"My Generation" by The Who

 In the song "My Generation" by The Who, the singer glorifies his era and expresses a feeling of discontent with the older generations. This generation "gap" can make children feel distant from their parents and is present now more than ever due to the sudden advancement of technology. One line of the song reads, "I hope I die before I get old." This line suggests that the singer is afraid of becoming like his parents who clearly do not understand his choices and criticize the youth movement. This song was written in the 1960's, a decade in which the younger people became very distant with their parents due to their new anti-war and love ideas. The youth were known as hippies and the older generation, who did not understand them, heavily critiqued their kids because they were not comfortable with the choices  they were making. Roger Daltry, the lead singer of The Who sings about an identity specific to his age group. However he does not foster the idea of "us versus them", indicated by the lines, "I'm not trying to cause a big sensation, I'm just talking 'bout my generation." These lines display that he is not making a statement that his generation is better than anybody else's. He is simply stating that he feels a certain bond with members of his generation and he doesn't think other people should be telling him how to live his life.

"Amazing Grace", written by John Newton

The influential Christian hymn was written by English clergyman John Newton in 1779 and is one of the most recognizable songs in the English speaking world. Spiritual identity is a universal condition that transcends ethnic, national, and personal identities. Religion, by definition, categorizes groups of people by common beliefs and traditions. But one's own relationship with God can be the most defining personal characteristic of their life. A strong religious belief system creates a vessel for self reflection and examination of one's purpose on Earth. By becoming part of a larger spiritual whole, people may feel less alone and less afraid of death. For this reason it is one of the most powerful identity movements common to man. Religion has always been used to comfort the observer and answer questions about the unknown.

"Fight the Power" by Public Enemy

    This song, first released on the soundtrack of Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, became an anthem for young African-Americans. By the time this song was written, racial segregation had been obsolete for around 30 years, but the problem of racial segregation was still eminent. The song encourages the black community to rise up against the suppressive races, especially Caucasian. This song has a strong correlation to Malcolm X's ideology of black supremacy because the song's title in itself brings up the theme of violence. By referring to all African Americans as a repressed minority, the singer instills hatred in the song's listeners against the "power" or people in positions of high authority. This song not only inspired but created an identity for new members of the hip hop movement of the 1990s. This memorable song, first used in a movie that exemplified very similar themes, brought people together in an effort to defeat racism. This song's lyrics would not be consistent with Martin Luther King Jr.'s method of civil disobedience because it states that you have to fight for what you believe in, instead of waiting for someone else to give it to you.

"Reflection" from Mulan, sung by Lea Salong

Look at me
I will never pass for a perfect bride 
Or a perfect daughter 
Can it be 
I'm not meant to play this part? 
Now I see 
That if I were truly to be myself 
I would break my fam'ly's heart 

Who is that girl I see 
Staring straight 
Back at me? 
Why is my reflection someone I don't know? 
Somehow I cannot hide 
Who I am 
Though I've tried 
When will my reflection show 
Who I am inside? 
When will my reflection show 
Who I am inside? 
In this Disney movie, Mulan is a Chinese girl who selflessly joins the Chinese army in place of her father.  In order to do so, she must impersonate a man, or "pass" as a man, because women are not allowed to fight.  Mulan must hide her true identity as a woman to protect her father and remain in the war.  In this song, "Reflection", Mulan expresses her frustration in her inability to show her true self.  She questions who her true identity is and whether or not she is "meant to play this part".  Faced with the usual identity crisis of youth, Mulan also has to hide her identity from the people around her and from her family.  In the chorus, Mulan wonders who she truly is as she stares at her reflection in a pond.  She is upset that she does not recognize herself in herself.  Mulan states that she is someone that she does not know.  Mulan wants to be able to show her true identity to her family and friends and even to herself.  When people "pass" for other people, they are not only deceiving the people around them, but they deceive themselves.  Eventually, after lying to others and oneself for an extended period of time, people start to lose the truth.  Mulan is worried she will never be able to be herself again, and she questions when she will recognize herself again. 

