Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Australia and the World Trade and Investment
Question: Discuss about theAustralia and the World for Trade and Investment. Answer: Introduction This essay aims to discuss regarding the relationship between Australia and China. It will revolve around the question- "Are the biggest challenges in Australia's relationship with China principally economic ones, matters of defense, or are they more about differences in values?". The relationship of Australia with China is among the most important issues of foreign policy. Economic growth has been maintained by China as it entered a period of political ambiguity. The economical development of this country has made itself as an important partner regarding trade and investment for Australia. The China-Australia relationship has traditionally been governed by global geopolitical as well as strategic concerns, however, since the previous years, joint and regional interests together with strong economic associations have been having been built up by these countries. However, being a rising world power, the individual bilateral associations with respect to the extensive world issues. Part icularly, the alliance of Australia with the United States of America means that the relations of Australia with China are directly linked with the relationship of US and China (Thomas, 2015, p.846). Their bilateral political commitment is widespread; however, both of them have diverse political systems, societies, and histories. In spite of the unstable political condition of China, it is trying to maintain rapid economic growth. According to, Wang (2016, p.23), Australia has been one of the biggest readymade markets for Chinese manufactured products. Australia is considered to be the sixth largest trading partner of China and Australia imports 25% of the consumer products from China. Since 1996, the relationship between Australia-China was compromised as Australias foreign policy on China received severe criticism ("Australia's Relations with China: What's the Problem? Parliament of Australia", 2016). The difference in the political and cultural system of China and Australia is one of the major causes of tension between the two nations. The recent changes in the economic policy of China pose a significant challenge in the matter of foreign investment in the country. Due to the financial crisis of 2008-09, Australia had to suffer, and their foreign policy with that of China changed hugely. However, during this period, the Foreign Direct Investment in China increased four times. With the development of the ma nufacturing units in China, Australian products have to face tough level of competition in the global market. The Australian consumers are also choosing the Chinese products as they are much cheaper than the products of the Australian brands (He, 2012, p.53). The economic relation between Australia and China has undergone massive changes in the recent years. It has been enormous challenge for both the government of both the country to maintain healthy economic relationship within them. After the fall of the Soviet Union, China established itself as one of the biggest economies in the world (McDougall, 2012, p.11). Hence, they were able to develop economic relationship with all the major nations of the world. This compromised the economic relationship with Australia, who was China's major commercial partner since 1980s. The defense is another sensitive area, which is responsible for the weak relationship between Australia and China. The connection of United States with both the country had direct impact on Australia-China relationship. Australia supported the US action of sending navy into the Taiwan territory, due to the response of the Chinas missile test on during the time of election in Taiwan. This action of Australia was strongly criticized by the China. The defense dialogs between US and Australia has also been a major area of concern for the Chinese government. In 1996, Australia and US signed new policy on the matter of security of the two nations. Moreover, the US Secretary of Defense stated that Australia and Japan as the southern and northern anchors for the United States. This growing link between the Australia and US harmed the relation with China. Moreover, one of the major defense strategic challenges of Australia has been faced from China. The rise of the geopolitical power of the C hina and the increase of the strength of the Chinese military has been one of the leading causes of concern of the Australian government. On the other hand, Australia is buying military aircraft, submarines and long-range missile from US government. The Chinese government feels that the US and Australia and trying to put pressure on China to the several defense agreements within themselves. The Chinese officials also firmly believe that Australia is responsible for the rise of conflict between the US and China (Shambaugh, 2013, p.11). The visit of the Dalai Lama in Australia in the year of 1996 also has been a cause of tension between Australia and China. The Dalai Lama is infamous within the officials of China ever since his announcement of the movement of the freedom of the Tibetan region. The Australian Prime Minster held personal meeting with Dalai Lama and supported his movement. Hence, they had to face strong critics from the Chinese officials as they claimed that Australian government is trying to interfere in the internal matter of China. The Chinese officials even issued official report of displeasure for the meeting of the Dalai Lama with the officials of the Australian government ("The China Australia relationship: Recognising the challenges, grasping the opportunities | The Treasury", 2016). In the recent times, Australia had to face major challenge to deal with the rise of the emerging power of the China. The rise of the Chinese power is also responsible for weak economy of Australia in the recent days. The political and defense is not the major cause of concern for the relation of the Australia and China. Nevertheless, the growing power of China as one of the major economic nation of the world had hugely affected their relation with Australia. The economic growth of the two nations was highly dependent on each other, and they and both the nation complemented each other. Nevertheless, as China is able to receive direct investment from all the nations of the world, their relation with that of the Australia surfed heavily. The low labor cost in China attracted many European and American companies to set up their manufacturing units in China. The global economy has seen huge improvement in the past two decades and the rise of the Chinese economy has a major contribution in that. The GDP and the per capita income of China have increased 17 times since 1980. On the other hand, the GDP of Australia has just increased two times during the same period. The Australian companies had to face greater competition both in the domestic and international market due to the cheaper Chinese products. The labor market in Australia suffered greatly due to the rise of Chinas economy. The exporters are easily attracted to perform their business activity of China due to the lower exchange rate. China is also able to attract plenty of tourist from all across the world and hence, able to boost the