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Welcome to the Nobel Laureate Project!

Welcome to the Nobel Laureate Project!

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  Welcome to the Nobel Laureate Project! This semester, we will be exploring lyrics, legacy, and literary genius. In this class words will matter, the intended audience will matter, and music will matter more than you expect. This semester, you will become a literary advocate. Your mission? To nominate a music artist of your choice for the Nobel Prize in Literature, following Bob Dylan's (yes, the legendary Bob Dylan that Jay Parini loved so much!), historic win. One of your favorite lyricist might just belong in the same conversation as the world's most celebrated literary figures. There are many steps to this project, and this blog site will be essential to completing some of your assignments, so bookmark it! Your Central Project: The Nomination You will select one music artist whose work you believe demonstrates extraordinary merit and the following criteria for the prize: to honor an author who produced "the most outstanding work in an ideal direction," benefiting...
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Nobel Prize Nomination: Janet Jackson -Jaida Asante

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 Nobel Prize Nomination: Janet Jackson Why Janet Jackson deserves the Nobel Prize in Literature More than Just Music Janet Jackson is known as one of America's most influential artists in popular music. Even though she was born into the famous Jackson family, she built a career that was her own. Throughout her career, Jackson has used her platform to speak about many important social issues like poverty, inequality, and violence. Instead of making music for entertainment, Jackson pushed her audience to think deeper about society and the world around them. Her album Rhythm Nation 1814  is a great example of this. Two of the album's most influential songs are "Rhythm Nation" and "State of the World," directly address the struggles many people faced in the late 1980s. Jackson managed to spread awareness and inspire people to take action through her songs, making her a great candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature.  Jackson's childhood played a big role ...
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Sabaton - Alex J

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 Sabaton The band Sabaton and its lead singer and writer Joakim Brodén have a focus on historical events and military history in the making of their songs. The one song of focus is “The Winged Hussars” which is about the elite military unit of Polish cavalry that helped alleviate the siege of Vienna by the Ottomans during the 17th century. The other song is “Bismarck” which is about the famous German ship the Bismarck which was engaged in an epic battle in the Atlantic before its eventual sinking. Sabaton - "Winged Hussars" (Lyrics) Sabaton - "Bismarck" (Lyrics) Question: In what way does Sabaton highlight and bring to life historical events in the songs Answer:  The Song “The Winged Hussars” focuses on the historical event of the siege of Vienna in the year 1683. In the context of the siege the city of Vienna was being besieged by the Ottoman empire and was holding out until the famous charge by the Polish cavalry (the elite unit is known as Hussars) and it was led...
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Bruno Mars- Kaylee V

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Bruno Mars Lyrics "Marry You" Bruno Mars " When I Was Your Man" Bruno Mars  Question: What emotional tone is created through the lyrics in “Marry You” compared to “When I Was Your Man” ?    In " Marry You" by Bruno Mars , the lyrics create a playful and impulsive tone that feels almost carefree. Lines like “It’s a beautiful night, we’re looking for something dumb to do” and “Who cares baby? I think I wanna marry you” make love seem fun and spontaneous rather than serious. The idea of doing “something dumb” shows the speaker isn’t worried about consequences and is just caught up in the excitement of the moment. Even the mention of getting married feels casual and light, which adds to the upbeat, almost reckless mood. Overall, the song feels happy, energetic, and focused on enjoying love in the moment without overthinking the future.    In contrast, " When I Was Your Man" has a much more emotional and regretful tone. The lyrics are slower and ...
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Gorillaz - Wyatt Crisp

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  Gorillaz Song and lyrics Empire Ants lyrics November Has Come Question:      How do "Empire Ants" and "November Has Come" use different moods and styles to talk about similar ideas of uncertainty and the future? “Empire Ants” and “November Has Come” sound very different, but they both deal with uncertainty and how people react to the world around them. “Empire Ants” feels dreamy and emotional. The song begins softly and then slowly builds into something larger and more intense. That change in sound makes it feel like the song is moving from hope into something more overwhelming. The lyrics compare people to ants, which makes humans seem small compared to the size of the world. That idea connects to environmental issues and how powerless people can feel when facing something as big as climate change. The line “Oh joy’s arise, the sun has come again to hold you” stands out because it sounds hopeful, even though the song overall feels lonely and fragile (Gorillaz, “E...
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J. Cole - Nathan Bayton IV