"Who am I?" (from Les Miserables)

[VALJEAN]
He thinks that man is me
He knew him at a glance!
That stranger he has found
This man could be my chance!

Why should I save his hide?
Why should I right this wrong
When I have come so far
And struggled for so long?

If I speak, I am condemned.
If I stay silent, I am damned!

I am the master of hundreds of workers.
They all look to me.
How can I abandon them?
How would they live
If I am not free?

If I speak, I am condemned.
If I stay silent, I am damned!

Who am I?
Can I condemn this man to slavery
Pretend I do not feel his agony
This innocent who bears my face
Who goes to judgement in my place
Who am I?
Can I conceal myself for evermore?
Pretend I'm not the man I was before?
And must my name until I die
Be no more than an alibi?
Must I lie?
How can I ever face my fellow men?
How can I ever face myself again?
My soul belongs to God, I know
I made that bargain long ago
He gave me hope when hope was gone
He gave me strength to journey on

[He appears in front of the court]

Who am I? Who am I?
I am Jean Valjean!

[He unbuttons his shirt to reveal the number tattooed to his chest]

And so Javert, you see it's true
That man bears no more guilt than you!
Who am I?
24601!

    Les Miserables tells the story of Jean Valjean, a former prisoner who is released from prison.  Jean Valjean has successfully hid from Javert, his guard from prison.  Javert always tries to imprison him for the duration of the play.  Jean Valjean has gotten back on his feet and has a successful job with a position of superiority.  After Javert indicates that he knows Valjean's true identity, Valjean has to decide whether or not to reveal his true identity to Javert.  If he does reveal his true identity, then he is "condemned" and will be in trouble.  Additionally, his workers need him for advice and for a job.  However, if he does not reveal his true identity, he will be lying.  Valjean has changed his identity after realizing how nice the clergyman was earlier on in the play.  He tries to be good, and he creates a whole new life, suppressing the prisoner within himself.  In the struggle for true identity which is questioned again, Jean Valjean has to decide whose life he will now live: the prisoner who is righteous in giving himself up, or the successful man who has hidden his past.  He worries that he will never be able to face society any more if he continues to lie and have a hidden identity.  This song is a type of identity crisis in an older man.  Jean Valjean does not know what to do or which identity to pursue.  He questions how long he will have to continue to lie and hide his true self.  Who is he?  Which man is he?  Is he a good man or a bad man?  Towards the end of the song, Jean Valjean resolves his dilemma.  He is Jean Valjean, and the last line in the song states his number from prison: 24601.  Valjean has figured out who he is, what his identity is, and what his life has meant. 

"Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson

    "Man in the Mirror" quite literally is about self reflection. As we age, it is important for us to constantly reevaluate our relationship to the planet around us. Steve Jobs, the founder and CEO of Apple, said in his 2005 Stanford commencement speech that if you look in the mirror and are not satisfied with the place you are in, do something about it. Michael Jackson writes about examining our role in helping our fellow man. We have to recognize the misfortunes of others and act on bettering their lives instead of only focusing on our own material gain. He states that he has forgotten his identity as an agent of positive change in the world, and commits to a transformation of compassion.  Additionally, Michael Jackson realizes that while we ask everyone to help humanity, we are hypocritical if we do not do so ourselves.  He says that he is "starting with the man in the mirror," meaning that he is changing the world by changing himself first.  How can he ask others to change and help humanity if does not do so himself? 

"Born This Way" by Lady Gaga

    Much of our discussion about identity revolves around people fitting in to societal groups or norms. Lady Gaga speaks to those who feel that they might not fit in to conventional society. This anthem which encourages people to be true to themselves and to love the way they were created, gives a voice to everyone out there who has doubts about their identity. Her message, which is emphasized by her outrageous costumes and antics, is that everybody has an individual identity that they should embrace. Interestingly, she has created a cult following with members that now have a group to identify with. She stresses the importance of individuality and self respect and dissuades her fans from giving in to the pressures of popular culture.