tourism industry of the country. The population of China is also 17 times more than that of Australia. Hence, China is able to make better use of the manpower compared to that of Australia. The working culture of China has also posed greater challenge to the economy of Australia, where the working culture is quite different (Pan, 2015, p.308). On the other hand, the financial reform of Australia in the past few years has been the major reason for their huge economic progress. Australia is able to make these reforms due to lessons they leaned from the China. During 2013, the Australian government had established firm relationship with Japan and even signed many trade agreements (Lee, 2013, p.22). The Australian government even announced that they want to make Japan their closet alley within Asia. Both the countries want to elevate their bilateral relationship with and also form a special strategic partnership. They even signed agreement, which is related to the transfer of technology and military equipment between the two nations (Schreer, 2016, p.37). Many global experts firmly believe that this healthy relation between Japan and Australia was primarily responsible for the rise of tension of Australia with that of China. As Australia formed closed alley with that of Japan, the officials in China thought that the Australian government is trying to make an ally against China. On the other hand, Yu (2016, p.12), mentioned that the uncertainty of the China's foreign policy had forced the Australian government to strengthen their trade policy with that of Japan. The assertive behavior from Beijing had during the last few years has driven the Australian government officials to take the path of convergence with that of Japan. Moreover, the China's decision to directly attack Australia has also increased the tension between the two nations and forced Australia to support Japan in their foreign policy (Satake, 2016, p.25). Hence, the economy and the foreign policies of China and Australia are the biggest challenges for establishing stable relationship within the two nations. As the economy of China grew strong within the last few decades, they became an international competitor of China in the global market. On the other hand, the growing relationship between Australia and the US and also with that of Japan is primarily responsible for the rise of tension between the two nations. Reference Australia's Relations with China: What's the Problem? Parliament of Australia. (2016). Aph.gov.au. Retrieved 27 September 2016, from https://www.aph.gov.au/sitecore/content/Home/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/Publications_Archive/CIB/CIB9697/97cib23 He, B. (2012). Politics of Accommodation of the Rise of China: the case of Australia.Journal of Contemporary China,21(73), 53-70. Lee, C. J. (2013).China and Japan: new economic diplomacy. Hoover Press. McDougall, D. (2012). Responses to Rising Chinain the East Asian Region: soft balancing with accommodation.Journal of Contemporary China,21(73), 1-17. Pan, C. (2015). Cross-cultural literacy as social knowledge: implications for Australias understanding of China.Australia and China: challenges and ideas in cross-cultural engagement, 308-327. Satake, T. (2016). The Japan-Australia contribution to a liberal and inclusive regional order: beyond the China gap.Australian Journal of International Affairs,70(1), 24-36. Schreer, B. (2016). Australia's special strategic relationshipwith Japan: another China choice?.Australian Journal of International Affairs,70(1), 37-49. Shambaugh, D. (2013).China goes global: The partial power. Oxford University Press. The China Australia relationship: Recognising the challenges, grasping the opportunities | The Treasury. (2016). Treasury.gov.au. Retrieved 27 September 2016, from https://www.treasury.gov.au/PublicationsAndMedia/Newsroom/Speeches/2011/The-China-Australia-relationship Thomas, N. (2015). The Economics of Power Transitions: Australia between China and the United States.Journal of Contemporary China,24(95), 846-864. Wang, Y. (2016).Australia-China Relations Post 1949: Sixty Years of Trade and Politics. Routledge. Yu, L. (2016). ChinaAustralia strategic partnership in the context of Chinas grand peripheral diplomacy.Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 1-21.
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Sunday, November 24, 2019
How to Determine the Mass of a Star
How to Determine the Mass of a Star Nearly everything in the universe has mass, from atoms and sub-atomic particles (such as those studied by the Large Hadron Collider) to giant clusters of galaxies.à The only things scientists know about so far that dont have mass are photons and gluons.à Mass is important to know, but objects in the sky are too distant. We cant touch them and we certainly cant weigh them through conventional means. So, how do astronomers determine the mass of things in the cosmos? Its complicated.à Stars and Mass Assume that aà typical starà is pretty massive, generally much more so than a typical planet. Why care about its mass? That information is important to know becauseà it reveals clues about a stars evolutionary past, present, and future. Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope identified nine monster stars with masses more than 100 times the Suns mass. They lie in the star cluster R136 in the nearby Large Magellanic Cloud. Mass is an important characteristic when figuring out the life spans of stars. NASA/ESA/STScI Astronomers can use several indirect methods to determine stellar mass. One method, calledà gravitational lensing, measures the path of light that is bent by the gravitational pull of a nearby object. Although the amount of bending is small, careful measurements can reveal the mass of the gravitational pull of the object doing the tugging. Typical Star Mass Measurements It took astronomers until the 21st century to apply gravitational lensing to measuring stellar masses. Before that, they had to rely on measurements of stars orbiting a common center of mass, so-called binary stars. The mass ofà binary stars (two stars orbiting a common center of gravity) is pretty easy for astronomers to measure. In fact, multiple star systems provide a textbook example of how to figure out their masses. Its a bit technical but worth studying to understand what astronomers have to do. A Hubble Space Telescope image of Sirius A and B, a binary system 8.6 light-years away from Earth. NASA/ESA/STScI First, they measure the orbits of all the stars in the system. They also clock the stars orbital speeds and then determine how long it takes a given star to go through one orbit. Thats called its orbital period.à Calculating Mass Once all that information is known, astronomers next do some calculations to determine the masses of the stars. They can use the equation Vorbit SQRT(GM/R) where SQRT is square root a, G is gravity, M is mass, and R is the radius of the object. Its a matter of algebra to tease out the mass by rearranging the equation to solve for M.