« My life was saved by Rock'n Roll. Because it was this kind of music that, for the very first time in my life, gave me a feeling of identity, the feeling that I had a right to enjoy, to imagine, and to do something. Had it not been for Rock'n Roll, I might be a lawyer now. » Wim Wenders

Songs are one of the most common and powerful forms of presence of the English language in the world. I would like to invite you to study some of the most famous songs written in English, more particularly the ones made popular by the great bands of the sixties and seventies.

This course will give you a chance to discover the origins and understand the references in the songs performed by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin, or to place the songs of singers like Bob Dylan or Lou Reed back into context.

Participation is an essential ingredient of this course : we will also study bands or singers that you suggest in addition to the list below.

Each student is expected to give an oral presentation and to write a minimum of 3 written papers

1. The origins : Country Music, the Blues, Chuck Berry
2. Bob Dylan
3. The Beatles
4. The Rolling Stones
5. The Doors
6. Jimi Hendrix
7. Pink Floyd
8. Simon and Garfunkel
9. Led Zeppelin
10. Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground
11. Queen


Bibliography :

· All Music Guide to Rock (The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul)
Edited by Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, and Stephen Thomas Erlewine
www.allmusic.com
· Thomson, Elizabeth M.; Gutman, David
The Lennon Companion: 25 Years of Comment 1987 Macmillan
· Thomson, Elizabeth M.; Gutman, David
The Dylan Companion 1990 Macmillan


Filmography :

1.Documentaries
The compleat Beatles, 1984, Patrick Montgomery
25x5: The Continuing Adventures of the Rolling Stones, 1990, Nigel Finch
Janis, 1974 , Howard Alk, Seaton Findlay
The Doors: A Tribute to Jim Morrison, 1981, Ray Manzarek
Woodstock, 1970, Michael Wadleigh
Queen: Live at Wembley '86, 1992, Gavin Taylor


2.Fiction
The Graduate, 1967, Mike Nichols
More, 1969, Barbet Schroeder
The Rose, 1979, Mark Rydell
The Doors, 1991, Oliver Stone

Dernière mise à jour : mercredi 28 mars 2012