Linguistics Semiotic Analysis of a Disney Song

Semiotic Analysis of a Disney Song

(The song I have chosen to do this paper on is “Grim Grinning Ghosts”, from the Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland)

In the style of one of Roland Barthes’ vignettes from Mythologies, you will analyze a Disney song. The song could appear in any media form: as it appears in a film, as it is performed live (such as at an awards show or in a theme park), and so on. In your analysis, you are to think about the song’s formal qualities as well as its ideological messages, and importantly, how one might be determined, connected, or commenting on the other. Make sure you situate your song within its proper sociocultural, political, technological, and economic contexts. (Note: you may not choose a song from a text we have watched so far in class, such as “Have You Been to Baía?” [from The Three Caballeros] or “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” [from the Carousel of Progress].)

In your analysis, you should use the same concepts and approaches from the readings and from our class activity on advertisements in order to perform a semiotic analysis. You will not be able to perform all the possible interpretations of the text. Choose something that interests you and is appropriate to the text.

Don’t be boring or repetitive. Don’t only re-state the obvious. This should not be hard to do – semiotics is a method that opens up texts and unpacks meanings that have been previously unexplored.

Semiotics is a way to understand how things mean, not what they mean. Some questions you should ask: • What are the denotative signs within the song? • What are the connotative meanings within the song? • Does the ad use metaphor? • Which myths are invoked by the song? How would you describe the system of myth present within the song? • What cultural codes does the ad appeal to?

A good way to begin your analysis is to reconstruct what first struck you about the song. Why did it grab your attention? What does it make you think of? What genre of song is it? What do the lyrics mean? How does the melody and rhythm influence your understanding of the song?

Your semiotic analysis should be approximately 1,000 words (3-4 pages), double-spaced, with proper font sizes and margins. You should engage with texts such as the Barthes, as well
as any outside sources you feel help you decode your chosen song. You should cite using APA or Chicago citation styles. With your assignment, please include the lyrics (if relevant) for the song as well as any citation information for the song you analyze. This assignment is worth 20% of your grade and will be assessed out of 20 points.

Some quick steps to get you started:

1. Identify the signs. a. Representations of people? i. Age: Who is the song for? What is the age of those singing? What are their voices meant to convey? (e.g. wisdom? innocence? authority?) 1. How does the music itself (such as in melody, tune, and rhythm) influence our understanding of the song’s audience? ii. Gender: Texts often recreate traditional, binary gender roles. Men are often portrayed as active and logical, women tend to appear passive, domestic, and frivolous. To what extent does your text do this? What are the masculine and feminine elements of the song, and how are they structured within the song? iii. Race: Does this song feature any racial tropes or stereotypes? How does the song’s language, vocal accents, and genre speak to this? To what extent does it do this? What is the impact on the overall meaning of the song? b. Representations of manner? i. Expression: Is the singer/song happy, melancholy, sad, and so on? Does the mood change during the song? ii. “Eye contact”: Who is looking/speaking to whom? In the case of a song, to whom is the singer singing? c. Representations of activity? i. Touch: Who is touching what, with what effects? ii. Body movement: Who is active and who is passive? d. Props and Settings: i. Props: What objects appear? What do they signify, and how do they add meaning to the text? ii. Settings: Settings range from “normal” or everyday locations to the socalled “exotic.” They may also be fantasy locations. What effects does the setting have on the text?

2. Examine the connotative (associative) messages generated by the combination of signs. a. Think about how they relate to other signs ‘in themselves,’ then explore their connections (and the connections of the connections) to wider systems of meaning. b. Then, return to the signs to explore the precise articulation of ideology. What is the larger ideological meaning that is conveyed by the song?