à So, without ever touching a star, astronomers use mathematics and known physical laws to figure out its mass. However, they cant do this for every star. Other measurements help them figure out the masses for stars ââ¬â¹not in binary or multiple-star systems. For example, they can use luminosities and temperatures. Stars of different luminosities and temperatures have vastly different masses. That information, when plotted on a graph, shows that stars can be arranged by temperature and luminosity. Really massive stars are among the hottest ones in the universe. Lesser-mass stars, such as the Sun, are cooler than their gigantic siblings. The graph of star temperatures, colors, and brightnesses is called the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram, and by definition, it also shows a stars mass, depending on where it lies on the chart. If it lies along a long, sinuous curve called the Main Sequence, then astronomers know that its mass will not be gigantic nor will it be small. The largest mass and smallest-mass stars fall outside the Main Sequence. This version of the Hertzprung-Russell diagram plots the temperatures of stars against their luminosities. The position of a star in the diagram provides information about what stage it is in, as well as its mass and brightness. European Southern Observatory Stellar Evolution Astronomers have a good handle on how stars are born, live, and die. This sequence of life and death is called stellar evolution. The biggest predictor of how a star will evolve is the mass its born with, its initial mass. Low-mass stars are generally cooler and dimmer than their higher-mass counterparts. So, simply by looking at a stars color, temperature, and where it lives in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, astronomers can get a good idea of a stars mass. Comparisons of similar stars of known mass (such as the binaries mentioned above) give astronomers a good idea of how massive a given star is, even if it isnt a binary. Of course, stars dont keep the same mass all their lives. They lose it as they age. They gradually consume their nuclear fuel, and eventually, experience huge episodes of mass loss at the ends of their lives. If theyre stars like the Sun, they blow it off gently and form planetary nebulae (usually). If theyre much more massive than the Sun, they die in supernova events, where the cores collapse and then expand outward in a catastrophic explosion. That blasts much of their material to space. Composite image of the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant that heralded the death of a very massive star. NASA/ESA/ASU/J. Hester A. Loll By observing the types of stars that die like the Sun or die in supernovae, astronomers can deduce what other stars will do. They know their masses, they know how other stars with similar masses evolve and die, and so they can make some pretty good predictions, based on observations of color, temperature, and other aspects that help them understand their masses. Theres much more to observing the stars than gathering data. The information astronomers get is folded into very accurate models that help them predict just exactly what stars in the Milky Way and throughout the universe will do as they are born, age, and die, all based on their masses. In the end, that information also helps people understand more about stars, particularly our Sun. Fast Facts The mass of a star is an important predictor for many other characteristics, including how long it will live.Astronomers use indirect methods to determine the masses of stars since they cant directly touch them.Typically speaking, more massive stars live shorter lifetimes than the less massive ones. This is because they consume their nuclear fuel much faster.Stars like our Sun are intermediate-mass and will end in a much different way than massive stars that will blow themselves up after a few tens of millions of years.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Book summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Book summary - Essay Example Kracha is not hitherto focused to lead an American life. During his search he meets Zuska ,a young married woman and falls in love with her. Unfortunately he spends all his money on her birthday by buying her whiskey but does not win her love. His extravagance nature forces him to proceed the rest of the journey on foot. At White Haven, he meets his brother and a Slovak Immigrant Puskin and Dubik respectively. Dubik develops a strong relationship and become best friends. As a result he is Dubikââ¬â¢s best man during his wedding.Even after Dubik moves to Andrews steel mill he encourages Kracha to join him. Kracha emulates the American lifestyle of power and money as he despises his wife-Elena consequently; ignoring her existence for over two years with the hope of winning Zuskaââ¬â¢s love .Kracha ignores Elenaââ¬â¢s feeling and declares Zuska as her second wife prompting the Americans to retract from purchasing from Krachaââ¬â¢s butcher shop. As a result the business falls and resolves to drinking revealing showing his incompetence in the business as opposed to what is expected in the US .Kracha ends up losing everything including his second wife. In contrast the second immigrant, Mike Dobrejcak is educated and is more accustomed to the Americans way of life. However mike falls in love with Krachaââ¬â¢s daughter, Mary .At that time she was working for an American family that resides near the beach. The two marry and live a happy life. Unlike other immigrants Mikeââ¬â¢s education equips him with the necessity of making his family to live the best life and consequently the luxuries that come with it. However, his job does not support his desire. Unfortunately his mysterious death prompts a series of difficulties as the wife has to take care of their daughter. Thereafter his wife and daughter suffer influenza and she could not visit the sanatorium as
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Skills and Competitiveness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words
Skills and Competitiveness - Essay Example Advancement in technology has placed an even greater demand for skills. This is because the rate of technical change leads to higher levels of uncertainty for organizations which results in greater demand for problem solving skillsà (Streeck, 1989). Countries such as the U.K are facing pressure from emerging countries such as India and China owing to their high growth rates and supply of high skills. Also, the demand for a highly skilled workforce has increased in the midst of intense global competition which has forced companies the developed nations to engage in ââ¬Ëdiversified quality productionââ¬â¢ (Streeck, 1989). à On the contrary, critical studies have downplayed the importance of skills in securing innovation. In fact, the recent trend towards innovation may require ââ¬Å"de-skillingâ⬠or reduction in the content of skills (Toner, 2011). According to these authors, the reliance on skill development through training has been reduced. This is attributed mostly to developments in the labor market such as self-employment and casualisation which require non-standard nature of workà (Toner, 2011). Furthermore, labor migration and labor mobility have further increased the power of workers and have reduced the incentives for firms to invest in developing skills of workers. Furthermore, the increased female participation in labor also acts as disincentive to train female employees with skills that they know will no longer benefit the organization once the females quit work (owing to family responsibilities or maternity leaves).
