La Repetición en las Letras de R.E.M.
 Sigo recuperando algunos de los artículos posteados en el foro. Este no es ninguna traducción, sino un estudio que realicé durante muchas horas muertas. Mucha de la gente que me conoce sabe de la obsesión que siento por las letras de R.E.M. Qué dicen, qué quieren decir y cómo lo dicen. Es por ello que me fijé en el tema que hoy os planteo en este artículo. Las repeticiones. Y es que uno de los recursos más característicos de Michael a la hora de escribir letras es el de la repetición. Repetición de ideas, repetición de palabras, repetición de estructuras. Voy a procurar no fijarme (al menos no en exceso, aunque sí en algún caso puntual) en la repetición de los estribillos, cosa muy normal y muy generalizada en la historia de la música, pero sí en los diferentes tipos de reiteraciones que hace Michael en las estrofas. He dicho Michael, porque la mayoría de las letras son suyas, aunque también hay ejemplos de letras del resto de la banda.Más que empezar a bombardearos con ejemplos, creo que lo mejor es dividir los tipos de repeticiones en diferentes casos para poder estudiarlos mejor. Así que, para eso ... 1.- LA REPETICIÓN DE PALABRAS O FRASES Los ejemplos serían innumerables. Pondré unos cuantos para que veáis que desde Chronic Town hasta las últimas canciones publicadas, Stipe utiliza la repetición de palabras o frases. En este caso, considero que lo que busca es un refuerzo de la idea. ...suspicion yourself, suspicion yourself... en Wolves, Lower ...but smarter too, smarter too... en 1.000.000 ...It's all wrong, all wrong... en Pretty Persuasion ...I know what I wanted. I know what I wanted... en Undertow ...I'm lost again, I'm lost again... en You"re in the Air ...a little lamb, a little lamb... en Walk Unafraid ...not today, not today... en Final Straw En otras ocasiones, lo va repitiendo además, en todas las estrofas, como ocurre al final de cada una de ellas en Belong. ...for the sea, sea. Belong ...with calm, calm. Belong ...and knew, knew. Belong Y que alcanza su mayor cumbre en Fall On Me, donde además de repetir el concepto, la similitud fonética amplifica la imagen: ...and ask the sky and ask the sky... 2.- REPETICIÓN CONTRADICTORIA Y DE COMPLEMENTO Hay ocasiones, en que la repetición, se produce para expresar ideas opuestas, como: ...he's not to be reached, he's to be reached... en Maps And Legends ...he sees what you can't see, can't you see that?... en la misma canción. ...don"t fall on me (What is it up in the air for) fall on me (If it's there for long)... en Fall On Me ...(follow me, don't follow me)... ...(collar me, don"t collar me)... ...(over me, not over me)... en Orange Crush ...I will see things you will never see... en Try Not To Breathe ...(talk to me) don't talk to me... en Fretless A veces, sólo es un cambio de género, ...Ooooo, we were little boys. Ooooo, we were little girls... en Catapult ...He's got a pretty persuasion. She's got pretty persuasion... en Pretty Persuasion ...Will you be remembered? Will she be remembered?... en Camera ...Boys in bed, girls in bed... en It"s a Free World, Baby o un cambio de número, ...I will hide and you will hide and we shall hide together here... en Underneath the Bunker o, simplemente, complementan la idea, ...dreams they complicate my life (dreams they complement my life)... en Get Up ...night suits me fine and morning suits me fine... en Low ...distanced from one, blind to the other distanced from one, deaf to the other... en Sweetness Follows 3.- ESTRUCTURA COMPARADA Parecida a la anterior, pero jugando con la fonética, como: ...push that, push that, push that to the hull put that, put that, put that before all... en Radio Free Europe ...haul it along and hold it. Go it alone and hold it along . Hold. To go it alone and hold it along. Haul it along and hold it... en Half A World Away Y a veces manejando conceptos similares ... ...Is the jury wavering? Do they know I sing? Is the justice wavering? Does she know I sing that song?... en Diminished 4.- REPETICION DE IDEAS Simplemente para observar que hay ideas obsesivas que se van repitiendo en las letras de Michael. La idea de la diferencia entre lo que queremos y lo que tenemos va desde I Believe: ...what you want and what you need... hasta Finest Worksong: ...what we want and what we need... Y el similar concepto del "ser" y el "poder ser" va desde Ignoreland: ...how to be what you can be... hasta Walk Unafraid: ...how can I be, what I want to be?... Algo parecido ocurre con expresiones que Stipe va repitiendo durante toda la discografía... ...fight, bright light... en End of the World ...your light white is bright, light white light... en Low ...that bright, tight forever drum... en Nightswimming 5.