Tone Song Analysis

Tyler Derksen

4/5/12

G block

Tone SA

Though both Rock n’Roll band and Have a Cigar both involve becoming famous in the rock & roll world. Rock n’ Roll band incorporates a cynical tone and playful imagery in order to display that is starts off as “sleeping in our cars” to “never worrying about the things they are missing” while Have a Cigar displays cynical tone and deceptive imagery to explain the truth and or corruption in the rock & roll world.

            Both songs have a cynical tone because they are both picking apart the good and the bad of the rock and roll life. Boston takes a more playful view on how it starts off as “trying to make ends meet” to record companies coming up and saying your bands “outta-sight” and everything is just perfect and “When I hear you on the car radio you’re goin to be sensation.”. Where Floyd is playing the role of the Record Company saying that if you let us handle your career your songs could become a “Monster if we all pull together as a team”. But at the same time they don’t really even know who you are. “Oh by the way, which one’s Pink?” no one in the band Pink Floyd has pink nor Floyd in their name.

            Rock n’Roll band and Have a Cigar have different views on imagery which both point out each point of view in the music career of both the artist and the company. Where one is having a grand old time and the other one looks to be the same but is actually lying to the other party. In Have a Cigar the deceptive imagery comes into play when the band says things like “You’re never gonna die” but if you think about it how many bands in today’s society have had just a one-hit wonder. Where in Boston or the bands point of view where all you see are people “Getting’ crazy” and loving their music. In a way both songs are deceptive but only Have a Cigar really lays is flat out for the listener if they look deeper into the lyrics.

            Today everyone in a band wants to “ride the gravy train” or be successful in the industry. But the real question is can the industry be trusted. Can both the band and the money making record companies or mangers work together to make it so people are “Anticipating love and music”? Or are they just going to hand out a Cigar?