Sunday, November 17, 2019
UK's Fastest Growing Companies Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words
UK's Fastest Growing Companies - Dissertation Example Leadership is an important element of businesses in our modern era. Leadership in entrepreneurship involves the building of teams with complementary talents that can enable a business to attain its objectives (Timmons and Spinelli, 2006). à à à In essence, financial leadership is entrepreneurship in its own right. This is because entrepreneurship is about the combination of factors of production for the best results for the owners of a business à à à This suggests that a strong leadership is an indispensable tool for businesses. This is because the kind of leadership structure it has creates the framework for the pooling of resources for the attainment of a specific goal. In the era of privatization and the optimization of resources, leadership is central and essential in every business venture. à à à Timmons and Spinelli (2006) identify five main attributes of a leader in a business venture which include self-concept, intellectual honesty, pacemaking, courage, and communication. Self-concept is about a vision and a realistic approach to division of power for the attainment of results. Intellectual honesty suggests trustworthiness and high standards of integrity that a person in a leadership position has and encourages his/her followers to build and observe. Pacemaking refers to the ability to inspire and drive the attainment of set standards and visions.
Friday, November 15, 2019
The Beatles: History, Political Environment Music Analysis
The Beatles: History, Political Environment Music Analysis Liverpool, a city 202 miles northwest of London that holds down the right bank of the River Mersey, is the second largest port in the British Isles.1 Rock ââ¬Ën roll music made its way to England through the port of Liverpool. Liverpool was the entry point for cotton and other imports, including American records, from the United States.2 As a result, compared to the rest of the people in Britain, the people in Liverpool had a stronger exposure to American music. Another factor that contributed to the Liverpudlians familiarity with American music was the presence of RAF Burtonwood, a U.S. military base a few miles northeast of Liverpool. 2 It had the most United States Army Air Forces personnel and facilities in Europe during World War II. At the end of the war, 18,000 servicemen were stationed in this base, which was so large it was known as ââ¬Å"little Americaâ⬠, and they brought to England things from home, including their favorite records.2 History All four Beatles were born into the working class, amid the raining down of German bombs and the wailing of air-sirens during World War II.3 By the time they were teenagers, in the 1950s, things were only starting to settle down Britain was crippled financially, food rationing continued, and the terrain was still jagged with blast marks and craters.4 In the early 1960s, Great Britain still had vast unemployment and stultifying class disjunction, while America, on the other hand, was devastated by the Kennedy assassination and the realities of the Cold War.5 Britons were just coming to terms with the scandal surrounding Government Defense Minister John Profumos extramarital affair,6 which damaged the credibility of the government and eventually led to the resignation of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.7 The 1960s was a period defined by the Cold War and the relative economic prosperity of capitalism in the west.8 It was an era marked by rock concerts, peace demonstrations, and local pockets of activism and community.9 The Beatles early success symbolized a break with the absence of innovation and quality of late 1950s music, and at the same time it was a continuation of the legacy of the 1950s, as the song writing of Chuck Berry and the vocal style of the Everly Brothers, among many other contributing factors, were integral to the formation of the Beatles own stylistic identity.10 Popular culture was not thought to play a role in political controversy or in society at large, but that was until the end of the Second World War. The Cold War suddenly made popular culture controversial. Actor John Wayne was popular mostly because of the political positions with which he was associated. The need to compete with television led the movies to risk controversial subjects, such as anti-Semitism, homosexuality, and juvenile delinquency. Elvis Presleys introduction of rock n roll music to a white, mainstream audience solidified the association between youth and popular music. By the 1960s, the music helped to establish for teenagers a powerful sense of generational identity. The Beatles attracted a college-age audience to rock n roll, and so their vast popularity contributed to this new perception.11 It was in this period that the youth of the day began to identify with the victims of social injustice. The Hippie culture made these well-to-do young people feel that they could relate to the minority and the poor subpopulations. They pleaded with predominant institutions, the so-called ââ¬Å"establishmentâ⬠, to reverse their indifference and offer relief, but they realized that the ââ¬Å"establishmentâ⬠would not heed their moral call and that they had to take it upon themselves to organize as a political movement.12 This period had burning issues that mobilized enormous segments of society. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. magnificently translated the Civil Rights movement, primarily a minority issue, into a universal eliciting of consciousness regarding equal rights for all. The Vietnam War funneled the moral outrage of the youthful secularists into a consciousness that is said to have persisted into the present day. 12 Bob Dylan, the central figure in the emergence of rock n rolls cultural importance, had established himself as the leading young folk music performer and as a writer of powerful topical songs.9 He helped politicize a vast segment of rock culture including the Beatles, inspiring the group to accept its popularity as an opportunity to define and speak to a vital youth constituency. The Beatles music, and rock music in general, became a medium for addressing the issues and events that affected that generation.13 Society As a result of the Baby Boom and the tremendous expansion in opportunities for higher education initiated after World War II, more individuals belonged to the intellectual