- EL FINAL DESVELA EL SIGNIFICADO Hay ocasiones en que la repetición es únicamente parte de una frase mutilada que se acaba resolviendo al final, bien sea con la preposición de algún "phrasal verb" o con algún complemento ... ...cages under, cages under, cages under cage... en Carnival of Sorts ...I could live a million, I could live a million, I could live a million years... en 1.000.000 ...secret in, secret in, secret in the ruin... también en 1.000.000 ...combien, combien, combien du temps?... en Talk About The Passion ...time after, time after time... en Time After Time ...knock, knock, knock on wood... en Letter Never Sent ...consider this, consider this the hint of the century... en Losing My Religion ...I know you. I know you've seen her... en Crush with Eyeliner ...I messed it, messed it, messed it, messed it up... en Circus Envy ...that's what keeps me, that's what keeps me, that's what keeps me down... en Leave ...I have known, I have known your kind... en Suspicion ...and I know. I know you want the same... en I"ve Been High ...the rain came down, the rain came down, the rain came down on me... en I"ll Take The Rain 6.- REPETICION COMPULSIVA Sin parar, porque hay que repetir hasta la saciedad la idea ... ...all in all in all in all in all... en Romance. ...take a turn (take a turn), take a turn (take a turn) take our fortune (take a turn), take our fortune... en Pilgrimage ...our father's father's father tried... en Cuyahoga ...they're numbering the monkeys. The monkeys and the monkeys... en Exhuming McCarthy ...a tournament, tournament, a tournament of lies... en End of the World ...greet us all hello, greet us hello, greet us hello... en Bandwagon ...listen to me, listen to me, listen to me, listen to me... en Welcome to the Occupation ...everybody hit the ground, everybody hit the ground, everybody hit the ground... en King of Birds ...that was just a dream, just a dream, just a dream, dream... en Losing My Religion ...(Catch me if I fall) (Catch me if I fall) Catch me if I fall. Catch me if I fall (Catch me if I fall) Catch me if I fall. Catch me if I fall (Catch me if I fall) Catch me if I fall. Catch me if I fall... en Texarkana ...Ollie, ollie. Ollie ollie ollie. Ollie ollie in come free... en Drive ...that it's really, really, really, really me... en The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite ...so, hold on, hold on. Hold on, hold on. Hold on, hold on. Hold on, hold on... en Everybody Hurts ...Defense, defense, defense, defense... en Ignoreland ...I'm not commodity, I'm not commodity I'm not commodity, I'm not commodity... en King of Comedy ...Dream, dream. Dream, dream. Dream, dream... en Suspicion ...I'm sorry, so sorry, so sorry, so sorry So sorry, so sorry, so sorry, so sorry... en The Apologist ...maybe I loved you. Baby I loved you. Baby I loved you. Baby I loved you... en Diminished Cosa que llega al paroxismo en The Lifting ... ...never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never... y que a veces se repite durante toda la canción... ...up the stairs to the landing, up the stairs into the hall... en We Walk ...yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah... en Man on the Moon 7.- REPETICIÓN EN PRE-ESTRIBILLOS Y PUENTES ...I can hear you. I can hear you. I can hear you... en Sitting Still ...Did we miss anything? Did we miss anything?... en Catapult ...(Don't look into the sun, don't look into the sun)... en The Flowers of Guatemala ...(It's a sign of the times, it's a sign of the times)... en Exhuming McCarthy ...(You're mean, mean, mean. You tease, tease, tease me)... en Circus Envy O las estructuras casi gemelas: ...Did you hear these voices calling? Did you hear these voices calling? Did you hear these voices calling you?... en The Lifting y ...you know who you are, you know who you are, you know who you are... en Reno 8.- IDEA GRAFICA La repetición expresa de manera gráfica el significado ... ...step up, step up, step up the sky is open-armed... en Feeling Gravity"s Pull ...a hundred million birds fly away, away, away... en King of Birds ...they come and they come and they come and they come... en Fretless ...Go, go, go, go, yeah. Go, go, go, go, yeah. Go, go, go, yeah... en Departure ...Go away, go away, go away, Go away, go away, go away... en Binky The Doormat 9.- FRASE FINAL, FRASE INCIAL La palabra repetida, sirve para iniciar la siguiente frase ... ...take a break Driver 8, Driver 8 take a break... en Driver 8 ...wait for dawn and dawn shall come... en Underneath the Bunker ...point to point, point observation... en King of Birds ...I knew what you were saying, you were saying to me... en Me In Honey ...so cool and deep that if I sink, I sink and when I swim... en I"ve Been High ...you want the greatest thing, the greatest thing since bread came sliced... en Imitation of Life que es doble en las siguientes: ...If wishes were trees, the trees would be falling. Listen to reason, reason is calling... en Stand ...This film is on. On a maddening loop. These clothes, these clothes don't fit us right... en Country Feedback Y que alcanza su máxima expresión en la brillante concatenación de I Believe, donde la repetición no es únicamente de palabras, sinó también de estructura: ...golden words make practice, practice makes perfect, perfect is a fault, and fault lines change... 