Mitchell). Yet her sense of self-sacrifice is very apparent in the sound and lyrics of the song. It's also evident through the lyrics: "I had a king dressed in drip-dry and cashmere. Lately he's taken to saying I'mcrazy and blind. He lives in another era. The ladies in gingham are still blushing. While he sings to them of wars and wine. But I, in my leather and my lace, I could never become that type." This verse shows that Joni feels that this man comes from "another time" and that he does not understand her. This is obvious in his calling her "crazy and blind." Throughout this song, Joni doesn't blame the man for her situation, but she still feels violated and exploited in some way. , probably by society's pressures to get married, which causes her to marry the wrong man (Joni Mitchell) However, the ending of this verse, although very sad and full of raw emotion, can also be seen as. full of hope since Joni recognizes that she has the wrong man and concludes "But me, in my leather and my lace, I could never become that type". While the listener can identify with her sadness at having sold out for a while, it's clear that she's going to change her situation, especially in the upcoming chorus: "I can't go back there anymore, you know that my keys won't fit the door, you know my thoughts don't fit the man, they never will, they never will The song ends with the phrase repeating. They never can,” which she ends singing very low and full of power. This represents a contrast between Joni's and Janis's music as Joni ends the song on a hopeful note, saying that she won't. will not.To return to her sacrificial circumstances, Janis ends many of her songs by pleading with men or singing the blues Another Joni Mitchell song that tells the story of a woman sacrificing herself in a romantic relationship, that. Joni uses to represent her own personal situation, is The Gallery This song is about being with a man who doesn't return all the love she gives him and who may be unfaithful. The fact that this man does not treat Joni as well as she treats him is illustrated by the lines "I keep your house in good order, I dust the portraits daily, Your mail comes here from everywhere, The writing looks like that ladies.'” These lines show that even though Joni tries to make this man happy in every way possible, she suspects that he is disloyal to her. However, this man begs "Madam, please love me now, I am dead. I am a saint, turn down your bed", and she is caught in the endless cycle of sacrifice and suffering. The song goes on to say how Joni sacrificed many of her good years for him through the lyrics "I gave you all my pretty years, then we started to resist. And I was left to winter here, while you Went west for fun." These lines embody the essence of this whole song, which is about a woman sacrificing herself for a man she cares about, even though he doesn't care as much about her. her, and that he does everything selfishly to please himself. The fact that this man left her after she gave him her "pretty years" and went looking for pleasure with other women without caring about her shows the incredible level of sacrifice that was present in the relationship. This song refers to “that willingness to hang on to the hook and call it love” that Piercy spoke of. This demonstrates how women in romantic relationships, much like Joni in this song, will often give up everything because of their need to love, "like a screaming hollow in the soul." Janis Joplin and Joni Mitchell are different in their approaches and musical styles, but they both write about the suffering they endured and the sacrifices they made in their relationships with men. The style of.