community or were affected by it. The Baby Boomers were also raised with increasing permissiveness by parents. Children were encouraged not only to think on their own, but to think about a wide range of heretofore suppressed thoughts. It was in the 60s that the formerly stable institutions of Western societyââ¬âthe church, the family, and the local communityââ¬âbegan to break down, and as the youth of the day, in increasing numbers, began to explore widely divergent socio-cultural milieus, they came into conflict with conditions of society far less comfortable than their own. They began to identify with the victims of social injustice and pleaded with what appeared to be massive and callous institutions to reverse their indifference and offer relief. The Hippie culture was a result of this they were able t o think of themselves as outlaws, which made them feel that they could relate to the minority.12 There appears to be a connection between the cultural revolution of the sixties and the Beatles music.14 Beat music, which is exemplified by the music of the Beatles, became popular in the 1960s, and at the same time, youth propagated more egalitarian and informal ways of communication as the new standard for social interaction.15 The communication code of the peer group is characterized by an open and almost permanent negotiation of feelings and opinions.16 The Beatles songs could articulate the vocabulary of the rising youth culture so well. The Beatles songs evoked a sense of awakening, as they were articulating and promoting the open and reciprocal idiom of the peer group as a model for civil conversation, giving a full voice to youth culture.14 Politics and Economy Britain, in the 1950s, was recuperating from the aftermath of the war. The cost-of-living index continued to rise rapidly, causing strikes among market workers and employees. Acute coal shortage brought about actual importation from the United States. But employment remained high, because industries began a rapid expansion. The supply of consumer goods also continued to increase, reversing the policy on rationing. The general picture of the economy was brightening.17 The 1960s was witness to the Cold War and the relative economic prosperity of capitalism in the west.8 The United States economys longest peacetime expansion took place from 1961 to 1969.18 The period also saw the Civil Rights movement, the call for equal rights for all, and the Vietnam War, among other issues, which mobilized a huge segment of society into civil disobedience.12 Rock music, which held the youth together,11 was one of the mediums in which they addressed these issues.13 Artworld Relations Rock ââ¬Ën roll is a music form that revolutionized in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s through a mixing together of various popular musical genres of the time. It is rooted mainly on rhythm and blues, country, folk, gospel, and jazz. The style quickly spread to the rest of the world and developed further, leading eventually to modern rock music. At around the same time that rock and roll hit Britain in early 1956, a similar form of music came along which is popularly known as skiffle. It was really a fusion of American Jazz, blues and folk music. It also had been surfacing in various semblances for quite a few years.19 From its inception in the early fifties, it had offered teenagers, at that time, a new way of taking in music. With its unmistakably mutinous undertones, rock provides a musical score for the twilight universe that is adolescence. It was commonly looked down by older music listeners but for the youth of that period, it seemed like a personalized declaration of independence.20 A thumbnail chronology of 1950s rock days is a thumbnail chronology of a war between young and old.20 Before a bunch of American records reached UK and stirred the Brits, the firepower started when Bill Haleys Rock Around the Clock reached number one both in the US and UK, and Chuck Berrys Maybellene began to scream on the radios.20 By the late 1950s, rock raced across the pop charts which entertained a lot of teenagers. However, the success of the form by this time is counteracted by most adults and the music industry itself that still looks at rock disdainfully. The new sound is fighting a generational, musical, social, personal war with society.21 While somewhat disturbing societys walls, rock ââ¬Ën roll is imploding in the hearts of some teenagers in an English seaport called Liverpool,21 including the young Beatles members, John, George, Paul and Ringo. The first flourishes of rock n roll in the form of Bill Haley and His Comets aligned music with rebellious youth. Particular rock and roll idols following after started the ball rolling for the Beatles. This is topped by none other than Elvis Presley whos dubbed as the guy who lit the Beatles fuse.22 The rock artists who had a major impact on the Beatles ranged from FatsDomino, Eddie Cochran, Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent, Buddy Holly, little Richard, to Chuck Berry. The list goes on. To the Beatles, Elvis may have represented the music style that they wanted, but he wasnt quite the complete package. He sang brilliantly and looked fantastic. He had great songs but he didnt actually write them. However, there were other artists coming onto the scene who also wrote their own material, and this kind of self-sufficiency really appealed to the young Lennon and McCartney.23 At the top of it was Chuck Berry. He was one of the few black performers whom white teenage audience consciously listened to during the 1950s, and he did largely entertained them on the strength of charismatic stage character, his distinctive, rocking, and widely imitated guitar licks, and his ingenious songs. One aspect of Chuck Berrys tremendous influence that should be highlighted, is the way he introduced a more sophisticated and disciplined form of lyricism to rock music. Thus inspiring the likes of Lennon and McCartney to compose their own songs.23 All these musical influences were quickly spread to a mainstream audience of young people during the 1950s and 60s. Before TV took over as a multi-purpose medium for spreading this, radio was king. That well-known Beatle sense of humor came about partly because of the radio comedians they listened to as kids. At the same time, it was also via the airwaves that they first heard the strains of rock and roll. At their time, TV sets were a definite luxury, but one commodity that could probably be inside all of their