10.- ENUMERACION A veces, no repite palabras, pero hace enumeraciones, lo que da la sensación de reiteración. Los ejemplos son muchos ... ...the bigger, the weapon, the greater, the fear... en Hyena ...Leonard Bernstein. Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs... en End of the World ...given the choice, given the heart, given the tool, given the word, given the cheers... en Turn You Inside-Out ...try, cry, why, try... en Losing My Religion ...nineteen eighty, eighty-four, eighty-eight, ninety-two, too... en Ignoreland ...your cartoons, radio, music, tv, movies, magazines... en Kenneth ...I need a chance, a second chance, a third chance, a fourth chance, a word, a signal, a nod, a little breath... en Strange Currencies ...I'll be your albatross, Devil, dog, Jesus, Lord... en I Took Your Name ...seconal, spanish fly, absinthe, kerosene... en E-Bow The Letter ...car crash, ptomaine, disposable lighter, a bus plunge, avalanche, RV, vinegar cider. Free-fall, motorcycle, hang-glider... en Departure otras son estructuras verbales casi idénticas como en Bang and Blame y en Animal ...you kiss on me, tug on me, rub on me, jump on me, you bang on me, beat on me, hit on me, let go on me, you let go on me... en Bang and Blame ...spin me, win me, lift me, kiss me, trip me, trust me, cuss me, judge me... en Animal Y muy parecida a la que aparece en The Wake-Up Bomb ...I've had enough, I've seen enough, I've had it all, I'm giving up I won the race, I broke the cup, I drank it all, I spit it up... 11.- CONCEPTOS QUE SE REPITEN ...Eleven gallows on your sleeve (...) Eleven shadows way out of place... en Perfect Circle ...When I was young and full of grace (...) When I was young and fever fell (...) When I was young and give and take... en I Believe ...20,000 miles to an oasis (...) 30,000 thoughts have replaced it (...) 40,000 stars in the evening... en Texarkana ...Way to shield the hated heat. Way to put myself to sleep. Way to shield the hated heat. Way to put myself, my children to sleep... en Driver 8 ...They come and go. They live and grow. They pass and go... en Low y 12.- REPETICION DE ESTRUCTURA CON SIGNIFICADOS DIFERENTES Quizá este sea el tema más amplio. Michael utiliza el recurso de mantener una misma estructura para ofrecer diferentes ideas o conceptos. De esta manera, la base de la canción no se resiente y ofrece una homogeneidad. Puede ser a través de verbos: ...We'll stumble through the yard. We'll stumble through the A-P-T... en Stumble ...What will be your look this season? Who will be your book this season?... en Second Guessing ...Peel back the mountains, peel back the sky... en Feeling Gravity"s Pull ...Maybe he's caught in the legend, maybe he's caught in the mood... en Maps And Legends ...My carpenter's out and running about, (...) My pockets are out and running about... en Life and How to Live It ...Listen to the bargain holler Listen to the barter holler Listen to the auctioneer... en Auctioneer ...Hang your collar up inside Hang your dollar on me... en Welcome to the Occupation ...Wash off the blood, wash off the rum Wash off the blood, wash off the 151... en Oddfellows Local 151 ...Should we talk about the weather? Should we talk about the government?... en Pop Song 89 ...I'm very scared for this world I'm very scared for me... en You Are The Everything ...You fill in the mortar You fill in the harmony... en World Leader Pretend ...(I believe in what you do, I believe in watching you)... en Turn You Inside-Out ...Everything to show (everything to show) Everything to hide (everything to hide)... en Radio Song ...I need something to fly I need something to breathe... en Try Not To Breathe A veces, la estructura es doble y seguida, como en Cuyahoga ...We knee-skinned it you and me, we knee-skinned that river red This is where we walked, this is where we swam... Hay casos, en que la repetición se produce más de dos veces, como es el caso de: ...suspicion yourself, suspicion ourselves, suspicion myself... en Wolves, Lower ...I thought that I heard you laughing, I thought that I heard you sing I think I thought I saw you try... en Losing My Religion ...I'm holding my hands together I'm holding my feet together I'm holding myself together... en Near Wild Heaven O que se repite como un síntoma de ansiedad tal y como ocurre en Country Feedback, ...You come to me with a bone in your hand You come to me with your hair curled tight You come to me with positions you come to me with excuses... O como pasa en Drive, donde, además, mantiene una estructura paralela, pues, tras la primera batería de preguntas, en la segunda, vienen las respuestas: ...What if I ride? What if you walk? What if you rock around the clock? Tick-tock. Tick-tock. What if you did? What