"Take the 'A' Train" by Duke Ellington

You must take the A train
To go to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem

If you miss the A train
You'll find you missed the quickest way to Harlem

Hurry, get on, now it's coming
Listen to those rails a-humming

All aboard, get on the A train
Soon you will be on Sugar Hill in Harlem

"Take the 'A' Train" by Duke Ellington

This song is regarded as the most popular jazz song of all time. The jazz movement of the 1910s is characterized by this song. "Take the A Train" has all of the identifying elements of the music from this movement that started in New Orleans and came to Harlem and Chicago. In that era, jazz became synonymous with African American music and culture. It established black musicians as some of the most talented players in the world and laid the foundation for generations of ethnic music to come. Songs like this one helped create an identity for African Americans who were searching for elements in America to call their own.

"Ride of the Valkyries" composed by Richard Wagner

    Richard Wagner is the one of the most famous German composer in history. His songs all have strong nationalistic themes, a characteristic common in German culture. His goal was to inspire his fellow countrymen, while giving them a strong sense of national identity. His work was done at a time when the country was in the midst of unification, and therefore became associated with the movement. German themes of strength and superiority were echoed in Wagner's music, which were to become cultural symbols for the Nazi Party.

"I Am Woman" by Helen Reddy

Released in 1970, "I Am Woman" was soon to be intimately linked with the women's liberation movement. Women, who had achieved equality in some aspects of society but still felt repressed and disrespected by their male counterparts, particularly identified with this song and movement. Sometimes repression inspires the victims to come together for a common cause, resulting in bonds that span generations. The achievements of the women's liberation movement can be seen in almost every piece of modern day life. Through women's historical subjugation to men, feminism evolved into a major gender identity characterized by women's belief in their equality and aspirations to attain to the same prestige as men. These themes are echoed in Helen Reddy's lyrics.

"La Marseillaise" (French National Anthem) written by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle

No song better exemplifies a country's nationalism than a national anthem. It is meant to inspire the people, bringing them closer together in their common goal to better the nation. Patriotic zeal is advanced by the vivid words of the song. Written in 1792, La Marseillaise speaks to the French revolutionaries who overthrew their absolute monarchy in 1789 in their quest for liberty. "Let's go, Children of the nation!" the song booms. It was meant to encourage the people of France to fight against the tyrannical governments that tried to crush the revolution and reinstate the Bourbon monarchy. The people's determination to create a republic was the foundation for the newly established national identity. This song became the nation's first anthem in 1795. It, along with the tricolor flag of the revolution, were symbols of pride for those who had toppled the Old Regime of Louis XVI.

"Concerto for the Left Hand" by Ravel

    The Austrian pianist, Paul Wittgenstein, was a famous musician of the twentieth century.  He fought in World War I, where he lost his right arm in combat.  However, the musician wished to continue playing the piano.  Wittgenstein learned to play the piano very well with just his left hand and began to change certain musical pieces to be able to be played with just the left hand.  He also asked many musicians to compose musical pieces for only the left hand.  One of these composers was Maurice Ravel.  Ravel composed the "Concerto for the Left Hand".  Wittgenstein refused this piece because he did not like its solo.  However, Ravel refused to revise the piece, and Wittgenstein performed the piece in 1931 in Vienna.  This concerto is very original, as there are very few pieces that are written only for the left hand.  Ravel put a piece of himself in it, expressing his ideas and feelings through the music. 

At Seventeen by Janice Ian

"At Seventeen," a 1975 song by Janis Ian,  is a powerful statement about the illusion of teenage popularity and the struggle with fitting in. Singing about her own identity crisis  in high school- Ian indicts a culture that rewards surface beauty -"high school girls with clear skinned  smiles"  and "those of us with ravaged faces, lacking in the social graces, desperately remained at home...."
The song is a poignant criticism of a society that  labels  and  judges based on physical attributes alone.
It demonstrates the  cruel and painful consequences of society judging people by their physical  attributes alone instead of the qualities that make up their complete identity.

Works Cited