homes was the radio.24 During the mid-50s the only British channels that people could tune into were those of the government-controlled British Broadcasting Corporation. The BBC basically transmitted what the adults wanted to hear, easy listening, all the way from Vera Lynn to Frankie Laine. Rock ââ¬Ën roll music was no way to be broadcasted then. Radio helped to shape the Beatles musical tastes and their sense of humor.25 Sample/Analysis Love Me Do Writer/s: Lennon/McCartney Producer: George Martin CD: Magical Mystery Tour, Track 11 (Parlophone CDP7 48062-2) Yellow Submarine, Track 6 (Parlophone CDP7 46445-2) Yellow Submarine Songtrack, Track 12 (EMI 5 21481-2) Released: 7 July 1967 A Single / Baby Youre A Rich Man Recorded: 14 June 1967, Olympic Sound Studios; 19 June 1967, Abbey Road 3; 23-25 June 1967, Abbey Road 1; the song was aired on the Eurovision program Our World on 25.06.1967 Length: 2:57 Key: G Major Meter: 4/4 (with occasional 3/4) Form: Intro | Verse | Verse | Verse | Refrain | Verse (guitar solo) | Refrain | Verse | Refrain | Refrain | Outro (fade-out) Instrumentation: John Lennon: vocals, harmonica Paul McCartney: vocals, bass George Harrison: acoustic rhythm guitar Ringo Starr: drums, tambourine The form is quite simple perhaps because Paul started composing this when he was very young, probably around 15 or 16. In line with this is the simple plaintive melody and rhythm of the song. The group has started out with simple rhythms, unsophisticated and straightforward lyrics, and themes that are very appealing to the teen audience. The very striking and remarkable feature in the song is the harmonica which John played quite well. The harmonica also added that certain x-factor to the tune and to the song in general. The lyrics were just repeated all throughout the song, which makes it quite short. The vocal aspect of the song appears to be apt for the theme of the song. The lyrics of the song is a simple dedication of a devoted lover to his loved one. The song is not as soft and mellow as Yesterday, but not as hard as Helter Skelter. Compared to the other hits of the Beatles after the release of Love Me Do, this song in particular carried a big significance to the band members because it just signaled that they are now in the recording industry, which they only used to dream of. I Saw Her Standing There Writer/s: Lennon/McCartney Producer: George Martin CD: Magical Mystery Tour, Track 11 (Parlophone CDP7 48062-2) Yellow Submarine, Track 6 (Parlophone CDP7 46445-2) Yellow Submarine Songtrack, Track 12 (EMI 5 21481-2) Released: 7 July 1967 A Single / Baby Youre A Rich Man Recorded: Length: 2:57 Key: G Major Meter: 4/4 (with occasional 3/4) Form: Intro | Verse | Verse | Verse | Refrain | Verse (guitar solo) | Refrain | Verse | Refrain | Refrain | Outro (fade-out) Instrumentation: John Lennon:lead vocals, harpsichord, banjo Paul McCartney: bass George Harrison: violin, lead guitar Ringo Starr: drums, snare drum roll I Saw Her Standing There is one of the boys first fast, hard rockers. The arrangement of this song is filled with techniques and touches unique to the group that defined the early sound of the Beatles. The song narrates a simple boy-meets-girl story in the first person to which the pulsating music lends a definitely hot connotation, in spite of the lack of any explicit passion in the lyrics. They also used a type of wordplay that also became a Beatles trademark. In terms of its form, the song has a comparatively long running time of 2:52 which consists of a 2 bridge model with 2 verses intervening, one of which is for guitar solo. The fast pace of the song enhance a general feeling of urgency. Also, the tune covers a broad range and consists of an entirely interesting mix of step-wise motion with dramatic long-jumps. Each of the members contributed to the over-all excitement in the arrangement of this song. This includes Pauls boogie-woogie bass lines, which outline the chords, Ringo s elaborately syncopated drum fills that appear in the space between sections, the backing work on rhythm and lead guitars that works in fine synergy with the bass and drum parts. Furthermore, the tight vocal harmonies of Paul and John feature a type of counterpoint that seems bracingly different from what was to be heard from their contemporaries. Lastly, the handclaps and the screaming used for background punctuation are unessential yet nevertheless characteristic. The song evokes such a pleasurably exuberant mood and an absence of romantic/emotional complications. Its more of a ââ¬Ëhip ditty bop noise, as Richard Price puts it, reminding us in perpetuity of the ââ¬Ënowness and coolness of being 17 and hip, as well as falling for the first time in what a teenage thinks just might be ââ¬Ëreal love. Although theres an eventually bitter and disappointing side to this experience, the song emphasizes that the sweeter part of it is worth taking with someone for the rest of his life. Just like any of their early period songs, this song contains no profundity in its lyrics. It just implies the usual situation that a teenager faces in terms of love and the opposite sex. It appears to be somewhat a way of expressing a teen feeling about love and the common view of the youth about it at the time. Here, it seemed that the Beatles try to make an impression that they are like the other youngster as to how they view that certain aspect of the teen wo rld. All my Loving Writer/s: Lennon/McCartney Producer: George Martin CD: Magical Mystery Tour, Track 11 (Parlophone CDP7 48062-2) Yellow Submarine, Track 6 (Parlophone CDP7 46445-2) Yellow Submarine Songtrack, Track 12 (EMI 5 21481-2) Released: 7 July 1967 A Single / Baby Youre A Rich Man Recorded: 14 June 1967, Olympic Sound Studios; 19 June 1967, Abbey Road 3; 23-25 June 1967, Abbey Road 1; the song was aired on the Eurovision program Our World on 25.06.1967 Length: 2:57 Key: G Major Meter: 4/4 (with occasional 3/4) Form: Intro | Verse | Verse | Verse | Refrain | Verse (guitar solo) | Refrain | Verse | Refrain | Refrain | Outro (fade-out) Instrumentation: John Lennon: backing vocals, rhythm guitar Paul McCartney: vocals, bass George Harrison: backing vocals, lead guitar Ringo Starr: drums The song is one of the several Beatles songs with somehow superficial lyrics about love and affection. The melody is quite lively though its not as upbeat as IWant to Hold Your Hand and I Saw Her Standing There. There were also some stopgaps in between the stanzas in the song. Evidently, it is one of those songs