if you walk? What if you tried to get off, baby? (...) Maybe you did. Maybe you walked. Maybe you rocked around the clock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Maybe I ride. Maybe you walk. Maybe I drive to get off, baby. Drive... Un caso especial es Old Man Kensey, donde el inicio de las tres estrofas es una estrúctura idéntica, pero con ideas diferentes: ...Old Man Kensey wants to be a sign painter First he's got to learn to read He's gonna be a clown on TV (...) Old Man Kensey wants to be a goalie First he's got to learn to count He's gonna be a clown on a circus mount (...) Old Man Kensey wants to be a dog catcher First he's got to learn to stand He's gonna be a clown in a marching band... No siempre son las acciones (los verbos) los que marcan la estructura. En otros casos, son nombres, adjetivos, expresiones e incluso frases adverbiales: ...all along the tomb, all along the ruin... en 1.000.000 ...Empty prayer, empty mouths, combien reaction Empty prayer, empty mouths, talk about the passion... en Talk About The Passion ...buy the sky and sell the sky and bleed the sky and tell the sky... en Fall On Me ...Crazy, crazy world. Crazy, crazy times... en Fireplace ...Sky-lied, sty-tied, Nero pie-tied... en Little America Un caso especial es en Good Advices, donde dos frases fonéticamente muy similares, tienen significados diferentes: ...Keep your money in your shoes put your trouble behind (...) Keep you memories in your shoes, put your travel behind... Y otra donde la repetición se produce de manera reiterada, con el "you", el "can" ... y hasta en los coros, donde el tres lo repite, claro, tres veces: ...I wish to meet each one of you, and you, me, you, if I can and I can We have many things in common, name three (three, three, three)... en These Days Otros casos son: ...People here are friendly and content People here are colorful and bright (...) The flowers cover everything They cover over everything... en The Flowers Of Guatemala ...You're beautiful, more beautiful than me You're honorable, more honorable than me... en Exhuming McCarthy ...This one goes out to the one I love This one goes out to the one I've left behind... en The One I Love ...20,000 miles to an oasis 20,000 years will I burn 20,000 chances I wasted... en Texarkana ...Here's a little agit for the never-believer Here's a little ghost for the offering Here's a truck stop instead of Saint Peter's... en Man on the Moon Repeticiones casi idénticas: ...Make your money with a suit and tie Make your money with shrew denial Make your money expert advice, if you can wing it Make your money with a power ply Make your money with a buyout bribe... en King of Comedy ...I can whisper in your ear I can write a calendar year I can wing around your Saturn smile... en You ...I look good in a glass pack I look good and mean I look good in metallic sick wraparound blackout tease... en The Wake-Up Bomb ...I had to knock a few buildings over. I make an ugly mess I had to blow a gasket. Drop transmission. I had to decompress I had to write the great American novel. I had a neutron bomb I had to teach the world to sing by the age of 21... de nuevo en The Wake-Up Bomb ...I want to wash you with my hair. I want to drink of sacred fountains (...) I want to hear the caged bird sing. I want the secrets of the temple. I want the finger with the ring. (...) I'll be the drawing of your breath. I'll be the cup if you should bleed. I'll be the sky above the Ganges I'll be the vast and stormy sea. I'll be the lights that guide you inward. I'll be the visions you will see... en Be Mine En Undertow, la repetición no idéntica se va produciendo a lo largo de toda la canción ... ...I know what I wanted. I know how I wanted (...) I can't say I'm fearful. I can't say I'm not afraid (...) drink down of the water, Fly up off the water (...) You know I am tired. Cold and bony tired. (...) I don't need a heaven. I don't need religion... Y también en Leave ... ...Nothing could be bring me closer. Nothing could be bring me near (...) I lost myself in sorrow. I lost myself in pain. I lost myself in clarity... Y los ejemplos siguen hasta canciones más recientes ... ...That was then. That was that. That is gone. That is past. (...) I've played this round, I've played your lover. I've played it out and to the hilt... en So Fast, So Numb ...I'm Martin Sheen. I'm Steve McQueen. I'm Jimmy Dean... en Electrolite ...You're so funny, you're so fine. You're so perfect, you're so mine... en Suspicion ...You want to go out friday and you want to go forever... en Hope ...I want you naked, I want you wild... en You"re in the Air ...Maybe I'm crazy. Maybe diminished. Maybe I'm innocent. Maybe I'm finished... en Diminished ...I don't wanna boomerang. I don't wanna cannonball. (...) Tell me I'm the anchor of my own ascension. Tell me I'm a tourist in the 4th dimension?... en Animal |
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