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 Jermaine... Cole Songs and Lyrics:  Love Yourz Lyrics Snow On Tha Bluff Lyrics   Question:      How do 'Love Yourz' and 'Snow On Tha Bluff' challenge the listener's perspective on success and social responsibility?  Answer:      In "Love Yourz," Cole challenges the traditional definition of success by addressing the negative effects of social comparison. He argues that upward comparison looking at those with higher economic status directly inhibits joy and happiness. The song highlights how viewing from a relative standing makes individuals often feel sorrow when comparing their situation to others, even if their own basic needs are fully met. He highlights the redundancy in the constant drive to success and how the grass is not always greener on the other side when in the end of the first verse he says "On the road to riches, listen, this is what you'll find/The good news is, ni**a, you came a long way/The bad news is, ni**a,/you went ...
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Billy Steinberg- Nate Tadlock

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  Billy Steinberg Links: Song Lyrics for "True Colors" and "I'll Stand by You" Music Videos for "True Colors" and "I'll Stand by You"  Question: How does Billy Steinberg encourage progressivism through the song “True Colors”, and “I’ll Stand by You”? Answer:             According to the dictionary progressivism is defined as “ social reform movement focused on advancing the public good through government action”. With that in mind, I looked at how Billy Steinberg’s music connects to broader social and political issues.The first issue that comes to mind are the societal and lawful views of the LGBTQ community. Just before the time of “True Colors’” release the emergence of AIDS created a worldwide crisis. The disease was spread primarily between the LGBTQ community which led the public to point their anger towards them. That anger caused a growing discomfort in the community and led to many questioning their self worth ( Bell et al.). Th...
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Joyner Lucas - Charles Battiste

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 Joyner Lucas Lyrics:  I'm Not Racist   Devil's Work Question: How does Joyner Lucas use contrasting perspectives and emotional appeals in “I’m Not Racist” and “Devil’s Work” to challenge listeners’ beliefs about race, justice, and morality, and what effect does the structure of each song have on how those messages are received? The songs "I’m Not Racist" and "Devil’s Work" use emotional intensity and different viewpoints to make listeners see the uncomfortable truths that exist in society according to Joyner Lucas. The song "I’m Not Racist" uses its two opposing viewpoints which show a white conservative perspective and a Black viewpoint to create direct confrontational parts. This structure allows listeners to hear arguments that may seem offensive or biased but also realistic which reflect conversations that occur in everyday life. The back-and-forth format shows how each viewpoint contains contradictions because it demonstrates that people fail...
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Linkin Park - Kurgan Vantheemsche

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 Linkin Park Lyrics Somewhere I Belong Breaking the Habit Question: How does Linkin Park use "Somewhere I Belong" and "Breaking the Habit" to promote help and bring awarness to mental illnesses.     The song "Somewhere I Belong" was written by Chester Bennington who was the lead singer. The way the song was written was influenced by Chester Benningtons life which involved a lot of drug abuse, depression, and anxiety. His experiences hevily influenced the song with the title "Somewhere I Belong" being repeated all throughout the song. The line reflects Chester Benningtons search for a place where he can call home and feel safe. The repeating of the line represents his desire to find this place. This is what a lot of people experience and deal with when struggling with depression allowing those who struggle with this to find help and relate to the song. The line "I will never know myself until I do this on my own" acts almost as a guide. ...
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Conan Gray

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                                     Conan           Gray Links Comfort Crowd Family Line Conan often wrote from the perspective of an observer, someone watching a crush, a friend group, or even their life from the lens of an outsider. Did this “outsider” lens make the lyrics feel more relatable, or did it create a sort of emotional distance that made the songs harder to connect with?  Conan Gray’s perspective as an observer functioned less like a wall and more like a one-way mirror. He peered through the thick glass capturing the light, yet aching beauty of a world he isn’t quite sure how to join. Having struggled with loneliness and depression throughout his childhood due to the constant moving as a “military brat” he became a person who, as he told Flaunt, “much more observed the world, than participated in it,”(Smyth, 2022). This detachment eventually ev...
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Cornrow Kenny

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  Blacker the berry:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdPtVZDspIY Lyrics:  https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-the-blacker-the-berry-lyrics   Alright:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-48u_uWMHY Lyrics:  https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-alright-lyrics The style of Kendrick Lamar is a complex and conflicting one, and he is also highly aware of the conflicts that he and the rest of society face. In his songs, he goes back and forth between confidence and doubt mainly self doubt, leadership and self-blame, and this demonstrates that his mind is never focused on one particular thing. In “Alright,” he is optimistic and hopeful, singing “We gon' be alright,” and this shows that his mind is focused on getting through the struggle that he and the rest of the black community face. However, in “The Blacker the Berry,” he also shows that he is a complex and conflicting person, singing “I'm the biggest hypocrite of 2015,” and this shows that his mind is also focused on...
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