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If you aren’t already familiar with the Led Zeppelin song “The Crunge,” from the
If you aren’t already familiar with the Led Zeppelin song “The Crunge,” from their 1973 album Houses of the Holy, listen to it now.
Led Zeppelin. “The Crunge,” from Houses of the Holy. (Atlantic/1973)
“The Crunge” is (somewhat) famously a tribute to James Brown, most specifically his song “Sex Machine.”
Download a brief summary of the connection (PDF)
James Brown. “Get Up I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine” from Sex Machine. (King Records/1970)
The philosopher Robert Kraut says that it is “extremely important” to hear “The Crunge” “not only as a more-sophisticated-than-usual instance of heavy metal, but also as a sarcastic commentary on James Brown’s more involuted performances. This is not simply collateral knowledge about the piece; it involves hearing certain modulations and syncopations in special ways. One who does not hear this has yet to understand the piece totally” (“Perceiving the Music Correctly,” in Michael Krausz, ed., The Interpretation of Music: Philosophical Essays [Oxford University Press, 1993], 113.)
Is it, in fact, “extremely important”?
What, exactly, is lost on a listener who isn’t aware of these references or background?
Is a listener who knows this information a “better” listener? A bigger fan? More discerning?
Did knowing about the James Brown references make you hear the song differently? Better? In short: do you agree with Kraut? (And is he right that it’s “sarcastic”?)
There is no set minimum length for this essay, but experience suggests that it is challenging to fulfill the expectations of this assignment in fewer than 750 words, and all but impossible in fewer than 500. Likewise, there is no upper limit—you may write as much as you wish, but 1500 words should be adequate in most cases.
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