that characterized the early songwriting and music composition of the Beatles. I Want to Hold Your Hand Writer/s: Lennon/McCartney Producer: George Martin CD: Magical Mystery Tour, Track 11 (Parlophone CDP7 48062-2) Yellow Submarine, Track 6 (Parlophone CDP7 46445-2) Yellow Submarine Songtrack, Track 12 (EMI 5 21481-2) Released: 7 July 1967 A Single / Baby Youre A Rich Man Recorded: 14 June 1967, Olympic Sound Studios; 19 June 1967, Abbey Road 3; 23-25 June 1967, Abbey Road 1; the song was aired on the Eurovision program Our World on 25.06.1967 Length: 2:57 Key: G Major Meter: 4/4 (with occasional 3/4) Form: Intro | Verse | Verse | Verse | Refrain | Verse (guitar solo) | Refrain | Verse | Refrain | Refrain | Outro (fade-out) Instrumentation: John Lennon:lead vocals, harpsichord, banjo Paul McCartney: bass George Harrison: violin, lead guitar Ringo Starr: drums, snare drum roll The song is deceptively straightforward and regular in design. It starts with a falling melody. Also, it sounds closer to conservative pop than rebelliously hard rock. It has the non-intuitive two-part vocal harmony, falsetto screaming, an occasionally novel chord progression, abrupt rhythm even some elided phrasing and the overdubbed handclaps. The original song has no real lead singer or even a clearly defined melody, as Lennon and McCartney sing in harmony with each other. They sing in duet virtually the whole way through. Paul plays quite a bit of double-stops in the bass part, Ringo throws in some of his structurally significant drum fills in between the second and third phrase of each verse, and most subtle of all, George contributes a number of lead guitar fills. It was the youth who discovered the Beatles, and while young people can be easily manipulated through hype and image, in the case of the Beatles it was the music that drew them in. This song is undeniably one of the Beatles all-time hits and in several ways represents the compositional height of what could be called their Very Early period. In context of November 1963, I Want to Hold Your Hand was the best they could do, a kind of summing up of all they had done to-date. It also has a seemingly puppy-love simplicity that does hold up remarkably well like a classic. I Want to Hold Your Hand was not subject to numerous cover versions like other Beatles songs such as Yesterday or Something. Nonetheless, it was one of their greatest hits. Their early songs mostly consist of simple and uncomplicated meanings behind the lyrics that were tailored for the young audience. A Hard Days Night Writer/s: Lennon/McCartney Producer: George Martin CD: Magical Mystery Tour, Track 11 (Parlophone CDP7 48062-2) Yellow Submarine, Track 6 (Parlophone CDP7 46445-2) Yellow Submarine Songtrack, Track 12 (EMI 5 21481-2) Released: 7 July 1967 A Single / Baby Youre A Rich Man Recorded: 14 June 1967, Olympic Sound Studios; 19 June 1967, Abbey Road 3; 23-25 June 1967, Abbey Road 1; the song was aired on the Eurovision program Our World on 25.06.1967 Length: 2:57 Key: G Major Meter: 4/4 (with occasional 3/4) Form: Intro | Verse | Verse | Verse | Refrain | Verse (guitar solo) | Refrain | Verse | Refrain | Refrain | Outro (fade-out) Instrumentation: John Lennon:lead vocals, harpsichord, banjo Paul McCartney: bass George Harrison: violin, lead guitar Ringo Starr: drums, snare drum roll The song has a long form, with two bridges and an instrumental break. It has a deep similarity with typical ââ¬Å"bluesâ⬠melodic structures which creates a combined style between traditional blues elements and those more recognizable as the Beatles own trademarks. A Hard Days Night is a particularly forward-looking song since it has numerous innovations in the area of harmony and arrangement. It has a generally energetic bustle that appears on its surface. On a subtle level, the very casualness of the discordance between the tunes and chords adds a characterizingly ââ¬Å"slangâ⬠flavor to the songs over all music vocabulary. John takes most of the verse as solo and Paul with the bridge. In the chorus, Paul handles the high harmony and John the low harmony. The opening chord has its great effect because of the sudden, crisp attack of the song. The pause that follows the opening chord is an example of how suspense and a sense of rising expectations is created by a change o f pace. The effect has a surprise factor that works well at the beginning of the film or album. The song is parallel in itself since it ends off inexplicably on practically the same chord with which the song began. This also provides some unity to the song generally. Furthermore, it closes with a fade-out which was new to the Beatles at that time since the prior songs had closed with a final chord such as She Loves You and I Want to Hold Your Hand. The lyrics are far from profound. Basically, the song speaks about ones undying devotion to his loved one and how he works hard so she can buy the things she fancies. The singer sings about his tiredness when he comes home from work. But when he sees the things that his lover does, these perk him up. The song was sung on an exuberant mood along with fast paced beats in it. It also incorporated new techniques that the Beatles have not yet done in their earlier songs like Harrisons arpeggio-playing during the fade-out. The simple lyrics cater to a larger audience of young people. This is due to the theme of the song which is about love that gets it across to a lot of young listeners. Furthermore, there is but a few meanings to this song which is usually the characteristic of their early period songs. Perhaps, because their main goal by then is to gain popularity through entertaining a larger portion of music listeners, the kids. Help! Writer/s: Lennon/McCartney Producer: George Martin CD: Magical Mystery Tour, Track 11 (Parlophone CDP7 48062-2) Yellow Submarine, Track 6 (Parlophone CDP7 46445-2) Yellow Submarine Songtrack, Track 12 (EMI 5 21481-2) Released: 7 July 1967 A Single / Baby Youre A Rich Man Recorded: 14 June 1967, Olympic Sound Studios; 19 June 1967, Abbey Road 3; 23-25 June 1967, Abbey Road 1; the song was aired on the Eurovision program Our World on 25.06.1967 Length: 2:57 Key: G Major Meter: 4/4 (with occasional 3/4) Form: Intro | Verse | Verse | Verse | Refrain | Verse (guitar solo) | Refrain | Verse | Refrain | Refrain | Outro (fade-out) Instrumentation: John Lennon:lead vocals, harpsichord, banjo Paul McCartney: bass George Harrison: violin, lead guitar Ringo Starr: drums, snare drum roll The song Help! has a two-part lead