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Jakarta Post

Poetic trove shapes up Queen’s legacy

Musthofid (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, July 29, 2020

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Poetic trove shapes up Queen’s legacy

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s the world remembers Live Aid held 35 years ago, Queen fans in Indonesia are looking into the lyrical enchantments of the British rock band’s songs.

“Talking about songs composed by Queen, we cannot help thinking about the poetic aspects of the lyrics. The songs that last imperishably in memory are those written with poetic dexterity. Queen’s songs are categorized as such,” Ari Jogaiswara, a literature study lecturer at Bandung-based Padjadjaran University, said during a recent live video program organized by Queen Indonesia (Queenindo)

Called LaZoom On A Sunday Afternoon and themed Queen: Poetic Musicians and Musical Poets, the event saw Ari, who is a member of the Asian Shakespeare Association (ASA), exploring the poetic devices found in a number of Queen songs.

He also shed light on the typical characteristics of the band’s members in composing their respective lyrics.

The legendary British rock band, which was formed in 1970, is best known for hits such as “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions”. The latter has become an anthem at sporting arenas.

Its classic lineup included Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar), John Deacon (bass) and Roger Taylor (drums). Frontman Mercury died in 1991 and Deacon retired in 1997.

Queen’s songwriting is considered a treasure trove full of wonders, ranging from poetic lyrics intricately tailored into a song’s theme, to personal storytelling and motivations.

Ari has a conviction about the poetic strength of Queen’s songs based on his own childhood experience in Michigan, the United States.

He said he first became acquainted with Queen songs in 1980 at the age of 11 when his mother bought him an album.

“I did not understand some phrases of the lyrics but they seemed to get stuck in my head. It’s vivid in memory. This is because they work out poetic devices with the themes,” he said.

Some poetic devices commonly used in songs, he said, are rhymes, consonance, alliteration, meters, allusions, metaphors and similes, and ambiguity.

“In ‘Brighton Rock’, many words and structural lines are not familiar to senior high school students in Indonesia but the rhymes are distinct,” Ari said.

Fan gathering: Members of fan community Queenindo explore the songwriting themes and lyrics of British rock legend Queen during an online gathering called LaZoom on a Sunday Afternoon.
Fan gathering: Members of fan community Queenindo explore the songwriting themes and lyrics of British rock legend Queen during an online gathering called LaZoom on a Sunday Afternoon. (Queenindo/File)

Fandom

Ari added that worldly acclaim of Queen’s musical endeavors had not only been proven by May and Taylor becoming mentors to later generations of musicians, but also stories about them have been developed through films, such as the Oscar-winning Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), and through fandoms around the world.

“Fans build narratives about Queen in many events such as LaZoom,” he said.

Queenindo spokesperson Yuce “Uce” Siti Maria said that the fans community, which was formed in 2011, had some 3,400 members on Facebook, 1,400 followers on Instagram and some 300 in a WhatsApp group.

“We hold routine gatherings every month on Sundays called Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon. The event is named after one of the tracks in the album A Night at the Opera. We have light discussions about Queen and its legacy,” Uce told The Jakarta Post.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to hold virtual gathering via Zoom. So, we call it LaZoom on a Sunday Afternoon,” she said.

Queenindo’s most recent LaZoom meeting was dedicated to commemorating the 35th anniversary of the Live Aid concert on July 13, 1985, which was held to raise funds for famine in Ethiopia.

“The concert featured a number of the world’s most notable musicians, but Queen was lauded for stealing the show. That’s why Live Aid is more a signature about Queen,” said Uce, who summed up her adoration for Queen as “living, breathing with Queen”.

Like Uce, Harry Nuriman is a massive lover of Queen. He said he had a passion for the rock band from as early as junior high school, somehow by chance.

“I was engrossed in the Beatles when I, then in the third grade of junior high school, came across someone selling used music cassettes. I bought one that had no cover. I played it and the music amazed me. I discovered later that the cassette was The Best of Queen. I started searching for more Queen [albums] from then on,” Harry, a lecturer at several universities in Bandung, West Java, told the Post.

Among his collectibles is a book titled 40 Years of Queen, which tells the story of Queen and how its music changed rock around the world. The book features over 200 photographs, posters, pull outs and also removable memorabilia.

“I like this book the most. It cost almost Rp 500,000 [US$34.57] but I forced myself to buy it particularly because it carried a lot of memorabilia. Having a ticket stub, though only a replica, delights me as if I went to a real concert,” he said.

“Queen’s music is grand. The vocal range, the genre, the song themes and the shows are excellent.”

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