vocals and a speeded-up tempo. The final take in the recording session was the best, and onto this Ringo Starr overdubbed a tambourine, and George Harrison added the series of descending Chet Atkins-style guitar notes which close each chorus. One can listen to a couple of complicated, fast riffs in the song which added more pulse to the overall rhythm. The melody, somewhat, counteracted the message of the song of being depressed and disheartened. It was noticeably composed to satisfy their commercial instincts at this time. The lyrics, on the other hand, is somehow repetitive that makes the song a bit short compared to their prior songs. The vocals were solid enough to agree with the harmony of the instruments most notably the tambourine playing at the background. It still definitely has some blues elements incorporated in the song which is most common to the Beatles songs. The songs lyrics seem straightforward and superficial. The lyric that emerged was not simply a boy talking to a girl, but more of a patient to a psychotherapist or just someone seeking help from somebody else or from a mind-altering substance. The song was a marked departure from the boy-girl relationships that they have been talking about in their early songs. On the other hand, the song had commercial appeal, with its fast tempo and lively instrumentation. Here, the group is starting to develop emotional depth and weight in composing their songs. Yesterday Writer/s: Lennon/McCartney Producer: George Martin CD: Magical Mystery Tour, Track 11 (Parlophone CDP7 48062-2) Yellow Submarine, Track 6 (Parlophone CDP7 46445-2) Yellow Submarine Songtrack, Track 12 (EMI 5 21481-2) Released: 7 July 1967 A Single / Baby Youre A Rich Man Recorded: 14 June 1967, Olympic Sound Studios; 19 June 1967, Abbey Road 3; 23-25 June 1967, Abbey Road 1; the song was aired on the Eurovision program Our World on 25.06.1967 Length: 2:57 Key: G Major Meter: 4/4 (with occasional 3/4) Form: Intro | Verse | Verse | Verse | Refrain | Verse (guitar solo) | Refrain | Verse | Refrain | Refrain | Outro (fade-out) Instrumentation: John Lennon:lead vocals, harpsichord, banjo Paul McCartney: bass George Harrison: violin, lead guitar Ringo Starr: drums, snare drum roll Yesterday has a unique arrangement, an attractive tune, even some asymmetrical phrasing and a couple of off-beat chord progressions. It has a tempo that is uncharacteristically slow. The instrumental backing consists entirely of an acoustic guitar and a string quartet (two violins, a viola and a cello) with the two elements mixed. The track is sung solo by Paul virtually all the way through with a particular exception for a short patch of double tracking to highlight the high notes at the end of the first bridge. As with Pauls other hymns, the bass line of this song is played with special emphasis whether through the hard-picked notes on the low-strings of the guitar or supported by the cello. The string arrangement supplements the songs air of sadness, notably the moaning of the cello melody and its blue seventh that connects the two halves of the bridge as well as the descending line by the viola that shifts the chorus back unto the verses. There is an ironic tension between the co ntent of what is played by the quartet and the restrained, spare nature of the medium in which it is played, adding an engaging level of depth to the performance. This is quite different from the fast paced, upbeat songs of the Beatles prior to this one especially because of its soothing, light melodic structure. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) Writer/s: Lennon/McCartney Producer: George Martin CD: Rubber Soul, Track 2 (Parlophone CDP7 46440-2) Released: 3 December 1965 Recorded: 12, 21 October 1965, Abbey Road 2 Length: 2:05 Key: E Major Meter: 3/4 (6/8) Form: Verse (instrumental intro) | Verse | Bridge | Verse | Verse (instrumental solo) | Bridge | Verse | Outro (with complete ending) Instrumentation: John Lennon: double tracked lead vocal, 6 12 string acoustic rhythm guitars Paul McCartney: harmony vocal and bass George Harrison: doubletracked sitar Ringo Starr: finger cymbals, tambourine, maracas Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) is a rhythmic acoustic ballad featuring signature Beatle harmonies in the middle eight. Norwegian wood refers to the cheap pinewood that often finished the interiors of working class British flats. The lyrics speak of an encounter between the singer and an unnamed girl. They drink wine and talk. The speaker may have been hoping to sleep with the girl, declaring its time for bed. But the girl leaves him to crawl off to sleep in the bath alone. Later, the singer finds that the girl has left him for another love, so the singer lights a fire and burns the girls house as an act of revenge. Lighting a fire may also be interpreted as smoking a cigarette or smoking some weed. The instrumental backing is acoustic in style approach. The intro is sixteen measures long. The presentation of the hook phrase consists of the solo acoustic guitar followed by the entrance of the sitar (which then carries the melody) and bass guitar. All the verses follow the pattern set up in the intro. The bridge is also sixteen measures long, and the slowness of the harmonic rhythm helps maintain the measured mood established earlier The outro provides one repeat of the hook. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) is the first pop record ever released to feature a sitar (Newman 93). In direct contrast to earlier Beatles songs such as Love Me Do and I Want to Hold Your Hand, Norwegian Wood(This Bird Has Flown)provides a darker outlook towards romantic relationships. The exotic instrumentation and oblique lyrics are indications of the expanding musical vocabulary and experimental approach that the Beatles were rapidly adopting. Yellow Submarine Writer/s: Lennon/McCartney Producer: George Martin CD: Revolver, Track 6 (Parlophone CDP7 46441-2) Yellow Submarine, Track 1 (Parlophone CDP7 46445-2) Yellow Submarine Songtrack, Track 1 (EMI 5 21481-2) Released: 5 August 1966 (Double-A Single / Eleanor Rigby and LP Revolver) Recorded: 26 May 1966, Abbey Road 3; 1 June 1966, Abbey Road 2 Length: 2:38 Key: G Major Meter: 4/4 Form: Verse | Verse | Refrain | Verse | Refrain | Verse (instrumental) | Verse | Refrain Instrumentation: John Lennon: acoustic guitar, blowing bubbles Paul McCartney: bass, acoustic guitar George Harrison: tambourine Ringo Starr: lead vocals, drums
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)